Pure growth
March 13, 2008
By: Maria Lamagna <mlamagna@hilite.org>
Junior Colin Ray has eaten organic foods at home for three years. He said that his parents started to buy them when they were inspired by a diet-conscious friend. Read more
Organic labels don’t indicate healthier food
March 13, 2008
By: Lexi Muir <lmuir@hilite.org>
In recent years, consuming organic foods has become so popular that some experts are calling it a fad. According to the CNN article “The Organic Debate: Healthy or not?” in the past decade sales of organics have surged more than 20 percent, and according to the Food Marketing Institute, more than half of Americans are now choosing to buy organic foods over conventional foods.
Common grocery stores are even opening up new sections for people who are shopping strictly for organic items. Organic foods seem to be sweeping across the nation. So the big question: is going organic really healthier?
According to that same article, the a common misconception may be the reason behind this increase in the organic market. Many people think that organic foods are much healthier and safer than conventionally produced food because the producers do not use chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones or antibiotics that conventional foods do.
When the word “organic” is written on a label, it signifies that the food is produced while only using natural means of fertilization, the most common being pathogen-laden manure. Despite the thought that this is healthier, using manure as a fertilizer actually poses a higher risk of food borne-illnesses than conventional foods. This could also mean a greater production of toxins, one of them being aflatoxin which is highly carcinogenic, or cancer producing.
The USDA also claims that organic foods are no safer or more nutritious than conventionally-produced food. They say that most organic foods, including milk, butter and ice cream are the exact same as their conventional equivalents in both their amount of fat and calories. Going organic in no way means having a less-fattening diet, which is the belief of many organic consumers today.
Along with the fact that organic foods are no better in terms of calories and fat, the USDA also claims that they can be less safe than conventional foods. In October of 2002, the USDA’s undersecretary for food safety warned that the lack of preservatives in organic foods makes them more vulnerable to bacteria and parasites than conventional foods.
They also have the potential for greater pathogen contamination than conventionally produced foods and are eight times more likely to be recalled for safety problems, which include bacterial contamination and mislabeling.
Along with lacking health value in comparison to conventionally produced food, organic food is also more expensive for its consumers. Companies have to sell organics for higher prices because the yields are an average of 10 to 20 percent lower than conventional foods.
This price is driven up by not only the popularity of organics but also the high production costs. The cost is also higher because farmers have to weed some crops, like onions and carrots, by hand because they cannot use common chemicals that conventional production does. It costs more for this manual labor than it does to simply spray on a fertilizer as most other farmers do.
Another problem with going organic is that it is much harder to locate the products in grocery stores compared to the conventionally-produced food, which lines most shelves. Even though most grocery stores have organic sections, they are limited in their variety of foods that they sell.
In order to find a complete variety of organic foods, consumers must seek out stores like Wild Oats or Trader Joe’s which can be harder to find than your everyday Marsh and Meijer stores.
Instinct may say organic foods are healthier; however, there are other issues that need to be considered. Ironically, consumers go to the organic market in order to stay away from dangerous toxins that could harm their health, but this research proves that organics can do just as much harm to a person’s body.
Is the benefit of organically produced food really worth the cost? Is the inconvenience of trying to find an organic consumer market really worth the food, or are conventionally produced items simpler, easier and safer?
The green holiday means more to people of Irish descent than to most others
March 13, 2008
By: Sarah Sheafer <ssheafer@hilite.org>
As senior Katie O’Connor sat on the stone fence in front of her cousin’s bed and breakfast and looked out at Dingle Bay in Ireland, she felt the sea-air blowing. At that moment, she said all she could think about was her grandfather.
“I never had the chance to meet him, but his decisions had an enormous impact on the privileged life I have now,” O’Connor said. “My grandfather grew up on the farm. He was supposed to inherit it, but he chose to come to the States in 1925. I think we go so often (to Ireland) because my dad can visit his father there in a spiritual way.”
O’Connor is half Irish and, because St. Patrick’s Day is approaching, she said that the holiday means more to those of Irish descent than most people assume. “I think you have to be Irish to have pride in the culture and what the Irish had to endure when they came to the United States. Also, if St. Patrick’s Day meant the same thing to Irish and non-Irish, it would be known more for its religious aspects than for its partying,” she said.
Social studies teacher Peter O’Hara said that the reason why Irish are so proud of their heritage on this holiday is because they do not want to lose sight of their ancestors. He said, “When the Irish moved here, the immigrant groups clanned together because in Ireland they had lived like that. But eventually we became the melting pot. No one is full Irish anymore.”
O’Hara also said that traditions during this holiday keep the past alive. Even though he’ll be in school teaching on Monday, he said, “I’ll still wear my green socks.” Along with this, his family sends out funny St. Patrick’s Day cards to each other. Some might even eat certain foods, such as corned beef and cabbage.
In O’Connor’s family, they also follow traditions for the holiday. “If St. Patrick’s Day falls on a weekend, we go to a St. Patrick’s Day party in Ohio with my cousins. If it falls during the week, we celebrate at home with a nice dinner. Last year we went to a party in Ohio along with thousands of other Irish people. There were step dancers, fiddlers and bag-pipers,” she said. “I usually wear my Ciarrai Gaelic football jersey.”
According to O’Hara. St. Patrick’s Day is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. His birth place is disputed but it is known that he was kidnapped and sold as a slave in Ireland. Eventually he escaped back to Britain, but then returned to Ireland as a missionary. He is attributed with converting Ireland to Christianity.
O’Connor said, “Unofficially, it’s the one day in the year that all the non-Irish can pretend they are Irish.”
Both O’Connor and O’Hara said they are proud of their heritage, and O’Hara also said that St. Patrick’s Day is not necessarily just partying. It’s a time to reconnect with one’s heritage
O’Connor said, “The odds weren’t exactly in favor of an immigrant family during the Great Depression era, but my grandfather and grandmother O’Connor worked hard to provide for their children. Because of their sacrifices I am able to have the life I have today. I am proud of my Irish heritage because I am proud to be an O’Connor. Their choices allowed me to have all the wonderful opportunities I have today as an American.”
Little known history of St. Patrick’s Day explains fanaticism
March 13, 2008
By: Hera Ashraf <hashraf@hilite.org>
Shamrocks, leprechauns and the color green are everywhere. People get excited and show off the Irish in them, even if they lack the heritage.
The holiday, which is Monday, is celebrated in honor of St. Patrick’s death. St. Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland and was widely known in Christianity. Most of his life is a mystery clouded with mythical tales.
During St. Patrick’s Day, shamrocks and leprechauns are used as decorations. The shamrock represents the rebirth of spring in Ireland and became the Irish nationalism symbol by the 17th century.
When the English seized Ireland, the Irish people wore shamrocks to represent their pride and their unhappiness with the English rule. It is also said that St. Patrick used the shamrock to represent the Trinity. Eventually, the shamrock became a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day.
How the leprechaun got into the St. Patrick’s Day traditions is a different story. The leprechaun was known as a creature of trickery in the Celtic folklore and was a minor character.
In 1959, Walt Disney created a movie called “Darby O’Gill and the Little People,” which first brought the leprechaun into American culture. This leprechaun, however, was much different than the one that is in Irish folklore.
The leprechaun Disney introduced was a happy, cheerful character that brought luck, which was the total opposite of the Irish leprechaun. The cheery, happy and lucky leprechaun is a total American invention and became so popular that it turned into a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland in general.
Around the world, St. Patrick’s Day is a commercialized holiday, but in Ireland, it is considered a religious holiday. Now the Irish government uses it as a tourist attraction, and millions of people flock to Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin.
In America, cities such as New York City, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Savannah each hold a parade on St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day is a day which is celebrated with joy and a holiday that showcases Irish pride.
Students adjust to allergies
March 13, 2008
By: Lily Zhao <lzhao@hilite.org>
It is 12:20 p.m. and the stirs of C lunch have begun. Junior Yiting Zheng unpacks her lunch of noodles and shrimp and watches as her friends come in after getting their school lunches. While most students purchase their lunches, Zheng is among many students here who pack their lunches because they have food allergies.
“(Food allergies bother me) because when I would go out to eat with my friends and family, I usually have to ask for a special menu with all the ingredients and markings indicating common foods people are allergic to,” Zheng said. “It’s kind of hard to ask them that because I don’t want to be rude.”
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 11 million Americans suffer from some type of food allergy today, and many researchers believe that this number will increase, especially among children. Hugh A. Sampson, a food-allergy pioneer at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said that the increase might be due to the “hygiene hypothesis,”—the western style diet. Here, many students who have had food allergies for a long period of time, like Zheng, have adjusted well to life in high school with them; however, students who have just recently been exposed, are learning how different life is in high school compared to elementary school.
“There will definitely be an increase (in the number of students with food allergies), but what (the students) and their families have to learn is how to avoid the food and circumstances where the food might be,” Wesley Burks, professor and chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Duke University, said.
Zheng said that eggs, soybeans and peanuts, among other foods are a no-no in her household. Ever since she was born, Zheng said that she has been allergic to 36 different allergens, the most abundant allergies being food-related. Because Zheng has had food allergies since birth, she has adjusted to life in high school with food allergies well. Dealing with medication and the constant asking of ingredients have become the norm for her, she said.
“I’m perfectly fine now (with the transition), but back when I was little, keeping up with my medication was hard. Now, it’s just a regular part of my life that I have to deal with,” Zheng said.
On the other hand, junior Najin “Julie” Kim has recently been exposed to food allergies. Up until her freshman year here, she said she was perfectly fine. Now, she is allergic to five types of food. At first, she said that carrying around medication everyday was a hassle and that she would sometimes forget to take it.
Furthermore, since the high school nurses cannot possibly take care of every student with allergies, Kim said that she has had to constantly remind herself to take medication and ask for ingredients. That transition from constant care in elementary school to virtual freedom in high school, is another aspect that she said she witnessed, but now has to get used to.
“(Having food allergies) has increased my awareness of the dangers of allergies and has helped me to be more selective about what I put in my body,” Kim said.
Now, in elementary schools, such as West Clay, the school cafeteria is set up with a nut-free or allergy-free zone for students to eat in. West Clay school nurse Michelle Davitt said that in the beginning of the year, parents contact the nurses if their child has a specific allergy and can request that they be seated at a specific table within hat special allergy safe environment.
In high school, however, students are old enough to make their own choices. Thus, the high school does not send out cards in the mail asking whether a student has food allergies, and does not provide a list or menu of ingredients for students. Davitt said that the elementary schools do provide all these needs.
“There’s enough variety (at lunch) for students to choose from, such as cheese, yogurt parfaits, salad shakers and cheese pizza,” cafeteria manager Kathy Tolan said. “Kids these days should be old enough to understand what they can and cannot eat.”
“A lot of (food choices from the school cafeteria) are obvious to the eyes, but a lot of other foods in the cafeteria are hard to tell, but I’ve adjusted,” Zheng said.
Kim said that although she is quite new to having food allergens, she said that in time, taking the medication and checking ingredients in food will become a part of her life as well.
Sampson and Burks said that getting used to having constant care at a young age to no care whatsoever is hard; however, they said, having food allergies is something that students need to cope with and learn from.
“It may be hard for some kids who have all the care in the world, but for others, it’s like learning to walk,” Sampson said. “Once you get there, it never goes away.”
Missed meals have negative effects
March 13, 2008
By: Mary Queisser <mqueisser@hilite.org>
Sophomore Christian Fiems skips lunch everyday to go to the library to work. ”It helps me get homework done,” he said.
Louise Tetrick, pediatrician at North Point Pediatrics, said skipping meals may not be the healthiest route because the brain needs a consistent source of energy. “The longer you go without giving (the brain) any fuel, the harder it has to work to break down fat and create its own fuel.” This can cause a drop in blood sugar, head and stomach aches, nausea and poor attention and performance.
According to Human Kinetics, a professional site devoted to the study of physical activity, if a person goes too long without eating, he or she will overeat at the next meal and the best remedy for this is grazing throughout the day.
The day of a wrestling match, senior Brandon Krieger would skip lunch in order to make weight. “If I had eaten a whole bunch for lunch, I would have to work off more before the match or I’d be overweight,” he said.
Krieger said though he wouldn’t necessarily have a full lunch, he would eat a banana or a protein bar, then eat a full meal later on that evening. “The difference was I just moved the meal from lunch time to dinner time,” he said. “It wasn’t like I was not putting the energy back in.”
Fiems also said he’d try to make up for missing lunch by snacking later on.
But Tetrick said moving meals is not a solution and that the body doesn’t work that way. “An analogy I use is you need to take so many breaths a minute to stay alive and you can’t go an hour without oxygen and think you’re going to make it up with a lot of breaths later,” she said. “You need a constant source of oxygen.”
And studies from the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity reported that students who snack are more likely to skip more meals.
If anything, Tetrick said, evening meals are the best to skip. “Usually your work or your homework is hopefully done so you’re not using as much attention and memory,” she said. “You might be more relaxed and doing more sedentary activities.”
Also, Tetrick said, when people fall asleep, their bodies’ metabolism slows down and doesn’t need as much fuel.
Skipping lunch, on the other hand, has the effects of skipping breakfast, though not as extreme, Tetrick said.
In Krieger’s case, Tetrick said it was okay to skip meals on occasion, as long as it did not become habitual.
Fiems said he didn’t know whether or not skipping meals is unhealthy. He said, “I just try to get my homework done.”
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