Day 1:

1 wheat bagel,plain - 135 calories

1 pack starbursts - 240 calories

Baked salmon with salad and french stick - 500 calories

Cantaloupe - 139 calories

Sprite - 140 calories

Loads of water - 0 cals

CALORIES FOR THE DAY: 1154

Day 2:

1 tuna subway - 460

2 homemade fishcakes and mashed potatoes - 620 calories

Cantaloupe - 139 calories

Water - 0 calories

CALORIES FOR THE DAY = 1219

Day 3

1/2 spinach filo pastry - 150 calories

2 jolly ranchers - 46 calories

Tuna english muffin - 379 calories

Oreos - 300 calories

Actually analysing what i've eaten over the last few days has made me realise, i have a strange diet. Its completely unbalanced and some days i can be really healthy, and other days, really bad. The recommended calorie intake for a woman is 2000 calories, and most days i either don't come close to this, or i go over it.

I mostly choose food depending on whether its healthy or not, unfortunately this is out of vanity rather than actual consciousness for my body. If i had the choice,i would be vegan as i think the ethos that the diet is based around is healthy, but as i still live at home i don't have the choice. My mother already brands me as 'too fussy.' Quite contradictory to the fact that i primarily eat healthily, i do have an extreme sweet tooth. Give me anything sweet and chances are that i will probably enjoy it. Nutrition is not only preferable, but an absolute necessity in life. Calories correspond to energy - which is necessary for everyday life, and i should probably alter my diet to represent that.

I think society has indefinitely changed the way that I look at food. Unfortunately, propaganda from the media has shaped my ideals about women and the way that I should look. It has created an unattainable ideal that is not reality. Woman are solely judged on their appearance and if you fit into the ideal of a slim, toned woman then you are not perceived as beautiful.

I've always been around family members that have been counting calories, or replacing food with diet alternatives. I think i will constantly be analysing food and what I'm eating as it's the culture I've grown up in.

Over the past 3 days, I've picked food based on what looked healthy. I am proud by my overall diet because it entails eating fresh, home-made, and nutritious meals. I naturally drink excessive amounts of water, and would pic a cool refreshing water over a sugar laden soda any day, which I am proud of.

P.S - In the future I will try to lay off the chocolate,even if the endorphins are good for me....

Throughout society there are varying discourses within various subjects. The 'dominant discourse' is the dominating factor of a subject, who has the upper hand regardless of whether it is the majority or not. For example you could have a football game. Although the referee may not always be the majority, they always have the upper hand and the final decision. The dominant discourse in the United States regarding food ways seem to be either 'food as a healer or food as poison.' (Andy) Unfortunately, society cannot view the common ground, and to revel in being educated about food, but for some reason always have to be shocked by something.

To me, the two most obvious discourses in food ways in modern day America are the media and the FDA.

Obviously, the media is extremely controversial and can aggravate a situation or support it. With food they seem to perpetuate one ideal, they constantly ram new diets down our throats but with no information about what goes into the food, or how its prepared or even where it comes from. Adverts endorse a culture of fast food convenience and unhealthiness.

The FDA stands for the food and Drug Administration. The FDA is a United States agency that oversees food safety, partly they are responsible for "ensuring that foods are safe, wholesome and sanitary." But how can we truely know that they are doing there job if we never know whats going on with our food? We never know the truth because the dominant discourse never tell us. Their slogan is "Protecting and promoting your health," which seems truely contradictory as it not our needs and demands that are being fed, its what the dominant discourse thinks we need that we recieve.

Problems inevitably arise in this discourse, the most obvious being trying to get Americans to eat healthily in a convinient, easy and cheap way. Its alot easier to eat unhealthily than it is healthily. We live in a world where a burger or pizza can be easily purchased for $1, but a salad is hard to find and expensive. It has been instilled in us that scrimping on price is a good thing, that we are benefitting from it. When in reality, its worse for us. We have no idea where our food comes from, who makes it or how its prepared. Another debate is whether it is worth the 'effort' of eating healthy. Stated in the New York Times Article Told to Eat Its Vegetables,America Orders Fries(Health section, SEPT. 24. 2010)"The nation has long had a complicated relationship with vegetables. People know that vegetables can improve health. But they’re a lot of work. In refrigerators all over the country, produce often dies a slow, limp death because life becomes too busy.“The moment you have something fresh you have to schedule your life around using it,before we want health, we want taste, we want convenience and we want low cost." If we truely live in a world where its an 'effort' to give our bodies the complete nourishment it deserves then that is truely saddening.

The fact Americans are not informed and uneducated about healthy eating is disgusting. Would we have thought 100 years ago that our local farmers would be going out of business due to multi million dollar corporations? We need to learn to see food as something that is to be appreciated and enjoyed, rather than something that has to be convenient and cheap.

Old Mc Donald had a farm? No, old Mc Donald had a multimillion dollar corporation that is destroying the view of food across the world, one hamburger at a time...

Growing up I always heard sentimental stories from my granddad. My Gaggs. And they were constantly about food. He used to reminisce about his Mum putting a whole loaf of bread on the table and used to watch it disappear before his eyes, as they do in cartoons. Speaking to my mum we reminisced about all the amusing stories.

Gaggs passed away last July. He was one of 9 children in a typical working class, loving British family. There was never enough food to go around, and everyone was always hungry. Amongst one of the many stories he told us was the infamous 'bread story.' Being the eldest male he was regularly sent out to do the food shopping (unlike now, this actually involved going to more than one shop.) On his way back, armed with groceries he couldn't resist the urge of having some bread. But of course, he didn't stop at some, he ate the entire loaf on the bus ride home. After trying to repeatedly deny it, his mother had had enough. Lets just say he never ate he whole loaf again...

At the time of my grandparents, the 1950's it was an age of fresh produce, if not by preference, then by necessity. Some sources consider the late 1950's as the pesticide era, as before this almost everything was organic, with local produce being the main diet of many families. During this time, families had no choice but to eat fresh produce as many households only had a pantry, which meant food had to be used very quickly. Comparing this to modern day produce, there wasn't an option to freeze something, or keep it for another meal.

As I spoke to my mum she explained that my grandma was constantly on a diet throughout her childhood. In the era of the 80's came the low fat diets and the aerobics obsessed mothers. She reminisced about tasteless margarine and lean cuisine meals. Growing up she never had a certain routine for dinners, and ate mostly on her lap barring special occasions, similar to me. My grandma was never enthusiastic about food and viewed it a necessity rather than a pleasure. Hence why when my mother left home to go to university she rejoiced in the fact that she had freedom and could eat what she liked when she liked. This is hen all hell broke loose. Full fat everything was on the cards for her as she was the one in control of what went in her body. But as she grew older she grew to appreciate food and I think this is where i get my passion for food from.

The trend for people moving back to more traditional ways rather than supermarket ethos has become more apparent recently. Whether it be for better quality or selection, specialised shops have become more apparent in recent years. Consumer demand is changing the way we eat, and hopefully for the better. Although hopefully we will not continue in this monotonous full circle of produce that is seeming to happen. We go from flourishing in fresh produce, to denying it and settling with imbalanced and unhealthy ready meals, to again starting to return back to fresh produce.

When I see other people my are squirming about vegetables, or devouring a greasy double cheese burger i rejoice in the fact that I actually take pride in what I put in my body. And I'm glad that I've grown up with a love for food and cooking as I know it makes me who I am today. After all, you are what you eat...

Walking through the faceless corporation that is Mc Donalds, nothing obviously jumps out to you. Its walls a bland, uninspiring shade of beige, a monotonous colour scheme that is in every branch. The line filled with anxious, impatient customers waiting expectantly for their greasy burgers, and calorie laden meals.

The facade that Mc Donalds is trying to maintain is that of 'healthy choices.' With its health food push, McDonald’s is trying to reshape the public’s perception. For more than 50 years its been known as an icon in the world of fattening burgers and fries. It’ll be a long slog to change that impression in customers’ minds, assuming it can be done at all. Although the calories are clearly stated on the menu, awaiting customers do not seem to mind. One anonymous fast food junkie had a 'Chocolate triple thick milkshake' for breakfast at a whopping 1160 calories. When asked why he ate at Mc Donalds he simply said "I'm hungry and its right here. Its convenient. And cheap...yeah cheap don't forget that!" Not once was there the concern as to what was in his milkshake, or where the ingredients had come from.

In a vast contradiction to Mc Donalds, the vibrant colours and pungent smells hit your senses instantly. Something that immediately caught my eye was a sign advertising the fact that the fresh market took welfare and food stamps. Contradicting the ATM in Mc Donalds it showed a welcoming aspect, an accepting and encouraging environment where everyone wanted to share new foods with you. The workers here were friendly and approachable, whereas Mc Donalds employees were part of a faceless brand, with not a spec of a welcoming atmosphere. As I began to speak to the workers they all began to say the same thing. They wanted to educate people and encourage them to eat healthily. One man owned a school which educated youngsters in the art of eating healthily and making healthy food. He explained to me that 'Organic food stimulated a healthy community,healthy body and healthy mind.' Another woman, 'Tara' said she had been buying organic produce for 21 years because she 'trusted the ingredients more' and 'food tasted alot nicer if the ingredients were fresh.'

All the stall owners agreed that awareness of eating more healthy have certainly become more apparent in recent years. Whether it be for good reasons such as the food benefitting the taste of the meal, or bad such as obesity and food scares. And with this I couldn't agree more. Even to such extremes as to keep bees and growing vegetables on New York City rooftops.

To me its a sign of a long overdue food revolution and I think there is still alot more to come. Watch this space...

FOOD

Initially, the first thing that comes to my mind when the word 'food' is mentioned is the obvious. Greasy slices of delicious pizza, rich,decadent chocolate cake, indulgent delights that rot the teeth with the slightest mention.

But then I began to think,what is food? And what does it truely mean to us? People argue 'we are what eat.' Are we ruled by convience? Regardless of what is in the food or how it has been made, do we all abandon our morals because its simply cheap?

Years ago I became a vegetarian, as the way meat was mass produced disgusted me. In no way am I a saint with what I eat, but I thought something as simple as that could really make a difference. This is probably the main priority for me, but being healthy and not costing me too much also comes into play.

Although it would be wonderful if we could all live by ethical standards and buy fresh produce or organic foods, unfortunately that is not the case. After all its alot easier to buy that $1 slice of pizza than a salad from Wholefoods...

Amber-Rose D3