My Experience As Mexican American

These native peoples had to then change recipes and use other technologies so their bodies would be healthy and survive. One method that was used, that Pilcher describes, is the combination of the protein and amino acids from corn and beans as eating corn alone does not supply a balanced diet, but both corn and beans do.

Neither life nor culture can be sustained without food. On a very basic level, food is fundamentally essential for life, not simply to exist, but also to thrive. A means by which carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, nutrients, and calories are introduced into the body, food is a mechanism of survival. However, on a more abstract level, food is also fundamentally essential for culture by establishing its perimeters and dimensions and in shaping its authenticity and character. Food becomes the

Explain to individuals about the importance of a healthy diet and encourage and support them to choose healthy options and alternatives.

Most Americans do not care enough to take a look at the nutritional values of the food that he or she is consuming. That is why America has the highest percentage of obesity in the world. This is a serious problem because one in every three adults is obese, and one in every six children is obese. There are many factors that go into the regular American diet, but most of those factors are not appealing nor is it healthy. Americans put way too much processed food into their daily diet. Some would say that other countries diets superior the American diet because of nutritional values that it carries. Other countries have proven that an active lifestyle is a huge element in the average weight of the country. There are many things that

Food is used in different circumstances in life represents a culture, but can also reflect one's personality, lifestyle, and socio-economic

Describe ways to resolve any difficulties or dilemmas about the choice of food and drink.

I chose to address the questions what are the strengths and weaknesses of the American diet, as well as, what is distinctive about American food. I chose these questions to focus my research paper on because of the relationship between the American diet and health care. The United States is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, due to immigration, which is what makes it so distinctive. The diet also has many flaws including the cause for rising medical issues. I have a pre-nursing major, so diet plays a big role in the medical field. My purpose for researching the American diet is to be able to…. With the Industrial Revolution, the inventions of many new products such as processed foods, refrigerators, and fast food chains.

Corn even turned up in French fries (23 percent).” (Patrigenaru) What is wrong with all this corn? Growing corn involves an abundance amount of pesticides and fertilizers that release chemicals into the soils that eventually make it to the water tables underneath. the ground. That can be terrible for the environment. Also, eating too much corn can cause an abundance of calories in a diet and not enough nutrients necessary to sustain a healthy body. In other words, corn replaces nutrients with an excess of calories. Patrigenaru also points out, “More than a quarter of products in the average American supermarket now contain corn or its derivatives.” (Patrigenaru) Since corn replaces nutrients with calories and is in almost everything that is consumed in America now, it is plain to see why the United States is one of the fattest countries in the world. Processed food are becoming more and more prevalent in the American diet day to day. Kim Rhyssdal wrote in an article based on an interview, “Processed foods are, plus or minus, 70 percent of what most of us eat.” (Ryssdal) 70 percent is a very damaging piece of evidence to the conviction of the American diet. While corn is the leading source of the unhealthiness of Americans, added sugar and fat are not far behind. Tim Philpot wrote in an article, “As for added fats and sugars, their 2008 levels reached 459 and 641,

As well as providing nutritional value food and drink also play a significant role in culture and rituals. For

That was also the first Christmas we had spent with my cousin’s new wife. She is from Guatemala and decided to bring her tamales because she knew none of us had Guatemalan food for Christmas. My family and I had never had Guatemalan food in our lives. Virginia, however had tried Mexican food because she had been dating my cousin for a while and he had introduced her around to Mexican foods. Since she had come over multiple times to have dinner with us, she was used to my family's version of Mexican food as well. When she arrived with her tamales wrapped in a strange green leaf, I was kind of scared as what could possibly be inside. When I opened to see what was inside the leaf, it looked almost exactly the same as our tamales. It didn’t taste the same. When I took my first bite into the tamale it was very dull. It reminded me of being bored in detention. The tamale consisted more of masa (corn flour) then the actual meat and filling that go inside. I personally am not of fan of masa, I like my tamales to have more

Tamales can be made out of different things like pork, beef, chicken, and etc. Tamales are great for the holidays everyone enjoys them, We start by going to the store and buying pork, masa, chile ancho, and corn husks etc. We cook the meat, which takes about six to eight hours. We usually cook the meat overnight and the next morning were up bright and early ready to start. A large storage bin we hold the doughy corn substance. We mix the masa with the warm broth. The

The essay “The American Paradox” by Michael Pollan focuses on the eating habits of people in the United States. He especially emphasizes how American think when it comes to eating healthy food. Pollan talks about the American Paradox, an unhealthy obsession with eating right thing. The author relates the idea of cultural food and healthy food to claim his main point of the argument. He believes that culture is one factor which answers three primary questions of what to eat, the amount to eat, and the time and place to eat.

First, I must admit that I have never had a Christmas without tamales. Christmas is a very special time for my family because this is when we all try to get together. Christmas in our family is not about what gifts you’re going to exchange with one another but about spending time with those you love while eating one of your favorite foods, tamales. When my siblings and I were young my mom would always make tamales, and champurado, a thick hot chocolate for us for Christmas. As my sister and I got older we would put on hairnets and oversized aprons, this attire was required by my mom, so that we could help her make tamales, we quickly learned that making tamales is a lot of work but we enjoyed spending time together

“Dietary patterns of Americans differ widely, but most Americans eat a diet that could best be described as in need of improvement”. Compared to other countries, the American diet is very different. I have first hand experienced how much different Americans eat from other countries. For a brief, but very beneficial and productive time, I lived in Barcelona, Spain with my host family. Over in Spain, they eat much more fresh, organic food. There was a lot more seafood in the average diet. The meal configuration over there is also different than ours. Lunch is the largest meal eaten every day; different than America, where dinner is the largest.

People who regularly eat this way have more than just food in common. In fact, most people who constantly eat the previously mentioned American diet, suffer from some sort of physical, mental, or emotional illness, whether it be chronic headaches, poor gut health, obesity, diabetes, asthma, chronic fatigue, ADHD, anxiety, or any of the other thousands of health problems. Many people suffering from these illnesses are led to believe that there is no direct cure and that they will just have to cope with their illness. However, what most of those people do not realize is that many of the diseases they are plagued with are often caused by the chemicals that make up their food. Even if the chemicals do