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[ellarohrer]

What Can We Do To Reach Our Goals Of Healthy Eating?

Is healthy food more expensive than junk food? If so, then is it achievable to eat healthy while on a budget? This is a topic that raises different opinions because everyone can have different outlooks on what they consider expensive and what they consider healthy. The fact that there are so many different opinions, and different research/facts, it makes it hard to execute the argument. As it is portrayed in my previous blog posts we can clearly come to the conclusion that there are many different outlooks on this topic that can be argued. 

There will always be a counter argument to anything and everything. There are counter arguments to prices of food and the sustainability of eating healthy even though we might have believed this topic relied solely on facts. So then, what is the answer to these questions? Is healthy food more expensive than junk food? As we learned from sources the answer to that is yes and no. If so, then is it achievable to eat healthy while on a budget? The answer to this question relies on the answer to the first question. We were able to see from one point of view that yes, it is achievable to eat healthy while on a budget. We were also able to see from the same source that it wasn’t sustainable. Achievability does not necessarily equal sustainability, but that is also a topic that can be argued. There are no answers to the questions I have asked and that is what pushes this topic beyond measures. You may find facts telling you that eating healthy is important and achievable, but you will also find the source that completely disagrees with that. That is why this topic pushes us farther and it pushes us to continue to think. I believe that this topic is important because it pushes our limits and that is what we need. 

We cannot simply rely on facts, but we need to rely on what is best for us. We need to have self assessments where we ask ourselves what our bodies really need, and we need to be educated enough to know the risks we put ourselves at by not fueling our bodies correctly. Each and every one of us are in different situations so if we can all take one step towards bettering our health, our intake, and our budgets, then we are all one step closer to the better versions of ourselves. The step does not have to be a leap, but simple and consistent steps will put a finish line in sight. This topic is such an important one for me because it is something that I have consistently learned more about and something that I have consistently worked towards. I learned how to assess my body and ask myself what wasn’t working for me anymore. I had to ask myself what it was that made my stomach hurt, what made me feel poorly about myself, and what I was consuming too often. I made the step to cut soda out of my diet and it was one of the best decisions I made. After that I made the step to cut added sugars out of my diet as well. I started to discover my health and my gut health, and I quickly learned what it was that caused the problems I struggled with. My health is something I am passionate about and I still take steps towards bettering it even more. 

In conclusion, there is never going to be a correct answer. There will always be something that causes a struggle. The only reliable source we truly have is ourselves. We have to listen to ourselves and our bodies. We have to educate ourselves. We have to take steps towards better health. We also have to experiment in order to learn. Never be afraid to try something you haven't before. If it doesn’t work then take one step back, and work to take another step forward.

[ellarohrer]

The Sustainability Of Eating Healthy And Staying On A Budget.

In my previous blog post I had talked about the prices of eating healthy. This included why prices seem to be so high, and in opposition why they really aren’t that high. I have started to think more about how prices of food are perceived and I have started to wonder what these prices would look like on a day to day basis. This thought of mine has led me to create this post. This blog post will provide information on whether or not it is a sustainable lifestyle to eat healthy, and stay on a budget. This blog post will exemplify two different perspectives on whether or not it is sustainable. 

In an article from Southeast Express, Marcus Hill had talked about how you can eat healthy and stay on a budget. Marcus Hill currently works as a reporter for the Southeast Express and also the Schriever Sentinel. Maruc Hill graduated from Colorado State University-Pueblo back in 2012 and earned a degree in mass communication. In the article Hill had talked about whether eating healthy and staying on a budget was a sustainable lifestyle for him. Hill’s goal on what to buy/eat was the following: two snacks, some bread, a fruit, a vegetable, some protein, and what else he could find with the money he had left to spend. Hill chose a budget that reflected the average cost of a meal where he lived. The price that reflected this was $10 a meal, so around $70.35 for a week. Hill described his eating patterns as the following, “[f]ruit before the gym; yogurt post gym; Clif Bars and Mott’s gummies for lunch; brown rice, mixed vegetables and black or kidney beans for dinner; orange juice sprinkled in randomly throughout the day”. Hill followed this pattern in order to eat healthy, and eat enough. At the end of this experiment for Hill he described it as “not feasible”. Although it was not feasible for him, he did understand that some people do live like this. In the end Hill’s conclusion was the following, “I’m one person and just one week of this lifestyle sucked. I can’t fathom how troublesome this is for people who live this year round”. Although this was only Hill’s personal opinion. It is a sustainable lifestyle and for Hill it may be more so a matter of it not being necessary instead of it not being sustainable. 

In a research article from Journal of nutrition education and behavior, the following authors: Karen M. Jetter, Jennymae Ramirez, Suzie Cortez, Gesford Kane Hopper, Jr. , Vicki Shivley, and Dennis M. Styne, had researched how people in low income households are able to consume an affordable and nutritious diet. Two weeks worth of menus were made up that contained the following food groups: protein, carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and treats. The treats were included in a way that still allowed for someone to meet the requirements that were present in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). These foods were included in the menus and they were priced at the lowest unit they could go to. This research article has proven an effective way to eat healthy on a budget. These two articles both display different opinions on whether or not eating healthy while on a budget is a sustainable lifestyle. Hill had provided us with the sense that it is not easy and not sustainable, while the research article had provided us with the sense that it is indeed sustainable and do-able. 

We are able to see from the articles that it is possible to eat healthy on a budget, but they did not agree that it was sustainable. This is where the different arguments come into play and where there may be the rift between eating healthy and not eating healthy. Not eating healthy and consuming the food we need tends to come down to a lot more than just prices. Eating healthy on a day to day basis can clearly look different to everyone because it isn’t as accessible to all. If you are someone with the accessibility I urge you to try taking advantage of it. If you are someone without the accessibility I urge you to take advantage of your resources and take a step towards healthier eating.

Hill, M. (2022). Opinion: My experience eating on a budget in the Southeast. Southeast Express. https://www.southeastexpress.org/opinion/opinion-my-experience-eating-on-a-budget-in-the-southeast/article_0699fde2-c9ae-11ec-9eaf-7331c259dfe9.html 

Jetter, K. M., Adkins, J., Cortez, S., Hopper, G. K., Jr, Shively, V., & Styne, D. M. (2019). Yes We Can: Eating Healthy on a Limited Budget. Journal of nutrition education and behavior, 51(3), 268–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2018.12.002

[ellarohrer]

I Want To Eat Healthy But I Can't Afford It... Or Can I?

This weekend I went back home from college and spent a weekend with my family. I had gone to the grocery store with my mom and picked out some snacks to have around the house. I chose things like apples, blueberries, grapes, and blackberries, cucumbers, peppers, and carrots. I hadn’t paid too close of attention to the prices because I knew my mom would be paying for it. It wasn’t until we got home that she told my brothers and I to make sure we didn’t waste any because it is too expensive to throw away. This made me wonder if everyone perceives food as expensive. This blog post will provide the opinion as to why groceries are perceived as so expensive right now, and the opinion as to why healthy food is not perceived as expensive right now. 

In an article from Time International, Nik Popli had highlighted as to why prices have increased and as to why that can be such a problem for people/families. Nik Popli works as a reporter for TIME Magazine and he works in the Washington, D.C. bureau. In the article Popli had talked about how there seems to be no straightforward answers as to why prices have increased but there are a lot of different factors that could be responsible for it. Some of these factors include the following: post-pandemic demand, events like the war in Ukraine, unstable weather, and supply chain shortages. Grocery prices were also seen to be up by 11.8% in the month of December compared to the prices a year earlier. In the past year the price of lettuce had increased by 25%. Popli had exemplified in this article that healthy food is very expensive at the moment, and it does not seem like prices will drop anytime soon. In an opposing article from The New York Times, Mark Bittman had been writing to inform people that junk food is not always cheaper than healthy food. Mark Bittman is a former columnist for The New York Times, American food journalist, and an author. Bittman currently works as a fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists. In the article Bittman also wrote about how eating healthy at home does not need to be expensive. In the beginning of the article Bittman talked about how expensive it can be to eat McDonald’s as a family of four. Bittman wrote the following in his article, “for example, two Big Macs, a cheeseburger, six chicken McNuggets, two medium and two small fries, and two medium and two small sodas — costs, at the McDonald’s a hundred steps from where I write, about $28”. Some people might be thinking that spending $28 at McDonald’s is a lot cheaper than buying a healthy meal at the grocery store. Well, Bittman also wrote about that and proved as to why that is not necessarily true at all. Bittman wrote the following about buying a healthy meal from the grocery store, “[y]ou can serve a roasted chicken with vegetables along with a simple salad and milk for about $14, and feed four or even six people. If that’s too much money, substitute a meal of rice and canned beans with bacon, green peppers and onions; it’s easily enough for four people and costs about $9”. Bittman exemplified in his article that “money alone doesn’t guide decisions about what to eat”. What we eat can be guided by taste, convenience, pleasure, and much more. Although this is an important thing to note, it also needs to be noted that there are constrictions that can hold people back from choosing the healthier option. Some of these constrictions can include the accessibility of stores, college students with meal plans, college students without a store on campus, not having the accessibility of a car, and for families it can simply come down to time. 

Between these two articles Popli and Bittman had demonstrated two different perspectives on whether or not healthy food is more expensive than junk food. Bittman also displayed that yes, it is possible to eat healthy while still staying on a budget. These two different arguments may make you wonder which one is correct. It may make you wonder which one is a sustainable lifestyle. It turns out that they both may be correct, but it all depends on what we believe individually and what we have the accessibility to. There may be no right or wrong answer in this case scenario but we now know that there are options for those that want healthier options while saving money.

Bittman, M. (2011). Opinion: Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/is-junk-food-really-cheaper.html

Popli, N. (2023). Why Are Groceries So Expensive Right Now? Time International (Atlantic Edition), 201(5/6), 12. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp3.lib.umn.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=aph&AN=161709624&site=ehost-live.

[ellarohrer]

What Really Is Healthy Eating?

Today I began to really think about what eating healthy means, what it looks like, and what foods fit into this category. I believe that this can look different for everyone and everyone may have different opinions on what it means/involves. I decided to dig deeper into this topic and figure out the answers to eating healthy. This blog post will provide information on what we should be eating, the benefits these foods have, and in opposition - why getting these foods isn’t always achievable. 

Personally, when I think about healthy foods the first things that come to mind are fruits (strawberries, raspberries, grapes, etc.) and vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, etc.). I believe that a lot of us know that eating healthy includes fruits and vegetables, but we do not necessarily understand why that is. I for certain do not completely understand either why they are so necessary for us but there has to be a reason. In an article from The New York Times, Christina Caron wrote about how since the Covid Pandemic teens have been lacking getting the fruits and vegetables that they need. Caron also talks about why they are needed for teens and ways to incorporate them into their diets. Christina Caron works as a reporter for the Well Section at The New York Times. For Christina Caron working as a reporter for the Well Section includes talking about mental health, culture, health care, and how culture and health care intersect. In the article Caron had talked about how since the pandemic the comfort foods we enjoy have become more luring for kids and adults which has pushed us away from the fruits and vegetables we need. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), teenagers have actually been lacking fruits and vegetables way before the pandemic occurred. The pandemic is not the root cause for the lack of fruits and vegetables, but instead has delayed us even more from receiving them. Caron wrote the following in the article, “[r]esearch suggests that consuming healthy foods, including fruits and vegetables, can help reduce anxiety and improve mood”, and that “...foods high in added sugar or empty calories won’t help them look or feel their best … ‘Fruits and vegetables will give them fullness and provide lots of micronutrients for growth”. These are just a few of the reasons why consuming fruits and vegetables benefit us, and why we should make sure to incorporate them into our daily diet. The benefits seem like enough to start incorporating them into our daily diets, but it is not necessarily that easy. How come? According to Caron one of the many reasons is the abundance of unhealthy options surrounding us, and the inexpensiveness of them. 

In an Article from The Plutus Foundation, Caitlin See articulates the differences in prices between unhealthy food and healthy food. Caitlin See is currently a personal finance writer who specializes in student loans, debt repayment, credit cards, and budgeting basics. See wrote the following in her article, “[a] comprehensive review of 27 studies in 10 countries found that unhealthy food is about $1.50 cheaper per day than healthy food. If you’re feeding a large family, it may cost less to simply buy from the dollar menu or purchase cheap premade frozen dinners”. Caron and See have both provided information that prices have a great deal to do with why purchasing the healthy foods we need isn’t always achievable. In an article from Southeast Express, Marcus Hill had talked about how you can eat healthy and stay on a budget. Marcus Hill currently works as a reporter for the Southeast Express and also the Schriever Sentinel. Maruc Hill graduated from Colorado State University-Pueblo back in 2012 and earned a degree in mass communication. In Hill’s article he articulates a different reason why purchasing the healthy foods we need isn’t always achievable either. The reason Hill expressed is that there isn’t always a grocery store close enough to go to in order to get the healthy things we need. We know we should be consuming fruits and vegetables, we know the benefits they hold, and we know why it is not as easy as it seems. In order to get the foods that we need we have to push ourselves past our barriers and figure out ways to slowly incorporate them into our diets, and ways to take advantage of receiving them when it is possible. The benefits are important to every single one of us so if you’re looking for the push to go purchase what we need, here it is.

Caron, C. (2021). 5 Ways Teens Can Get More Fruits and Vegetables Into Their Diets. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/well/eat/cdc-teenagers-healthy-eating.html

Hill, M. (2022). Opinion: My experience eating on a budget in the Southeast. Southeast Express. https://www.southeastexpress.org/opinion/opinion-my-experience-eating-on-a-budget-in-the-southeast/article_0699fde2-c9ae-11ec-9eaf-7331c259dfe9.html 

See, C. (2020). The Cost of Healthy Eating vs Unhealthy Eating. The Plutus Foundation. https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/healthy-eating-budget/

[ellarohrer]

Is healthy food more expensive than junk food? If so, then is it achievable to eat healthy while on a budget?

I would like to consider myself a healthy eater, and eating healthy is a passion of mine. It wasn’t until I started college this year that I recognized how eating healthy can be such a challenge. I luckily attend college close to home and I have the ability to grocery shop to get the healthy foods I enjoy. I have been able to see lately how fortunate I am to be able to obtain healthy food and to be able to afford it. I have since been curious on how true that really is and it has made me ask the following questions: Is healthy food more expensive than junk food? If so, then is it achievable to eat healthy while on a budget? This is a topic that raises different opinions because everyone can have different outlooks on what they consider expensive and what they consider healthy. I plan to exemplify the argument on whether or not healthy food is more expensive than junk food, and if it is achievable to eat healthy while on a budget. 

This blog post will provide background information needed to understand why there are different opinions around the price of healthy/junk food, and the opinions around if it is/isn’t achievable to eat healthy while on a budget. The background information in this blog post will include opinions and some facts of the following: why unhealthy food is appealing, what percent of U.S. adults are obese, what conditions can proceed from being obese, how to save money and eat healthy, how much food prices have increased, and why money doesn’t guide our choices on what we eat. In an article from The Plutus Foundation, Caitlin See articulates the differences in prices between unhealthy food and healthy food. Caitlin See is currently a personal finance writer who specializes in student loans, debt repayment, credit cards, and budgeting basics. See’s article mentions as to why people choose unhealthy food, and tips on how to choose healthier options. See mentions that the reason unhealthy food tends to be appealing to people is because of the convenience. See stated the following, “[i]t’s easier to pop something in the microwave or make a quick stop at the drive-thru. Many people are juggling multiple jobs and children, which leaves little time for grocery shopping or countless hours prepping and cooking meals each week”. This statement is a great example of why unhealthy eating is appealing. This also demonstrates why unhealthy eating occurs quite often. Although, See also mentioned in the article that eating healthy can occur at more places than at home. Sometimes it just means asking for nutrition information and reading the menu beforehand. Unhealthy choices lead to unhealthy consequences. See provided the following important fact in the article as well, “[a]ccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 40% of U.S. adults are obese, which can put them at a higher risk for conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes”. The choices we make can lead to harmful consequences that we may not necessarily understand until they occur. They may occur and we may never blame it on our eating habits, but it is important to be educated on the possible consequences to prevent them if possible. In order to prevent the consequences we need to know some strategies on eating healthy and saving money. See provides some solutions such as the following: bulk buying the staples from places like Costco, buying your meats in bulk and saving it for later by freezing it, and buying fruits and vegetables uncut because buying them pre-cut is more expensive.

In an article from Time International, Nik Popli highlights just how much prices have increased and displays why that can be such a problem for families. Popli’s article was published in February of 2023 and mentions how much grocery prices had increased in December compared to a year earlier. Grocery prices had been up 11.8%. Popli stated that since 2021 prices have increased greatly, and almost every food item is more expensive than it was a year earlier. In another article from The New York Times, Mark Bittman wrote to inform people that junk food is not always cheaper than healthy food. Bittman also offered an interesting perspective that mentioned that money is not the reason why we choose what we eat. Bittman stated the following in the article, “THE fact is that most people can afford real food. Even the nearly 50 million Americans who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps) receive about $5 per person per day, which is far from ideal but enough to survive. So we have to assume that money alone doesn’t guide decisions about what to eat”. This statement offers important information that we would not necessarily know beforehand. If someone is enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and is receiving money, then they are not only limited to unhealthy food/junk food. The opinions and facts stated in these articles provide a great deal of background information on healthy food, junk food, and saving money. With this knowledge it is easier to make more educated decisions. 

I believe that this topic is an important one that we don’t all quite understand because it isn’t something that everyone has been educated on. There is so much context behind this issue because there is so much information regarding it. What we eat can affect our health, our mood, our view on our body images, and so much more. All of these affects also regard me and it wasn’t until I understood all of these facts that I finally made a change. My target audience is for those who need a push to make a change, and for those with families because I believe learning good eating habits at a young age is important. In my next posts I hope to cover information on what eating healthy looks like, the benefits of eating healthy, why eating healthy is expensive, if eating healthy on a budget is sustainable, and the argumentative sides of all of it. I want to be able to obtain both arguments on this topic in order to fully display the strengths and challenges that come along with eating healthy. I believe that displaying both sides is necessary because we are all entitled to our own choices and being able to understand the whole situation may bring clarity to others choices.

Bittman, M. (2011). Opinion: Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/is-junk-food-really-cheaper.html

Popli, N. (2023). Why Are Groceries So Expensive Right Now? Time International (Atlantic Edition), 201(5/6), 12. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp3.lib.umn.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=aph&AN=161709624&site=ehost-live. 

See, C. (2020). The Cost of Healthy Eating vs Unhealthy Eating. The Plutus Foundation. https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/healthy-eating-budget/ 

[ellarohrer]

Is healthy food more expensive than junk food? If so, then is it achievable to eat healthy while on a budget?

Is healthy food more expensive than junk food? If so, then is it achievable to eat healthy while on a budget? This is a topic that raises different opinions because everyone can have different outlooks on what they consider expensive and what they consider healthy. I plan to exemplify the argument on whether or not healthy food is more expensive than junk food, and if it is achievable to eat healthy while on a budget. This blog post will provide information on what we should be eating, the benefits these foods have, and in opposition - why getting these foods isn’t always achievable.

Personally, when I think about healthy foods the first things that come to mind are fruits (strawberries, raspberries, grapes, etc.) and vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, etc.). I believe that a lot of us know that eating healthy includes fruits and vegetables, but we do not necessarily understand why that is. I for certain do not completely understand either why they are so necessary for us but there has to be a reason. In an article from The New York Times, Christina Caron wrote about how since the Covid Pandemic teens have been lacking getting the fruits and vegetables that they need. Caron also talks about why they are needed for teens and ways to incorporate them into their diets. Christina Caron works as a reporter for the Well Section at The New York Times. For Christina Caron working as a reporter for the Well Section includes talking about mental health, culture, health care, and how culture and health care intersect. In the article Caron (2021) had talked about how since the pandemic the comfort foods we enjoy have become more luring for kids and adults which has pushed us away from the fruits and vegetables we need. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), teenagers have actually been lacking fruits and vegetables way before the pandemic occurred. The pandemic is not the root cause for the lack of fruits and vegetables, but instead has delayed us even more from receiving them. Caron wrote the following in the article, “[r]esearch suggests that consuming healthy foods, including fruits and vegetables, can help reduce anxiety and improve mood”, and that “...foods high in added sugar or empty calories won’t help them look or feel their best … ‘Fruits and vegetables will give them fullness and provide lots of micronutrients for growth” (Caron 2021). These are just a few of the reasons why consuming fruits and vegetables benefit us, and why we should make sure to incorporate them into our daily diet. The benefits seem like enough to start incorporating them into our daily diets, but it is not necessarily that easy. How come? According to Caron (2021) one of the many reasons is the abundance of unhealthy options surrounding us, and the inexpensiveness of them.

In an Article from The Plutus Foundation, Caitlin See articulates the differences in prices between unhealthy food and healthy food. Caitlin See is currently a personal finance writer who specializes in student loans, debt repayment, credit cards, and budgeting basics. See wrote the following in her article, “[a] comprehensive review of 27 studies in 10 countries found that unhealthy food is about $1.50 cheaper per day than healthy food. If you’re feeding a large family, it may cost less to simply buy from the dollar menu or purchase cheap premade frozen dinners” (See 2020). Caron and See have both provided information that prices have a great deal to do with why purchasing the healthy foods we need isn’t always achievable. In an article from Southeast Express, Marcus Hill had talked about how you can eat healthy and stay on a budget. Marcus Hill currently works as a reporter for the Southeast Express and also the Schriever Sentinel. Maruc Hill graduated from Colorado State University-Pueblo back in 2012 and earned a degree in mass communication. In Hill’s article he articulates a different reason why purchasing the healthy foods we need isn’t always achievable either. The reason Hill expressed is that there isn’t always a grocery store close enough to go to in order to get the healthy things we need. We know we should be consuming fruits and vegetables, we know the benefits they hold, and we know why it is not as easy as it seems. In order to get the foods that we need we have to push ourselves past our barriers and figure out ways to slowly incorporate them into our diets, and ways to take advantage of receiving them when it is possible. The benefits are important to every single one of us so if you’re looking for the push to go purchase what we need, here it is.

Caron, C. (2021). 5 Ways Teens Can Get More Fruits and Vegetables Into Their Diets. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/well/eat/cdc-teenagers-healthy-eating.html

Hill, M. (2022). Opinion: My experience eating on a budget in the Southeast. Southeast Express. https://www.southeastexpress.org/opinion/opinion-my-experience-eating-on-a-budget-in-the-southeast/article_0699fde2-c9ae-11ec-9eaf-7331c259dfe9.html 

See, C. (2020). The Cost of Healthy Eating vs Unhealthy Eating. The Plutus Foundation. https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/healthy-eating-budget/

[ellarohrer]

Is healthy food more expensive than junk food? If so, then is it achievable to eat healthy while on a budget?

Is healthy food more expensive than junk food? If so, then is it achievable to eat healthy while on a budget? This is a topic that raises different opinions because everyone can have different outlooks on what they consider expensive and what they consider healthy. I plan to exemplify the argument on whether or not healthy food is more expensive than junk food, and if it is achievable to eat healthy while on a budget. This blog post will provide background information needed to understand why there are different opinions around the price of healthy/junk food, and the opinions around if it is/isn’t achievable to eat healthy while on a budget. The background information in this blog post will include opinions and some facts of the following: why unhealthy food is appealing, what percent of U.S. adults are obese, what conditions can proceed from being obese, how to save money and eat healthy, how much food prices have increased, and why money doesn’t guide our choices on what we eat.

In an article from The Plutus Foundation, Caitlin See articulates the differences in prices between unhealthy food and healthy food. Caitlin See is currently a personal finance writer who specializes in student loans, debt repayment, credit cards, and budgeting basics. See’s article mentions as to why people choose unhealthy food, and tips on how to choose healthier options. See (2020) mentions that the reason unhealthy food tends to be appealing to people is because of the convenience. See stated the following, “[i]t’s easier to pop something in the microwave or make a quick stop at the drive-thru. Many people are juggling multiple jobs and children, which leaves little time for grocery shopping or countless hours prepping and cooking meals each week” (See 2020). This statement is a great example of why unhealthy eating is appealing. This also demonstrates why unhealthy eating occurs quite often. Although, See also mentioned in the article that eating healthy can occur at more places than at home. Sometimes it just means asking for nutrition information and reading the menu beforehand. Unhealthy choices lead to unhealthy consequences. See provided the following important fact in the article as well, “[a]ccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 40% of U.S. adults are obese, which can put them at a higher risk for conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes” (See 2020). The choices we make can lead to harmful consequences that we may not necessarily understand until they occur. They may occur and we may never blame it on our eating habits, but it is important to be educated on the possible consequences to prevent them if possible. In order to prevent the consequences we need to know some strategies on eating healthy and saving money. See (2020) provides some solutions such as the following: bulk buying the staples from places like Costco, buying your meats in bulk and saving it for later by freezing it, and buying fruits and vegetables uncut because buying them pre-cut is more expensive.

In an article from Time International, Nik Popli highlights just how much prices have increased and displays why that can be such a problem for families. Popli’s article was published in February of 2023 and mentions how much grocery prices had increased in December compared to a year earlier. Grocery prices had been up 11.8%. Popli (2023) stated that since 2021 prices have increased greatly, and almost every food item is more expensive than it was a year earlier. In another article from The New York Times, Mark Bittman wrote to inform people that junk food is not always cheaper than healthy food. Mark Bittman is a former columnist for The New York Times, American food journalist, and an author. Bittman currently works as a fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists. In the article Bittman (2011) also offered an interesting perspective that mentioned that money is not the reason why we choose what we eat. Bittman stated the following in the article, “THE fact is that most people can afford real food. Even the nearly 50 million Americans who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps) receive about $5 per person per day, which is far from ideal but enough to survive. So we have to assume that money alone doesn’t guide decisions about what to eat” (Bittman 2011). This statement offers important information that we would not necessarily know beforehand. If someone is enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and is receiving money, then they are not only limited to unhealthy food/junk food. The opinions and facts stated in these articles provide a great deal of background information on healthy food, junk food, and saving money. With this knowledge it is easier to make more educated decisions.

Bittman, M. (2011). Opinion: Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/is-junk-food-really-cheaper.html

Popli, N. (2023). Why Are Groceries So Expensive Right Now? Time International (Atlantic Edition), 201(5/6), 12. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp3.lib.umn.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=aph&AN=161709624&site=ehost-live. 

See, C. (2020). The Cost of Healthy Eating vs Unhealthy Eating. The Plutus Foundation. https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/healthy-eating-budget/ 

[ellarohrer]

The Influence People Have On Others' Because Of The Language They Speak

Standard English is often viewed as the only language that is “correct”, and if someone doesn’t speak perfect English then it is often viewed as “broken”. This is a problem and a concern because no language should be deemed incorrect.  People are often treated poorly and differently than others who are known to speak standard English. So the following question is asked: How exactly are people treated because of their language? This is an urgent question that needs to be addressed because we are all surrounded by diversity. No person should be treated differently/poorly because of their differences. We all have differences and they are what makes us who we are. Answering this question is important because it is an answer that not everyone knows and understands. The answer to this question needs to be brought to light and it needs to be displayed.

Identifying how exactly people are treated because of their language is an area of concern that I am curious about because I have never fallen victim to being treated differently because of my language. I had grown up in a diverse community, but in school I had always had teachers whose native language was English. I had never and I still have never been ridiculed for speaking incorrectly, or even writing incorrectly. I believe that this is an important area of concern because everyone will be exposed to diversity in their lifetimes and with diversity comes different languages. It should be taught to respect all people and all languages, but this isn’t always the case scenario. Melissa Hogenboom is an author, science journalist, and film-maker who wrote the article, “What does your accent say about you”. In this article Hogenboom talks about how studies have been conducted to prove that from a very young age we are conditioned to be attracted to those who speak a common language and have a common accent. The following is stated in the article: “As children grow up they become more attuned to the social status or stereotypes that have been glued on to various accents” (Hogenboom, 2018). I am aware that with specific languages there are different stereotypes, and a very common stereotype is unintelligence. We may be attuned to be attracted to those who speak/sound like us, but it doesn’t open up the door to treat others differently/poorly because of their language.

Jenny Liao is a writer who calls attention to Asian American communities. Jenny Liao has written the article “Forgetting My First Language” in which she talks about her experience with learning English, and eventually forgetting Cantonese. Amy Tan is an American author whose work is focused on Chinese culture. In Amy Tan’s article “Mother Tongue” she talks about her personal experiences with “broken” English. After I read Liao’s and Tan’s articles I noticed overlaps between them. Liao wrote the following: “I learned that there was also significant social currency in adopting English as a primary language. Outside of E.S.L. class, I encountered the first of many ‘ching chongs’ shouted my way. ‘Do you know that’s what you sound like?’ a kid asked, laughing” (Liao, 2021). While Tan had told the following story about her mother: “My mother had gone to the hospital for an appointment, to find out about a benign brain tumor a CAT scan had revealed a month ago. She said she had spoken very good English, her best English, no mistakes. Still, she said, the hospital did not apologize when they said they had lost the CAT scan and she had come for nothing … She said they would not give her any more information until the next time and she would have to make another appointment for that. So she said she would not leave until the doctor called her daughter … And when the doctor finally called her daughter, me, who spoke in perfect English- lo and behold- we had assurances the CAT scan would be found, promises that a conference call on Monday would be held, and apologies for any suffering my mother had gone through for a most regrettable mistake” (Tan, 1990, p. 7). There are significant overlaps between these two articles that highlight that at any age someone can, and will be ridiculed for their language. I believe that the limitations of how people traditionally think of others who speak different languages can cause consequences to them that are not ideal at all, or are even harmful. Liao had been treated poorly because of her native language and her attempt to learn English. Liao talked about how these actions had caused her to shut out Cantonese and now she can’t communicate with her parents easily at all. Tan wrote about how her mother knew her language was restricted and because of it she would never get the service she deserved. Tan’s mother had used her as her translator and she had even acted to be her mother over the phone since she had spoken perfect English. We now know from Hogenboom that the attraction to those that speak a common language and have a common accent is a characteristic that is obtained at a very young age. As children get older they also become aware of the stereotypes that surround languages and accents. Liao and Tan had both demonstrated instances of when someone with this acquired trait had negatively affected someone else.

Now that it is understood how people are treated because of their language, everyone needs to apply accountability and compassion to everyday life and it needs to be applied by being aware of your actions. I believe that this is necessary because those who are ridiculed for their language have to live by these repercussions every day of their lives. One action, on one day, for one person can mean a lifetime of troubles for another. I hope to have proved how it is important to understand how people can be treated because of their language, and I hope to have shed light onto those who may not have understood the importance of this situation. This is conversation that needs to be continued and that needs to be pushed beyond the barriers.

[ellarohrer]

The Influence People Have On Others' Because Of The Language They Speak

How are people treated because of their language? When I think of languages I think about the endless list I could make of all the different languages such as English, Spanish, French, Chinese, and so many more. I have recently discovered through work, such as Amy Tan’s and Vershawn Young’s, that it is possible for there to be different languages within one language. For example in Tan’s essay Mother Tongue she talks about “broken” English, and in Young’s essay Should writers use they own English he talks about Black English. These are two great examples of how there can be other languages within one language. Since there can be other types of English spoken, people are often ridiculed if they do not speak standard English. I want to challenge how people are treated because of the English that they speak. I contend to prove that if standard English is not spoken by a person, then they will be treated poorly by a person who believes their language is incorrect. 

In Amy Tan’s essay Mother Tongue she talks about how she had grown up Chinese-American and how she had viewed her mothers English as “broken” or “fractured” along with everyone else. She talks about how her mother had constantly been mistreated all her life because of her English, so Tan had to take the ropes at a young age and act as her translator. Tan had told the following story about her mother: “My mother had gone to the hospital for an appointment, to find out about a benign brain tumor a CAT scan had revealed a month ago. She said she had spoken very good English, her best English, no mistakes. Still, she said, the hospital did not apologize when they said they had lost the CAT scan and she had come for nothing … She said they would not give her any more information until the next time and she would have to make another appointment for that. So she said she would not leave until the doctor called her daughter … And when the doctor finally called her daughter, me, who spoke in perfect English- lo and behold- we had assurances the CAT scan would be found, promises that a conference call on Monday would be held, and apologies for any suffering my mother had gone through for a most regrettable mistake” (Tan, 1990, p. 7). Tan’s mother had been mistreated and not given the service she deserved just because of her “broken” English, and this is proven by the fact that Tan’s mother had been given what she needed once her daughter with standard English could advocate for her. In comparison to Tan’s essay, in Melissa Hogenboom’s article What does your accent say about you she dives into the mistreatment people can face when their accent is “non-standard” compared to people who speak standard English. Hogenboom states that “those with Mexican or Greek accents were perceived as less intelligent or professional than those who speak standard US English” (Hogenboom, 2018). Hogenboom has demonstrated another great example of how easily someone can be mistreated if their language is perceived as wrong. We as a society are conditioned to look down on anyone who doesn’t meet our standards and it needs to be stopped. My senior year of high school I was enrolled in a Spanish class that taught me how to speak the language, while also teaching fluent Spanish who recently moved to the US how to speak English in return. It was a great experience for me and it is something everyone should encounter because it demonstrated that we could speak standard English while they could speak standard Spanish. No language should be deemed incorrect, instead it should be taught that we are all equals when it comes to the language we speak. In Jenny Liao’s article she talks about a very similar subject. In her article Forgetting My First Language she talks about how she grew up speaking Cantonese in Brooklyn. Her parents had encouraged her to learn her English because they had believed it would be the key to success for her in America. Although she was quick to learn English, she still encountered problems. Liao wrote the following: “I learned that there was also significant social currency in adopting English as a primary language. Outside of E.S.L. class, I encountered the first of many ‘ching chongs’ shouted my way. ‘Do you know that’s what you sound like?’ a kid asked, laughing” (Liao, 2021). Liao had been mistreated based on her native language, and her imperfect English. There is nothing that makes a language incorrect unless it is incorrect to someone else. 

Tan, Hogenboom, and Liao had all demonstrated that any language compared to standard English is ridiculed by others and they have to live by these repercussions day by day. These excerpts from the authors have helped me to prove that if standard English is not spoken, then they will be treated poorly by a person who believes their language is incorrect. These actions that these writers have witnessed or dealt with are not just coincidences. These actions occur constantly because people are given the power to believe they are a step above someone else. You are upset because you cannot understand someone? So you believe you have the right to treat them poorly? Well guess what? It turns out that you are not speaking their standard language either, but they still have to deal with your actions. No language is incorrect, but if you believe someone else’s is compared to yours then it turns out that you’re just the one who is incorrect. I have challenged how people are treated because of the English that they speak. Now I want to challenge you to not fall victim to these actions.

[ellarohrer]

How Has Social Media Impacted My Relationships and Writing?

Social media began affecting my relationships and writing at a young age. All throughout middle school and high school my main ways of communication went through social media apps. The only way I knew how to communicate was by sending Snapchats, liking Instagram pictures, or commenting on an Instagram post.

It wasn’t until recently that I began to notice how it had affected me personally, and how it had affected my communication through writing. When I look back at when I used social media regularly I recognize I wasn’t my best or happiest version of myself. I really hadn’t become the person I wanted to be until I had become close with someone who made me realize my true worth. I have found that social media had made me feel worthless, it had made me feel lost, it made me feel disconnected, and it had made me feel like I wasn’t the best version of myself. Social media had made me feel like this because I wasn’t getting to connect with people on the deeper level that I was seeking. Since I wasn’t getting to connect with people on a deeper level my writing also suffered. I had not obtained basic communication skills through writing because the only way I was used to writing to others was by simple phrases and incorrect grammar. I have since had to learn how to continue to be social and evolve my communication skills through writing, without the overuse of social media. One day I had found that I no longer craved social media like I used to, and because of that I had to learn alternative communication methods such as how to express myself through texting instead or by being brave enough to pick up my phone and call. It has been about three years since I had slowed down my usage of social media and over the course of those years my communication skills through writing have dramatically improved. I have learned how to have real conversations, how to use my words to express myself, how to form deeper connections, and how to be more present in life. Around three years ago I had found the person who had made me realize my true worth and I believe that is the reason social media became less important to me. When I stopped using social media as often, my writing didn’t become immediately perfected. I remember vividly being told by this person through text that I needed to communicate my feelings more clearly because you can’t read someone as easily without seeing them or hearing them. This is when I had decided I needed to work on my writing skills when communicating with others because my normal communication through social media wasn’t going to cut it in the real world. I had also learned from this that if you don’t write clearly no one can understand you- not even the people closest to you. My writing has since become sacred to me. I have learned that no one else holds power over my words or thoughts and it is the one thing that I get to control. I now do my communication through writing over text because it is where I feel like I can express myself clearly. My relationship with writing has had ups and downs because I never really had to learn how to communicate clearly since social media was accessible to me at such a young age. I still struggle with expressing myself clearly through writing, but I try to remember how far I have come and that I am not stuck like I used to be. When I felt worthless, lost, disconnected, and like I want the best version of myself I had to assess where these feelings stemmed from. I now work every day to take control of the things that I have power over and I work on them. I work to grow my relationship with writing so that me, and my relationships included, no longer have to suffer.

[ellarohrer]

What Is My Relationship With Social Media Like?

I am not a huge fan or user of social media. I believe that social media creates false expectations and norms. Social media is my least favorite way to communicate. On that note, I believe that social media really isn’t communicating at all. Social media is all show to me. There was a time in my life when I did use social media more often than I do now. I used to use social media in order to watch other peoples lives, to show other people what I had been doing and who I had been doing it with, in order to keep in touch with people, etc. When I look back at when I used social media like this I recognize I wasn’t my best or happiest version of myself. I really hadn’t become the person I wanted to be until I had become close with someone who made me realize my true worth. When I look back at my high school years I realize the type of person I was. I do believe that I was always nice, but I wasn’t always around the nicest people and that had made me guilty by association. I had worked harder than I ever should have in order to be good enough for the people who I should have realized weren’t good enough for me. The part that strikes me the most now is that I have realized that these girls were not mean to peoples faces. The place they were mean was over the phone, and through social media. Even when they weren’t directly mean to people through social media they still made it clear that they were better than them through it. I am in a very secure place in my life recently and because of this my social media usage has slowed down. This wasn’t a direct choice I had made when I became secure, but instead I just no longer had to know who was hanging out, who was going on vacations, who had gotten something new, or who was dating who. I simply no longer worried about what I was missing out on. I believe that social media has created this problem for people. Someone could be so unhappy and post something that seems so amazing, and no one would ever actually know what is going on with them. Then you might have someone who is unhappy in their lives who goes to look at social media and then their false beliefs seem to be made true - everyone else's lives are better than theirs. There is no truth behind social media and once you can truly realize that, then you may be able to be truly happy and content. Once I had found someone who had seen my imperfections, seen my perfections, and had seen me for who I really was, I had forgotten the world around me. Social media is a form of communication/language and people have found the great aspects of that and people have also found the terrible, awful aspects of it. This is why I would describe my relationship with social media as silent. I do not despise social media entirely, I just don’t need it. I would rather not use social media often because of the awful aspects it brings, instead of using it because it can bring some good. I do not believe that me not needing it is something that would change if the person who made me view it differently would disappear from my life. The lenses through which I view it have just changed and I want to always make sure I keep those lenses. My language with social media may be silent, but I think social media can say a lot. I do not necessarily like the things it vocalizes, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion about that. Some people love social media, but I love anything that can take me away from my phone. I want to be able to view the world for myself and not through other people’s pictures. I believe that if everyone could find a good balance between viewing other people’s lives and still enjoying their own, then this world could become a lot more kind and well-rounded. We get what we give in life and because of that we can’t only put our energy into our phones. We need to exert our energy into places where it matters, and places where it hits people in a good way.