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CHOMP. Fall 2017

- Audrey Hepburn 2 Chomp.

Food is GOOD. - Everyone Ever

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18 What’s Cooking & 19 Crazy About Oats By: Chloe Pence

14 I Dig Gardening By: Chloe Pence

12 Weekly Meals By: Gisella Difiore

8 Sugar- The Unknown Epidemic

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By: Gisella Difiore

6 Message from editors

What’s Inside...

32 The End 28 Highlights of Going Natural By: Emily Chen

26 All Natural DIYs to try at Home By: Emily Chen

22 The Dirt on Eating Local

You and Gardening: Mint to Be

By Ellen Larson

By: Ellen Larson

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LETTERS FROM

My name is Chloe Pence and I am currently a freshman at LASA. I was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 2003. I have a sister named Chelsey and 3 step-siblings. The article I wrote is important to me because I love staying healthy and gardening, and I wanted to show others that being healthy can be fun and easy. I have a garden in my backyard and I love growing peppers, my dad likes to make salsa with them. When I get a chance I always ask for more seeds for planting. This article topic has changed my perspective on how gardening can really change someone’s life. Healthy eating is not a joke with of all the obesity in the United States. I chose the topic about food because I love food so much, I think healthy food is a great way cleanse your body and soul. I think healthy foods should be eaten much more than the fast foods. The reason we chose this topic as a group is because we all agreed that food was one of our favorite things. We all had different opinions as to why we thought food was our favorite, it had a little bit to do with our ideas for our writing.

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My name is Gisella Di Fiore and I am a freshman at LASA. I was born in New York City in 2003 and lived there until I was eight years old. I have an older sister and an adorable Australian Shepherd named Cali. I really like food, and I think it is really interesting to learn about the science behind what we eat everyday. I think being healthy is very important for people, but also for the environment. Eating sugar, especially, is really bad for your body and mind, and sometimes people are not even aware of how much sugar they consume! I think it is important to raise awareness of this growing “epidemic” of sugar addiction. I volunteer at a community garden where we are currently growing a bunch of vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, and so much more! For me, it is really cool to grow your own food, and it is much more rewarding than just buying it at the store. My group was really fun to work with because all of us wanted the same thing: to make Austin a healthier place. Through gardening tutorials, DIY’s, restaurant ideas, and facts, we made a fun and informative article about topics important to us.

THE EDITORS

My name is Ellen Larson and I am currently a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. I have a cat, dog, and a younger sister. I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington where I developed a passion for soccer, swimming, and of course, eating. After moving to Austin when I was 11 years old, I was given the opportunity to try new cuisines specific to Austin and Texas, that I had never tried before. Researching further into Austin’s diverse food scene has given me even more insight into the food and restaurants in Austin. Writing an article about the farm to table movement in Austin has enabled me to learn exactly what goes into making the food found throughout restaurants in the city. The captivating process resulting in dishes that are full of fresh produce brought straight from local farms. The farms and restaurants participating provides an opportunity for people to share delicious, healthy food with the ones they love. I think that this article provides valuable information for people who strive to eat healthier and more local, but do not have the time to grow their own food or think a lot about their diet.

Hi, my name is Emily, and I am currently a freshman at LASA High School. I was born in Austin, Texas in the year 2003. I have a 27 year old sister named Michelle and a 12 year old brother named Michael. I wanted to write a magazine about food since food is such an important part of our lives. Everyone needs food to survive, so anyone can read. Some people choose to not have good eating habits, so my group and I wanted to inform people about healthy and organic eating as well as how natural foods relate to beauty products. I wrote about DIY (Do It Yourself) natural products and why all natural handmade products are much better than chemically treated products at the store. Some people don’t know about the risks of buying products from stores, so my article informs people about it. Eating healthy has its benefits, as well as using organic and natural food ingredients to make safe, harmless products for skin and hair. I have learned things I didn’t know before about how harmful store bought products can be. I have also learned that making your own products isn’t very time consuming nor is it difficult. This was a great experience overall.

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(Ferry Sitompul/2012) cropping. License: https://creativecommons.org

SUG R

THE UNKNOWN EPIDEMIC http://www.publicdomainpictures.net

By: Gisella Di Fiore

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Jennifer Zimmerman, a nurse, works in the ICU of St. Davids in Austin, Texas. She is a witness of the bad effects sugar (Unknown/unknown).

problems in America: sugar intake. According to actiononsugar.org, obesity numbers have increased worldwide in the past 30 years; there are estimated to be 1.9 billion overweight adults. According to National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases data for 2013-14, 70.2 percent, or more than two out of three, of adults in America are considered either overweight or obese. Obesity is an ongoing problem in the United States. All this leads back to the worldwide problem: sugar. A “Time Magazine” article by Mandy Oaklander states that “61 percent of the food Americans buy is highly processed, according to research published in the ‘American Journal

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commons.wikimedia.org

ennifer Zimmerman sat at her dining table, sipping a bottle of Topo Chico, telling stories about her experiences as a nurse for 18 years. Zimmerman works in the Intensive Care Unit, ICU, of St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas, where she has seen many tragedies related to unhealthy eating and lack of exercise. She has seen heart attacks, severe cases of diabetes, and many more cases that is related to one of the greatest

of Clinical Nutrition’.” But processed food are not healthy. In the article, “Nine Ways That Processed Foods are Harming People,” Kris Gunnar writes that processed foods usually have a ton of sugar and high fructose corn syrup in them. All of these horrible foods put sugar into our bodies. But why is there so much sugar in processed foods? There is science behind it. As shown in the article, “Sugar in Food Preserving,” by ACS Distance Education, sugar can be used as a preservative. Also, sugar tastes good, so if it is in food, people will eat it. Sugar can hurt your body in numerous ways that you may not even be able to tell. Sugar can affect your brain, mood, teeth, joints, skin, liver, heart, pancreas, kidneys, and weight, according to the article, ‘How Does Too Much Sugar Affect Your Body?’ by Locke Hughes. In the article “10 Ways Sugar Harms Your Health,” it is stated that sugar causes obesity, heart problems, diabetes, aging, blood sugar fluctuation, chromium deficiency, and so many more problems. Molly Bray, Ph.D. a professor of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, explained some short term effects of sugar: “weight gain, dental decay, hyperactivity, headaches” and some long term affects of sugar: “hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar), hyperinsulinemia (elevated insulin), type 2 diabetes (although sugar is not the only cause), decreased satiety, altered gene expression in your brain.” So why do we still eat it? We are addicted.

Sugar is a drug. In the article, “Experts Agree: Sugar Might Be as Addictive as Cocaine,” Anna Schaefer and Kareem Yasin wrote: when sugar is consumed, opioids and dopamine are released. According to “Functions of Dopamine: What is Dopamine and How Does It Affect you?” Radiyyah Hussein writes, dopamine is released during happy moments which is why the person wants to continue doing what they are doing. Once more, in “A New Study Claims That Sugar has a Similar Effect on the Brain as Cocaine,” Matt Payton writes that research from Queensland University of Technology finds that these dopamines released during sugar consumption alike to the ones released when doing some drugs. People get a happy feeling when they eat sugar, and that makes them want more. Consumers are not all in the wrong for eating sugar. “People don’t realize how much fat is in some foods,” Bray said. This is because fats and sugars are hidden on the labels of products by companies. This trickery

“People don’t realize how much fat is in some foods.” -Molly Bray happens in many ways. One is the fact that the FDA (U.S. Federal Drug Administration) would not put any “Added Sugars” row in the sugar section on nutrition labels, so added sugars go only in the ingredients list.

Companies take advantage of this rule and use unknown alternative words for added sugars because smaller amounts of ingredients go farther down in the ingredients list, according to Pooja R. Mottl from the Huffington Post article, “Food Labels: How to Spot Hidden Sugars.” Another tactic is using phrases that really don’t mean anything. According to the article, “16 Most Misleading Food Labels,” written by Danny Deza, the phrases “no sugar added” and “sugar free” don’t mean that there are not natural sugars in the products, nor that calories and carbohydrates don’t come from other sources.

and high fructose corn syrup “are both equally bad.” America’s diet has gotten unhealthier in the past few decades, and is constantly getting more unhealthy. “I have taken care of many people who have had sick hearts even though they were healthy,” comments Zimmerman. “We have taken care of marathon runners who have had massive heart attacks, and pu

.net pictures main o d blic

While sugar consumption isn’t a new problem, sugar intake has increased and the number of unhealthy eating-related deaths have increased with it. “We tend to follow fads. Years ago, it was important to spend time on meal preparation and meal times compared to today when most Americans don’t eat at home or with their families,” said Monica Milonovich, lecturer in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at UT Austin. “We eat a lot more than we used to: The average American consumed 2,481 calories a day in 2010, about 23 percent more than in 1970,” according to the article, “What’s on your table? How America’s diet has changed over the decades,” by Drew Desilver, Americans currently eat less sugar but also eat a lot more sweeteners that are derived from corn. “While most of the sweetener consumed in 1970 was refined sugar, the market is now almost evenly split between sugar and corn-derived sweeteners, such as high-fructose corn syrup,” Desilver informed. A recent Healthline article “High Fructose Corn Syrup: Just Like Sugar, or Worse?” by Joe Leech agrees. Sugar

it’s just in their family history that they have coronary artery disease, plaque and high cholesterol.” Bray has researched the influence of genetics on obesity in a study titled, TIGER. “In 2003, we began an exercise study called the TIGER Study designed to identify genes that influence response to exercise

training. We invited inactive undergraduates to participate in a 30-minute/three-day per week course,” explains Bray. The results were very interesting. Students were more likely to remain exercising if they had high levels of exercise intensity and duration. If they kept their heart rate high for longer, they were more likely to complete the program. Bray explained, “We hypothesize that the positive changes that result from working out longer and more intensely may actually help people to stick to a program. Our research also shows that exercise can feel “harder’ for some compared to others, and those feelings may be related to genes. The strongest effect we’ve seen to date is for a gene called fto, which is expressed in the brain and is associated with exercise adherence.” So what is the right diet? Milanovich stated, “I think a diet that includes a variety of vegetables, fruits and whole grains is important. Choosing lean meats and low fat dairy is also important. Lastly, not drinking our calories (i.e. water is best),”. Bray’s idea of a “right diet and exercise amount” was similar. “Generally, a balanced diet will give you all the nutrients you need. Recommendations for exercise is 30 minutes of high intensity or 60 minutes of moderate intensity five or more days of the week,” she says. Zimmerman also agreed, saying that she attempts to minimize sugars and meats, and maximise exercise and plant intake. All in all, eating a diet that has just enough of everything, not too much of one food category, consuming minimal sugar and sweets, and exercising 30-60 minutes a day, will result in a happy, healthy life!

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SUNDAY Breakfast- oatmeal (find recipe pg 21) Lunch- salad w/ chicken & veggies Snack- veggies & hummus Dinner- tomato soup with grilled cheese

MONDAY Breakfast- spinach and egg omlete w/ fruit Lunch- bean salad w/ tomatoes and corn Snack- toast with avocado Dinner- steak and potatoes

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WEEKLY NESDAY D E W

Breakfast- polenta w/ eggs & tomato sauce Lunch- tukey and cheese sandwich w/ veggies Snack- apples & peanut butter Dinner-pad thai w/ chicken

TUESDAY Breakfast- eggs & grapefruit Lunch- peanut butter & banana sandwich Snack- tortilla chips w/ guacamole Dinner- quinoa pasta with chicken

you want to make sure you eat a balance of FRUIT, VEGGIES, GRAINS, PROTEINS, DAIRY, and OILS

MEALS THURSDAY

Breakfast- plain greek yogurt w/ fruit Lunch- quinoa pasta with pesto sauce & veggies Snack- granola bar Dinner- veggie & rice soup w/ chicken or beans

FRIDAY

SATURDAY Breakfast- pancakes & sausage w/ fruit Lunch- bean salad Snack- plain greek yogurt w/ berries Dinner- chicken/veggiefajitas w/ onions and bell peppers

Breakfast- fruit & almond milk smoothie Lunch- turkey wrap w/ tomatoes and carrots Snack- veggies & hummus Dinner- steak & salad

http://www.eatingwell.com/article/289245/7-day-heart-healthy-meal-plan-1200-calories/ https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/six-week-weight-loss-plan-week-1 https://www.choosemyplate.gov/

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I DIG GARDENING!

Things You Need To Know Before Starting A Garden

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any people wake up and realize they are running low on fruits and vegetables. They have to drive all the way to the nearest grocery store to buy what they need and then drive all the way back home. What a hassle! No one wants to do all that work just to get some fruit and vegetables, unless they can’t find the time to garden. Just imagine walking outside to your backyard, picking whatever you are in need of and walking back inside. Gardening can be both easy and consistent! People definitely care about nutrition and gardening, but many are concerned with the time commitment that gardening

Monica Milonovichworks at UT in the Department of Nutritional Sciences. (Austin, TX at University of Texas/ 2013)

requires. People that want to garden need to be aware of how much time you have to put into taking care of the plants, they are like babies. Also, knowing how to properly care for a garden when maintaining its productivity and health, is very important. Without this skill, the garden would not be able to grow. Monica Milonovich, a nutritionist at UT, said that the amount of misinformation people are given can change the perspective what their eating can do to them. When someone eats, they do not see what happens inside their body. Milonovich explains why she does not like diets, “I would tell people to educate themselves instead of following a diet without understanding of their bodies and their goals.

Randy Jewart has his own gardening buisness Resoulution Gardens, and helps people that want to start a garden. (Resolution Gardens/ 2016)

Randy Jewart, owner of Resolution Gardens has a gardening business and he said, “When I was living in an apartment I asked for a garden box, it completely changed my life and made me where I am today.” Alexandra Hill is a biology teacher at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) and she said that she had been gardening very rarely throughout her life and every time she does, she kills the plants. But lately, Hill has had good luck with her cactus garden. Bret Korba, a science and gardening teacher at Murchison Middle School says, “I knew very little about it when I began, and have gradually learned more each season. Gardening is a great way to get outdoors and have fun, to exercise while doing something useful, to experience nature, and to see results from one’s efforts.”

Bret Korba works at Murchinson Middle School as a science and gardening teacher. ( Murchison Middle School/ 2015)

For beginning gardeners, they must know that gardening is easy to do, easy to start, and you don’t need to know much in order to do it and have success.

“Like life, if you put effort in what you’re doing, and know what you are doing, you will do great and have a successful garden without getting hurt.” -Alexandira Hill

When shopping at the store to get seeds for gardening, Randy Jewart, claims that food is the best choice and that people will do different things, but he believes that people mostly garden foods since they are necessary, and flowers do not have other use than ornamental use.

Gardening also seems to be a bit challenging to many people or people that haven’t even tried. Randy Jewart thinks that some people have green thumbs and others don’t, but just because you don’t have a green thumb it does not mean you cannot learn. A garden in the backyard seems like it would be a challenging, fun task. Randy Jewart said, “If you can waste time in other stuff, you can take time to grow a garden.” However, Hill said, “If you have time, go for it, but if you’re too busy with life, work, etc, there is very little you can do.” Many people could agree with Hill time

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wise and the amount of work and effort you must put into gardening and keeping it fresh.

This is a photo of fruits and vegetables in a grocery store about to be bought. Many people think that eating fruits and vegetables in grocery stores are okay, but in reality its not. (Greg Gavedon/ 2015)

Eating your fruits and veggies from the grocery store seems to be a normal thing, right? Jewart said, “Don’t eat poison foods in the grocery stores. They are very gross and only 5 percent of the foods in

This is a girl grocery shopping. (Elephant Journal)

storing them in grocery stores are can be harmful to the quality of the produce. The website states that when the food travels great distance, they can catch bacteria. This is one of the reasons it is important to wash produce before eating or cooking it.

This is a photo from when Randy Jewart built a garden for senior citizens at the Pam Recreation Center to support St. David’s Foundation. (Randy Jewart/ 2013)

the grocery stores are organic. If the food brand does not say organic, it’s poison.” On the website Health Line, they talk about how some fruits and vegetables can become contaminated with harmful bacteria and how

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Thinking that a garden would help with weight loss has many different opinions. Korba agreed “For example, it is easy and cheap to grow fresh greens in a raised bed or in containers.” This could be a good way to motivate someone to start gardening, but time can be a problem. Hill said, “With no time you may not be able to garden your own food, like me, I always buy my food, not because I’m lazy but because I have no time.” Most people think that a green thumb is required to be able to garden correctly. There are many different thoughts people both agree

and disagree on the subject matter. A garden is an idea for a person that may have the time and space. Gardening is really a thing you either do or don’t. There are many reasons why everyone should enjoy gardening. Many people have tried to help show others that gardening is easy and useful. If you want to start a garden, just remember all the good outcomes it will have on you in the future.

(Murchison Middle School/ 2010)

(Pixabay/ 2017)

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WHAT’S COOKING

A MEAL PLAN FOR EVERYDAY AT A GOOD PRICE! By Chloe Pence BLUE APRON Blue Apron is a food delivery service where recipes and ingredients are delivered to your house so you can cook it at home. The number of meals delivered

HELLO FRESH HelloFresh has 15 recipes on the menu each week. Customer favorites make it

back every week as the hall of fame recipes.

by Blue Apron to date is 159 million meals. (last updated 6/1/17)

There is an entire meal plan for vegetarians.

Blue Apron has 943,000 customers.

Every recipe on the Family

Plan menu is kid-tested and approved

Sun Basket was developed by their

award–winning California chef Justine Kelly

Most meals take about 30 minutes

to prepare using easy-to-follow recipes.

All packaging is 100% recyclable or compostable For the classic menu, Sun Basket is

in New York, New York.

They sell kitchen ware

$11.49 per serving, $5.99 shipping fee per order (first week delivery is always free).

They deliver three meals a week for

Over 2,500 recipes

There are different meal plans you

Launched 2012 with headquarters

two people, meals are $9.99 per meal per person. For four, meals are $8.74 per meal per person. In other words, three meals for two people per week (six meals total) would run you $59.94, which includes shipping. Sources: www.hellofresh www.lifehacker.com www.expandedrambings.com

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The percentage of HelloFresh

meal deliveries that are to the U.S. is 50%

can choose from (Chef's Choice, Paleo, Gluten Free, Vegetarian, and Lean and Clean)

For the family plan, Sun Basket is

$9.99 per serving, $5.99 shipping fee per order (first week delivery is always free).

CRAZY ABOUT OATS

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO By Chloe Pence MAKE OATMEAL WHAT YOU WILL NEED: - Oats -1 banana -Chia seeds -A spoonful of honey (or agave nectar) -Strawberries -2 cups of water (to boil) -A pot -Salt

INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Get a pot and boil 2 cups of water with a pinch of salt 2. When it comes to a boil, add a cup of rolled oats 3. Lower the temperature to a simmer and keep it uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally 4. When all the water has evaporated, remove pan from heat and take the oats out and pour it into a bowl 5. You can now add sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, chia seeds, and honey (or agave nectar) Sources: www.everydayhealth.com www.thekitchn.com www.how-to-cook-oatmeal.com

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YOU AND GARDENING: MINT TO BE

The largest pumpkin pie ever was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 350 pounds.

Strawberries aren’t actually berries. They are what’s called an “aggregate fruit.”

China produces 85% of spinach globally.

Spinach and Strawberries are great companion plants.

January

Broccoli Cabbage Kale Lettuce

February

Potatoes Blackberries Asparagus Grapes Pears

March

Beets Beans Squash Tomatoes

April

Watermelon Eggplant Peppers Tomatillos

You can dye your hair with beets.

May

Cucumber Okra Squash Chard Spinach

When to plant produce 20 Chomp.

June Black Eyed Peas Pumpkin Sweet Potatoes

Tomatoes are consumed more than any other fruit or vegetable.

Eating a large amount of carrots can actually tint skin yellow.

Broccoli was first brought to the US in 1767 by Thomas Jefferson.

July

Eggplant Peppers Cantaloupe Basil

August

September

Cabbage Okra Spinach Chard Collard Greens Mint Rosemary Endive Cilantro

By Ellen Larson

October Beets Carrots Onion Turnips Garlic

November

Strawberries Peas Lettuce Fennel

December

Arugula Strawberries Spinach Lavender

Sources: www.gardentech.com, www.farmanddairy.com, www.motherjones.com

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THE DIRT ON EATING LOCAL The Effects of an Increasing Farm to Table Movement in Austin

By Ellen Larson

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(David Scott Gordon/2017) (Ellen Larson/2017)

(From left to right) The original location of JBG was located in a small backyard garden on Holly Street. A JBG truck is surrounded by workers harvesting crops at the south Austin farm. A JBG tent at a farmers market in Austin, Texas where a variety of vegtables are avaliable. (David Scott Gordon/2012)

arly in the morning, crews at Johnson’s Backyard Garden (JBG) begin harvesting crops long before anyone is awake. Hours later, the packing crew begins their job. Hundreds of boxes of are filled with vegetables. Drivers then transport these delicious products to over 100 restaurants and 15 grocery stores across Central Texas. Arriving at restaurants and food trucks ranging from French to Italian, Thai to American, and everything in between. The results of which are the benefits that come along with eating locally produced and made, food. Over the last 30 years, the farm to table movement has been growing throughout Austin and the U.S. The idea of local farm produce and meats coming straight from farms has resulted in increasing popularity with the number of businesses involved greatly increasing as well. And, as Austin’s restaurant scene has increased in size and variety, so have the restaurants, farms, and grocery stores participating in this revolutionary farm to table movement. Restaurants and farms around Austin are great sources of easily accessible food and produce. Most of them are small and family owned. They appreciate the importance of

good food and spending time with family and friends, not wanting to allow the daily rush of our lives get in the way of people having good, nutritious meals. JBG, a farm started in East Austin in 2004, is one example. Started in a small backyard on Holly Street, JBG now supplies over 200 restaurants and 15 grocery stores around Central Texas. Now, the farm sits on a 180-acre plot about 45 minutes outside of Austin which is a large change from the small garden that started near the heart of downtown Austin. Michael Mosley, restaurant sales manager at JBG acknowledges that in the beginning, it wasn’t much — just a family selling vegetables. However, Johnson’s Backyard Garden has blossomed into what it is now, though their values are still the same. Whitney Arostegui, marketing and media director at Texas French Bread (TFB), tells a similar story. TFB was started in 1981 by Judy Willcott. TFB now has a restaurant, and still creates breads, pastries, and desserts which are provided to other local cafes and restaurants. The increase in TFB’s size hasn’t changed anything about their philosophies. Arostegui explains, “At TFB, we make as much as we can from scratch. It’s not rushed,

but rather done with care. We’re not a ‘turn and burn’ restaurant (which means a restaurant where they try to get tables in and out as quickly as possible). We just want everyone to have a nice, leisurely time and enjoy their meal.” In fact, if Arostegui could change anything about the way we eat, she’d “slow everyone down. Food shouldn’t be rushed — it’s not healthy physically or emotionally. Sit down, enjoy it, and enjoy your company — even if the company is just your own thoughts.” One of the major factors when choosing what to eat is health. Commercial and store-bought foods can be full of preservatives and lack flavor overall. Eating local can help. Farm to table restaurants incorporating local produce often have more fruits and vegetables included in their meals. This can help with decreasing the amount of people who do not meet the necessary fruit and vegetable serving requirements. The USDA has said three-fourths of Americans fail to eat the recommended amount of fruit servings and four-fifths fail to do so with vegetables. Fortunately, a study done by the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance over multiple food sectors in 2015, has seen an increase in the effectiveness of restaurants helping people be able to meet these requirements in recent years.

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When eating at these types of restaurants, not only is the amount of produce beneficial to one’s health, but the quality is too. Unlike commercial, local products aren’t full of the artificial flavors and preservatives that allow them to sit on shelves for days at a time after being flown or shipped thousands of miles. “Environmental Impacts of Food: Transport” by The Ecotarian, suggests that eating locally has health benefits, as fruit and vegetables lose nutrients during transportation, and over-processing for longevity also reduces nutritional value. Farms in Austin can easily and quickly transport produce to restaurants and other businesses which don’t contain the chemicals necessary for a long shelf life. For example, at JBG, all their produce is “seasonal and it’s fresh,” Mosley ensures. “I can get you vegetables within a day, within 24 hours, as

“It creates this community that’s just really productive and helpful and mutually beneficial to everybody that’s involved in it.” -Michael Mosley

opposed to being shipped from California or Mexico or New York or Colorado. So, they are definitely retaining more of their nutrient value for you.” These products are appealing to restaurants for that exact reason. Arostegui said, “Sourcing our ingredients locally allows us to use the freshest ingredients we can get our hands on. We choose to

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purchase from people who are part of the community or who are located within Texas in order to maintain the freshest products available.” She added, “By having a relationship with local farmers and artisans, we can verify the quality of the product — we know, trust and care about our vendors.” This connection between local farms and restaurants can establish a verification for customers that they are getting the best ingredients possible in the food they eat. Mosley points out, “They can actually call the person who grew the food. I mean, if someone ships you a bad case of lettuce from California there’s not much you can do about it. However, they can call me, I can give them a new lettuce if they don’t like it, and it creates this community that’s just really productive and helpful and mutually beneficial to everybody that’s involved in it.” And, with a focus on freshness, the menus are always changing. At Texas French Bread, their menu is largely dependent on what’s locally available. “Our bistro dinner menu changes every day depending on what ingredients we have in house or have been able to get from the farm. We go to the local farms twice a week

all year as well as get deliveries,” Arostegui points out. “Our chefs meet every day to discuss the menu and what ingredients to put together. On a day to day basis, pretty minor things change, but seasonally the dishes change drastically.” These changes reflect similar differences at the farm. Mosley stated, “A lot of things are in season for months and months so once that goes on our list it won’t go off until the end of the season. But some things have shorter seasons some things we just plant a lot less of, so they can come and go. So yeah, the list changes slightly from week to week, but changes drastically season to season.” With varying dishes season to season, there is always an opportunity to try something new, as well as come back for old favorites. This close knit relationship between farms and restaurants is not only beneficial for the taste, quality, and variety of the products, but can also be economically beneficial. Supporting local farms and restaurants creates a “community that’s just really productive and helpful and mutually beneficial to everybody that’s involved in it,” said Mosley. “Also, then supporting local businesses helps us, I mean we employ almost 100 people and

Texas French Bread creates dishes based on what’s locally available in the central Texas region and surrounding areas. These can range from salads and burger, to mussels which are pictured above. (Whitney Arostegui/2016)

Texas French Bread, located in Austin, Texas, was founded in 1982 by the current owners mother. Texas French Bread creates dozens of breads and pastries fresh daily that are on display in the restaurant. (Ellen Larson/2017)

these are people that can go out to eat at their restaurants and spend money with them so it sort of closes the economic loop within Austin and keeping things local,” he added.

environmentally sustainable practices. It also keeps money within the local economy as opposed to into the pockets of multinational companies.

Market Forces: Creating Jobs through Public Investment in Local and Regional Food Systems, a report by Jeffrey O’Hara, highlights that supporting the development of local farms can create permanent jobs for people throughout the U.S. The report found one organization could create about 13,500 jobs nationally over a five-year-period by providing modest funding for 100 to 500 farms per year.

One other benefit of eating local is the reduction of pollution and minimizing the effects of carbon and greenhouse gases on the environment. “It’s obviously going to take me less gas to get vegetables to the eastside of Austin than someone bringing it from Colorado. So the less gas you use, less carbon emissions,” comments Mosley.

In “Environmental Impacts of Food: Transport”, Richard Prog writes that supporting local farms and businesses supports small scale farmers who use more

An article written by Rich Prog titled, “Food, Fuel, and Freeways,” highlights the effects of transportation when transporting commercial versus local products. Statistics in this article show transporting food in a retail fashion

can use four to 17 times more gas than from local farms, even when traveling similar distances. Prog also adds that buying and eating local can reduce greenhouse emissions by 5 percent. Eating locally can have benefits in relation to health, quality and availability as opposed to store bought products. As the popularity of farm to table practices increase, so does the number of participating people in Austin. They all have a similar goal despite the variety of different cuisines and options available. This can be most simply expressed by Whitney Arostegui of Texas French Bread, “We want to deliver as high of a quality as we can by using simple ingredients and no preservatives. We want to make real food, not food that’s meant to sit on shelves.” So go, eat.

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HIGHLIGHTS OF GOING NATURAL

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very year, millions of people use store bought products to get ready and unready in the morning and evening. These store-bought products can be more convenient, but many of them can contain harmful chemicals for the skin. They can contain a lot of harmful ingredients, and can leave our skin feeling dry, irritated and possibly inflamed. Even using one natural product on your skin a day can be more beneficial and is better than none to help maintain healthy skin and hair.

making things yourself is beneficial. Betsey Jabs, owner of the blog DIY Natural said her personal favorite part of creating her own products is that she knows EXACTLY what ingredients are being used to make them. “My body is only exposed to ingredients that I feel very comfortable with, so I’m saving my skin and hair from chemicals that are found in commercially made products,” she said.

about. However, using DIYs, the recipes are simple and only contain familiar products and can beneficial to their the body. These ingredients can be found in the natural section of grocery stores. They help skin and hair much better than a store bought product could. Jabs said beauty products in the U.S. are not regulated like food, so there are many ingredients in store bought products that have not necessarily been proven to be safe for our bodies. She said “Many have even been linked to things like cancers, allergies, birth defects, and a long list of other harmful effects.”

“My body is only exposed to the things I’m comfortable with” -Betsey Jabs Store facial products being sold at a pharmacy in Austin, Texas. Store bought products can harm skin and irritate it. (Emily Chen/2017)

Essensial oils in a store at Austin, Texas. Essensial oils are a huge part of natural DIYs. Essensial oils have soothing, relaxing, clearing skin qualities, a blogger said. (Emily Chen/2017)

It is a common misconception that creating homemade beauty products consumes more of your time and money. The better one gets at making products, the less time it will take to make more later on. Many people who have made their own products have also claimed that it’s been more cost efficient to naturally make them. Plenty of natural foods can have really good benefits for skin and hair, so Do It Yourself (DIY) natural products have very positive benefits. Humans have better reactions to these products, so

With DIY products, people know what ingredients are going into them. Many products sold at stores contain a lot of chemicals such as parabens, synthetic colors, phthalates and formaldehyde. These ingredients are found to cause breast cancer, cause skin irritations, or reproductive birth defects. In the ingredient section on the back of products, most people wouldn’t know most of the ingredients due to the complex science terms. There is also ingredients in the secret formula that they wouldn’t tell you

Since people don’t know what chemicals are in store bought products, people wouldn’t know if a product is doing harm or good. Some of the chemicals can actually be bad. Not necessarily just making one break out, but also much worse conditions such as cancer. A better solution would be to just avoid most store bought products. Natural ingredients don’t have the harmful chemicals that the store bought ones do. DIY blogger Kiersten Frase explained that she has been able to save money

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by making her own makeup. She said “There’s a little more upfront cost because you have to buy all the ingredients, but once you have them on hand, you save money in the long run.” Making products can also save you a lot of money. It might be kind of expensive to buy all the products first, but as one continues to make them, then they can save money. Also, packaging store bought products isn’t cheap, so the product itself would have extra money added because of the packaging. With homemade products, reusable glass containers can be used. This saves money, and it also helps the environment because you’re reusing glass that can eventually be recycled rather than plastic that may end up in the landfill. Frase informs readers about natural recipes, “Coconut oil moisturizes

the skin and it’s also antibacterial. Essential oils all have unique properties- some calm irritated skin, others help clear up breakouts, and others restore elasticity. We use salt to make bath bombs and salts and sugar.” Most people have a lot of these ingredients stored in their kitchen, so going to the store to buy a lot of ingredients isn’t necessary. These products can work as well as store bought products, and are as beneficial. Replace a spot treatment with tea tree oil. Instead of a moisturizer, try making a body butter. Some foods may even work better as beauty products than the ones found in stores. Plenty of people have claimed that using these products have helped them. Jabs shares a bit advice about beginners wanting to try some DIYs, “Start with making one or two things

that don’t require a lot of time or ingredients. Build your confidence in making your own products by starting small, and by choosing recipes that are not complicated. Once you have a great recipe that you love for those few products, start experimenting with more.” Start off with a few easy recipes. Starting off with complex recipes might be difficult and kind of overwhelming. Use some two ingredient recipes or directly use the ingredient. Coconut oil can be directly applied to skin and hair, and it makes a great moisturizer for hair and skin. After getting the hang of a few recipes, make more difficult ones like a body butter. Start off just by using essential oils in your room, on skin, and advance to making different products and including them in. After getting a recipe that one likes, one won’t want to go back to the chemically treated store products. Andrea, a Lush employee, said her favorite product is Bunny Moon. She

DIY Mermaid bath bombs made by blogger Kiersten Frase. These are her favorite DIY products, and they can save money than ones bought at lush. They also contain all natural ingredients, unlike the ones sold at a normal pharmacy. ww(Hello Glow/ Kiersten Frase/ http://helloglow.co/ 2016)

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DIY deoderant made by blogger Betsey Jabs. These are her favorite DIY products, and they can save more money than the ones brought at stores. Store bought deoderants contain chemicals and pesticides that could cause early puberty and hormone disruptures. (Emily Chen/2017)

A Lush store located in downtown Austin, T that can be used for hair, face, and body. (C wikimedia.org/ 2012)

said, “It is meant for sensitive skin, so it helps me when my skin gets really red and really irritated and hurts really bad, Bunny Moon helps my skin not hurt. Lush is the best.” Many people have really busy schedules, so they feel as if they don’t have enough time to make their own DIYs. Lush is a store that sells beauty products that are all naturally made. All their products contain non-toxic, non-harmful ingredients, and a lot of those products come from foods. They have avocado masks, lemon shower jellies, oat milk masks, and so many more products. Making it yourself is definitely much cheaper than purchasing natural ingredients from Lush and other stores with natural ingredients, but quite a few people just don’t have time to make it themselves. Purchasing natural products is still a better alternative than chemical ones, especially over buying the more harmful ones.

over to natural aspects to live a more beneficial life. Not everyone may make their own products just yet, but slowly but surely, more companies and consumers will turn over to natural products. Some advice would be to go the extra mile and purchase or make a natural product and at the end, it makes it better in the long run, leading to a healthier body.

More and more people are turning

Texas. Lush sells all natural products for Commons Wikimedia/ https://commons.

Lush Bath Bombs on display in Austin Texas, waiting for customers to purchase. Bath bombs are the most commonly bought products at lush, an employee says. (Commons Wikimedia/Brammers/ https://commons.wikimedia.org/ 2010)

“Lush is the best” -Andrea Chomp. 29

D.I.Y FACIAL CARE

1 DIY Body Butter

Recipie -1/2 cup shea butter -1/2 cup beeswax -1/3 cup coconut oil -optional: essensial oils

Directions 1. Combine shea butter, wax, and coconut oil, in a bowl 2. Heat it up until it melts 3. Cool for 10 mins and add essensial oils (optional) 4. Place in refrigerator until it hardens 5. whisk for 3-5 minutes, or until it is a “frosting like” consistency

Directions 1. Stir sugar and coconut oil together 2. Add in essensial oils and colorings (optional) 3. Put in airtight container

Recipie -1/2 tsp Unflavored gelatin -1 tbsp Water -1/2 tsp Activated charcoal

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DIY Sugar Scrub Recipie -1 tbsp Coconut oil -2 tbsp Sugar -Colorings/Essen sial oils (optional)

Directions 1. Combine unflavored gelatin and activated charcoal into bowl 2. Add warm water to charcoal and gelatin 3. Apply to face (make sure it’s not too hot but make sure it isn’t dry)

D.I.Y FACIAL CARE

1 DIY Body Butter

Recipie -1/2 cup shea butter -1/2 cup beeswax -1/3 cup coconut oil -optional: essensial oils

Directions 1. Stir sugar and coconut oil together 2. Add in essensial oils and colorings (optional) 3. Put in airtight container

Recipie -1/2 tsp Unflavored gelatin -1 tbsp Water -1/2 tsp Activated charcoal

DIY Sugar Scrub Recipie -1 tbsp Coconut oil -2 tbsp Sugar -Colorings/Essen sial oils (optional)

Directions 1. Combine unflavored gelatin and activated charcoal into bowl 2. Add warm water to charcoal and gelatin 3. Apply to face (make sure it’s not too hot but make sure it isn’t dry) Chomp. 31

CRUNCH