Entry # 10: Food Intake/Packaging

Part A

For this entry, I was asked to list each food item (including water) which I consumed during a period of 24 Hours:

Breakfast
-Whole Wheat Bread With Raisins: 1 slice, purchased from Whole Foods
-Papaya: 2 Slices
-Espresso Coffee: 8 fl. oz., home made

Snack
-Raw Almonds: 1 Serving (22 almonds), purchased from Whole Foods
-Water: 2 cups (16 fl. oz.)
-Granola: 1 Cup, purchased raw from Whole Foods

Lunch
-Black Bean Soup: 1 Cup, eaten at Food-N-Thought
-Fresh Apple: 1 Medium-Sized Apple
-Water: 2 cups (16 fl. oz.)

Snack
-Low Sodium V-8 Juice: 1 Cup
-Water: 3 Cups (24 fl. oz.)
-Fresh Kiwi: 1 Fruit

Dinner
-Salad: Consisted Arugula (1 Cup), Cherry Tomatoes (0.3 Cup), Olive Oil (2 Tablespoons), and Vinegar (1 Tablespoon)-Home made.
-Tempeh: 1 Serving (1 Cup), seasoned with Canola Oil (0.5 Tablespoon)-Home made
-Brussel Sprouts: 1 Cup, sauteed with Olive Oil (0.5 Tablespoons), and Garlic (1 small)-Home made
-Water: 1 Cup (8 fl. oz.)

Using MyPyramidTracker.Gov, I was able to estimate my total caloric intake for the day-1824. According to the website, I am only supposed to be consuming 1815 calories per day, which means I'm a little over. I'm not concerned though, because the website didn't incorporate the fact that I run 7 miles 5 days per week into its calculations. The website suggested overall, that in order for me to maintain my weight, I must consume more milk, grain, and fat products, in substitute for a few of my fruit or vegetable servings. This may be difficult for me to do because aside from eating fish, I am vegan.

(http://www.usu.edu/wellness/images/uploads/Wellness/NUTRITION%20PROGRAMS/nutritionPyramid.png)

Furthermore, most of my food intake occurred at home, and a large quantity of my grocery shopping is completed at local organic farmer's markets, amongst other health food stores (such as Food-N-Thought, Whole Foods, Etc). With that in mind, I can assume that my food choices are exceptionally sustainable, as I am not going out and spending unnecessary money on unhealthier alternatives. Considering also that I am vegan; most of my food consumption includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and soy products-most of which need not be manufactured, thus again illustrating the sustainability of my food consumption habits.

(http://theriverreporter.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/vegan-pyramid-800x600.jpg)

I must, however, still consider shipping/transportation costs, as well as packaging for the food (which includes mostly plastic and cardboard-not so sustainable in that aspect). But overall, I cannot imagine that a ridiculous amount of resources (as energy and water) are used in the production of my diet in comparison to many other citizens.

Part B

I was also asked to keep a list of all of the portable handheld items I handled in the period of 24 hours:

-Listened to my iPod Shuffle for an hour and a half whilst running this morning
-Called and received a multitude of phone calls and text messages
-Printed 2 Quizzes from the Internet in order to prepare for an exam (6 pages, as well as the ink)
-Drove to Food N Thought for lunch and grocery shopping
-The soup which I mentioned I ate for lunch from Food N Thought came in a styrofoam box, with a plastic spoon, and a paper napkin
-Groceries were bagged in paper bags

As for how much energy and water went into each of the products I handled, I imagine that my ipod shuffle, as well as my iPhone required an impressive amount and were not very sustainable. The printing of my quizzes was done on a sustainable account, as I printed front and back, although energy was obviously consumed while I was printing. Driving to Food N Thought was also a very energy consuming activity I engaged in today, but riding my bike or walking there was out of the question as it is roughly a 10 mile distance from my house.

In conclusion, I like to believe that I live a fairly sustainable lifestyle. I don't consume any (not including fish) animal or dairy products, I shop at local farmer's markets on a regular basis, and most of the meals which I consume on a daily basis are homemade and do not require the use of a lot of resources. As I believe I have previously expressed, I do in fact, make sustainable shopping decisions most of the time. Of course there is room for improvement, but I believe that my small part is going to play a role in the long term well being of our planet.

(http://www.occutec.com/services/environmental/images/SustainabilityServices.jpg)