Apricot-Mango Madness Research Paper

Six apricots; two ripe mangoes; one cup of reduced-fat milk; one-fourth teaspoon of vanilla extract; eight ice cubes; and a hint of lemon peel twists. Put these all together, mix and match them in a bowl, and then crush the ice cubes by hand then into a blender. As complicated and misconstrued as recipes for uber-healthy organic foods may be, as suggested by this “Apricot-Mango Madness” smoothie, in a similar way, academia and the media have presented an even more complex philosophy of healthy eating across the country. For the past couple of decades, American society has strived to achieve a more healthy and fit lifestyle that includes organic, fresh, and local produce to avoid the risks linked with eating processed foods. Yet, despite increased …show more content…
Making broad claims based on a person’s diet alone proves to be unreliable method due to the hundreds of factors that actually play into an individual's overall health. The specificity that is needed to truly understand correlations between the degree of processing of varying types of food and their impact on a person's health is so strenuous that most evidence loses all of its legitimacy. In fact, another belief that has begun to lose legitimacy because of questionable origins and recent hype in the media is the use of “food deserts” to explain many of America’s health issues. The term “food desert” itself has had multiple definitions over the years, but the definition popularised by former First Lady Michelle Obama and most accepted among scholars is “food deserts” as, ‘‘poor urban areas, where residents cannot buy affordable, healthy food’’ (qtd in Walker). The idea is that if healthier and more affordable food sources are introduced into these areas then the community will see advantageous health effects over a period of time. …show more content…
Now, all processed foods are a danger and simply because a food is labeled as “organic” or “natural” it understandably seems healthier to the average consumer without providing any real benefit. Although many health specialists suggest eating strictly organic, fresh, and local produce, their advice is only truly relevant to the privileged individuals who have the means necessary to live that kind of lifestyle. Furthermore, even if that kind of dietary lifestyle is made accessible to the underprivileged areas, research has proven that people are not easily willing to adopt these diets anyhow. In sum, food advocates and those who give them a voice need to accept the impracticality of what they preach and realize that no change can happen through their message if they forget to assess the entirety of the situation (Freedman). If healthy food advocates, producers of processed foods, and the general public worked together to at least agree on message that actually reflects the reality of the situation, than change might be possible. One route possibly to take is to put power into the hands of processed food companies which are more likely to impact the public’s health in a quicker fashion than the wholesome-food movement ever could (Freeman). Although health experts seem to control the narrative of eating