M6.7:Obesogens

  • Utilizing the first article, discuss what is locally grown and what is currently in season in your area.
In Hawaii we many tropical locally grown fruits and vegetables such as avocado, jicama, turmeric, coconut, burdock, pineapple,mangosteen, dragonfruit, cabbage, cantaloupe, watermelon,strawberry, citrus fruits, berries, corn, figs,garlic, ginger, green onion, lettuce, mushroom, asparagus,beets,kale,radish,mandarin, mango,papaya,pumpkin, squashes, taro,rambutan,breadfruit, persimmon and pomelo.

Currently we have taro, mandarin, kale, radish, cucumber and strawberry that are in season. 
  • Discuss your thoughts on seasonal/local foods and hospital menus. 
I think it's a great idea to use seasonal/local foods in hospital menus. It's a great way to ensure quality and is more safe from the possibility of pesticides. Many schools in Hawaii right now are testing out menus which includes local foods to create a healthier school meal for the students. There have been many support for this program and hospitals should join in eating local too.
  • Find a Harvest Calendar for your state (or a state you are interested in) utilizing the link in the first article (found underneath the example Harvest Calendar for New York State). 
I couldn't find harvest calendar from the website in the article. This is one that I found online for the state of Hawaii.


  • What are your thoughts on the second article? Have you heard of obesogens before?
I was horrified to read about the link of obesogens to obesity. I have never hear of obesogens until this class, that there is a chemical link to obesity. These chemicals not only harm our health causing obesity but it is passed down as genetic materials to our children. In the article it mentioned that these obesogens are in our water and food supplies, which make sit hard to get rid of. Obesogens is a serious health risk and it needs to be looked into and we need to come up with a solution for prevention and to remove it from our food and water sources.
  • Pick one of the potential obesogens discussed in the article and using your resources from earlier modules (such as toxnet), do some research on this potential obesogen. Share what you found! 
Atrazine is a pesticide and it's on the list of obesogens. According to Toxnet, atrazine have shown to cause cancer, promote tumor growth and caused mutated DNA in genes and chromosomes which may affect fetal development. 

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 4, 2018 at 9:45 AM

    I am so happy to hear that schools in Hawaii are trying out local and seasonal produce on their lunch menus. This practice would also be beneficial for hospitals. But I agree, as you were saying, feeding patients and students locals and seasonal foods would ensure quality and pesticide free produce. In the long run, people would be happier eating these healthier fruits and vegetables.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 4, 2018 at 8:53 PM

    Hi Feng,
    I love all of the seasonal fruits grown in Hawaii - particularly coconuts and pineapples! Mmm! Sounds so fresh to have some on the beach. It is an awesome idea for the schools to incorporate seasonal menus. This is a great step in the right direction and it should be a bigger topic of conversation.

    ReplyDelete

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