A nutrition professor, along with the owner and the chef of a local cafe, discussed food’s effect on our health and mood as well as the long-term health effects of processed food at Wednesday’s New York Times Nutrition Panel, sponsored by USGD.
Carol Johnston, a professor and vitamin-C researcher, emphasized the importance of eating a varied diet and the role of vitamin C and its health outcomes.
“I use ASU students for my research, and I have found that their vitamin-C statuses are very poor,” Johnston said.
Through her research, Johnston has also found that 30 percent of the American public has a low vitamin C status, with 17-20 percent of Americans having blood levels of scurvy. Johnston said low vitamin C contributes to a depressed and unmotivated feeling which affects desire to exercise and contributes to weight gain.
“The problem with vitamin C in our diet is we eat such a processed diet now, we don’t eat fresh foods,” she said. “The foods are not fresh and stored for a long period of time, and vitamin C cannot withstand that because it is so fragile of a vitamin.”
Fair Trade Cafe chef Ingrid Hurst highlighted the importance of local fruit and vegetables today.
“You can tell a lot from the color, consistency and the details in the produce,” Hurst said. “When you go to the grocery store you know something is fresh because it does not have a label. There is only one ingredient in a lemon or an apple.”
With an emphasis on buying local and organic, the vegetarian-cooking chef tries to remain sustainable with her Fair Trade Cafe recipes, shying away from processed produce.
“It is my gut feeling that is not good for an apple to have a layer of wax around it,” she said. “It is my favorite thing where I can actually go and pick a fruit or vegetable and eat it.”
Fair Trade Cafe owner Michelle White focused on how a vegan diet has changed her health.
“I am currently vegan, and that has worked for me. I do not believe everyone should be vegan, but I think everyone should listen to their body and what makes sense for you,” White said.
With a background of social justice and human rights, she discussed how her vegan lifestyle is contributing to lowering her carbon footprint on the environment.
Exercise and wellness junior Andria Medina felt the topics discussed related her class lectures to real world topics.
“I really liked the lecture because one of the classes we are taking has a lot to do with what the speakers were talking about, and it was nice to see these topics outside of the classroom setting,” Medina said.
Carmela Alvarez, another exercise and wellness junior, said local and less-processed food is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and our environment.
“We are learning that local foods are better than the processed foods,” she said. “You see more of trucks transporting foods all over and local foods are helping the environment with less food travel.”
Contact the reporter at mrinck@asu.edu
