Jacklyn Artale

My existing challenges continue to get easier and easier, I feel like I have really taken them on and I am used to them now. The eating meals made from organic and non processed foods has gotten easier because I feel like most of the ingredients in my fridge are organic. I spoke with my roommates about how its important to eat organically, especially after watching that documentary. It has also become easier because I often make myself food with whole ingredients and I eat a  lot of vegetables. My meat intake has gone down drastically and there have been some days where I haven't had meat at all I have been eating a lot of eggs and tofu to get protein but I am looking into other sources of protein as well. It feels weird sometimes because usually the meat is the main  thing with veggies on the side but now it feels like veggies are the main course. The new challenges of exercising and writing down what I’m grateful for were both hard and easy. These were two things I did a lot over quarantine but ever since school started I have had a lot of difficulty finding time to work out. I normally write what im grateful for in the mornings but with classes starting early in the morning I have slipped from this habit. However having these as daily challenges I am excited to re incorporate them into my life. Writing down what I am grateful for really makes me reflect on my life and helps ground me. It also puts me in a good mood for the day so it is something that I should continue to do. Exercising also made me feel really good during quarantine (because I am not someone who ever works out) and I was very excited to incorporate working out into my schedule at school, however I feel like I have run out of time by the end of every day. This is a challenge I really need to improve on.

For my one time challenges, I messed up a little because I went into this week considering that going to the farmers market was a one time activity but the eco challenge counts it as daily because of the amount of meals you make with the food. I am counting it as one time because its once a week and thats when I went. When I arrived I got a rush of happiness because I have wanted to go for a very long time and I finally made my way there. The food was so amazing and so fresh, it was also not as expensive as I thought it would be. Some items were more expensive than giant and then some items were cheap. The tomatoes were my favorite part as well as the fresh bread. I can’t wait to make time for it again this wednesday. I also interpreted the local recycling depots in my own way, where I reached out to my landlord about getting a recycling bin and calling Waste Management or Fishers disposal to get a recycling bin picked up. I also forgot to talk about in my last reflection, that I started working at the Bucknell Farm which has become very rewarding and I am enjoying seeing how we get our food. I have also been able to bring some produce home and eat it which is very rewarding. I want to incorporate going to the farmers market and all of these challenges into my daily/weekly routine and I feel like I do not have many other obstacles to do so other than finding time. I read the 24 health benefits of keeping a gratitude journal so this has made me want to incorporate it even more. I also read how to make exercise a daily habit and hope I can keep doing these things.

This week was both easier and more challenging than last week in different ways. It was easy to keep going with the meatless meals because I have gotten a little used to it and I feel like I crave meat with my meals less now. I used to think that meat was the only source of protein but I have found that I have it it many other aspects of my meals. It was hard to have some meals be completely organic because not all of the ingredients in my house are organic, but for the most part the larger more main items are organic. I tend to eat pretty healthy already, and I like to put time and effort into cooking my food from whole foods however, I don't know that they are as organic as they can be. This is how I am able to make sure my meals are not from very processed foods. If I am eating processed foods they are usually snacks or dessert which I have cut down on. (This is hard because of my addiction to chocolate but I’m trying to find an alternative.) The barriers I face in making these changes permanent are the times when the option to cook organically and with out processed foods is an option. This usually happens over the weekends when the food supply is low and it is harder to cook lunch and dinner for ourselves, my roomates and I doordash our meals and the options for organic unprocessed foods can be slim (especially when trying to satisfy cravings in order to feel full). I believe that I can incorporate these challenges into my lifestyle permanently with the understanding that I will not always be in a position to choose the most organic and unprocessed foods. 

Reading the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 going into this next weeks challenge has opened my eyes to how I should food shop for this week and for the rest of my life. I will make sure to read all labels and choose fruits and vegetables that are organic and do not have GMOs as I realize now just how harmful they are. It is sad that when grocery shopping we need to search for options that are free from harmful chemicals rather than effortlessly shopping. I personally love kale and reading that 90% of kale tested positive for pesticides in this study. I also plan on buying organic food that is in season rather than food I might want in that moment because this will reduce the possibility of pesticides. I have realized that I need to take control of my foods and what I put into my body rather than relying on the fact that what I’m eating is a fruit or vegetable. I then went on to reading about how to maintain a plant based diet to go along with learning about processed foods. This article reinforced the idea that that a healthier diet not only helps yourself but it helps the environment as well which is all the more reason to choose a healthy diet. 

One of the resources I read was about a Food System Curriculum which outlined a curriculum to teach students about the food we put in our bodies and how it is produced. Asking the questions that we should all know the answers to, like, how are crops and meat products produced industrially and how agriculture is connected to climate change. If more people knew the answers to these questions at a younger age, we might be more inclined to adopt cleaner ways into our daily life. If students adopt good practices at a young age they will be more likely to them throughout life.I was also brought to a website where you can buy a multitude of things that do not contain any plastic. This website really made me realize how much plastic I use daily and how bad that is. They have a mission of a plastic free world and make people aware of the harmful effects. 

The daily challenges seemed easy but proved to be  a lot harder than I expected. I chose cutting meat out of one meal a day which is actually two because I do not eat meat for breakfast ever. The only meat products I consume are turkey and chicken (and the occasional sushi). However, I live with three roomates and we usually cook all of our meals together and sometimes it is easier to eat meat for lunch and dinner if we are making sandwiches or chicken for dinner. It was also hard to feel satisfied however I made tofu as a substitute which I am trying to get used to. I also gave up going on my phone while eating a meal which I forgot about a couple times. This was an eye opener because it is disappointing how much time I spend on my phone. I also wanted to do the One-Time going to the farmers market but I do not have a car and could not find a ride when it fit in my schedule so this was and is a challenge I face with many of the actions. 

Another barrier is that the organic food is more expensive than other food and I want to find a super market that sells more organic and whole foods because it is hard to shop at Giant. I am willing to work to make lifestyle changes. I always picturing these lifestyle changes happening when I am out of college and have a job and feel like I can make these decisions rather than choosing the easy options that I do right now. I do want to start making the conscious decision to use less plastic when I can. It is currently hard to replace the things I own that are plastic, however when they need to be replaced I will replace them with plastic alternatives. I would like to become more aware of  the plastic that I do not even realize I’m using, like plastic in soap or the plastic that has become so normal to use, containers, pens etc.