Simmone Gibbs

"Best by" and "sell by" indicate quality while "use by" indicates safety. After researching, it's clear that there is a benefit to multiple terms for food dating. "Use by" is more serious whereas "best by" has to do with flavor. This has empowered my shopping experience and enabled me to be a bit more calculating in my choices with respect to discarding food. 

In Brooklyn, where I live is smack witihin the concrete jungle, but its only when you seek.. you find. In my neighborhood of Canarsie, is bounded by Paerdegat Basin, Fresh Creek, and Jamaica Bay. It is filled with greeney surrounded by water. The parks are fairly large and inviting to residents to partake. In quest to spend more time outdoors to garner a appreciation of my environment, I discovered the Carnarsie Pier. It is an old restored fishing pier; the views are pretty, including to the east, where you see John F. Kennedy lnternational Airport. There are benches shaded by many tall trees, picnic tables, and innumerable gulls sitting resting on the lampposts. It is a great park to relax with friends, have a barbecue or fun day or just walk around the pier for exercise. I've chosen to do the latter. My quest to adopt a greener and organic lifetslye, also required me to align my activities to balance out. The walk around the pier also leads to pathway that allows bikers, runners and walkesr to engage on their rituals accompanied by green lucious trees with peaks of the water ever so often. If another route is taken on the opposite side another treasure can be found in the Shirley Chisholm State Park. This park offers 10 miles of trails for hiking and biking along with kayaking and picnic areas. This place has enhanced sense of place, knowledge of and an appreciation of my surroundings. This place makes me look foward to my morning walks. 

To be quite frank, my attempts to pratice mindful eating was futile. Most of the time my mind wonders and the experience becomes bombarded with thoughts of what is left on my long "to do" list. Although I was not sucessfull, I do understand the theory and see how it realtes to meditation which I hope to add to my daily routine in the near future.

The local CSA I chose was Misfits Market. My first box was the "mischief" which is made up of 12 types of produce at $22 with an additional $5.50 for shipping. It contained zucchini, celery, scallion, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, green peppers, apples, kiwis, carrots, brussel sprouts and beets. I had the option to swap a few items but it was a pretty much a good array of produce. The food was of high quality and taste, which lasted approximately 12 days. Therefore, the 2 week frequency worked perfectly for me. All in all, this is an excellent alternative to affordable organic food. Misfits is going to be my go to market for fresh produce. I'm pleased to announce, this challenge stuck....

Eating/serving smaller portions can be viewed as a common weight loss tip. Using smaller plates is a strategy supporting the effect of plate size on food consumption. When large dinner plates are replaced with smaller ones, persons are most likely to eat less. The Georgia Institute of Technology discovered that a shift from 12–inch plates to 10–inch plates resulted in a 22% decrease in calories.

Smaller meals maintain proper body function. When soemone eats too quickly, they cannot notice their stomach's cues that it is full. It is advised to eat slowly and pay attention to hunger cues to improve feelings of satiety and ultimately, consume less food. 

Eating less meat and more fruits and vegetables has been a positive change and enlightening transition. There have been improvements to my digestion and feculence. Shifting to more plant-based meals and curbing meat consumption not only helps the planet. It also improves your health by lowering intake of saturated fat, lowering the risk of developing heart disease and cancer. Eating meat has a hefty impact on the environment from fueling climate change. Meat rearing practices risk mass extinctions of other animals.