CRISTIAN GONZALEZ

I would rather use this money to pay off student debts, in experiences such as traveling, buying new equipment for my hobbies, or even buying a camera which I have been wanting for a long time. Depending on my age and the amount of money I have saved up, I would consider also donating the $1,500 to my favorite charity to make a positive impact.

I believe that people in richer countries tend to eat more meat due to having increased access to high-quality protein sources, taste preferences, and from their cultural traditions. All of these factors are things that I personally relate to as well.

Eating more meat, especially an excessive amount of it, can lead to negative effects on health, such as increasing the risk of chronic diseases: cancers, strokes, and heart diseases. Eating a lot of meat can also cause weight gain and lead to nutritional imbalances in our bodies.

When we consider our planet, the production of meat uses many resources and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and the degradation of water and land resources. The mass production and consumption of meat can also have ethical implications. Not only in terms of the treatment of animals in factory farms but also when we consider developing countries and the displacement of their small-scale farmers.

In regards to limiting food waste, the factors that most motivate me to lessen the amount of food I throw away are hours of labor. I personally do not have a deep connection to other resources that are wasted when throwing uneaten food such as fertilizer, land, and seeds. Coming from a family of farmers and field workers, I have a good idea of the long hours that come with maintaining and picking certain fruits and vegetables. Whenever I waste food I think of the time it took to tend to the crop that produced it, and I think of the long hours of physical labor that allowed for it to be on my plate. I occasionally also think of the time that I grew vegetables and fruit in our backyard when I was younger and the effort that went into doing so. Whenever I ate the fruit of my labor, I would make sure to eat every piece of it, and now sometimes I apply that feeling whenever I eat food. In terms of the creation of a compost bin in my dorm, that surged from my hate of arugula that sometimes deceptively hides within the salads from The Drey. Additionally, I place food scraps from bananas, pears, apples, and oranges that I commonly get at the dining halls.

Lately, I have been serving myself smaller portions of food when I go to eat in the dining halls here at UCLA. Unfortunately, I do not have much control over the plate sizes, but I do have control over the portions of food that I place on the plate. Since the start of this winter quarter I have been serving myself smaller portions and I have also changed the way I get food at dining halls. I used to grab a plate of food at every food station, but I found that oftentimes I would grab too many plates and be overwhelmed by the amount once I sat down to actually eat it. Growing up I was taught to never waste food, even if it meant overeating. Naturally, this mindset has led me to gain weight since every time I go to a dining hall I overeat. Nowadays I go around and get a couple of plates of food and if I am still hungry I will go around and get more. For others, overloading plates results in food waste which is bad for the environment, but in my case it causes me to overeat which is not great for my health. I have already lost a few pounds during these four weeks! I think overall using smaller plates and being mindful of the amount of food you put on them can not only have environmental benefits but also health benefits ones as well!

Usually when I eat with my friends or family members I do not use any sort of devices and I find that it helps me be more present and a better listener. However when I eat in dining halls alone, which is most days, I always use my phone to watch youtube videos, catch up on a show, or listen to music. Today for lunch I decided to not take my phone and the experience was quite different. I am not entirely sure if it was a positive one. I noticed that when I don't have distractions I can appreciate the flavors of the food more and that I am more aware of my surroundings, I will admit that overhearing conversations is fun. The aspect I did not quite enjoy is that I felt awkward. I have social anxiety and not having a distraction such as my phone made me more aware that the dining hall was crowded and I felt like I was more noticeable just because I was not on my phone or with earplugs in. Obviously, this might just all be in my head but my anxiousness also made me realize that salads take forever to finish. Later today I will be eating at a dining hall again without my phone to see if my experience is different than the one I had this morning.