Opinion

JENNIFER CALFAS

EDITOR IN CHIEF

AARICA MARSH 

and DEREK WOLFE 

EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS

LEV FACHER

MANAGING EDITOR

420 Maynard St. 

Ann Arbor, MI 48109

 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

Edited and managed by students at 

the University of Michigan since 1890.

Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. 

All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Thursday, October 1, 2015

“Organic” does not mean “healthy”

Take a walk in the park

I 

once would have laughed at the 
thought of grocery stores being 
trendy. There are fashion trends, 

there 
are 
TV 

show trends and 
there are music 
trends, but lately, 
where you buy 
your food comes 
along with social 
stereotypes.

Health 
food, 

in 
particular, 

is 
especially 

trendy. 
Every 

day there seems 
to be some new, 
non-fat, 
low-carb, 
chia, 
super-

fruit, probiotic blend marketed as 
the cure for everything. It is the 
prevalence of these products that 
can make grocery shopping in Ann 
Arbor legitimately excruciating. 
There have been times when I’m 
surviving on oatmeal and granola 
bars for days just because I don’t 
want to go spend my Whole Pay-
check at Whole Foods.

The summer after my freshman 

year, I worked in a research lab on 
campus. Without the added stress 
of classes and snow, it was much 
easier to settle into a healthy rou-
tine of running, yoga, lifting and 
proper nutrition. I even had time 
to watch the documentaries “Fed 
Up” and “Food Inc.” (both avail-
able on Netflix and both I highly 
recommend), which gave me a new 
perspective on processed foods, 
especially meat. At that point, I 
was subject to the trendiness of 
chia seeds and matcha powder, and 
I was under the impression that in 
order for food to be healthy, I had to 
buy from stores that market them-
selves as such. Since then, I have 
realized this to be false.

For me, it came down to the 

research, and there is absolutely no 
evidence that the organic food one 
can buy at Whole Foods is better 
for you than the organic food pur-
chased at a conventional grocery 
store. There are plenty of resourc-
es in Ann Arbor through which 
one can buy healthy foods without 
spending everything in your wallet.

Farmers markets are one place 

where it is easy to get fresh, local food 
without the price tag of an upscale 
grocery store. In Kerrytown, every 
Saturday and Wednesday between 7 
a.m. and 3 p.m., there are local farm-
ers, gardeners, bakers and others 
selling fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, 
gelato, baked goods, pesto, pasta and 
anything else in season.

Trader Joe’s is my first choice 

during the months when the entire 
state is buried in snow. For a while, 
people didn’t know about Trader 
Joe’s, and it was only when health 
food shopping became “trendy” 
that it became mainstream. Before 
that, people would just ask, “Why 
do your Oreos look so weird?” and 
when I responded that they were 
from Trader Joe’s they would say, 
“What’s that?” You could even say 
that Trader Joe’s got lucky; they’ve 
always been centered on organic 
and healthy food, but the popular-
ity of eating well has just brought 
it to everyone’s attention and made 
it trendy. Even though it carries 
this reputation now, it is actually 
cheaper than places like Whole 
Foods. The trick with both of these 
stores, though, is not to get caught 
up in the “magic” foods that claim 
to change your life.

Although not as “fashionable” as 

the stores mentioned above, Kroger 
and Meijer can also be resources for 
healthy options. Be aware that sifting 
through organic, non-organic, pro-
cessed, refined, artificial and natural 
products can be a challenge if you 
don’t know what you’re looking for. 
First, know that non-organic products 
won’t poison you. If you are looking 
for organic, both of these stores have 
generically-labeled products. Also to 
this point, generic is okay.

It is important to distinguish 

that “organic” and “healthy” are 
not synonymous. In fact, a 2012 
systematic review revealed no sig-
nificant difference between organic 
and inorganic foods in vitamin con-
tent and nutrient content (with the 
exception of phosphorus and phe-
nols). Pesticide residues, however, 
were significantly more likely to be 
found in non-organic products than 
organic products. However, it is 
also cost-effective to keep in mind 

that not all commercial and organic 
foods are equal. Soft fruits such as 
peaches, nectarines and berries; 
vegetables including peppers and 
carrots; starches such as potatoes; 
and beef are more important to buy 
organic than other products.

Meats are particularly important 

to buy in the free-range, grass-fed 
variety. Unlike most produce, it is 
shown that nutrient content is vast-
ly different between these and com-
mercially produced meat products. 
First, the photos of concentrated 
animal feeding operations are some 
of the most disturbing images I’ve 
seen regarding the food industry. 
Second, and even more concern-
ing, is the fact that the lives of the 
animals in these pens, in addition 
to the use of corn as feed for these 
animals causes the meat to be less 
nutritive, and can result in harmful, 
acid-resistant E. coli outbreaks with 
potentially disastrous consequenc-
es. The runoff from these farms 
also contributes to E. coli outbreaks 
in spinach and even apple juice (all 
the more reason to buy some of your 
foods organic). The most disturbing 
part? While it seems intuitive that 
with technology developments food 
would be getting safer, it is actually 
becoming easier for these harm-
ful pathogens to spread. Accord-
ing to “Food Inc.,” there were once 
“thousands of slaughterhouses in 
the United States. Today we have 
13 slaughterhouses that process the 
majority of beef that is sold in the 
United States. The hamburger of 
today, it has pieces of thousands of 
different cattle ground up in that 
one hamburger patty.” Ew.

What it comes down to is the 

difference between being smart 
and being trendy. Choosing wisely 
where and on what to spend the few 
dollars I have can be overwhelming 
when trying pick healthy options. 

Pick and choose when to go 

organic and when to let it go. It’s 
about balancing your checkbook, 
your health and the ever-so-diffi-
cult transportation to any of these 
food destinations.

— Grace Carey can be reached 

at gecarey@umich.edu. 

CARPE DIEM, MICHIGAN STUDENTS

I

n our years as University students, I’m 
sure all of us have crossed through a 
city park at least a couple of times. We 

pass beneath the trees on 
the streets of Ann Arbor 
every day, whether it’s on 
a morning run, on our way 
to get groceries or during 
the 10-minute walk across 
the Diag to our next class. 
Yet I find that even when 
I’m trying to be interested, 
it’s sometimes easier to 
look at a screen or worry 
about my to-do list than 
it is to watch the leaves 
of the trees as they move 
against the sky. I want to 
be paying attention to the world around me, 
taking the moments of my walking as a time 
to unwind instead of fretting about upcoming 
commitments. And sometimes, taking a walk 
in the park is the best way 
to get that to happen.

The parks of Ann Arbor 

are 
a 
distinguishing 

characteristic, 
creating 

pockets of cool air and 
shade that border the 
built-up downtown. Parks 
closer 
to 
campus 
are 

probably the ones used 
the most by students, but 
my favorite is West Park — 
because I live on the same 
block, I walk through it almost every day. To 
my knowledge, this is one of the larger parks 
in the city, featuring stands of old oak trees, 
scattered wildflowers and two picturesque 
ponds. There are grills and tables for picnics, 
open grassy areas for a quick game of Frisbee 
or soccer and a fenced-in baseball field where 
dogs are allowed to run off-leash. With a 
playground, basketball court and community 
garden as well, the park is a place where 
residents of the city can come to enjoy the 
outdoors in whatever way is most attractive 
to them.

Time spent in the park is relaxing for 

me because it’s a part of my day when I’m 
walking and not working — and while I might 
have my to-do list in the back of my mind, 
I’m not actively trying to accomplish things 
from it in that moment. Sometimes walking 
in the shadows of the oak trees can lead to 
inspiration, but not always. When I don’t find 
insight in my morning strolls through the 
park, I’m still beginning to sort my priorities 

for the day, the next couple of days, and the 
week — and maybe laughing at the antics of 
whatever dog happens to be running around 
the baseball field at the moment.

There are more than 2,000 acres of parks in 

Ann Arbor, Mayor Christopher Taylor told me 
in an interview. The trees lining our streets 
extend the natural setting of the parks further 
into the city, creating a natural ambiance even 
among neighborhood buildings and roads. 
The trees lining the sides of the city’s streets 
are a poetic continuation of the greenness I 
find in morning walks through the park. This 
green overtone serves to make the entire city 
an attractive and pleasant place. If you’ve 
ever stopped to take in the view from a high 
window, you’ll see that trees dominate and 
the city itself recedes, turning into a mass of 
leaves and branches.

That kind of greenness isn’t found in every 

city, but it can be found here in Ann Arbor, 
in part because the city’s administration and 

residents are committed 
to paying for it. Because 
the city’s urban forest is 
so vast, funding for its 
care sometimes comes out 
of other places as well, 
such as the budget for 
stormwater control.

“I’m very devoted to 

the trees of the city,” 
Taylor 
said. 
“Funding 

them 
is 
something 

that I’m committed to 

making happen.” Those trees, along with city 
parks and other natural areas, such as the 
riverbanks of the Huron, make this a city with 
a changing face as the leaves turn brilliant 
colors and then fade with the seasons.

Now is a great time of year to get away 

from our screens and schoolwork and 
take a moment to really notice the nature 
surrounding and infusing our city, and to 
think about the ways we interact with it. Such 
areas are what make this city unique, and also 
what make it beautiful. So the next time you’re 
feeling stressed, can’t get your head around 
what you need to do or just feel listless and 
de-energized, try taking a walk in one of the 
city’s parks. I’d say that West Park is ideal, but 
any one will do. All of them are full of lovely 
trees and promise a welcome break from the 
crowded heart of downtown. Ann Arbor’s 
parks are there to be used and enjoyed.

— Susan LaMoreaux can be 

reached at susanpl@umich.edu. 

Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Ben Keller, 

Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Adam Morton, 

Victoria Noble, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Melissa Scholke, 

Michael Schramm, Stephanie Trierweiler, 

Mary Kate Winn, Derek Wolfe

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

SUSAN

LAMOREAUX

GRACE
CAREY

 

— LSA senior Jessica* in an interview with The Michigan Daily on what she was told 
about some of the houses she would visit during Panhellenic Association recruitment.

*Name has been changed to protect identity.

“

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

If I actually ate the cheese and 

crackers in the houses, I would 

never get in.”

A

bout two weeks ago, I had 
a fairly scary incident: I 
was in a Home Depot, a 

place I’d avoided 
at all costs for 
my entire life, 
when it suddenly 
dawned on me 
that I no longer 
hated 
wander-

ing through the 
aisles of hard-
ware 
or 
the 

overbearing 
scent of sawdust. 
Instead, I was 
having 
a 
hor-

rifyingly 
good 

time hunting down the things on 
my roommate’s and my list. This 
revelation 
was 
naturally 
quite 

shocking for me and the ensuing 
identity crisis not only brought me 
to some startling realizations about 
my changing interests and status in 
life, but also made me reflect on my 
time in Home Depot and how bad I 
am at being an adult.

Let me explain: I have recently 

moved into an apartment with a 
friend. In theory, this pseudo-home 
ownership is the lowest possible 
level of accountability I could have 
for my shelter as an adult, other 
than crashing on a series of increas-
ingly unwilling friends’ couches 
(as I plan to do after graduation). 
Renting an apartment and being 
liable for the upkeep should be no 
issue, and yet things seem to go 
wrong all the time. Our first two 
mail keys didn’t work, there are no 
stove plates for our burners — we’ve 
learned to live with letting our 
pots of macaroni rest on 20-degree 
angles — and one night, a glass light 

cover fell from the ceiling while we 
were nowhere near it and shattered, 
filling our carpet with fun, little glass 
shards. Hence the shopping trip.

As a child, I had been dragged 

to Lowe’s and Home Depot nearly 
every other day (this is an exaggera-
tion, but probably not by much) and 
I never enjoyed it. There was noth-
ing to do there while my parents 
discussed types of concrete except 
to push all the different doorbell 
samples. And push them I did.

Shopping for my own home was 

a much different experience than 
that of my childhood. Looking at 
different parts and pieces of equip-
ment was exciting now that it was a 
decorating game. At the same time, 
though, I was revolted and con-
fused with my pleasure in this. How 
had I become this person? How was 
I being such a boring adult, enjoy-
ing myself in a hardware store, 
while also being such a bad adult in 
general, using Febreeze instead of 
doing my laundry?

I realize I’m not supposed to be 

good at being an adult or home-
owner yet; that would be insane, 
since I’ve only had a few years of 
living on my own to have gotten 
the hang of this. However, this is 
allegedly easy mode; there is sup-
posedly every possible safety net 
standing between me and home-
lessness/unemployment/plagues/
aimlessness during college, yet I 
am still very often faced with situ-
ations I feel completely unprepared 
for, such as figuring out how to get 
tiny glass shards out of carpeting, 
or shooing ghosts out of our walls.

What I’m realizing, though, is 

that maybe that’s what it means to 
be an “adult.” Being a grown-up isn’t 

about having answers, it’s about the 
flexibility and resourcefulness that 
comes from using a cleaned-out but-
ter tub as a bowl when all the dishes 
are dirty, or the knowhow that comes 
from past experiences with buying 
lights to tell you that you really can’t 
light an entire apartment with jack-
o-lanterns, controlled bonfires and 
holiday string lights alone.

However, using that kind of criti-

cal thinking is challenging stuff, and 
sometimes I don’t have the brain-
power to handle it. Instead, what I’d 
like to propose is that we, as a soci-
ety, restructure the “traditional” 
order of life and add a new step. After 
high school, I would like to see a new 
stage in which bored, elderly people 
are assigned a young adult and are 
asked to mentor them. And by men-
tor I mean parent. (What I’m really 
trying to say is that I’m terrible at 
this and if someone wants to come 
and run my life for me, that would 
be much appreciated and probably 
for the greater good. I haven’t taken 
out the trash in three weeks.)

Seriously and honestly, I think 

the answer to all of this — the con-
flicting feelings about having adult 
responsibilities with only some of 
the adult mindset — is to remem-
ber that no one really knows what 
they’re doing, even if they claim 
they do and they’re a real “adult” in 
your eyes. Plus, there really is no set 
idea of what an adult is or does, even 
if there seems there might be. So, go 
ahead and enjoy your time in Home 
Depot, but also go ahead and push 
all the doorbell samples. You’ve 
earned it, you beautiful disaster.

— Sarah Leeson can be 

reached sleeson@umich.edu.

SARAH
LEESON

Playing house

It’s fun until...

TO THE DAILY: 

Thank you to Lev Facher and The Michigan 

Daily for the article, “In the Shadows: 
Campus Co-ingestion.” In July, 2014, as most 
people were enjoying the summer, I was 
burying my son, Josh Levine (Kinesiology 
’14). His death was senseless, needless and 
completely preventable.

When Adderall is combined with alcohol, 

it keeps a person from feeling as drunk as 
their blood alcohol content is registering. 
It also prevents one from passing out if too 
much is consumed. In Josh’s case, he kept 
drinking, feeling fine, until he collapsed, 
brain dead.

Since then, I started the Josh E. Levine 

Foundation 
(www.joshelevinefoundation.

org) to prevent more tragedies through 

awareness, education and action. I can talk 
as a grieving mother, but it is essential to 
incorporate students in the solution. Be 
informed, be an upstander, be more cautious 
when you drink. This movement is not about 
abstinence; it is about being safe.

Our tag line is “it’s fun until …” The 

possibilities are endless: passing out, blacking 
out, MIP, DUI, poor grades, destruction of 
property, being a victim or perpetrator of 
sexual assault. You get the idea.

Please join me and the University in our 

efforts to be a part of the culture shift on 
binge drinking and co-ingestion. It’s a small 
effort to prevent more casualties.

It’s fun until …

Julie Buckner 
President and director of the Josh E. Levine 
Foundation and 1983 alumnus.

Send letterS to: tothedaily@michigandaily.com
LETTER TO THE EDITOR 

 “I’m very devoted to 
the trees of the city,” 

Ann Arbor Mayor 
Christopher Taylor 

said. 

