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.