My Mind On Media

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Is a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet the Ideal Diet for Humans and the Planet We Inhabit?

Diet has been a hot topic for many years, but within the last decade, the emphasis on health and wellness has grown significantly, alongside the rise of Global Warming. What if we found a way to increase human health as well as the health of our planet? I think we might have found it… through a plant-based diet! The benefits of eating a plant-based diet are endless, not only is it beneficial to your health but it can have a significant impact on the health of our planet as well. Eating a plant-based diet has been proven to reduce cholesterol levels, reduce risk of heart disease, reduce allergies, improve digestion, lengthen your life expectancy, lower blood pressure, lower BMI, increased energy, the list goes on. In addition, eating a plant-based diet can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve grassland and freshwater sources that have been compromised due to overgrazing and fecal contamination. I hope that the abundance of benefits this diet provides, not only you but our planet and the animals we share it with, encourages you to explore a plant-based diet in the future. 

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Medias’ Influence and Covid-19

Most of us are aware that the media influences our thoughts and decisions, but if you aren’t now is a good time to become aware. During unsettling times like this, it is integral that you observe the pandemic for what it really is and not allow the media to cause you unnecessary worry or panic. The media does this by spreading misinformation, rewording headlines in a way that they know will spark fear, exaggeration, etc. Covid-19 is the first pandemic I have seen in my lifetime (2001-2020). I never imagined something like this would happen while I am here, but I'm glad it did. I'm glad because although these are uncertain and unsettling times, it has allowed me to gain a new perspective and become aware of the media’s influence in a very different way. 

While most people are spending their quarantine stressing out and worrying about when things will get back to “normal”, I've accepted that for now, this IS my new normal. All of this free time has allowed me to really become aware of the Medias influence on our thoughts and feelings. I observe how it affects me directly, my mother, my friends, and my family. It affects everyone differently but the one constant is that it affects ALL of us in SOME way. 

Smartphones/social media is the new news channel, and this is even more dangerous than traditional news channels due to the fact that the majority of people check their social media multiple times a day, heightening the influence that it has on them.

If you are not conscious of what you're consuming, with time, it will become a part of you. So if you are taking in the unnecessary fear and worry, you will embody that fear and worry. If you take in optimism and scientific facts, you will embody that as well.

Be conscious of what you consume. Be conscious of what you think. And most importantly, stay inside and wash your hands!

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Yesterday in my Media Studies class we watched the film, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. The movie gave some insight into what goes into getting sponsorships from Brands. What I took away from the film was that the less reputation you have the harder it is to obtain sponsorships. I also learned that depending on the contract, having one or more sponsorships can limit your freedom of expression. If you let the brand completely dictate how you express yourself that is considered “selling out” because you're no longer acting with integrity, you're allowing the brand to control you and your expression. Selling out is looked down upon because people respect honesty and integrity. I think the key to having successful sponsorships is seeking brands that match your values and morals. That way there is no feeling of restriction on expression because both parties have a similar vision. Watch the trailer for the Greatest Movie Ever Sold by clicking the link below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXRCPObrZYs

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HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis B, TB, SARS, Now.. COVID-19.

Social media influences everyone in many ways. Although, with the recent scare of Corona Virus social media's impact on people and their beliefs has been made very transparent. The influence of fear has encouraged people to begin panic-buying mass amounts of toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Since stores are benefiting from this panic-buying outbreak, they're playing right into it. Stores are cleaning more excessively than normal and coffee shops are even refusing reusable cups. This panic-driven behavior is silly to me. Just like any other disease, there is only so much we can do to prevent it. Like many doctors have repeated, wash your hands, and calm down. This illness, like many in the past, will subside. What does scare me is the loss of reason and a wave of fear that has induced the masses into a spellbinding spiral of panic. I fear that travel restrictions will become so far-reaching that weddings are canceled, graduations missed, and family reunions will not materialize. Most importantly, I fear what we are teaching our children when faced with a threat. Rather than teaching reason, rationality, open-mindedness, and altruism, we are teaching them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested.

Patience not panic. Facts not fear. Wash your hands. Get your flu shot, and calm down.

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Most Likely to Succeed

The Documentary “Most Likely to Succeed” is about how our education system was originally constructed to create simple skilled workers, but in a growing technological world the demand for those workers is declining. We have machines for that now. But our education system is still turning out people with a relatively minimal set of skills, and they are headed into a society, economy, and work force that doesn’t value those skills anymore.

This documentary really peaked my interest due to the fact that I’m a part of this change. In the documentary it was mentioned that our education system hasn’t had any significant changes in over 124 years. I’m growing up in the midst of this economy shift and it’s up to my generation to figure out how to navigate this new economy because our education system fails to prepare us for it.

I believe that we need to start paying more attention to the kinds of people and skills that are demanded in the technologically extraordinary economy that we are creating.

Important clips from the documentary - Most Likely to Succeed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhoWYZN2_Rg&t=949s

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Childhood Trends

When I reflect on my childhood I don’t have any memories of deliberately choosing to follow any trends because of their popularity but I definitely did follow trends subconsciously. The most significant trends that stand out in my mind are BeyBlades, and Silly Bands. These are two trends that I most definitely followed as a child whether I was aware of it or not. I do remeber wanting those things because of their populairty but I was not aware of how I was being influenced. This makes me question what else has influenced me in my childhood years that I simply was not aware of?

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The Defiant Ones

Music is awesome in more ways than one. It makes people feel, brings people together, and can change the culture. In the documentary The Defiant Ones, Jimmy Iovine mentioned how in order to get something to connect with people you must first remove the ego. I resonated with this statement because I’m a firm believer in that you must serve others selflessly in order to reap any benefits. I think this mentallity plaid a huge part in Jimmy Iovines success. He emphasises the importance of building connections and relationships to build a brand. Those two factors are extremely important because more connections/relationships, equals more support and more support means more exposure of your brand. Conclusively, if success is what you want, don’t chase success, chase connections and selflessness and the rest will flow to you freely.

The Defiant Ones Trailer

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My Take on Harvard’s Advice on Smarter, Healthier Eating

One observation I’ve made over the years is the media’s lack of acknowledgement of plant based options. Harvard's first suggestion to smarter, healthier eating, is to ditch whole milk for 1% or non-fat in attempt to reduce fat and calories but there is no mention of any plant milk options. Which raises concern, considering that plant milk has roughly 30-60 calories (per 8fl ounces) and only 3g of fat. Whereas cows milk, 1% and skim contains 80-110 calories and 2-0g of fat, as mentioned on Healthline. Nevermind the fact that they completely disregarded people with lactose intolerance that must rely on plant based options. In addition, “although milk and other dairy products are reliable sources of calcium, many factors affect the availability and retention of the calcium from these products.” says Dr. Lanou “For example, the calcium in dairy products is not as well absorbed as that in many dark green leafy vegetables but has an absorption fraction similar to that of calcium supplements, calcium-enriched beverages, calcium-set tofu, sweet potatoes, and beans.” so although dairy is rich in calcium, we should question whether we’re getting the full benefit of the vitamin from those sources. In conclusion, each type of milk has it’s advantages and disadvantages, depending on a person's diet and nutritional needs. Although, it’s clearly important to check multiple sources when searching for non-bias facts because every source is going to lack certain points of  information, whether it’s to appeal to the masses or other marketing reasons. This is why it’s incredibly important to check multiple sources to understand the topic fully. This is just one of the many ways the media falsely informs us about “good” diet choices.

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Media’s Influence on Our Diet

The focus of this blog is to educate people on how our media influences the decisions we make, the thoughts we think and the things we consume, as well as my personal opinion on those topics. Food consumption is an extremely important part of human physical and mental health as well as the health of our planet. People often forget that their diet choices are heavily influenced by the media we consume! If you care about the wellbeing of yourself and the planet you inhabit, it’s in your best interest to think critically about the foods you consume, why you choose them, and where they’re sourced from. I hope that my blog helps and encourages you to do that.