M6.7 Blog: Obesogens

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  • Utilizing the first article, discuss what is locally grown and what is currently in season in your area.
I live in Half Moon Bay and currently  pumpkins, corn, apples, soon to be Brussels sprouts. Locally we grow all of these things. The community of Half Moon Bay is very conscientious about growing, selling, and eating locally sourced food.
 
  • Discuss your thoughts on seasonal/local foods and hospital menus. 
I think that it is a great way to promote local agriculture and improve health of hospital patients, visitors, and employees. When you use locally sourced produce, the quality is better because it hasn't been sitting in a refrigerated truck for days. The patients are able to get fresher sources of vitamins and may experience better health outcomes because of this. They are also exposed to different types of food that they might not normally be exposed to.

  • Find a Harvest Calendar for your state (or a state you are interested in) utilizing the link in the first article (found underneath the example Harvest Calendar for New York State). 
I was unable to access a harvest calendar for California, but when I googled it a lot of different foods appeared. Similar to a GANTT chart style, that listed the different food and what time of year they are being harvested. It was very helpful to see what types of food are easily accessible, when. 
  • What are your thoughts on the second article? Have you heard of obesogens before?
I had not heard of obesogens before. I thought this article was very informative and provided another way of looking at the obesity epidemic that is facing America. 

  • Pick one of the potential obesogens discussed in the article and using your resources from earlier modules (such as toxnet), do some research on this potential obesogen. Share what you found! 
I wanted to investigate obesogens, specifically air fresheners (phthalates) on prenatal exposure. I found that exposure to these have been linked to ADHD and obesity. They also saw abnormal genitalia development in canines and lab rats when exposed to phthalates. Over all it is interesting the negative health effects that these obesogens have on organisms in utero. 

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 4, 2018 at 8:55 AM

    Hi Kera,
    I love going to Half Moon Bay during fall season to see all the pumpkins! You just reminded me of how excited I am for the pumpkin festival :) Half moon bay is such a great community and I love visiting, I am glad to hear that many in your community eat locally sourced food. I agree with you about the benefits of having seasoned/local food available in hospitals. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Daisy AlbarranOctober 8, 2018 at 7:03 PM

    Hey Kera,
    Interesting find on phthalates -- it makes me happy that I stopped using air fresheners at home. I am curious to see if car fresheners have the same impact air fresheners as I use them for my car regularly. I think if more people knew about these common exposures, less people would use these products and force companies to create alternatives that are less damaging to our health.

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