Show your food some gratitude.
Reflect on some of your food favorites from Thanksgivings past. What are some of the homestyle (as opposed to processed/packaged) foods you typically enjoy around this time of year (fall/winter holidays)? Make a short list (5-10 items) on some scratch paper and then choose 1 or 2 individual food items (e.g. turkey, ham, carne asada, sweet potatoes, green beans, squash, corn, potatoes [any style]).
Now that we have an increased capacity to appreciate how the molecules/nutrients in our food can benefit our cells and, therefore, our entire bodies, we can make specific connections between certain nutrients and their use in living cells. Using The USDA's Food Composition web pages and tools to find specific nutrition information on your selected cherished food, write a personal thank you letter to that selected favorite wholesome food in which you describe/call out at least 3 direct ways your cells gain from or use that nutrient and why that makes you feel thankful. Be sure to start your letter like you would any personal letter: address the food item with a greeting (e.g., "Dear Broccoli"), add a closing, and sign it.
When your letter is finished, be sure to post it to your The Story of the Seed blog to receive any bonus credit.
USDA National Agriculture Library
General Nutrient Information: http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/food-composition
Look up specific nutrients in a food: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/
SAMPLE
Dear Green Beans,
We haven't always been close, but things have been better in the last decade or so. I try to make time for you at least once a month, but sometimes I do forget, even when you're sitting out there in plain site in the supermarket. I just want you to know that I appreciate all you have given me. In particular the marvelous vitamins A & K, not to mention the fair amount of potassium and nice little bit of protein. If it weren't for that vitamin A, I don't know what my skin, eyes, and immune system would do. How would light get converted into a nerve signal that can be interpreted into an image in my retinas without that? And of course
...
Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know that I do notice what you do for me (besides just being delicious all smothered in melted butter).
Thanks again,
Justin
