Yummy Cupycakes =)

Now here is a recipe that everyone can enjoy, and a dessert that kids are sure to love. Cupcakes are easy to make and fun to decorate. With just the right ingredients you can have a delicious and healthy batch of cupcakes in no time!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 egg whites

2/3 cup plain yogurt

Directions:

1.        Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line the cupcake cups with foil or paper liners (I like to use pretty colorful paper cupcake liners J)

2.        In a bowl, add and stir together the flour, baking powder and baking soda - set it aside.

3.       In a large separate mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, butter and vanilla for about 2-5 minutes, or until it’s well mixed. Now add the egg whites (one at a time) whipping for about a minute after each one. Then add the flour mixture consecutively with the yogurt, be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is well mixed.

4.        Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake pan one cupcake at a time (only pour the batter in ¾ of the way up or else you’ll have a batch of deformed cupcakes on your hands lol) and then place them in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. It always helps to stick a toothpick into the middle of a cupcake and if it comes out clean they’re ready to go. Let cool and ENJOY! =)

(To the right is a picture of cupcakes made using this recipe by my little sister, my best friend and I. Not only were they yummy, but they were so much fun to decorate!)

Research Paper; Natural Flavoring: Friend Or Foe?

So you're standing in the freezer section at the supermarket and you just can’t decide. Do I get the strawberry ice cream with natural flavoring and real strawberries, or do I go for the artificially flavored but low-fat ice cream? To many of us the healthier choice would be to go with the all-natural jam-packed strawberry dessert. Natural it is always better, but when it comes to flavorings choosing natural over artificial can be difficult. We rarely ever ask ourselves where this natural stuff comes from. Many people don’t know about the countless natural products that are regularly labeled and/or include the expression “natural flavors”, stating that there are other ingredients (so to speak) being added to these products. The label "natural flavors" is misleading. Food corporations are portraying the ingredients in their products as something they are not. “Natural flavorings” are everywhere, but if we take a closer look we can see that these flavorings are not as natural as we’ve been led to believe.

The natural flavorings that are used not only in our desserts but our everyday meals go through a very unnatural process before being added to our food. But what exactly is it, and where does it come from? The FDA’s definition of a natural flavor is, “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.” All this means is that the flavoring itself is not natural, but extracts from a natural source were used as the base of the flavoring.  Ultimately, it is all about the flavoring used in a particular product is “natural” because it originated from a natural source or material, but that does not include the chemicals that are added to these flavors after being extracted from organic ingredients. Many often think that the obvious way of avoiding the chemicals in flavorings is by buying organic – but don’t be fooled, there are countless organic food products that have “natural flavors” added to them, too. Natural flavors are prepared by merging “natural” chemicals to create a very distinct fruit and/or vegetable taste. Personally, I believed if something was naturally flavored chemicals, additives, and preservatives were left out, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. There are hundreds of components that are put into making these “natural flavorings”. It has been proven that there is little essential difference in the chemical arrangements of natural and artificial flavorings. A finding such as this only makes us question how natural flavorings do differ to those which are in fact artificial.

So long as consumers prefer to see the phrase “natural flavors” on a label, producers will continue to use those words whether or not their products are in fact natural. But what IS the difference between the all-natural and the potentially unhealthy flavorings? While both types of flavorings are made by trained professionals called “flavorists” who blends the appropriate amount of chemicals to get that very specific taste-bud-stimulating, there is a slight difference between the constructing of artificial and natural flavorings. Natural is said to be organic, but when it comes to flavorings in particular, that is not so true. Though artificial flavorings are simpler in composition and are likely to be more accurate, many times that is not so. What people do not know is that in spite of the sound of the expression “natural flavoring”, natural flavors are not any better for us than the artificial ones. Although many synthesized flavors are derived from petroleum, there are various flavors that are used to create artificial flavorings can be found in natural as well, which ultimately makes these specific flavors natural in their own way. The only important difference between artificial and natural flavorings that producers and consumers care about is the price.

 Though there are few food producers, like the NIRC (Natural Ingredient Resource Center) who do try to incorporate truth in the food labeling, the majority of producers are deliberately misleading their oh so loyal consumers. But can this be considered lying, or is it our own fault for misconceiving? The government plays a big role when it comes to giving food organizations a helping hand in deceiving people. Technically, the law doesn’t require corporations to make the ingredients in their flavorings known, so that these companies can maintain their “trade-secret” flavors used for their products. This only makes it easier for companies to hide the long list of chemicals that are incorporated when making a lot of “naturally flavored” food products. According to Heather B. of Health and Wellness, “The FDA doesn't require manufacturers to list color or flavor additives on ingredients left, as long as they are recognized as safe”. Something like this many seem small and insignificant to many, but if we look a little closer it is quite a big deal. Today, there are labeling laws that allow flavoring corporations to protect themselves by using unclear terms such as “natural flavors” and “artificial flavors” to categorize their ingredients. The only way consumers know what is in these foods being advertised as “natural”, is by the labels used to define the ingredients that are incorporated in the products. 

            In the end, it is impossible to tell from a label what is in natural flavors without the company specifying it on the label, or calling the company and finding out what the flavors are really made of. But let’s be honest, how many of us are going to set time aside to question the ingredients in our food? Very few. The differences between artificial and natural flavors are for the most part arbitrary. A product should not be advertised based more on how the flavor in it was made, rather than on what it actually contains.

Works Cited

B., Heather. "Artificial and Natural Flavorings: Avoid Them All!" Associated Content from Yahoo! - Associatedcontent.com. 15 May 2007. Web. Nov. 2010. <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/232164/artificial_and_natural_flavorings_avoid.html>.

Reineccius, Gary. "What Is the Difference between Artificial and Natural Flavors?: Scientific American." Science News, Articles and Information | Scientific American. 29 July 2002. Web. Nov. 2010. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-the-difference-be-2002-07-29>.

"Chemical World! - Natural Flavors V.s Artificial Flavors." Chemical World! - Home. Web. Nov. 2010. <http://www.zchemicals.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=27>.

Geppert, Amy. "What's the Difference Between Artificial and Natural Flavors? | Popular Science." Popular Science | New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. 29 Dec. 2008. Web. Nov. 2010. <http://www.popsci.com/node/30562>.

Schlosser, Eric. "Why The Fries Taste Good." Fast Food Nation: the Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print.

Schlosser Chapter 9

   In chapter 9 of Schlosser's Fast Food Nation, Schlosser exposes and discusses the very dangerous flaws in the meatpacking industry. I found it extremely disturbing that when a large supply of meat was discovered to have been tainted with E. coli, the consumers were still unaware of the harmful bacteria that was lurking in their foods. Though action was taken, it was the steps and manner in which it was done that had proven to be poor and ultimately ineffective. On page 194 of Schlosser's Fast Food Nation he clearly states, " Roughly 35 million pounds of ground beef.. was voluntarily recalled. By the time it was announced, about 25 million pounds of the ground beef had already been eaten". With such an obscene number like 25 million pounds of contaminated beef having already been eaten, one can only guess how many people were sickened by the very slow and unsuccessful recall that followed. Mothers unknowingly feeding their children infected hamburgers, fast food restaurants spewing hamburger after hamburger along with other beef products, it's disgusting. Being a fast food fanatic myself, I would be furious to know that there is a great possibility that I have eaten, or will eat tainted meat. There are people getting violently ill because of this very thing, and I blame the health officials who are doing such an inadequate job when they should be putting their consumers first.

From Their Mouths..

   Children can hardly ever be blamed for their constant struggle with weight, their school and home environments play a huge role in what they eat. These days, parents are constantly on the go and have very little time to spend with their children let alone focus on their eating habits. Though eating is a part of our everyday lives, and has a large impact on our overall health, many of us deem it insignificant. Below I have a fairly short interview with one of the youngest members of my family, to analyze what an average teen/preteen eats everyday.

Q: Okay, so what is your name and how old are you?

A: I'm Joshua Fernandez Torres and I'm 13 years old

Q: What did you have for dinner today?

A: Today? I had some white rice, steak, tostones, and some taco meat with Tostito chips 

Q:  What is a typical dinner for you and your family like?

A: Well we usually have rice and beans (i like it with ketchup or barbecue sauce), steak, pork chops or breaded chicken. I love the breaded chicken my dad makes.

Q: How many times a week do you eat fast food/junk food?

A: Almost every day... well no, EVERYDAY 

Q: At school what do you have for lunch?

A: I don't eat the school lunch, I really don't like how it tastes, and all I drink is the white milk.

Q: And how about after school?

A: After school I usually go to Vinny's to eat pizza everyday

Q: What is your favorite thing to eat?

A: I like Wendy's because the Spicy Chicken Cesar salad they have is the best

Q: Do you ever worry about what you eat and how it might affect your body?

A: No because I don’t really care about that kind of stuff, I just eat what tastes good to me

Q: Josh, if you could create the perfect meal for yourself, what would it be?

A: Oh that’s easy. I want the spicy chicken Cesar salad from Wendy’s, risotto, fried chicken breast from KFC, chicharrones de pollo (Dominican fried chicken chunks), tostones (crispy fried plantains), empanadas, a taco, a large Mountain Dew and to top it all off a banana split with all strawberry ice cream and strawberry syrup!

Prospectus..

  Prior to this class, I never gave any thought to the flavorings, natural and artificial, that are used to make my everyday snacks.The chosen topic of my research paper is going to be about the natural flavoring that is said to be used in our granola bars, fruit juices and ice creams, as well as many other desserts. The main focus of this paper will be the question of, How exactly does "natural flavoring" differ from artificial flavoring, if they even differ at all. Many people believe because a food or drink contains "natural flavoring" versus the more common artificial flavoring, that particular food or drink would ultimately be a healthier choice to make. I want to zero in on the truth on natural flavorings and whether or not it is any healthier than artificial.   
    For my paper I plan to expose natural flavoring for what it really is, and I want to know if it is in fact a healthier alternative to artificial flavoring, or if it is just a fake. What exactly is "natural flavoring"? What does it contain, and what makes it so natural? I would like to know what process is used to make this particular flavoring? Are there any chemical additives? What makes this any better, and how do we know that these flavors are in fact ALL natural? My plan is to show my readers what some companies are trying to hide by claiming their products are healthier by false advertising and misusing the word "natural" to their advantage.
   I do not expect to find information on one of many things companies are trying to hide, very easily. But within the weeks that are to come, I intend to use a variety of different tools and resources to back my ideas on the truth about natural flavorings. I will use LaGuardia Community College's subscription database, as well as LexisNexis Academic, and The New York Times articles about natural flavoring that is put in products especially the ones marketed to children. I think the Library Media Resource Center will be very useful too but more specifically I want to incorporate studies done by the FDA about this topic in question. And of course finding information the old fashion way, through journal, magazines, books, and newspapers always helps. I look forward to answering a question that has been on people's minds for a while now.. Is natural flavoring really natural?