Social Media- the Pros Outweighs the Cons?

Winter semester is beginning to wrap up and so are my blogs for ALES 204. I may continue to blog about new and interesting information I learn throughout my life, or different recipes and workouts, so I can educate others who share my interest. Throughout this course, I've learned a lot about social media and technology that I would have never learned or used elsewhere. I personally believe that social media will be the basis of our future because we continuously see more companies using Facebook and twitter to communicate with their employees and customers. One thing I couldn't find myself was doctors and dietitians using it to blog, but after looking at Carmen Prion-Frank'sblog I realize they are out there and their blogs are very interesting and informative, especially Marion Nestles.

From all the different technologies I've learned to use this year, I would still have to say that Facebook remains my favorite. It's easy to navigate, and it makes it so I am able to read my friends and families updates and pictures to see what's happening in their lives when life becomes hectic. However, one thing I really liked about twitter is that you were able to connect with your favorite sports teams or celebrities; be up to date with the current news seconds after it happens. On twitter I love following JillianMichaels, she's been an inspiration to me because she's worked hard to get to where she is now which makes me want to push myself and follow in her footsteps.

It was very helpful when we learned how to write proper e mails, resumes, and CVs’, however I would have liked to have gone into more details on writing good resumes and covering letters. I also would have liked to have learned more on how to use LinkedIn because it's geared more towards the professional aspect of social media. Since I believe social media is going to be something used on a consistent basis in society, this is one that I'm sure many more professionals would use to post job opportunities, and write blogs and/or status updates related to their field of study.

References:

Facebook. (2012). Facebook. Retrieved April 12, 2012, from Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/

LinkedIn. (2012). LinkedIn. Retrieved April 11, 2012, from LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/

Michaels, J. (n.d.). Jillian Michaels. Retrieved April 11, 2012, from Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JillianMichaels

Nestle, M. (2012, April). Food Politics. Retrieved April 12, 2012, from Food Politics: http://www.foodpolitics.com/

Prion-Frank, C. (2012, January 16). An Apple For Your Thought. Retrieved April 12, 2012, from Ales 204: http://ales204nutritionstudent.blogspot.ca/

Twitter. (2012). Twitter. Retrieved April 12, 2012, from Twitter: https://twitter.com/

Blogs I have commented on:

Angela Zimmerman, Carmen Prion-Frank, Cassandra H, Lindsay Gervais, Kandice

Plant-Based Diet May Be the Key to Improving Overall Health

Even after all these years of learning proper nutrition and eating a well-balanced diet, I still wonder how good this way they teach us to eat really is. Over 100 years ago we didn't have all this dairy and meat readily available to us, as well as all this processes food. Yes, it might be quick and convenient to just grab and go with our busy lifestyles but isn't the whole point of food to be something that fuels our body and something that we can actually enjoy rather than wolfing it down to rush off somewhere. With this changing lifestyle, the prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, strokes and cancer is continuously on the rise, and a good majority of this issue is related to our eating habits.

I recently had to opportunity to watch a documentary that discusses how meats, dairy and processed foods is the main reason the world is becoming obese. It shows how following a plant-based diet can reverse the damage that has been done to our body and decrease the risk of these health problems. This film really opened my eyes, they pulled statistics from all around the world and had the doctors who did the documentary actually follow this lifestyle and have been for years. They even have their own website with diet plans and recipes for people to follow. You can follow them on twitter and read people's personal testimonies from trying this lifestyle and how it has changed their overall health.

I only watched the documentary about 2 weeks ago and the next day cut out all dairy, chicken (I don't eat red meat) and processed foods including anything with sugar and anything enriched or white. It wasn't a very drastic change for me, as I have always tried to maintain a healthy diet. However, when my boyfriend, who is an avid meat and cheese eater, decided he didn't want to suffer from any of these health complications and changed his eating habits, he's constantly commenting on how good he feels and how much more energy he has. Another student in my class, Kandice has also talked about the many health benefits a plant based diet has on our body, focusing primarily on the health benefits of beans and legumes.

After learning how detrimental to your health eating meat, dairy and processed foods really is and all the negative influences it has on my body, I don't think I will ever go back, especially after how spectacular I feel without that junk in my body.

References:

Forks Over Knives. (2011). Retrieved April 10, 2012, from Forks Over Knives: http://www.forksoverknives.com/

Farms 2 Forks. (2012). Retrieved April 10, 2012, from Farms 2 Forks: http://www.farms2forks.com

Churilov, V. (2010, June 10). Plant-Based Diet for Beginners: How to Get Started. Retrieved April 10, 2012, from Mind Body Green: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-952/PlantBased-Diet-for-Beginners-How-to-Get-Started.html

Forks Over Knives. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2012, from Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/forksoverknives

Kandice. (2012, April 10). Ales 204 Blog. Retrieved April 11, 2012, from Blogspot: http://eat-beans.blogspot.ca/