Benefits of Certain Foods

     

 Wheat Bread

          Most people have heard that wheat bread is better for you than white but not many people know the basis for that statement. I prefer wheat bread to white bread because that is what I am used to. I am still picky about it though and only like certain kinds. I knew that wheat bread had more fiber than white but I did not know how much healthier wheat bread is in general. What I learned from vegetariantimes.com was that wheat has three different parts to it all containing different nutrients and vitamins. Wheat bread is made with all three of the parts included, but white bread only has one of the parts. White bread is not as good for you as wheat bread. It i s important to get your vitamins and nutrients for many health reasons. Eating wheat bread helps lower the risk for diabetes, heart attacks, and various other problems. The most surprising fact I found from this article was that "[t]here’'s so little fiber left after processing that you’d have to eat eight pieces of white bread to get the fiber in just one piece of whole wheat bread"(vegetariantimes.com). You can find the full article here if you'd like more information http://www.vegetariantimes.com/article/white-bread-vs-wheat-bread/. Even if you don't think you would like wheat bread or if you are a picky eater I am sure you could find a brand of wheat bread that you would like. As I mentioned above, 

I am a picky eater and only like certain types of wheat bread. I like the ones that do not have what I call "seeds" in them. I like the bread to be smooth and not have any hard bits in it. One of my favorite types is by Arnold. And even this
 one brand makes multiple varieties of wheat bread so I'm sure that if you want to try switching from white bread to wheat bread you will come across a bread that you like.

Whole Grain Pasta

        Another food that comes in white and wheat varieties is pasta, it also comes in many shapes but we don't need to concern ourselves with them right now although it is interesting how many forms it comes in. Wheat pasta is also called whole grain and like when it comes to bread, white is not as beneficial. Also as the case with bread, whole grain pasta has much more fiber and nutrients than white. Whole grain pasta helps with weight loss as well because it fills you up better than white and so you will probably end up eating less of it. And according to the five experts that were consulted in this article, http://time.com/3658167/should-i-eat-whole-wheat-pasta/ you should eat whole grain pasta.

Tomatoes

       Tomatoes are another great thing to incorporate into your diet. They are antioxidant rich and https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/tomatoes.html. Tomatoes are very easy to add to you diet. You can have them in salads, wraps, other sandwiches, on top of pasta. Ketchup and tomato sauce count as well so you can get the benefits from tomatoes from pizza too.
full
of vitamins. They can help with digestion, heart health, and lowering cholesterol. Tomatoes are a good source of vitamin A which is important for vision. You can find more information about the benefits of tomatoes here

Mustard Not Mayonnaise

        One very interesting thing I learned which researching for my blog was how much better mustard is for you than mayonnaise. I am glad that I already took mayonnaise off of the list of foods that I eat. I prefer mustard and don't knowingly eat mayonnaise because I do not like it. For 100 grams of mustard it is 66 calories and 100 grams of mayonnaise has 680 calories.  Mustard also has lots of minerals and vitamins and can help to lower cholesterol.

Olive Oil

        And finally, olive oil. Olive oil is great for you. It helps to protect against heart disease because https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/oils/health-benefits-of-olive-oil.html. I enjoy drizzling it over my pasta which is a nice way to start including more of it in your daily life. I also put it on some sandwiches like the tomato, basil, and mozzarella one. You could add some spices to plain olive oil and then dip bread in it instead of using butter if you'd like too.
it helps lower  cholesterol and inflammation and it lowers blood pressure. Olive oil also helps with digestion and metabolism and has many vitamins and nutrients. More facts can be found here at

       I hope this information helped you, I know it helped me and will allow me to continue trying to be healthier!

A College Kitchen

       The dorm I live in has some positives and some negatives but that is to be expected. I did not think that the kitchen would be such a negative though. I don't even know why it is considered "kitchen/lounge" on the floor plan of the building. Take a look for yourself.

F.Y.I if you're wondering, the door does not stay open on its own

       There is a table with a microwave on it from a microfridge. Where that fridge is I do not know. There is a working refrigerator which is nice. The sink however is usually not functional because it is clogged. There is barely any counter next to the sink and the cabinets do not seem too sturdy in my opinion. I do not know who would put any of their belongings in there though. Also you may have noticed that some things are missing. Things that are staples in rooms called kitchens. Any guesses? Well, it's the stove and oven. How might you ask, is this the kitchen then? To tell you the truth, I do not know. This is what some of our room and board goes to though. There are many residence halls on campus that have ovens and stoves in their kitchens but I do not know why my dorm does not. My R.A. has even told us that she has asked about having an oven and stove but nothing has been done. If other buildings have them I do not understand why the particular one I am in does not. Many oven units with electric stoves are available and there are many in the $400 -$600  range. My dorm has about 70 residents. We each pay around $6000 a semester, that amounts to at least $420,000. Colleges do have a large amount of expenses and bills to pay but I think that they can afford an oven and stove unit for every dorm.
       These pictures above actually do the room justice though. Usually pictures make things look worse but not in this case. The pictures make the room look better than it is in reality. There are stains on the wall above the sink, many are blue so I am guessing it is paint but they are still questionable. Also you may have noticed that there are two paper towel holders above the sink. That seems like a good idea right? They are both always empty. To top it off, there is no trash can. There is a small bin that was intended for recycling but not resides in the kitchen and is instead used for trash, most of the time. Some people like to leave trash on the table though. All in all this is not a room people like to spend any time in and I only go in there on rare occasions. Such as for photographing it and it's contents for this post. Don't even get me started on the fridge. Let's just say people forget about things sometimes. Thank goodness there is a microwave and mini fridge in my room or I would never be making food in my dorm.