25 Questions

My main question for this research paper is: "What are healthier ingredient alternatives that work in baking?" Hopefully answering these next 25 questions will lead me down the path to success on this paper!
1. What are the types of flours & their benefits?
2. What properties does applesauce have that makes it a substitute for oil?
3. Why are riper bananas better for baking?
4. What is the difference between using eggs and egg whites?
5. What is the half & half rule and is it worth the health benefits?
6. What ingredients can NOT be substituted?
7. What properties of Greek yogurt allow it to be subbed in for so many different ingredients?
8. Is homemade buttermilk (milk & vinegar) better for you than store bought?
9. In general, how is taste affected when using substitutes?
10. Is changing brand types of ingredients an effective way to make baked goods healthier?
11. Differences between baking with granulated sugar and liquids(agave, maple syrup, or honey)?
12. What are the types of milks & their benefits?
13. How does baking substitutions help people with allergies?
14. Are there any companies that utilizes healthier substitutions?
15. How do you make homemade oat flour?
16. How is can protein powder be used in place of flour?
17. What can coconut oil replace? (liquid or gel-like)
18. Does subbing ingredients lower calorie count or just up nutritional value?
19. Did these baking substitutions come from vegans changing recipes to fit their diets?
20. What is xylitol and how is it used in baked goods?
21. Is Splenda actually a better alternative for sugar? (Because of all the chemicals)
22. When substituting ingredients does the tempature need to be adjusted?
23. Health difference between butter & Smart Balance butter substitute?
24. When substituting ingredients does the baking time need to be adjusted?
25. Is using extracts a healthy way to add flavor to baked goods?

EDIT: 26. Are flax eggs better for your health than regular eggs?

Reaction to Assignment

My main confusion going into this assignment was what exactly qualifies something as a robot? I mean we already have machines in factories doing jobs humans could do. So, for the sake of being consistent I'm going to say the robots in this question are more human-like than machine-like. By that I mean even though it isn't necessary to add a face to it, they did.

This robot, Baxter, is a prime example. Almost every source we used mentioned it (him?). They said he cost 22,000 dollars and will last for three years. This means he will work everyday (without complaints!) for about half of minimum wage. It is very easy to see how this could lead to problems with unskilled people maintaining their jobs. Baxter seems very simple to train. If he can move things off of a conveyor belt more efficiently than a human then big business bosses are going to be all for it! That being said, this will also open up new jobs. These jobs will be for highly intelligent people though. These robots will need maintenance & as the robot industry grows it'll employ more people. I know that the 60 minutes video said that Apple and other huge companies don't employ that many people but I feel with the robot industry it would be different. You can have a robot package iPhones but a robot can't think of designs for new robots.

A point the Wired article made was that adding robots  could in turn bring industries back from China. This really stood out to me because it was something I wouldn't have thought of on my own but it makes a ton of sense. If production will cost the same in America as it does in China, why pay for all that shipping? What I'm not sure about though is how it would effect US jobs. At first these factories might need humans for supervision or guiding the bots. But I feel like the only jobs that would open up are for construction of the factories, though once they're built those jobs a gone.

In the end I was not able to answer the original question we started out with. When we were told to think of five more questions mine were based around the robots themselves more than if they could actually take over jobs. I found out how expensive they were and what tasks they could do through my questions. In order to answer the question at the start of this assignment I feel a great deal more of research would be necessary. You would need to look at other countries, other things that effect jobs, what jobs making/having robots will create.

Potential Topics

I'm very interested in health & nutrition so that is what most of my topics focus on.
1.What is the 'paleo' diet & is it healthy?
This diet is often referred to as the caveman diet because it focuses on eating like our ancestors did way back in the day. It consists of foods that can be hunted & gathered. This diet is high in protein and doesn't allow processed food. Since dairy and grains are cut out I think it would be really interesting to figure out how people eat paleo but still get all the nutrients they need.
2. What makes your diet 'clean'?
Clean eating generally means no processed foods or refined grains (white flour & rice that have been stripped of nutrients). It means you avoid any ingredient that is long and you can't pronounce. I have always wanted to commit myself and try this but I'm not sure where to start. I need to make this more specific though because a clean diet is very broad. I could look into why ingredients you can't pronounce are bad for you and that is why you should eat clean.
3. The mental struggles of eating disorder recovery?
Recovering from an ED takes maybe only 3 months physically but it is a mental struggle for a lot longer. Once your body weight is healthy again you still want to restrict even though you know your are at a good weight. One of my closest friends is going through this right now and I can see the meal plan but not the mental battle she goes through. I think studying this topic would help me be of better support to her because I would understand the reasons why she can't eat. She knows she needs to but she can't and I find it would be helpful to know why she feels this way.
4. Is organic food actually better/more nutritious? Are there certain foods that are & some that it doesn't matter?
I bought organic cereal the other day, because it was on sale, and it got me thinking if it was actually any better for me than normal cereal. I have also heard that it is important to buy organic spinach but for other veggies it doesn't matter. I would be interested in figuring out which foods it matters for (if it matters for any) & why it only applies to some foods.
5. Healthy substitutions you can make while baking.
On a lot of health blogs I follow they post recipes that replace the unhealthy ingredients with healthier options. Like apple sauce can replace oil. I want to find out sort of the chemistry of why that works.I would also look into if it decreases the taste/quality of the product. I have made a few recipes using the substitutions and for the most part they work out nicely & I want to know why.