Research Progress Blog #3

     At the beginning of this week I went through my draft of sections 1-3 and tried to edit & add the things we talked about. After going back through it again I definitely feel it is stronger than before. Then I started to organize my research & layout what the paragraphs of my section four were going to be about. I've decided that I want to do a paragraph or two about each ingredient that goes into baking. I'll have one about sugars, flours, eggs, etc. Then I went back through my 25 questions blog post and grouped them by ingredient.

     My first chunk of questions are going to be about flours. I didn't have any difficulties finding out about different types of flours & the nutrients they supply but it was hard to find studies about how they effected the chemistry and taste of the baked good. To find this out I went to the comments section of blogs with recipes that used these replacements and checked what people said about how it worked for them.

     My next section will be about fats used in baking. There are many different routes I have explored to get the same effect as vegetable oil. One way is to just choose a healthier oil, such as olive. This isn't a neutral oil though so taste is affected. I have also found that people will use vegetable or fruit purees in order to keep the baked good moist. The most common (and the one with the most research on it) is apple sauce. I have seen people use pumpkin, banana, and zucchini as well.

     The main thing I want to focus on with sugar is the fact that, yes artificial sweeteners may have "zero calories", but the chemicals in them may be worse for you. Since these sweeteners have become so popular I was able to find a book and a study that covers the dangers. Another thing I want to look at is stevia. Stevia is one of those "zero calorie" sweeteners but it is naturally extracted from a plant so it might not be harmful to your health. I found this book last night on stevia in baking. Since I just found it I've only had time to skim it but so far the information has been really interesting and helpful! It was written by Rita Elkins who is the author of over 40 natural health books. With 15 years of experience in the health world she is widely respected. (Source)

     I have been emailing back and forth with the dietitian quite a bit lately. She has been really helpful but we haven't had the chance to talk on the phone since she has been away on vacation  I sent her a list of the questions I wanted to talk to her about and she was excited to answer them. I'm going to try and set up one more phone interview for this weekend and if that doesn't work I will take the info she gave me through text. I would still like to talk to a dietitian or nutritionist so I am looking for a local one that I could meet with face to face.


     It makes me nervous/anxious that in 10 days I'll have a big chunk of my paper done. I've been working everyday at home or in class its just that I've known about this paper since sophomore year and now that the end is rapidly approaching its scary. I am going to Minnesota with my friend over spring break but I still should be able to easily get the paper done. She has to write it as well & this is more of a chill vacation so we aren't slammed with activities. I think I will actually do better having her writing right next to me. If we go to a coffee shop to work for an hour a day I'll be motivated because there is a time limit and I won't be alone to get distracted.
   
     I have also come to really love my diigo account! If I'm in a rush I can save a source I've found in five seconds and then go back through it more carefully later. I also love the feature that lets you title it. That has helped me in my organization so much!

     What I hopes stays the same for fourth quarter is how much I am enjoying learning more about my topic. I am a little nervous that since I won't be focusing on researching and just going back through what I've already read that I'll get sick of it. This topic is so information rich though that I don't think that'll happen!


     I'm also pretty nervous for presentation night. This cartoon describes my exact feelings towards public speaking. Having all eyes on me is not something I am a fan of. The one thing I have found out about myself through high school though is that the more confident I feel in my knowledge about a topic the less my legs wobble and the smaller the judging audience gets. Since I know this about myself I feel like after finishing section four I will have a good grip on my topic and be able to present with confidence (at least I hope!).

Response to Egan

     In the book The Skilled Helper Egan lays out 6 steps he believes once achieved make you a mature adult. I agree with Egan that if you accomplish these 6 steps you will be a pretty mature adult. I also believe that there are many other things that make you mature that he didn't mention. I feel another big part of being mature is being the bigger person. Knowing that just because you are right the argument isn't always worth fighting. In my life I am about two thirds way through this list. I think numbers 4 & 5 need the most work while I've done the others. It is hard for me to view myself as an equal to adults while I'm still in school and at home where it is obvious adults run superior. Though I do believe when I am out running errands and such I don't feel below the other adults around me. With that said I think once I've been living on my own for a little next year I will definitely feel on the same level as most adults. I also do have interests but some do come and go fairly quickly. As I get older I will have had the time to try out different hobbies and find on I enjoy a lot and that one will endure.

     I don't quite get number six on the list. I understand how it makes you mature to control your own destiny but I don't get how that has anything to do with understanding yourself. You can make a decision of where your life is going to go with or with out a deep understanding of yourself. I wouldn't say I exactly understand myself just yet but I have definitely taken steps controlling my destiny. Choosing a college and a major for instance will greatly effect the path my life takes.
   
    A huge example of task 2 in my life is the class AP Biology. In biology most of our learning is done by ourselves. We have a giant textbook, he tells us what we have to have read for the test, and it is up to us to actually read it & learn it. Most of the class time is spent focusing on labs and not what we read. If you want to succeed in this class then you need to be self-motivated to learn.

    The catch phrase "Try Something New Today" by Sainsbury's is one of my favorite quotes. I know it being the tag line for a grocery store makes it seem weird to follow in everyday life but I think following this will keep life fresh. In his 4th statement Egan says that you need to develop interests that are strong and last longer. I understand how it could be immature to change your 'passion' every week and blow a ton of money on a short lived hobby. But I feel like as an adult you should still explore all aspects of life. Even if you really like baking and want to stick with it I still think going and checking out new things is an important part of life. Having a routine does seem more mature but you also don't want to get bored by doing the same things over again. You may hate a new thing you try and stop after a week but it could also become a new passion. So I think everyone should try something new today.

     I believe in some aspects Sycamore allows students to follow these paths, in someways it pushes you to follow and in other aspects it holds you back. A lot of times teachers do give you the freedom to make your own choices; this class as an example of that. We were given a general assignment and we're able to take it wherever we want. This leads to maturity because we have to take responsibility for producing a good final product without specific guidelines. Sycamore can hold us back though in feeling like we are equals to other adults. I don't think this is a bad thing. Without knowing that teachers and administrators are above us, some students aren't capable of keeping themselves under control. Heck, some students still can't keep themselves under control when teacher is giving rules. Some of the other tasks that Egan stated are more for outside of school so Sycamore doesn't have much effect on that. Other than the fact that you have less free time to have solid interests, a lot of these steps are for the real world.

Research Progress Blog #2

     Even though we didn't have that much time in class this week I feel like that made me work more diligently because I was under a time crunch. I mainly used Google scholar this week for my research and I really liked it! It brought me to more credible sources and actual studies. This week has been a little discouraging though because most of the things I'm finding say that the healthier alternative tastes worse or changes the chemistry of the recipe too much.
   

     One of the best sources I found was one that compared bread made only with all-purpose flour and a loaf made with half almond and half all purpose flour. Almond flour is groud sweet almonds. It usually adds moistness and a nutty taste to baked goods. It is calories dense but it has more nutrients than regular flour. The goal of this study was to figure out that effect on the yeast. So after both loaves were cooked they checked for texture, volume, and overall appearance  Another thing learned from this is that with leavening agents it is best to try a healthier brand but not to replace the ingredient with something different because it is a specific chemical reaction you are looking for.


     Another substitution I found through my research this week was using olive oil instead of vegetable oil or butter. Olive oil is a mono-unsaturated fatty acid so it falls into the healthy category. Butter and other oils contain trans and saturated fat, both of which are bad for you. MUFAs can help lower your risk of heart disease by improving related risk factors. An example is the Mediterranean diet which has most fat coming from olive oil and has resulted in people with a reduction of inflammation & improved vitality. Since olive oil isn't a neutral oil it can add a little but of a fruity taste to baked goods but some prefer that anyway.

     A study I came across through Google Scholar was on buckwheat flours effectiveness in biscuits. Here is an excerpt from the study explain what buckwheat flour is: "Tartary Buckwheat is nutritious, especially of high nutrient content of rutin, and has many functions such as depressing blood fat, blood sugar and uric sugar. Tartary buckwheat also contains a lot of picrate so that it is considered to have the effects of antipyretic, lowering internal heat and recuperating stomach." They found that it only works in biscuit recipes with a lot of oil and sugar which cancels out the health benefits.

    I'm am excited to conference on my draft because I think it will help my paper and help me continue to write it. This weekend I plan on filling up my diigo account with more sources and then going through an organizing them into categories.

Research Progress Blog #1

     This week my main focuses were finding someone to interview, starting to answer my 25 questions, and working on my rough draft. I really wanted to interview someone creates recipes healthier than the original recipes. First, I went to Cooking Light's website to try and contact one of the recipe builders. I ended up have to contact the website as a whole and received an automated email back saying they sent my letter to an office and they answer all emails but in the order they get them. This leaves when I would hear back super open-ended so that was kind of disappointing.

     In the mean time I decided to try and contact a local nutritionist to help me decide what a healthy ingredient actually is. I found myself on the website for the Nutrition Council of Greater Cincinnati. While looking under the staff tab to pick who best to contact I found a recipe creator! Since it isn't likely that I'll hear back from Cooking Light I sent an email off to Suzanne Hooper. She is a dietitian who helped to write the cookbook More Nutritious Still Delicious, published in 2006. She responded promptly and was very excited to set up a phone call. Along with the email she sent two PDF's about recipe creation.

 
  This is the header for one of them. It focuses on all types of cooking not just baking but I still found it very helpful seeing as it addresses the health benefits of making each change. I still can't believe she took the time to respond & attach documents I might find useful. I'm super excited to get the chance to talk to her.

     I really wanted to start answering some of my guided questions because I think they will really help direct my research. The first question I answered was: Does applesauce work as a replacement for oil in baking?

This was a rough one to find a credible source. Most answers were on message boards with testimonials from people who have tried it. One of the big things addressed in these message boards was that applesauce works in cakes but isn't the best for making crispy cookies. Also, most people said it is best to do half oil and half applesauce. I used this information to refine my search and did find some useful sources. A website for an applesauce company said you could use up to a 1/2 a cup of applesauce to replace oil in a 1:1 ratio. If the amount of oil exceeds 1/2 cup use half oil and half sauce. I thought it might be bias because it is a company trying to sell their applesauce but they addressed baking on a very general level and didn't plug their specific applesauce throughout. They also added in the things you would have to change if you did make the substitution. Like you have to let your cake cool for and extra fifteen minutes and should use a plastic knife to prevent crumbling. Considering this substitution saves you 26 g of fat and 217 calories, waiting a few extra minutes to dive in doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

     The next question I've been looking into has been eggs vs. egg whites. I haven't looked that much into it but I have found that in some recipes the yolk is necessary fr binding and thickening. Researching this also lead me to some answers to my questions about using a flax egg so hopefully I can answer that one as well.

     I had started the rough draft over the weekend just because I knew I wanted plenty of time to reword and change up what I said. Wording has always been a struggle for me so when we wrote in class for the five minute segments it was a nice way to just get down words. Since I had a limited amount of time I focused more on getting information down and less on making it flow. Flow is a key part to a paper but you gotta have words to make flow first! The first two sections of the draft have not been too difficult. More struggles with wording than actual information. The third paragraph has been a bit tough because I'm not sure how to find people with good ethos on this topic. The people who got me interested in healthy baking aren't professional chefs or nutritionists. They have just been baking for a long time and figured out what works. I have been trying to find scientific studies on baking times and temperature but there isn't much out there. I hope that talking to a dietitian will help me get some valid information and maybe(hopefully) lead me to more credible sources.