The following is a food journal, which I kept for one week. I recorded the foods that I ate, as well as some of my thought process before doing so. This can be contrasted with Liz's food journal, which demonstrates a lifestyle of an individual with a dairy intolerance.
Day 1:
April 6th
Breakfast
Fruit cup
-I usually grab something small like this from the Education building in between classes, if i even eat breakfast at all. I try to choose something healthier like this, rather than a bagel or muffin.
Lunch
Chicken sandwich with Roasted Peppers
-Again, I got this from the Ed. Building in between classes. I try not to think about where this chicken comes from after watching Food, Inc., but I still eat it anyway.
Dinner
Meatloaf
mashed potatoes
Green Beans
- I eat dinner every day in the cafeteria at Rowan. The cafeteria is a buffet, so I usually just go for whatever looks decent that day. I never ask for nutritional information or ingredients.
Snack
Sun chips
Reese’s eggs
-This is the result of hanging out with friends on campus. I clearly wasn't thinking about my health before choosing to eat these.
Fruit cup
-I usually grab something small like this from the Education building in between classes, if i even eat breakfast at all. I try to choose something healthier like this, rather than a bagel or muffin.
Lunch
Chicken sandwich with Roasted Peppers
-Again, I got this from the Ed. Building in between classes. I try not to think about where this chicken comes from after watching Food, Inc., but I still eat it anyway.
Dinner
Meatloaf
mashed potatoes
Green Beans
- I eat dinner every day in the cafeteria at Rowan. The cafeteria is a buffet, so I usually just go for whatever looks decent that day. I never ask for nutritional information or ingredients.
Snack
Sun chips
Reese’s eggs
-This is the result of hanging out with friends on campus. I clearly wasn't thinking about my health before choosing to eat these.
Day 2:
April 7th
Lunch
Egg rolls
Noodles with shrimp
Peas
Mint chocolate chip ice cream
Dinner
Chicken marsala
Peas and rice
- I ate both lunch and dinner at the cafeteria today. As usual, I just chose what looked most appetizing. I made sure to get a lot of peas, because I know that I don't get as many vegetables as I should on campus.
Snack
Twix bar
- I was in the library doing work for a few hours, so I turned to the vending machine for a late night snack. I did not consider the nutritional value of this.
Egg rolls
Noodles with shrimp
Peas
Mint chocolate chip ice cream
Dinner
Chicken marsala
Peas and rice
- I ate both lunch and dinner at the cafeteria today. As usual, I just chose what looked most appetizing. I made sure to get a lot of peas, because I know that I don't get as many vegetables as I should on campus.
Snack
Twix bar
- I was in the library doing work for a few hours, so I turned to the vending machine for a late night snack. I did not consider the nutritional value of this.
Day 3:
April 8th
Breakfast
Dunkin Donuts sesame seed bagel
- I went to the art museum with a friend this morning, so we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast.
Dinner
Mac and cheese
Green beans
Egg rolls
Pizza
- I took advantage of the buffet in the cafeteria for dinner today. I didn't really think about anything I ate, other than the green beans. I always try to incorporate some sort of vegetable into my meal.
Dessert
Cake
- The cafeteria unfortunately serves dessert every single day. Some days I can't resist, despite how bad I know it is for me.
Snack
Pistacchios
- I try to keep healthy snacks like these in my apartment. I try to buy things that are low in fat and calories.
Dunkin Donuts sesame seed bagel
- I went to the art museum with a friend this morning, so we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast.
Dinner
Mac and cheese
Green beans
Egg rolls
Pizza
- I took advantage of the buffet in the cafeteria for dinner today. I didn't really think about anything I ate, other than the green beans. I always try to incorporate some sort of vegetable into my meal.
Dessert
Cake
- The cafeteria unfortunately serves dessert every single day. Some days I can't resist, despite how bad I know it is for me.
Snack
Pistacchios
- I try to keep healthy snacks like these in my apartment. I try to buy things that are low in fat and calories.
Day 4:
April 9th
Lunch
Pizza and fries
-We ended up going to the caf in between meals, so there wasn't much else being served. Through this experience of keeping a food journal so far I've realized just how unhealthy my diet is here at Rowan. I often skip meals, and I rarely think about the nutritional value of anything I put in my body.
Snack
Doritos and Chex Mix
- Most of my day was spent at a concert called Profstock on campus, so I basically went over six hours without eating. This is what I ended up eating afterwards.
Pizza and fries
-We ended up going to the caf in between meals, so there wasn't much else being served. Through this experience of keeping a food journal so far I've realized just how unhealthy my diet is here at Rowan. I often skip meals, and I rarely think about the nutritional value of anything I put in my body.
Snack
Doritos and Chex Mix
- Most of my day was spent at a concert called Profstock on campus, so I basically went over six hours without eating. This is what I ended up eating afterwards.
Day 5:
April 10th
Lunch
Apple
- I try to keep healthy snacks like fruits in my apartment, so I grabbed one of these before I headed home for the day.
Dinner
Salad
Lasagna
- Finally, a home-cooked meal from home. My mom tries to feed us balanced meals with plenty of vegetables when I go home, especially because she knows all about my terrible diet at school.
Apple
- I try to keep healthy snacks like fruits in my apartment, so I grabbed one of these before I headed home for the day.
Dinner
Salad
Lasagna
- Finally, a home-cooked meal from home. My mom tries to feed us balanced meals with plenty of vegetables when I go home, especially because she knows all about my terrible diet at school.
Day 6:
April 11th
Breakfast
Granola bar
-Observed in an elementary school all morning. I grabbed a healthier snack from my apartment before I left.
Dinner
Tofu Pad Thai
-Sometimes the caf has some good tofu options like this. It’s probably processed and not as healthy as it sounds, but it’s the best I can get. When they do have this, I make sure to get it.
Dessert
Mint chocolate chip ice cream
Granola bar
-Observed in an elementary school all morning. I grabbed a healthier snack from my apartment before I left.
Dinner
Tofu Pad Thai
-Sometimes the caf has some good tofu options like this. It’s probably processed and not as healthy as it sounds, but it’s the best I can get. When they do have this, I make sure to get it.
Dessert
Mint chocolate chip ice cream
Day 7:
April 12th
Breakfast
Frosted Mini Wheats
Fat Free Milk
- When I have time, I like to grab some cereal in my apartment. I try to buy healthier cereals full of fiber, and low in sugar. I also usually buy either 1% or non- fat milk.
Lunch
Fruit Cup
- I went for the healthiest option in between classes in the Ed. Building.
Dinner
Pizza
Mashed Potatoes
Broccoli
- Again, options in the cafeteria were scarce, so I went with some unhealthy options. I made sure to get the broccoli so I would get something nutritional.
Frosted Mini Wheats
Fat Free Milk
- When I have time, I like to grab some cereal in my apartment. I try to buy healthier cereals full of fiber, and low in sugar. I also usually buy either 1% or non- fat milk.
Lunch
Fruit Cup
- I went for the healthiest option in between classes in the Ed. Building.
Dinner
Pizza
Mashed Potatoes
Broccoli
- Again, options in the cafeteria were scarce, so I went with some unhealthy options. I made sure to get the broccoli so I would get something nutritional.
In order to further investigate the lifestyle of an individual with a food intolerance, Liz and I visited both Shoprite and Trader Joe's to see how well each accommodates people with different food intolerances. Liz's field notes can be found here.
Trader Joe's Field Notes
I visited Trader Joe's in Marlton, New Jersey. The following are my observations:
- Clearly labelled signs indicating gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, low sodium, etc.
- All organic items
- Had a wide variety of soy icc cream and non-dairy milks
- Had Earth Balance products- but rather expensive
- Very good prices
I also looked at Trader Joe's website to see how well they accomodate people with food intolerances:
- Listed items that can be found in the store- vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, etc.
- Easy to navigate
- Clearly labelled signs indicating gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, low sodium, etc.
- All organic items
- Had a wide variety of soy icc cream and non-dairy milks
- Had Earth Balance products- but rather expensive
- Very good prices
I also looked at Trader Joe's website to see how well they accomodate people with food intolerances:
- Listed items that can be found in the store- vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, etc.
- Easy to navigate
ShopRite Field Notes
I visited Shoprite in Berlin, New Jersey. The following are my observations:
- No sections labeled as gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, etc.
- Very few organic items
- Only one brand and one flavor of soy ice cream
- No Earth Balance
- No organic beef
- No organic milk
- Did have almond milk
- Staff was not helpful in finding items that were dairy-free
I also investigated Shoprite's website. My findings are below:
- No ingredients of products listed
- Information on food allergies, but no specific products listed for individual needs
