Researching health benefits

This has been so interesting. I watched a documentary called 'Forks over Knives' which is all about the effects meat has on your body and health, and then what being vegan can do. What I've discovered is that by leading a plant based, whole food diet, you can eliminate the risk of heart disease, reverse diabetes, and reduces risk of certain cancers. How crazy is that?!
There are two scientist in the documentary that have thoroughly studied all of this, and I've been researching their work all week, and trying to add it to the dissertation. Its quite scientific in places, which I find difficult just because of the terms that are used, but on the whole its proving to be really useful and so interesting.


Now what I need to look into, is why these facts aren't obvious? Why doesn't everyone know about it? Ive read a little on this, but I want to know more.

The health and medical side of things is starting to be my favourite part.

Some practical work

Been trying to thing of colour seperations and limiting colour ready for screen print. I was going to screen print this just as a test, but not sure im completely happy with it, so may play around with it a bit more before I go through the whole process. Want to get some recycled paper to print onto, so that it has that rustic and organic aesthetic. 

Ive also been using off cuts of mono prints, cutting them out to make vegetables. I actually really like this effect, and could consider using mono print instead of screen, to achieve the hand made textures, and then make the book digitally? As long as im in the print room for a large amount of this, I'll be happy. 

Cop practical workshop

This session was so good. Really good way to get you thinking, and I've arrived at a pretty solid idea fro it. I would like to produce a vegetarian cook book, thats screen printed (probably) and bound. I went to a book binding workshop the other day, just so that I know what I'm doing when it comes round.

I still want to do infographs and perhaps have these on the end pages of the book or something, so that it informs and educates as well. I would also like to propose a few other things, like grow your own start up packs for schools. I think its something that should be taught at an early age. Growing your own food is a really useful life skill.

The points that were made on my sheet are really useful observations and things that I will need to consider, like size, audience, whether it could be digital etc.

Individual Tutorial

Its easy to get caught up in research, and get lost down many avenues of what and if. But the tutorial I had yesterday really got me focused again.
I think I was over complicating things for myself after the last point of contact.
So, in its simplest form, the question that I aim to answer explore is... Vegetarianism is a good thing- why?!
Within this I am able to cover the topics that I have been exploring- the benefits this would have on the environment, health and medical benefits, the benefits of an organic lifestyle/farming.

My introduction could include my reasoning for not taking my dissertation down the animal rights route, and explain why I think my approach is better, whilst using quotes to back this up, and my methodologies. I must defend my reasoning with passion in the introduction.

I think I could start writing parts of Chapter 2 (Contexts and Themes) because I already have lots of facts and statistics, and a fair amount of knowledge on the topic.
Need to figure out how I would structure this. So thats my next task.

To do-

-Figure out the structure of Chapter 2
-Get some paragraphs for each section written down
-Gather a fair amount of solid quotes to use

For Chapter 3 (Case studies of practice)

Fred had some really good suggestions for this section, and now I'm super excited about it, thats why my previous blog post got straight into it.
I have some options to consider.

-Firstly I could look at vegetarian/organic food packaging and promotion. How other foods have tried to make their food take on the aesthetic of something organic or natural.

- Another option could be to look at animal rights campaigns vs organic promotion, and look at which one of these methods of persuasion works best in achieving its goal (stopping people from eating meat)

I like both of these ideas, so need to have a look at what would be best. Maybe I could explore both, should check and see if this could be an option.

Case study options

After tutorial today I've been looking at the power behind food packaging and how this can relate to organic selling, and what I've found is so interesting...

http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/natural-fantasy

 Tess Wicksteed, a ‘brand strategist’ at design agency Pearlfisher says: ‘The role of food packaging is to make the food look real and fresh.’ But the essential dilemma is that a food product that requires packaging is at odds with the very idea of freshness. Wicksteed continues: ‘Organic food was able to command this incredible price point, and all the mass-market brands got very jealous. They realised people wanted to feel connected to their food. So [they said to themselves] “how can we pretend to be organic, or take some of the organic cues?” And that’s when companies started using words like “real” and “honest”.’ [1]

Image and colour
Illustration plays a significant role in packaging design because the places that are pictured may not exist to be photographed. Certain types of architecture feature prominently, such as a red barn on a dairy product, or a château on a wine label, and these sell a sense of place, whether real or imagined. Designers will also opt for faux woodcarving, etching or letterpress styles to add a double layer of tradition and nostalgia.

Heinz Tomato Ketchup had its first significant packaging redesign in 65 years.

Ray Armes, who undertook the Heinz Tomato Ketchup redesign while working at London-based branding firm Vibrant, says, ‘The whole reason we had to do a redesign in the United Kingdom was that ketchup was one of the foods that was highlighted that had too much sugar and salt for kids, so mothers started to move away from the product.’ To detract from the negative publicity, Armes spearheaded a new brand strategy for Heinz in the UK that tried ‘to eliminate the negatives and highlight the positives,’ as well as ‘eliminate the perception of too much sugar and salt’.

In 2008, Vibrant began an in-depth research project and discovered that Heinz grew its own tomatoes. This became the story that gave rise to the new slogan ‘Grown not made’. The new label design introduced the image of a tomato on the vine and the word ‘tomato’ was enlarged for emphasis. The thin green outline was also changed to a more natural-looking green. ‘We’re great believers in semiotics,’ says Armes. ‘If you’ve got an artificial green, the consumer’s mind will tell them it’s an artificial product.’[4This new nostalgia, however, has a thoroughly modern cast. We still want our food to be convenient, even if it is wrapped in something that harks back to simpler times. For many people, the shopping experience is increasingly perplexing and emotional, with a conflict between health concerns and a desire for the speed and ease that processed food provides. Food packaging helps alleviate some of this tension by equating the processed product with its fresh counterpart through images of nature, thereby making the two feel less distant from each other. Siobhan Lonergan, senior vice-president of Design Intelligence at Sterling Brands, puts it simply, saying that packaging design is ‘all about making people feel better about their choices’.[10]

The words used on the packaging are also significant. Naming conventions such as ‘Farm’, ‘Market’ and ‘Valley’ are becoming increasingly common, as new products launch, or existing products reintroduce the terms. The supermarket chain Marks & Spencer [M&S] took this idea one step further with the creation of their ‘Lochmuir’ salmon in 2006. There is no such place – Lochmuir is simply the name that has the ‘most Scottish resonance’, according to M&S fish expert Andrew Mallinson.

This new nostalgia, however, has a thoroughly modern cast. We still want our food to be convenient, even if it is wrapped in something that harks back to simpler times. For many people, the shopping experience is increasingly perplexing and emotional, with a conflict between health concerns and a desire for the speed and ease that processed food provides. Food packaging helps alleviate some of this tension by equating the processed product with its fresh counterpart through images of nature, thereby making the two feel less distant from each other. Siobhan Lonergan, senior vice-president of Design Intelligence at Sterling Brands, puts it simply, saying that packaging design is ‘all about making people feel better about their choices’.[10]

Methodologies and Critical Analysis

What is my methodology?

How can I improve it?

How can i evidence and document it?

Everything has a method, system or structure. 

Methodology is a structured way of organising a research project and gathering necessary information. 

Reflect on methods of research available and select the best. Then go on to explain why this method of research is the best for what you are trying to achieve. 

For example, a certain book by a certain author will be far more beneficial to my research than a questionnaire. (That kind of thing)

However I must be able to defend my approach/argument. 

Why will certain methodologies limit me? Can only gain so much information from a book, would gain more knowledge on a first hand basis..

Outline methodologies in the intro of dissertation and seriously defend it.

My dissertation should then have a coherent argument that runs throughout.

More quotes

"Climate scientists agree;climate change is happening here and now. Based on well-established evidence, about 97 percent of climate scientists have concluded that human-caused climate change is happening."

- Report by the America Association for the Advancement of Science 2014
Could be a good way to start the dissertation?

"...transforming the economy away from fossil fuels is not about confronting the rich and powerful but simply about reaching them with sufficiently persuasive facts and figures and appealing to their sense of humanity."

-Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything page 233.
Could be a really good quote to use when describing my work? (synthesis) If I work on some info graphs etc.

10 quotes that sum up what I'm trying to say...

1. Taken from Cowspiracy page 238
Talking about the benefits of growing vegetables without animal manure.

"Manure dissipates into the environment very quickly, it gets broken down. Whereas plants, and the fruits in the ground , will gradually decay and become carbon."


2. Cowspiracy page 241

"All the benefits that come from the vegetarian lifestyle, from the environmental to the health benefits, [will] build on each other to the point where this animal agriculture industry becomes part of history."


3. Cowspiracy (page 245)
Water consumption.

"The human population drinking 5.2 billion gallons of water every day and eats 21 billion pounds of food. But just the world's 1.5 billion cows alone drink 45 billion gallons of water every day and eat 135 billion pounds of food."


4. Cowspiracy (Page 244)

"We have roughly a billion people starving every single day. Worldwide, 50 percent of the grain and legumes that we're growing, we're feeding to animals."


5. The Mcdonalization of Society (Page 215)

" Alternatives to rationalised settings exist in businesses and other social institutions. For example, food co-ops specialising in vegetarian and health foods offer an alternative to the supermarket."

6. Fast Food Nation (page 195)
On the subject of food poising from meat

"The nations industrialised and centralised system of food processing has created a whole new sort of outbreak, one that can potentially sicken millions of people."


7. Fast Food Nation (page 207)
The standards in slaughterhouses a few years ago.

"At SIS-C slaughterhouses, visibly diseased animals- cattle infected with measles and tapeworms, covered with abscesses- were being slaughtered."


8. Fast Food Nation (page121)

"About 90 percent of the money that Americans spend on food is used to buy processed food."


9. https://www.ota.com/organic-101/how-organic-food-processed

"Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients or synthetic preservatives to maintain the integrity of the product that began with practices on the farm. For example, the use of GMOs is prohibited during the production and processing of certified organic products. A rigorous certification process, including periodic testing, is required. Also, irradiation is prohibited in organic processing."


10. https://authoritynutrition.com/9-ways-that-processed-foods-are-killing-people/
Why processed foods are bad.

“...artificial flavor” is a proprietary blend. Manufacturers don’t have to disclose exactly what it means and it is usually a combination of chemicals.

Notes after presentation (Practical)

Had a brainstorm after the presentation, while everything was fresh. Had a good think about the practical side of things, because I think its probably a good idea to step away from the campaign idea that I've had for a while.
There's still a potential to make something campaign based, and perhaps use it as research, but for now i want to concentrate on a vegetarian cook book. So healthy recipes that are screen printed into a beautiful book is the idea.
Info graphs are also a great idea, because it will educate and inform people on my subject, without being too pushy about it. These could be small and enclosed in the book?

Practically I want to achieve-

- Great screen prints
- Something that will educate
- Some lovely textures

At the moment I want my audience to be young adults, because they are able to make valid opinions and choices themselves, and because they are the people of the future.

Practical Proposal

This is pretty vague at the moment but I think Im starting to get a little more focused idea on what I want to produce after the presentation the other day, so this is bound to change very soon.

Taking away from presentation

I found the presentation and feedback really useful today, because its given me more things to consider that I wasn't even thinking about previously.

Moving forward-

- I need to consider the purpose and function of the practical work. What do i want it to do?
- I need to consider my audience. And also how best to inform that particular audience.

- I should avoid the morality of eating animals, because getting into morals is difficult because its an individual opinion. It would be a dissertation on my opinions which could get messy.
 ( Ethics are the socially constructed norms in society)
I still want to read up on this because it will drive my practice forward, but I wont include it.

-I need to have a more focused argument. What am I trying to say? So the overall theme is the effects of animal agriculture on global warming but what is my argument.
I think the organic route is best because I've done some research on it already, and know quite a bit about it.

- Questions

-Why is organic better than processed?
- Why has there been a recent shift away from mass-produced goods, and more towards the authentic, independent and organic?

Need to-

Find 10 quotes that support what im trying to say. (Naomi Klein should be good here)
Think about practical outcomes and what I want these to say.
Get some work on an organic farm or at least an interview with organic growers.

Cop Presentation

Before the Flood

Cannot wait to see this. So great to see someone so famous getting involved and being so highly active in making people aware of climate change. Think he will be a good guy to reference within the dissertation.

Fresh the movie

Went down to Duke Studios on Friday to watch a movie called 'fresh' because I thought it would be really useful for dissertation research. Which it was. 

It was also a really great opportunity to network with other like minded thinkers on the subject of food and animal agriculture. 

Managed to chat to the organiser after the film and he has recently emailed me all of the short movies we watched prior to the film and a bunch of it will be really great to reference within my dissertation, or at least to build some practical work from. Leeds is really getting on the vegetarian band wagon at the moment, with the veg out events that are happening all over. I think I will be going to see another film thats being viewed at Duke studios in November, all about urban gardens which should also be useful. 

Trying to gather information in as many ways as possible at the moment, as I don't want it all to come from a book. The more people I meet the more I learn.