Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5
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- All Subjects: Nutrition
- Creators: Department of English
Description
In the last five decades, the prevalence of chemicals added to food to enhance its color, texture, flavor, and freshness has increased. These chemicals, known as food additives, are synthetically derived or chemically altered substances that are added to food during processing to achieve a specialized effect. Additives are regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and while many are “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS), some emerging research suggests that their safety rulings need to be reexamined.
Considering food additives in one’s diet is of the utmost importance for health, though it can be problematic for those with limited knowledge of additives or nutrition. Common opinion is that good nutrition involves only what is or is not being consumed—calories, fat, etc. But the realm of nutrition depends on quality of food—whole, minimally processed food that subsequently lacks additives—as much as it does the composition of food.
This paper reviews eight of the most common and often problematic food additives in America: high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sodium nitrate/ sodium nitrite, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (trans fat), monosodium glutamate (MSG), benzoate preservatives (BHA and BHT), potassium bromate, and caramel coloring. It is important to note that this list is far from comprehensive; these additives receive much attention in America making them some of the most talked about and most easily recognized additives.
This paper aims to present sound depictions of existing research that most often refutes the validity of the “generally recognized as safe” claim currently standing for these food additives, providing consumers with reliable information with which they can make educated decisions when purchasing food and eating healthfully.
Considering food additives in one’s diet is of the utmost importance for health, though it can be problematic for those with limited knowledge of additives or nutrition. Common opinion is that good nutrition involves only what is or is not being consumed—calories, fat, etc. But the realm of nutrition depends on quality of food—whole, minimally processed food that subsequently lacks additives—as much as it does the composition of food.
This paper reviews eight of the most common and often problematic food additives in America: high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sodium nitrate/ sodium nitrite, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (trans fat), monosodium glutamate (MSG), benzoate preservatives (BHA and BHT), potassium bromate, and caramel coloring. It is important to note that this list is far from comprehensive; these additives receive much attention in America making them some of the most talked about and most easily recognized additives.
This paper aims to present sound depictions of existing research that most often refutes the validity of the “generally recognized as safe” claim currently standing for these food additives, providing consumers with reliable information with which they can make educated decisions when purchasing food and eating healthfully.
ContributorsJones, Haley Brooke (Author) / Larsen, Dale (Thesis director) / Wharton, Christopher (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
In my creative project, I decided to shadow a naturopathic doctor to experience what the process of naturopathic treatment entails. I conducted interviews with patients and Dr. Raisanen to explore their backgrounds and motivations, and read studies he recommended that explained some of the science behind his methods of treatment, such as fasting, dietary adjustment (a plant based diet), sodium and saturated/trans fats reduction, caffeine reduction, exercise, stress modulation, supplements, and sleep adjustments. I wrote small expositional summaries on these studies. I also took measurements recorded by Dr. Raisanen through the course of treatments with different patients to produce visuals of changes in body composition. I finally produced a small handout with Dr. Raisanen's help that summarized on a page the basics of lifestyle changes that a naturopathic doctor would want a patient to undertake.
ContributorsSkoog, David Alexander (Author) / Alexon, Christy (Thesis director) / Raisanen, Peter (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
This creative project seeks to demonstrate the nutritional and financial benefits of cooking in versus eating out to college age students. We sought to determine what factors significantly differentiated restaurant meals versus home-cooked versions, and how we could share this information with our peers to potentially influence them to make a healthy lifestyle change. The first step was to determine the factors that influence college-aged students eating habits, and was presented with a review of relevant literature in several topics. We researched food literacy in young adults, the impact of fast food, social media's role in healthy eating habits, health behavior change in young adults, and the benefits of home cooking to obtain a general baseline of the knowledge of college-aged students. The initial research was utilized to write more effective blog posts that appropriately addressed our targeted demographic and to determine what platforms would be most appropriate to convey our information. These ideas were taken and then translated into a blog and Instagram account that contained healthy, copycat recipes of popular restaurant meals. We wrote 30 blog posts which were made up of 20 original recipes, 8 nutrition informational posts, and an introduction/conclusion. Finally, a focus group was hosted to ascertain the opinions of our peers, and to determine if they would be willing to make a lifestyle change in the form of cooking more frequently as opposed to eating out regularly. We provided them with a pre and post survey to gather their opinions before and after reviewing the findings of our research and project. We concluded that if given the information in an accessible way, college students are willing to eat in, not out.
ContributorsKirch, Jayme Elizabeth (Co-author) / Sanford, Victoria (Co-author) / Lehmann, Jessica (Thesis director) / Martinelli, Sarah (Committee member) / Levinson, Simin (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The broke, hungry college student living off packaged noodles and cans of beans—it is the stereotype known across the country, and unfortunately for students it is all too accurate. According to current research, nearly half of all college students across America are considered food insecure, meaning they have trouble acquiring healthy and filling food at some point during the year. Furthermore, problems with food access are often connected to other common issues students face including accessing affordable housing and employment opportunities. Food insecure students face educational consequences as well, including the inability to supply required course materials and even leaving their studies. Simultaneously, at Arizona State students lose thousands of dollars per year in unused meal plan funds, either in the form of meal swipes or Maroon & Gold dollars, and there is interest among students to utilize the funds to support their peers. This thesis explores existing organizations attempting to address student food insecurity both on campus and across the country, analyzing their limitations and benefits. It then proposes a new program, ASU Eats, which would allow students with excess meal plan funds to donate them to their food insecure peers through the creation of a central fund bank. It also discusses potential concerns from the University’s administration and the student body along with the structure this program would need to serve ASU’s continually growing campuses. This thesis concludes by stressing the importance of long-term food security, which ASU Eats would strive to achieve for all students who use the program.
ContributorsBottino, Erin Elizabeth (Author) / Goggin, Maureen (Thesis director) / Goggin, Peter (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The objective of this creative project was to gain experience in digital modeling, animation, coding, shader development and implementation, model integration techniques, and application of gaming principles and design through developing a professional educational game. The team collaborated with Glendale Community College (GCC) to produce an interactive product intended to supplement educational instructions regarding nutrition. The educational game developed, "Nutribots" features the player acting as a nutrition based nanobot sent to the small intestine to help the body. Throughout the game the player will be asked nutrition based questions to test their knowledge of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. If the player is unable to answer the question, they must use game mechanics to progress and receive the information as a reward. The level is completed as soon as the question is answered correctly. If the player answers the questions incorrectly twenty times within the entirety of the game, the team loses faith in the player, and the player must reset from title screen. This is to limit guessing and to make sure the player retains the information through repetition once it is demonstrated that they do not know the answers. The team was split into two different groups for the development of this game. The first part of the team developed models, animations, and textures using Autodesk Maya 2016 and Marvelous Designer. The second part of the team developed code and shaders, and implemented products from the first team using Unity and Visual Studio. Once a prototype of the game was developed, it was show-cased amongst peers to gain feedback. Upon receiving feedback, the team implemented the desired changes accordingly. Development for this project began on November 2015 and ended on April 2017. Special thanks to Laura Avila Department Chair and Jennifer Nolz from Glendale Community College Technology and Consumer Sciences, Food and Nutrition Department.
ContributorsNolz, Daisy (Co-author) / Martin, Austin (Co-author) / Quinio, Santiago (Co-author) / Armstrong, Jessica (Co-author) / Kobayashi, Yoshihiro (Thesis director) / Valderrama, Jamie (Committee member) / School of Arts, Media and Engineering (Contributor) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Computing and Informatics Program (Contributor) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05