Dr. Charlie Apter demonstrates how to make cider as part of his new course: "Eating With Eyes Wide Open."
Image Credit: Charlie Apter
Where does your food come from? What is really in it? How does its consumption affect your health and the well-being of society? These are the questions that Dr. Charlie Apter asks in the university’s new I-series course, “Eating with Eyes Wide Open,” that he offered for the first time in the fall 2013 semester.
The course, being offered through the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, has two major themes: “The first is that there are future health effects of the decisions that students make about what they eat,” Apter says. “The second is that our food-purchasing decisions will strengthen the industrialized agriculture program that we have today or it will advance a system that has more sustainable approaches.” Apter adds that he hopes students will recognize there are benefits to seeking out sustainably produced foods.
The course is interactive and allows students to help make food and lead them to a greater understanding of our food supply. Last fall, the class made bread, yogurt, dehydrated apples, pickles and tofu among other foods. Apter collaborated with dining services to teach students about the university’s green dining initiatives. During one class session, they toured the 251 North diner and made three types of lasagna during the visit.
Throughout the semester, Apter’s students were expected to take on food challenges, such as a “sugar fast” during which students eliminated foods with added sugar, honey and artificial sweeteners from their diets for 48 hours. Students recorded their insights from these challenges in journal entries.
"The way our diets are, we don’t pay attention to the amount of sugars and fats we are consuming,” sophomore Ruslana Milikhiker says. “I realized after the sugar fast that I need to cut down on my sugar intake and eat healthier if I want to be healthy in the long-run."
Apter plans to offer the course both this spring semester and in the summer 2014 sessions. The course number is ANSC227, and it is open to students from all majors. “Not all students are agriculture or animal science majors, so for me, the most fun part of the class was meeting and getting to know the students,” he says.
Dr. Apter says he received positive feedback from his students, but he still plans to continue improving the course and students’ experiences this semester.
“I am so happy I took this class and I am excited to see where it will go in the future,” sophomore Grace Davis says. “I learned so much and it has helped me to find something I'm very passionate about.”
