I have to admit that I enjoy watching documentaries. They are a wonderful way to learn about things you might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn about. I also find them very “eye opening”.
Many times when I watch a documentary I end up with strong feelings – angry, sad, scared or happy. Especially after watching ones that expose what goes on “behind the scenes” that many people don’t know about or are blissfully unaware of.
I recently had the opportunity to screen the documentary Fed Up. It will be shown in select theaters and on VOD (Video on Demand) TODAY (May 9, 2014).
For the past 30 years, everything we thought we knew about food and exercise is dead wrong. FED UP is the film the food industry doesn’t want you to see. From Katie Couric, Laurie David (Oscar winning producer of An Inconvenient Truth) and director Stephanie Soechtig, FED UP will change the way you eat forever.
Wow. Simply WOW! I learned A LOT from watching this film.
While it is important to eat healthy and exercise it is NOT the #1 thing you should be taking into consideration – it’s sugar.
The number of Type II Diabetes has skyrocketed over the past 30 years. More and more children are developing this diasese than every before. Type II Diabetes was mostly seen as something that effects adults. These days it’s almost effecting more children then adults.
Today’s generation could possibly live SHORTER lives than their parents.
Why is this happening? One word – sugar.
Today people around the world consume sugar more than ever before. It’s in almost everything we eat and drink (except all-natural products) and it comes in various forms.
Even foods that are supposedly “better for you” like low-fat products are actually WORSE then their regular counter parts. In order to make low fat or reduced fat products taste better they add sugar. So you might be saving a few grams of fat here and there you are actually consuming MORE sugar than your body can deal with.
When your body is fed to much sugar your liver has to work overtime to process it. The easiest thing for it to do is turn it into fat. If you eat so much sugar your pancreas has to release insulin to help deal with it. Insulin also turns the sugar into fat.
There are approximately 4.2 grams in every teaspoon of sugar. The World Health Organization recommends no more than 6-8 teaspoons of sugar per day (24-32 grams per day maximum). I believe the film said that is equal to 5% of your daily totals. Due to politics and government bullies that was changed to allowing you to have 25% of your daily dietary intake as being sugar. That is a HUGE difference.
Go to your pantry right now and grab any food product (soup, cereal, cookies…) and look at the nutrition facts. You’ll notice that there are NO PERCENTAGES listed next to sugar like there are other things (fat, cholesterol…). That is because the big companies and government people who regulate this kind of stuff DOESN’T want you to know the real percentage of sugar you are ingesting when you eat those products.
In the film they showed a typical diet for one day (pancakes, orange juice, PB&J sandwich, spaghetti with sauce…). The meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) were things that most people might eat during the day. The sugar came to well over 40+ teaspoons! Not the 6-8 that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends. It’s no wonder their is an obesity and diabetes epidemic, not only in this country but around the world.
Processed foods (those with the most sugars) are cheap so people purchase them over healthy, natural foods. School budgets have been cut so much that all they can afford is junk foods to serve students. Some schools even rely on meals from Taco Bell and other fast food places to serve lunch to kids. What kid is going to pass up on a slice of Pappa John’s pizza and opt for a garden salad with grilled chicken instead?
When I was in school the lunch people made the meals. Now they serve processed, pre-made, frozen meals. Yuck! I’m grateful my kids bring lunch.
The documentary highlights several teenagers with weight issues. They are doing the right thing (eating low fat foods, excercising…) but remain overweight. That is because those “reduced fat” foods and the foods they are served at school are loaded with sugars.
Even Michelle Obamas “Get Moving” campaign was discussed in the film and how she emphasizes moving over eating healthy. That is because she cannot risk ticking off the powerful food companies by emphasizing that kids need to eat natural foods and not processed foods.
I also learned from the documentary that you shouldn’t eat foods with more than five ingredients because it’s not healthy for you. I took that to heart and recently looked at the label on some chicken that I served my son for lunch one day. The chicken had only four ingredients – which I was thrilled about – BUT – the bread crumbs (coating) had about 20+ ingredients. And it was just bread crumbs! UGH!!!!
Now when I shop for foods I am cautious of the label. I read the grams of sugar and take them to heart. I am also looking to replace foods we normally buy with those that are made with less ingredietns, are more natural and contain less sugar.
If you would like to learn more look for Fed Up at a theater near you or on Video on Demand services. You can also visit www.FedUpMovie.com. The film can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Here is the film’s trailer.
Kimberly
*I viewed an online screener in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
Maralea says
This looks like a very informative movie. I didn’t realize eating foods with more than 5 ingredients is bad for you. Lots of great facts!
Margie says
Interesting. It’s amazing how much sugar you can consume. I noticed that most breakfast foods now specify the grams of sugar in a serving.
shaunie says
I would love to see this movie. this would get America to think about the way we eat