Before I tell you more about this film, let's play a small round of TRUE or FALSE!
1. True or false: It is healthier to eat a bowl of corn flakes than a bowl of pure sugar.
2. True or false: You can maintain or lose weight just by managing the calories you take in vs. the calories you burn
3. True or false: Low fat versions of foods are clearly a better, healthier choice than the original (full fatty) recipe.
If you answered true to all of the above then you really should take the time to watch this film because the correct answer to all of these is false!
Fed Up (released May 9, 2014) has been on my Netflix watch list for some time. I'm so glad I finally made time to watch it. While I'm sure this is not everyone's past time, my husband and I enjoy watching documentaries about food. And we definitely enjoyed this one.
Fed Up chronicles America's food policy and ideology during the last 30 years. It is full of interesting facts, perspective on how the government has shaped our eating habits, and also chronicles the struggles of American's trying to overcome the obesity epidemic. It will definitely be eye-opening for many. It may make you angry as well. It mostly made me sad.
While I have an active interest in wellness and have spent countless hours reading to figure out the healthiest options (and I may still not always be right!), not everyone has that interest and may simply rely on what is passed down from their family or what the current trend is. It saddens me to see so many people not getting the true information they need and a part of it falls on the shoulders of the government. Regulations are good but they can create barriers. Policies are great at promoting ideals and setting change into motion, but not when they are compromised by special interest.
This film devotes time to reviewing some of the policies surrounding the school lunch program. Two points that stayed with me were that 80% of our schools have agreements with either Coca Cola or Pepsi. And second, that pizza and french fries are vegetables. How can we expect our children to make good choices or understand what a healthy diet looks like when this is what they face every day they go to school? As a parent, I find it frustrating!
However, one point the film examines is something that has frustrated me for some time. If I could make a PSA it would be "EAT REAL FOOD PEOPLE!" However, every where you turn there are all these options marketed to you that make it sound like it's a good option, like it will indeed nourish your body or help you lose weight. This goes back to the true or false game above. No, not all calories are created equal. Your body knows exactly what to do with 100 calories of real food. How to process it, how to use it, and how to dispose of it. Your body does not know what to do with 100 calories of processed food. It will most likely just become more fat and I'm pretty sure no one wants that!
To conclude, this is a wonderful film and well worth your time to either change your perspective on eating or to solidify your choice. For more information you can head to the Fed Up website.
And I'll say it one last time, EAT REAL FOOD.
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