The next time you’re holding a package of food, take a look at the nutritional facts. There, you’ll see the usual suspects: calories, fat, and carbohydrates stated in bold, with their individual daily value percentage listed on the right. What often goes unnoticed, yet should be taken seriously, is the sugar component.
Notice how there is no daily value percentage listed next to sugar? No, this is not an oversight, but purposefully left off of ALL food packaging. There is no recommended intake percentage for sugar because that number varies depending on who you ask; Most big food companies are in favor of adding more sugar to foods to appeal to consumer’s tastes, but realize that if people knew how much sugar they were actually eating, they might stop buying those products all together.
The impact of this negligence surrounding the health and nutritional well-being of Americans is very well documented in the film Fed Up, which is sure to leave you second guessing your dietary habits.
For example, Fat-Free sounds like a better alternative, but what Fat-Free often means is double the sugar.
Katie Couric takes on the role of executive producer as well as lends her voice as narrator. She mentions that many years ago during one of her regular scheduled newscasts, she did a story on obesity in America. The perception of “more exercise” to achieve weight loss didn’t sit well with Couric, as there was no emphasis placed on responsible eating habits.
Fed Up aims to stop the misconception that exercise is the only way to achieve weight loss by uncovering the hidden secrets within the food industry, which reveal that “healthy foods” may not be all that “healthy.” For example, Fat-Free sounds like a better alternative, but what Fat-Free really means is double the sugar. Less fat but more sugar doesn’t do us any favors, in fact it’s considered even more detrimental to our health.
In true documentary fashion, we follow three subjects on a personal journey; in this case it’s three children battling obesity. Their social lives are nearly non-existent as they blame their insecurities on their weight. Throughout the film , we not only become invested in the welfare of these children, but learn from nutritional experts their take on why the government, along with the Big Food industry, is not being honest with consumers.
Fed Up‘s motto is simple, “Junk is still junk even if it’s less junky.” This generation is the first generation projected to live shorter lives than their parents. It’s a scary prospect, which is why praise should be given to films like Fed Up for bringing awareness to such a pertinent issue.
As one of the Official Selections of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, Fed Up is one of the better food-related documentaries out there, definitely worth a watch for not just the health conscious, but anyone who wants a better quality of life.
