The obesity epidemic is the result of government policies over the last 30+ years that have put private profits over public health. Very strong lobbying from both agriculture and food industry has influenced policies that have allowed the reality we see today; a nation fueled in large part by junk food. A nation where more than 50% of American schools serve fast food, soda, and other junk foods to our children every day. A nation where 70% of its citizens are overweight or obese, 20% of adolescents, and 17% of children (6-11) are obese. A nation where the fast food industry is a $300 billion per year enterprise and the junk food industry brings in $100 billion per year. The deck has definitely been stacked against healthy eating in the Unites States. This state of affairs has been documented very well in a 2014 American documentary, Fed Up. If you haven’t watched it yet I highly recommend it. I’m not going to sugar-coat it (no pun intended) for you. The film is pretty intense and disheartening, yet it draws attention to a very real issue in our country. Much how the fossil fuel industry has sacrificed the health of our planet for profits, the food industry has sacrificed the health of its people for profits. Once you realize this you will never look at a grocery store in the same way.
Watch The Trailer
Take Home Message
The film re-iterates the strong role sugar and processed food play in our nation’s declining health. As I’ve discussed in other blog posts, the replacement of real food with engineered, processed food is really at the heart of metabolic dysfunction and why people are not successful at maintaining a healthy weight. Until we make the elimination of processed food a priority in our lives, will we ever truly be able to restore our health and our metabolism. As I discussed in my previous documentary review of Cooked, we have to get back to the kitchen and start making real food again. This is the one true way we will start to heal ourselves, our nation, and our planet. (this article was initially published on 11/4/16)
