Fed Up Documentary

tsawrie
tsawrie Posts: 34 Member
edited November 18 in Food and Nutrition
Has anyone seen the documentary "Fed Up" that discusses the impact of sugar on American's obesity issues?

If so, what are your thoughts?
«13

Replies

  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
    I watched it, and thought it was ok. I think issues are going to arise with their claim that weight loss isn't a simple function of calories in vs calories out.
  • Unknown
    edited May 2015
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  • LINIA
    LINIA Posts: 1,159 Member
    edited May 2015
    On this website, if there is no acceptable proof, the person who posts get a lot of criticism ..however i'm pulling up my big girl pants to say "sugar should be consumed very sparingly ". Limit fruit to 2 or 3 servings per day--Diabetics and prediabetics probably have different requirements.
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member

    Thanks! Loved the article!

  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member

    Thanks for the link!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    There are about 100 threads on this.

    I don't care that you started a new one, but if you want opinions they are easily available.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    I feel like I've read enough on MFP about it that I don't need to watch it. I actually had it saved for later, but I can probably delete that now.

    All I know is I eat plenty of "evil" foods and am losing weight just fine and don't get insane sugar cravings that cause me to lose self-control.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    There's not an obesity problem because there's sugar in tomato sauce.

    Any attempt to explain a complex, multi-faceted problem with a single, simplistic answer is inherently flawed.

    Based on that reasoning alone, I don't even need to watch it to know that it's not worth my time to watch.
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  • Unknown
    edited May 2015
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  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    I had a real problem with the "science" of it....they said in the 80s they took the fat out of food to lower the calories (low fat diet craze) and as a result they pumped in the sugar....I remember seeing labels "half the fat lower calories!!!!"

    How is this possible? Ok according to Fed Up they skimmed the fat and pumped in the sugar.....wouldnt that caused the calorie content to sky rocket????

    I dont understand the science??

    I buy low fat yogurts and salad dressing specifically to SAVE calories not to avaoid fats???? And I find they are lower in sugar??

    Alot of the science in the documentary is off and I find it is Anti-sugar propagandist looking to blame big industry for obesity.

    Probably sponsored by insurance companies or something who knows?!

    1g fat = 9 calories
    1g carb = 4 calories

    Remove 10g of fat, replace it with 20g of carb, you're still 10 calories lower than where you started. All they have to do is remove 2 or 3 calories, and they can advertise it as "lower calories with less fat"

    The documentary is a joke, but then, Couric should be a clue from the start. It takes a little bit of real science, leaves out 90% of what matters, and expands 10% of it into being the entire problem. Added bonus, it gives parents a free pass for being too lazy to use the word "no." The world already had enough ignorant people who don't know that sugar and carbs are essentially the same thing. It didn't need a Michael Moore-esque documentary to create more of them.
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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited May 2015
    shell1005 wrote: »
    Whenever I watch a documentary like that....I look for what their bias is and where it is evident. I also usually have google open while watching so I can google the "stats" they are giving and check what it really says and where it came from.

    While I don't like that a lot of food is so much more processed than it used to be and sugar is added to things that I think it has no business being in...I don't think it's the cause of obesity. Just like parents sending cupcakes in to school on their birthday doesn't cause childhood obesity.

    If I got anything from that documentary...it is a reminder to always look at the list of ingredients before even considering putting it in your cart. However, I knew that before I plunked down to watch this.

    Nice post. Although (just because it's a pet peeve) I find the tomato sauce example particularly odd since, although I don't add it myself and never have, it's a pretty traditional ingredient to add to cut the acidity. What bothers me most about that one is just how misleading the numbers are, though--my own homemade sugarless sauce has, well, 7 grams of sugar per serving, because of the tomatoes and veggies.

    I'm actually going to force myself to watch it just because it comes up so incessantly. But first I started Forks Over Knives which so far is exactly what I expected (and I can't help but argue along while watching it which annoys everyone so my choice to watch it alone was the right one!), ;-)
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    shell1005 wrote: »
    Whenever I watch a documentary like that....I look for what their bias is and where it is evident. I also usually have google open while watching so I can google the "stats" they are giving and check what it really says and where it came from.

    While I don't like that a lot of food is so much more processed than it used to be and sugar is added to things that I think it has no business being in...I don't think it's the cause of obesity. Just like parents sending cupcakes in to school on their birthday doesn't cause childhood obesity.

    If I got anything from that documentary...it is a reminder to always look at the list of ingredients before even considering putting it in your cart. However, I knew that before I plunked down to watch this.

    Nice post. Although (just because it's a pet peeve) I find the tomato sauce example particularly odd since, although I don't add it myself and never have, it's a pretty traditional ingredient to add to cut the acidity. What bothers me most about that one is just how misleading the numbers are, though--my own homemade sugarless sauce has, well, 7 grams of sugar per serving, because of the tomatoes and veggies.

    I'm actually going to force myself to watch it just because it comes up so incessantly. But first I started Forks Over Knives which so far is exactly what I expected (and I can't help but argue along while watching it which annoys everyone so my choice to watch it alone was the right one!), ;-)

    Bread would've been a better one, really. Commercial bakeries in the US use sugar to speed up the proofing process, which is why anyone who visits the US from Europe gags when they try regular sandwich bread here.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    JPW1990 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    shell1005 wrote: »
    Whenever I watch a documentary like that....I look for what their bias is and where it is evident. I also usually have google open while watching so I can google the "stats" they are giving and check what it really says and where it came from.

    While I don't like that a lot of food is so much more processed than it used to be and sugar is added to things that I think it has no business being in...I don't think it's the cause of obesity. Just like parents sending cupcakes in to school on their birthday doesn't cause childhood obesity.

    If I got anything from that documentary...it is a reminder to always look at the list of ingredients before even considering putting it in your cart. However, I knew that before I plunked down to watch this.

    Nice post. Although (just because it's a pet peeve) I find the tomato sauce example particularly odd since, although I don't add it myself and never have, it's a pretty traditional ingredient to add to cut the acidity. What bothers me most about that one is just how misleading the numbers are, though--my own homemade sugarless sauce has, well, 7 grams of sugar per serving, because of the tomatoes and veggies.

    I'm actually going to force myself to watch it just because it comes up so incessantly. But first I started Forks Over Knives which so far is exactly what I expected (and I can't help but argue along while watching it which annoys everyone so my choice to watch it alone was the right one!), ;-)

    Bread would've been a better one, really. Commercial bakeries in the US use sugar to speed up the proofing process, which is why anyone who visits the US from Europe gags when they try regular sandwich bread here.

    Yeah. It's funny because I like sweet things, but I hate extra sweetness in things not supposed to be sweet (including, in my mind, coffee and tea) and one of the things that drove my mom crazy when I was a kid is that I wouldn't eat what I called "sliced bread" (basically bread from the grocery store vs. like what my grandmother would bake) and I hated cold cereal (which was typically sugary, of course).

    I wonder if it's because in my mind those things weren't supposed to taste sweet and did. (I also dislike ketchup and sweetish salad dressings and anything honey mustard.)

    Anyway, despite my personal preferences, I don't believe that obesity in the US has a thing to do with ketchup or the bit of sugar in our bread, etc.
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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    Some good points, but overall it's biased towards an agenda.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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  • Saryia
    Saryia Posts: 38 Member
    I think the documentary is great. It's oversimplistic, but considering how rates of type II diabetes are skyrocketing in the United States, it is not a stretch to say most Americans are eating too much sugar.

    Overall, our eating habits have changed significantly as a nation over time, sugar is just one part of that. More processed food, larger portion sizes, fewer home-cooked meals etc...it all makes a difference.

    I am on the keto diet and for the first time in my life, my skin is clear and I'm losing weight easily. Before I started keto, I was eating healthfully (no processed food), but not as low carb/sugar as I am now. Since my entire family is prone towards type II diabetes, I'm happy with the changes the diet has made to my energy levels, complexion, inflammation levels, and blood sugar.

    Anecdotal evidence is not very good evidence, but in my opinion Fed Up is a very good documentary and the advice in it is decent. You can read for yourself what other nutritional factors affect health, the documentary is not supposed to be your be-all and end-all information source in regards to nutrition.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    JPW1990 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    shell1005 wrote: »
    Whenever I watch a documentary like that....I look for what their bias is and where it is evident. I also usually have google open while watching so I can google the "stats" they are giving and check what it really says and where it came from.

    While I don't like that a lot of food is so much more processed than it used to be and sugar is added to things that I think it has no business being in...I don't think it's the cause of obesity. Just like parents sending cupcakes in to school on their birthday doesn't cause childhood obesity.

    If I got anything from that documentary...it is a reminder to always look at the list of ingredients before even considering putting it in your cart. However, I knew that before I plunked down to watch this.

    Nice post. Although (just because it's a pet peeve) I find the tomato sauce example particularly odd since, although I don't add it myself and never have, it's a pretty traditional ingredient to add to cut the acidity. What bothers me most about that one is just how misleading the numbers are, though--my own homemade sugarless sauce has, well, 7 grams of sugar per serving, because of the tomatoes and veggies.

    I'm actually going to force myself to watch it just because it comes up so incessantly. But first I started Forks Over Knives which so far is exactly what I expected (and I can't help but argue along while watching it which annoys everyone so my choice to watch it alone was the right one!), ;-)

    Bread would've been a better one, really. Commercial bakeries in the US use sugar to speed up the proofing process, which is why anyone who visits the US from Europe gags when they try regular sandwich bread here.

    Yeah. It's funny because I like sweet things, but I hate extra sweetness in things not supposed to be sweet (including, in my mind, coffee and tea) and one of the things that drove my mom crazy when I was a kid is that I wouldn't eat what I called "sliced bread" (basically bread from the grocery store vs. like what my grandmother would bake) and I hated cold cereal (which was typically sugary, of course).

    I wonder if it's because in my mind those things weren't supposed to taste sweet and did. (I also dislike ketchup and sweetish salad dressings and anything honey mustard.)

    Anyway, despite my personal preferences, I don't believe that obesity in the US has a thing to do with ketchup or the bit of sugar in our bread, etc.

    On the other hand, the bread example is super weird to me because my grandma made our bread from scratch and it was REALLY sweet. Now we usually make baguettes if we're making bread, which are more salty, but that's my earliest memory of homemade bread. So people thinking it's weird for bread to have sugar in it is kinda bizarre to me.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    Saryia wrote: »
    I think the documentary is great. It's oversimplistic, but considering how rates of type II diabetes are skyrocketing in the United States, it is not a stretch to say most Americans are eating too much sugar.

    Overall, our eating habits have changed significantly as a nation over time, sugar is just one part of that. More processed food, larger portion sizes, fewer home-cooked meals etc...it all makes a difference.

    I am on the keto diet and for the first time in my life, my skin is clear and I'm losing weight easily
    . Before I started keto, I was eating healthfully (no processed food), but not as low carb/sugar as I am now. Since my entire family is prone towards type II diabetes, I'm happy with the changes the diet has made to my energy levels, complexion, inflammation levels, and blood sugar.

    Anecdotal evidence is not very good evidence, but in my opinion Fed Up is a very good documentary and the advice in it is decent. You can read for yourself what other nutritional factors affect health, the documentary is not supposed to be your be-all and end-all information source in regards to nutrition.

    Thing is, I used to actually be a pre-diabetic (have lost relatives to complications from T2 as well), and I got my glucose number back down into the normal range, where it's stayed for over two years now, while still eating sugar, processed foods, higher carb foods etc. The only thing I changed during my active weight loss phase was that I started eating at a weekly calorie deficit. Losing the poundage made me healthier, not restricting certain foods.

    For what it's worth-here's my blood work, done earlier this month. My woe includes fast food several times a week, processed/boxed foods, sugary foods, high carb foods, candy chips etc. As well as other things like veggies, whole grains, fish etc, which I also enjoy.

    Current Stats:
    -maintenance range: 120lbs-125lbs
    -bmi range: 19.4-20.2
    -bf% around 22 percent

    BLOOD PANEL RESULTS 5/19/15

    -Fasting glucose number: 86
    *2013: 89
    **2012: in the 120 range

    -Total cholesterol: 150
    *2013: 163

    -HDL cholesterol: 58
    *2013: 47

    -Triglycerides: 49
    *2013: 86

    -LDL cholesterol: 82

    *2013: 99

    -Coronary Heart Disease Risk 2.6 (less than 4.4 is recommended)
    *2013: 3.5

    *2013 blood panel was done as I began transitioning into maintenance
    **September 2012 fasting glucose number

    My numbers are solid, my blood pressure is great, I have no health issues, I take no medication and I look decent in a two piece swimsuit, for being a 36 year old mom of three kids :)
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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    edited May 2015
    Just if people don't know, there are at least 3 countries that consume more sugar than the US. And they don't even come close to the obesity rates that the US has.

    http://www.sucden.com/statistics/4_world-sugar-consumption


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • Saryia
    Saryia Posts: 38 Member
    My numbers are solid, my blood pressure is great, I have no health issues, I take no medication and I look decent in a two piece swimsuit, for being a 36 year old mom of three kids :)
    I think that's great that works for you.

    I will say though that I think it's oversimplistic to state that simply losing weight will eliminate the likelihood of developing type II diabetes for everyone, although weight loss can certainly help reduce the risk. My maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather both had type II diabetes and were in the normal weight range--my grandfather being 5'8 and 140 lbs when he was diagnosed.

    Perhaps my family is unusual but I doubt it.

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  • vschwgrt1
    vschwgrt1 Posts: 86 Member

    That is great article. Thanks for the link as it reaffirms my own study of this subject.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited May 2015
    It has it's points, but you have to be careful with documentaries...nobody does true discovery documentaries anymore...in most cases things like this are very biased and a conclusion was reached long ago with the idea to do the documentary to support such a conclusion.

    The obesity epidemic is far more complex than just sugar. Yes...it obviously plays a role given that it is calorie dense and there are a lot of sugar laden and nutritionally void foods available...and they're cheap...and tasty. But really, it's overconsumption of food in general that is the issue. It's ok to eat a doughnut...probably not so much the whole dozen. It's cool to have a soda...but maybe multiple 40 ounce Big Gulps daily isn't really a good idea.

    IMO, the key to successfully fighting the obesity epidemic is education...people know jack *kitten* about actual nutrition.
  • Saryia
    Saryia Posts: 38 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    IMO, the key to successfully fighting the obesity epidemic is education...people know jack *kitten* about actual nutrition.
    Yes. Read the studies yourself and make up your own mind, know what sort of flaws to look for in research studies, educate yourself. Good advice no matter the topic.

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