Have you seen FED UP - the documentary?

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I recently watched FED UP and although I knew about the general subjects it covers : food industry, sugar, fast food in school cafetera... I was still quite surprise by some of the facts it points out :

- From 1977 to 2000 it's estimated Americans have doubled their intake of sugar.
- Despite fitness club memberships more than doubling across the U.S. between 1980 and 2000, obesity rates doubled.
- 80% of the 600,000 food products sold in the U.S. contain sugar.
- Children have more exposure to foods containing sugar, fat and sodium through advertising, including online, and in their school cafeterias than ever before.
- As the relationship between the high-sugar diet and poor health has emerged, entrenched sugar industry interests with almost unlimited financial lobbying resources have beaten back attempts by parents, schools, states, and in Congress to provide a healthier diet for children.
- Daily sugar allowance are not on labels.

Well, it certainly made me more aware of my sugar consumption in everyday products.
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Replies

  • Zephalia
    Zephalia Posts: 79 Member
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    I recently watched this as well and was taken aback by a lot of the information they shared. I'm off soft drinks as a result - but I wasn't into them a whole lot beforehand anyway. Sugar all together I'm trying to stay away from.

    Certainly was eye opening.
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
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    It always shocks me how sugar gets a free pass. Our school is not allowed to have flavored milks unless they are 0% fat, as if that makes them healthy. Compare the sugar content of the milk to a can of coke.

    Coke: 26g of sugar per 8oz (5.5 tsp of sugar)
    My School's Strawberry Milk: 22g of sugar per 8oz (4.5 tsp of sugar)

    It should also be pointed out that 8oz of Coke has fewer calories (90-100) than the strawberry milk (130). It does have some protein, though (8g) and a couple extra "non-sugar" carbs (2g) So, it's not all bad.

    It really doesn't matter which one the kids decide to drink with their lunch, they're equally bad.

    Edit: If you look at the ingredient lists for the milk and a can of coke, the second ingredient in both is HFCS.
  • jdecossas
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    Yes, it's what got me in the right frame of mind to start eating healthy. Down to only 1/2 diet coke a day in the morning (not a coffee drinker)
  • MarissaPalm
    MarissaPalm Posts: 123 Member
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    Good documentary. There's even added sugar in bagged carrots and things like that. Gotta buy the full organic kind for my kid. So sad.
  • GeeWillickers
    GeeWillickers Posts: 85 Member
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    ....
    - Despite fitness club memberships more than doubling across the U.S. between 1980 and 2000, obesity rates doubled.
    ...

    Haven't seen it but did they actually get into activity levels? Fitness club memberships are useless metrics as the quitters subsidize the active users. I know activity levels are down and calorie intakes are up which is well documented.

    As to the sugar, it baffles me to how otherwise intelligent people are taken aback when that prepared boxed meal that tastes slightly better than cardboard isn't exactly healthy whole food.
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    Try tea instead of cola. If you are not into plain tea consider Jasmine or varieties with freeze-dried fruit in them (commonly peaches or apples).

    The only processed foods I've eaten lately have been Trader Joe's salad dressings and frozen entrees, so I'm no longer getting much added sugar outside those categories.

    add: and a potato chip binge this past weekend, but that's just potatoes, sunflower oil, and salt.
  • meridianova
    meridianova Posts: 438 Member
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    As to the sugar, it baffles me to how otherwise intelligent people are taken aback when that prepared boxed meal that tastes slightly better than cardboard isn't exactly healthy whole food.

    whenever someone in my office makes one of those lean cuisine-type meals, the whole building smells of MSG. it's got to be the only thing making them edible.

    i know they're low in calories and convenient, but i'd much rather make my own chicken and turkey lettuce wraps. they fill me up a lot better than one of those things do.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,523 Member
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    I recently watched FED UP and although I knew about the general subjects it covers : food industry, sugar, fast food in school cafetera... I was still quite surprise by some of the facts it points out :

    - From 1977 to 2000 it's estimated Americans have doubled their intake of sugar.
    Likely. With HFCS in a lot of stuff now, I can believe this.
    - Despite fitness club memberships more than doubling across the U.S. between 1980 and 2000, obesity rates doubled.
    This is deceptive because are they looking at the US overall (people who don't gym) or is this a stat directly related to gym members? I would say that it's not the gym members (regulars) who are part of the obesity issue.
    - 80% of the 600,000 food products sold in the U.S. contain sugar.
    A lot sold overseas is also the same. Why no obesity issues in countries that do the same?
    - Children have more exposure to foods containing sugar, fat and sodium through advertising, including online, and in their school cafeterias than ever before.
    Again deceptive. Because of advanced electronics, EVERYONE is exposed to EVERY TYPE of advertising and exposure. It could be correlatively said that GAMING is responsible for massive weight gain.
    - As the relationship between the high-sugar diet and poor health has emerged, entrenched sugar industry interests with almost unlimited financial lobbying resources have beaten back attempts by parents, schools, states, and in Congress to provide a healthier diet for children.
    Diet responsibility isn't the food industries goal. That's where a parent steps in.
    - Daily sugar allowance are not on labels.
    Sugar isn't nutrient dense that's why. With the exception of it being a carb, sugar carries no vitamin/mineral properties. There's no daily allowance on alcohol products either. Not that it matters because people aren't reading labels most of the time anyway. People just consume till they don't want to anymore.
    Well, it certainly made me more aware of my sugar consumption in everyday products.
    That's good, but whether a product has sugar in it or not, people are overweight/obese because of overconsumption of total calories. Exceeding TDEE will result in weight gain whether there's added sugar or not.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    That's definitely enough evidence to indict sugar in front of a grand jury, too bad it didn't hold up to Ninerbuff's cross-examination.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Yes, I've seen it. It's sugar toxin propaganda with cherry picked facts. The only people it would actually influence are people who can't research things on their own.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,324 Member
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    Yes, it's what got me in the right frame of mind to start eating healthy. Down to only 1/2 diet coke a day in the morning (not a coffee drinker)

    so wait....my coke zeros are unhealthy?
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Yes, it's what got me in the right frame of mind to start eating healthy. Down to only 1/2 diet coke a day in the morning (not a coffee drinker)

    so wait....my coke zeros are unhealthy?

    <--- Diet Coke is making me fat. That and the pop tarts and cereal I eat.
  • wonderfullymadebyhim
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    I don't buy that the corporation has no culpability when they are willingly presenting and advertising food to consumers they know is addictive and not healthy. This idea that we are all so educated, intelligent and able to make good decisions on our food is just not realistic. Yes, we need to make good choices, but the food industry does everything in its power, including manipulating and funding studies that are pro-sugar and suppressing science that goes against it. The consumer is confused because the mega-corporations have done a marketing job so slick that the average person has no idea they are choosing bad when they pick most of these items off the shelf.

    I hope more people stand up for the consumer!!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Options
    I recently watched FED UP and although I knew about the general subjects it covers : food industry, sugar, fast food in school cafetera... I was still quite surprise by some of the facts it points out :

    - From 1977 to 2000 it's estimated Americans have doubled their intake of sugar.
    Likely. With HFCS in a lot of stuff now, I can believe this.
    - Despite fitness club memberships more than doubling across the U.S. between 1980 and 2000, obesity rates doubled.
    This is deceptive because are they looking at the US overall (people who don't gym) or is this a stat directly related to gym members? I would say that it's not the gym members (regulars) who are part of the obesity issue.
    - 80% of the 600,000 food products sold in the U.S. contain sugar.
    A lot sold overseas is also the same. Why no obesity issues in countries that do the same?
    - Children have more exposure to foods containing sugar, fat and sodium through advertising, including online, and in their school cafeterias than ever before.
    Again deceptive. Because of advanced electronics, EVERYONE is exposed to EVERY TYPE of advertising and exposure. It could be correlatively said that GAMING is responsible for massive weight gain.
    - As the relationship between the high-sugar diet and poor health has emerged, entrenched sugar industry interests with almost unlimited financial lobbying resources have beaten back attempts by parents, schools, states, and in Congress to provide a healthier diet for children.
    Diet responsibility isn't the food industries goal. That's where a parent steps in.
    - Daily sugar allowance are not on labels.
    Sugar isn't nutrient dense that's why. With the exception of it being a carb, sugar carries no vitamin/mineral properties. There's no daily allowance on alcohol products either. Not that it matters because people aren't reading labels most of the time anyway. People just consume till they don't want to anymore.
    Well, it certainly made me more aware of my sugar consumption in everyday products.
    That's good, but whether a product has sugar in it or not, people are overweight/obese because of overconsumption of total calories. Exceeding TDEE will result in weight gain whether there's added sugar or not.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    Bingo.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
    Options
    Yes, it's what got me in the right frame of mind to start eating healthy. Down to only 1/2 diet coke a day in the morning (not a coffee drinker)

    so wait....my coke zeros are unhealthy?

    <--- Diet Coke is making me fat. That and the pop tarts and cereal I eat.

    speaking of pop tarts, i'd like to eat some off your abs.

    tumblr_mbwh0m5g4v1r5jtugo1_500.gif

    post-32888-Stacey-Oster-Thompson-lip-bite-pFC9.gif
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Options
    I don't buy that the corporation has no culpability when they are willingly presenting and advertising food to consumers they know is addictive and not healthy. This idea that we are all so educated, intelligent and able to make good decisions on our food is just not realistic. Yes, we need to make good choices, but the food industry does everything in its power, including manipulating and funding studies that are pro-sugar and suppressing science that goes against it. The consumer is confused because the mega-corporations have done a marketing job so slick that the average person has no idea they are choosing bad when they pick most of these items off the shelf.

    I hope more people stand up for the consumer!!
    Please take off your tin foil hat.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    Oh documentaries... when are people going to realize that they are just as biased as any other opinion peice and that they only show you half truths to appeal to your pathos?
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,324 Member
    Options
    Yes, it's what got me in the right frame of mind to start eating healthy. Down to only 1/2 diet coke a day in the morning (not a coffee drinker)

    so wait....my coke zeros are unhealthy?

    <--- Diet Coke is making me fat. That and the pop tarts and cereal I eat.

    speaking of pop tarts, i'd like to eat some off your abs.

    tumblr_mbwh0m5g4v1r5jtugo1_500.gif

    post-32888-Stacey-Oster-Thompson-lip-bite-pFC9.gif

    tumblr_mh9hx3tkOH1qaubsmo1_500.gif
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,523 Member
    Options
    I don't buy that the corporation has no culpability when they are willingly presenting and advertising food to consumers they know is addictive and not healthy. This idea that we are all so educated, intelligent and able to make good decisions on our food is just not realistic. Yes, we need to make good choices, but the food industry does everything in its power, including manipulating and funding studies that are pro-sugar and suppressing science that goes against it. The consumer is confused because the mega-corporations have done a marketing job so slick that the average person has no idea they are choosing bad when they pick most of these items off the shelf.

    I hope more people stand up for the consumer!!
    Wait, you mean no OTHER corporation does that with advertising? Like the music industry, electronic games, NFL, television companies, etc.? Should we be censoring what their advertisements as well?
    People have TOTAL control of how much they want to eat. People are over weight because they consume more calories than they need. Again, these same foods are available overseas, yet the weight issues aren't the same.

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