Fed Up Documentary
Options
Replies
-
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.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 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.0 -
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
0 -
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
0 -
I think that's great that works for you.Sarasmaintaining wrote: »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 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.
0 -
stevencloser wrote: »This says it better than I could.
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/does-the-movie-fed-up-make-sense/
That is great article. Thanks for the link as it reaffirms my own study of this subject.0 -
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.0 -
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.cwolfman13 wrote: »IMO, the key to successfully fighting the obesity epidemic is education...people know jack *kitten* about actual nutrition.
0 -
I think that's great that works for you.Sarasmaintaining wrote: »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 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.
Yep I can only go by my own experience, overweight=high glucose numbers. Weight loss=normal glucose numbers. And every family members who has/had T2 in my family is/was either overweight or obese.
On the other hand, my husband's grandma probably weighs 80lbs soaking wet and she's been a pre-diabetic for years. She's also had several strokes, surgery for clogged arteries, her blood pressure issues have sent her to the ER numerous times etc. But yet she is the poster child for the whole 'clean' eating movement-her diet is 99% whole foods, made from scratch, comes from their garden etc. In spite of this she's had more health problems than anyone I've ever known. Her husband is super healthy though and has no health issues. Sometimes this whole thing just doesn't make a whole lot of sense
0 -
Exercising and calorie deficit lowers the effect of "sugars/processed foods"Sarasmaintaining 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
Except I haven't been in a calorie deficit in over a year? My weight's been pretty stable since the fall of 2013, when I finally finished transitioning into maintenance. I do exercise on and off, but it's pretty low key stuff (over the fall/winter months this past year I did no exercise at all).
My blood work taken earlier this month are the best results I've ever had. At the time it was done the only exercise I was doing was wrapping up a second round of the 100 push-ups challenge. I actually started a new body-weight strength training program the afternoon after I had my doctor appointment, and I started aiming for specific macro ratios later that week. But that was all after I had my blood drawn
0 -
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
You're interpreting that incorrectly. That is total consumption, not PER CAPITA consumption. India may consume more sugar than us, but they have 1.3 billion people. The US has the highest per capita consumption, meaning the "average" American eats more sugar than anyone else in the world.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/05/where-people-around-the-world-eat-the-most-sugar-and-fat/
This article has recent data.0 -
okay that's good, i misread, your "active weight loss" so I was addressing that. The reason why that works is because just lowering body weight improves insulin sensitivity. As you probably know, people who are prediabetic are usually recommended to lose weight. Just by losing weight health indicators improve.Sarasmaintaining wrote: »
Exercising and calorie deficit lowers the effect of "sugars/processed foods"Sarasmaintaining 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
Except I haven't been in a calorie deficit in over a year? My weight's been pretty stable since the fall of 2013, when I finally finished transitioning into maintenance. I do exercise on and off, but it's pretty low key stuff (over the fall/winter months this past year I did no exercise at all).
My blood work taken earlier this month is the best results I've ever had. At the time it was done the only exercise I was doing was wrapping up a second round of the 100 push-ups challenge. I actually started a new body-weight strength training program the afternoon after I had my doctor appointment, and I started aiming for specific macro ratios later that week. But that was all after I had my blood drawn
The twinkie diet, not sure if you seen this, but this professor at 2/3 of his calories from junk food. His health improved.
"Being overweight is the central problem that leads to complications like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, she said. "
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html
Ah gotcha. And yes, weight loss was the only thing my doctor recommended to normalize my glucose number. And it worked I do try and eat a balanced diet, and now that I'm focusing on specific macros ratios I've really started paying attention to nutritional information. But, I will still continue to eat all the foods I enjoy, just have to try a bit harder to make them fit with my new goals (this whole IIFYM thing is like putting together a puzzle every morning before I can begin eating lol). 0 -
I think the documentary has a big political slant but let's be very very very clear on this - you cannot outrun a bad diet. You have to eat nutritiously, now for some people that means having candy/cake whatever - but that's not the staple of the diet, but for others that means you cannot touch added sugars at all. I know I am one of the latter. Having been a former chocolatier and having grown up surrounded by sugar all the time, I can flat out tell you that increased sugar intake over the course of many years WILL cause a problem.0
-
Yeah--my grandfather has been thin his whole life, and they live in farm country so they've been eating wholesome home-grown foods their entire lives. My grandmother cooks from scratch as well.Sarasmaintaining wrote: »Yep I can only go by my own experience, overweight=high glucose numbers. Weight loss=normal glucose numbers. And every family members who has/had T2 in my family is/was either overweight or obese.
On the other hand, my husband's grandma probably weighs 80lbs soaking wet and she's been a pre-diabetic for years. She's also had several strokes, surgery for clogged arteries, her blood pressure issues have sent her to the ER numerous times etc. But yet she is the poster child for the whole 'clean' eating movement-her diet is 99% whole foods, made from scratch, comes from their garden etc. In spite of this she's had more health problems than anyone I've ever known. Her husband is super healthy though and has no health issues. Sometimes this whole thing just doesn't make a whole lot of sense
The whole family was shocked when we found out my grandfather had diabetes, because while a couple of members of the family have a tendency towards weight gain, his scale hasn't budged in years. The doctor said that our family is likely genetically predisposed towards type II, and that his smoking habit during his younger years (he quit before age 40) might have been a factor.
0 -
I'll give you that. But overall along with sugar consumption per capita, the average US citizen is consuming about 800+ calories more per day than they need. And trump that inadequate physical activity, it's the main reason obesity in the US is the highest in the world. Is it all that 800 calories from sugar? Maybe half, but the amount of high fat combined with the sugar (especially in the Southern states where A LOT of food is fried) is more than likely the reason.MoiAussi93 wrote: »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
You're interpreting that incorrectly. That is total consumption, not PER CAPITA consumption. India may consume more sugar than us, but they have 1.3 billion people. The US has the highest per capita consumption, meaning the "average" American eats more sugar than anyone else in the world.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/05/where-people-around-the-world-eat-the-most-sugar-and-fat/
This article has recent data.
Still even countries like Brazil with a smaller population as a whole consumes more sugar yet doesn't have the obesity issues that face the US.
It's more than just about sugar. It's overall about how US citizens don't monitor how much they consume a day.
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
0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 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.
As a kid I would never EVER eat my cereal with milk....and ate potatoes raw. We're all weird in one way or another.
I had less weird things as a kid, but I recall liking raw bacon, which just seems crazy now.
My inclinations were definitely fat and protein focused, though. I hated bread and cereal, but recall ordering an adult sized steak at age 10, which the waitress told my dad was inappropriate for me, and he laughed and said "she'll finish it," which I did. It was amusing then, since I was perfectly normal weight until my late 20s, and actually kind of on the small size at 10.0 -
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.5K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 391 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 925 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions