Food / Nutriton / Diet documentaries, less than worthless?

senecarr
senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I've come to the conclusion that as much as I've liked documentary films, I think any that is likely to become popular is worthless as an educational tool.
I've seen people here mention ones like Fed Up, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, Super Size Me, Food Inc. All of them have glaring falsehoods in them. All of them sensationalize, and present more simplified explanations and drama than actual facts.
How's everyone else feel?
«1

Replies

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • blwasson73
    blwasson73 Posts: 92 Member
    Yes to this ^^^. So often it depends who's funding these films as to what message they want to get across.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,860 Member
    I agree.

    I'm struggling through Forks Over Knives currently.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I agree.

    I'm struggling through Forks Over Knives currently.
    Isn't that basically The China Study: The Motion Picture?
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    I dont really watch them. I did happen to see supersize me and laughed at the bit with detoxing. They are interesting, but I think i can sort fact from fiction. It does draw attention to eating a balanced diet and the problem of obesity though. I did fancy the idea of eating a lot of McDs without the calorie limitation.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,860 Member
    edited June 2015
    senecarr wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I agree.

    I'm struggling through Forks Over Knives currently.
    Isn't that basically The China Study: The Motion Picture?

    Yes, it is. No one will watch it with me, since I talk back so much.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Except for Ted talks. All Ted talks are super cool. And short.
    Maybe the vetting is better?
  • shan11180
    shan11180 Posts: 110 Member
    I think there's good info in all of them, it's just deciphering what is from what isn't, and you also need to know what the heck you want to take away from them... They tend to scare the heck out of me and make me fear food, so I try to stay away, but there's also valuable information that I take away.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    I watched Supersize Me.
    I liked it but I'm also somewhat scientific and don't look for reasons to demonize foods for reasons other than I find them disgusting (looking at you Kale)
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Except for Ted talks. All Ted talks are super cool. And short.
    Maybe the vetting is better?
    Ted Talks are decently vetted. TEDX is ruining the TED brand in a lot of instances because the local groups doing them think just having someone who sounds sciencey or interesting is what TED is about.
  • shan11180
    shan11180 Posts: 110 Member
    999tigger wrote: »
    I dont really watch them. I did happen to see supersize me and laughed at the bit with detoxing. They are interesting, but I think i can sort fact from fiction. It does draw attention to eating a balanced diet and the problem of obesity though. I did fancy the idea of eating a lot of McDs without the calorie limitation.

    ^^ BaaHaa!!! Made me laugh. :smiley:

    Isn't there another one out there that tries to sell the complete opposite idea that Super Size Me is trying to tell us?
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    shan11180 wrote: »
    999tigger wrote: »
    I dont really watch them. I did happen to see supersize me and laughed at the bit with detoxing. They are interesting, but I think i can sort fact from fiction. It does draw attention to eating a balanced diet and the problem of obesity though. I did fancy the idea of eating a lot of McDs without the calorie limitation.

    ^^ BaaHaa!!! Made me laugh. :smiley:

    Isn't there another one out there that tries to sell the complete opposite idea that Super Size Me is trying to tell us?

    YES! There was a bodybuilder who did a Super Size Me diet. I think he was on a cut, so he showed that he lost weight on it. He stuck to calorie counting the whole time and continued to work out in comparison to the guy in SuperSize Me used a pedometer to decrease his activity, and ate as much as he wanted.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    Sadly, I don't think it should be limited to food documentaries. The criteria to be considered one is nonexistent anymore, and we can all thank Mr. Moore for that.
  • shan11180
    shan11180 Posts: 110 Member
    senecarr wrote: »
    shan11180 wrote: »
    999tigger wrote: »
    I dont really watch them. I did happen to see supersize me and laughed at the bit with detoxing. They are interesting, but I think i can sort fact from fiction. It does draw attention to eating a balanced diet and the problem of obesity though. I did fancy the idea of eating a lot of McDs without the calorie limitation.

    ^^ BaaHaa!!! Made me laugh. :smiley:

    Isn't there another one out there that tries to sell the complete opposite idea that Super Size Me is trying to tell us?

    YES! There was a bodybuilder who did a Super Size Me diet. I think he was on a cut, so he showed that he lost weight on it. He stuck to calorie counting the whole time and continued to work out in comparison to the guy in SuperSize Me used a pedometer to decrease his activity, and ate as much as he wanted.

    PROOF that it all depends on who's funding the film, I guess...?
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    It may be called a documentary but it is still entertainment that is produced for the purpose of making money. Sensationalism and controversy creates buzz, gets viewers, and makes money. It is not a scientific, peer reviewed study.

    While it is done for profit, that doesn't mean there aren't tidbits of info that are valuable to the discerning viewer.
  • auntstephie321
    auntstephie321 Posts: 3,586 Member
    I've seen Fat Sick and Nearly Dead. I realize what it is. However, have found the information helpful. My boyfriend has crohn's disease it's very difficult for him to absorb enough nutrients from the foods he eats as he is missing a 12 inch section of his small intestines and terminal ileum, so he doesn't absorb fat properly either. Since the individual in the video also had an auto immune disease, though different from crohns, and was taking prednisone regularly as well, I thought trying juicing may be beneficial.

    It's obviously not a cure all, but when he does incorporate juices, and smoothies with protein powder it is much easier on his digestive system and provides him with more energy than he usually has.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I don't think Mr. Moore was specially funded. I think he wanted to be famous. Fear-mongering is the fastest way to fame it seems.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,151 Member
    I'm pretty well out of things to watch on Netflix, so I tried to watch Hungry For Change. I couldn't. I ended up watching A Very Hungry Caterpillar instead (book is better, btw).
  • beachhouse758
    beachhouse758 Posts: 371 Member
    I like them -- most of them.
    I think that with anything you watch or read, you have to be able to get something out of them, without having to swallow all they are serving you.
    Everyone has an agenda or is trying to sell you something. Everyone.
    But if you are able to, let's say inspired to workout or to eat slightly better after watching a documentary, then why not?


    P.S: I looove TED Talks too.
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
    I have decided that you are mostly correct. My Fitness Pal is working for me because I am eating whatever I want. I just count the calories. Calories in = Calories out. The only proven thing.

    Here are a couple of articles addressing your thoughts--

    http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2015/04/food_fad_evidence_logic_and_science_can_fight_misperceptions_about_nutrition.2.html

    http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2015/04/nutritional_clinical_trials_vs_observational_studies_for_dietary_recommendations.html
  • mattyc772014
    mattyc772014 Posts: 3,543 Member
    An Honest Liar is very much educational. Maybe be not related to food, but happy to say it shows how so many can be fooled. If any one of the food docs motivates someone to make a change in there life for the better I would call that a win.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    beachhouse758 wrote: »
    But if you are able to, let's say inspired to workout or to eat slightly better after watching a documentary, then why not?

    P.S: I looove TED Talks too.

    For me, the why not isn't the inspired workout or better eating - it is that some of the documentaries can actually harm worthy causes. In another thread I was replying to someone about GMO OMG. I think the film is, in a small way, contributing to children dying in impoverished countries. Golden Rice is a GMO that can prevent vitamin A deficiency, which causes blindness and death in hundreds of thousands of children a year across the globe. People watch something like GMO OMG, they go out with good intentions and living in a country relatively free of worrying about those kinds of malnourishment, and support organizations like Green Peace, which goes out and burns the test fields.
  • mattyc772014
    mattyc772014 Posts: 3,543 Member
    Generation Iron seems good. I am half way through it. Really shows the dedication some make for professional bodybuilding.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    I don't think Mr. Moore was specially funded. I think he wanted to be famous. Fear-mongering is the fastest way to fame it seems.

    He's the one who proved you can lie in a documentary and still make a profit, though. Prior to that, they were more of a niche area, because they didn't really make money. People made them because they were really devoted to a subject, and either wanted to promote it or detract from it, but the only chance they had of getting any exposure for it was if it was accurate. These days you just have to pick a hot button issue, hire a computer graphics team to make it flashy enough, and you can say whatever you want. Between discovery channel and Netflix, they're so desperate for content, they'll buy anything.
  • mattyc772014
    mattyc772014 Posts: 3,543 Member
    I will admit I watch My 600lb Life and it does motivate me. It is amazing how some get to where they are and then make a change for the better. Sensationalism is nothing new and will always endure. Emotions can be triggered many different ways. I think it is important that you stay level headed when viewing these documentaries. Make a change for the better for yourself.
  • Indigoblu1
    Indigoblu1 Posts: 127 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I'm struggling through Forks Over Knives currently.

    That was probably the most boring of them that I'd seen - and blatantly skewed, if I remember right.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Frankly, I'm surprised anyone ever thought that by calling a movie a 'documentary' somehow made it more truthful
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    There should be a flashy documentary on critical thinking skills.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,860 Member
    Indigoblu1 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I'm struggling through Forks Over Knives currently.

    That was probably the most boring of them that I'd seen - and blatantly skewed, if I remember right.

    The problem is probably that I've read a bunch about the topic already, so I see all the skewed stuff. It's very frustrating. ;-) Can't wait til I watch Fed Up, heh.

    As background (embarrassing as this is), I'm someone who can go to sleep listening to a podcast discussion and then incorporate it into a dream where I'm furious because I'm on a panel discussion and yet no one is responding to my contributions. Yes, this really happened.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories