FED UP is an Eye Opening Documentary on the Obesity Epidemic

For decades Americans have been told that to live a healthy lifestyle and remain physically fit we must follow one simple rule: eat less and exercise more. But the problem isn’t that simple, and isn’t that the way it usually goes? Fed Up, a documentary brought to you by Katie Couric, Laurie David (Oscar winning producer of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH) and director Stephanie Soechtig, explores why, despite media attention and government policies to combat obesity, generations of kids will now live shorter lives than their parents.

The problem has many layers but at it’s heart Fed Up addresses the dirty little secrets of the food industry – and it’s largest problem? Sugar.  

Did you know that our RDA for sugar is only 6-9tsp a day? But as we follow a group of families, more specifically their children, we see just how much we surpass this recommend limit on a daily basis. For more than two years Fed Up documents a group of children who are obese and working towards the “tried and true” method of diet and exercise to live healthier lives. 

 “If a foreign nation was causing the obesity in our children that we currently are, we would probably go to war.” – Former President Bill Clinton

What I saw, as I watched this journey broke my heart and made me absolutely sick inside. In the diet of these children I saw so many of the “healthy” choices I make every day for my family. From yogurts to cereals and even peanut butter. Unbeknownest to them, me and even you, we’re consuming copious amounts of added sugar – as many as 8times the recommended RDA by eating a seemingly “Healthy” diet. Take a look at some of the sugary choices you may find in your pantry in this sugar comparison. 

In many captivating interviews with the country’s leading experts, FED UP lays bare a decades-long misinformation campaign “orchestrated by Big Food and aided and abetted by the U.S. Government.” One of the most horrifying pieces of evidence was a study conducted by Princeton University.

In a study of 43 cocaine addicted mice, when presented with the choice of cocaine or sugar water, 40 of the mice chose sugar water every time. 

As a chronic soda addict the facts presented on sugar addiction resonated me on a very personal level. As did the following statistic:

 This film is nothing if not an eye opening experience. I highly recommend seeing it – Fed Up opened in theaters today.  

Also see the The Fed Up Challenge. On May 12, join the #FedUpMovie team in going sugar free for 10 days. Take the pledge.

I was provided a link to pre-screen this movie in my home. All opinions remain my own.