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Are you addicted to SUGAR?

Danoz

Danoz

Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
I thought this trailer was pretty well done. Haven't see the documentary yet, but it's about time we generated more awareness around this issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCUbvOwwfWM

Released in theaters on May 9, the documentary Fed Up untangles the roots of obesity in America's youth. Directed by Stephanie Soechtig and narrated by Katie Couric, Fed Up does not shrink from telling viewers how the government's decades-long capitulation to Big Food and its lobbyists has fostered an epidemic of excess pounds. The national focus on diet, diet foods and exercise is not abating the obesity epidemic and actually making it worse, charges the film.

Examples of capitulation to Big Food are many in the film. In 1977, the McGovern Report warned about an impending obesity epidemic and suggested revised USDA guidelines to recommend people eat less foods high in fat and sugar. The egg, sugar and other Big Food industries, seeing a risk to profits, demanded that guidelines not say "eat less" of the offending foods but rather eat more "low-fat" foods. Ka-ching. They won over the objection of Sen. McGovern.
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Is America finally ready to take on big food? McDonalds and their ilk are trapping families into quick food that is way, way too inexpensive and amounts to little more than addictive poison in the human system.

There is no "special occasion" in which a Big Mac is good for you -- these are all lies.

Thoughts?
 
"In America:
First you get the sugar.
Then you get the power.
Then you get the women..."
 
Danoz said:
Is America finally ready to take on big food?
Click to expand...

As long as these companies have plenty of cash, and America has plenty of politicians that want that cash, it will never be ready to take on big food.

The only reason the British government takes an interest in such things is because they have to pay for the NHS out of our taxes, and overweight people are a huge drain on its resources.
 
^Pretty much. These "documentarians" might be trying to get people to cut back on sugar, but they're doing it by shoving a ton of bullshit down the audience's throats.

Protip: When ever someone uses "big" as a prefix, they're most likely an idiot.
 
Zulu Romeo said:
"In America:
First you get the sugar.
Then you get the power.
Then you get the women..."
Click to expand...

Damn you sir, I came to say exactly that. Well played. :lol:

Anyway, I like the occasional Big Mac. I'm diabetic, though, so I watch my sugar, carb, and fat intake like a hawk. I can tell you exactly how many grams and milligrams of each I have per day.

I probably eat less sugar than the vast majority of others my age (I'm 34).
 
thestrangequark said:
^Pretty much. These "documentarians" might be trying to get people to cut back on sugar, but they're doing it by shoving a ton of bullshit down the audience's throats.

Protip: When ever someone uses "big" as a prefix, they're most likely an idiot.
Click to expand...

Indeed. There are serious health issues in this country but I'm immensely skeptical they'll be combated even a smidgen by this sort of slickly-produced scare piece.
 
Exactly, RobMax. There are legitimate points, but they're being seriously overpowered by hyperbolic misinformation -- the sugar/cocaine comparison on the fMRI was outrageous. Do you know what else lights up that part of your brain? Running. Sex. Hugs.

It's the happy part of the brain, of course it's going to light up when you give it sugar! Brains run almost exclusively on sugar -- they love it.

Other issues I had:
-The rise in diabetes. Yes, part of it is linked to diet, but that does not explain all of it, and removing sugar from Americans' diets won't make the rising levels of diabetes stop. One piece of evidence to support that is the fact that type 1 diabetes cases are also rising. Type 1 is the type of diabetes I have. It's an autoimmune disease, and is not caused by poor diet or sugar.
-The rise in overweight and obesity cannot be entirely contributed to diet and activity. Wild animals are also experiencing it at the same rates.
-While it is right to shift the blame from individuals, we can't just then heft all that blame onto the food industries. The issue is too complex for that. They are simplifying it for sensationalism.
On top of all that, America consumes about half as much sugar per capita as Brazil. If I remember correctly, we're not even in the top five countries for per capita sugar consumption.

Things they got right? From the trailer alone it's hard to tell, but like I said, I do think they are correct in that we need to stop blaming individuals for their fatness. I also agree that school lunches in this country are a disaster.
 
I eat the occasional bowl of cereal, but no, I'm not really a sugar freak. I hate pop and gave it up, and I don't take sugar in coffee either.

Now SKYLINE CHILI :drool: on the other hand, I am VERY much addicted to. :evil:
 
As for sugar... I love complex carb-rich foods like bread and cereals, but will not say no to the odd refined sugary stuffs.

I must try and watch what I eat though. These days I prefer my tea black. No milk, no sugar. I'm used to it now.
 
thestrangequark said:
Exactly, RobMax. There are legitimate points, but they're being seriously overpowered by hyperbolic misinformation -- the sugar/cocaine comparison on the fMRI was outrageous. Do you know what else lights up that part of your brain? Running. Sex. Hugs.

It's the happy part of the brain, of course it's going to light up when you give it sugar! Brains run almost exclusively on sugar -- they love it.

Other issues I had:
-The rise in diabetes. Yes, part of it is linked to diet, but that does not explain all of it, and removing sugar from Americans' diets won't make the rising levels of diabetes stop. One piece of evidence to support that is the fact that type 1 diabetes cases are also rising. Type 1 is the type of diabetes I have. It's an autoimmune disease, and is not caused by poor diet or sugar.
-The rise in overweight and obesity cannot be entirely contributed to diet and activity. Wild animals are also experiencing it at the same rates.
-While it is right to shift the blame from individuals, we can't just then heft all that blame onto the food industries. The issue is too complex for that. They are simplifying it for sensationalism.
On top of all that, America consumes about half as much sugar per capita as Brazil. If I remember correctly, we're not even in the top five countries for per capita sugar consumption.

Things they got right? From the trailer alone it's hard to tell, but like I said, I do think they are correct in that we need to stop blaming individuals for their fatness. I also agree that school lunches in this country are a disaster.
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Agreed. Plus, I can't really get upset at food companies doing things that people like. I remember one documentary talking about how insidious it was that chip companies made their chips to be a certain type of crunchy and salty in order to be satisfying, and for people to want to eat them. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's kind of the goal of making a good potato chip!

I'm not sure what is causing our rise in obesity and diabetes, but it is deeply concerning. Fat shaming needs to end, and more focus needs to be put on what's causing the trend.

Mr. Laser Beam said:
I eat the occasional bowl of cereal, but no, I'm not really a sugar freak. I hate pop and gave it up, and I don't take sugar in coffee either.

Now SKYLINE CHILI :drool: on the other hand, I am VERY much addicted to. :evil:
Click to expand...

*cackles evilly*
 
A couple articles I've seen floating around suggest that inactivity is as much a culprit to blame for our expanding waistlines as our food choices.

I am addicted to both sugar and salt, and have started baking a lot of stuff and cook more from scratch as a way to combat the intake part but as for the activity level, it is sometimes hard to exercise, especially after a long stressful day spent at my desk. (Yes have considered standing instead of sitting).
 
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