1. Long ago, the ancestors of humans lived in unpredictable times in which meals were not guaranteed. Now in the 21st century, data suggests, as mentioned in Fed Up, that there will be more deaths caused directly or indirectly by obesity than by starvation. The documentary Fed Up focuses on the terrifying issue that plagues the United States and the world: obesity. It delves into the components that contribute to this menacing epidemic that only continues to get worse. The documentary builds on the stories of four young American children from all over the country that are severely obese. One of the kids, at 14 years of age, weighs over 400 pounds. Fed Up tries to answer one simple question with a complex and scary answer. How did the world get here? There are several different issues the documentary tried to address to answer this question. In the documentary, several misconceptions about food were dissected. In addition to debunking myths about food, the documentary discussed how it is possible to eat healthy for less money than eating unhealthy. Those were a few of the aspects that can have an impact on individuals, but the documentary did not stop there. It also attacked the huge food industry for their misleading advertisements and selling techniques, as well as condemning their focus of selling to younger people. Furthermore, the documentary explained how the food industry is so rich and powerful in the country’s capital that it has thwarted the many attempts in trying
In recent years, obesity has become one of the major health crisis in the United States. Obesity rates are growing continuously in the United States. More and more people have affected by obesity. Even children have become the victims of obesity. Stephanie Soechtig, the director of the documentary film Fed Up, looks into the obesity epidemic to to find the reasons that caused this health issue and possible solutions. According to Katie Couric, The narrator of Fed Up, the general public believe the cause of obesity epidemic are the “lack of exercise” and “increased appetites” (Fed Up). However, the true cause that Soechting has found is not just simply lack of exercise or increased appetites. In the documentary film Fed Up, the producer Stephanie Soechting is trying to convince the
Thousands of children around America are increasingly joining the obesity epidemic and are struggling to get out of it. In the documentary, Fed Up, by Stephanie Soechtig, she creates a documentary that targets young teenagers and parents to uncover the truth of the epidemic and reveal how the food industry is hurting the children 's diet by making them become addicted to sugar. It explains how it is beyond people 's willpower and exercise alone that solves the epidemic, rather it is the food industries ' fault for the nfood they produce. Soechtig uses pathos, ethos and logos by documenting personal stories from young obese teenagers, providing a numerous amount of credible sources from a wide range of experts, and having evidence for the epidemic.
Stephanie Soechtig, is an award-winning film-maker, and director and producer of the nonfiction documentary Fed Up. She began producing documentaries for network news programs such as Primetime Live and 20/20, while also working for Good Morning America during the 2000 presidential elections and the O’Reilly Factor. In 2008, Soechtig partnered with Michael and Michelle Walrath to start Atlas Films, which provided inspiration and education to consumers on the most controversial topics. So far, Soechtig has been awarded the “Best Documentary Feature” for Tapped (2009), “People’s Choice Award” for Under the Gun (2016), and Fortune Magazine named Soechtig as being one of the “Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink” (Biography). In 2014, Soechtig’s “Grand Jury Prize” nominated film Fed Up (2014), narrated by TV Journalist Katie Couric, was created in hopes of unveiling the hidden secrets of the food industry by using statistical analysis and research expert’s testimonies to inform viewers of the direct impact that the food industry has on the health of our nation’s most vulnerable population—children. Soechtig and Couric present the argument that the roles of our government along with the interests and processing methods of food industries are ultimately responsible for the increasing rates of childhood obesity in the United States.
Within the documentary "Fed up", you follow three children and their struggle with losing weight. In addition, it discusses America's obesity epidemic and the groups contributing to this problem; Congress, the food industry, and America's public schools. Saying if things continue on the way they are, 95 percent of Americans will be overweight or obese by 2035. Where in schools they count things like pizza sauce as a vegetable all while the government approves marketing of unhealthy foods to children. These habits follow into adulthood, and the cycle continues.
In the documentary film “Fed Up”, sugar and the sweeteners in our food or beverages is featured to be the prime ingredient that is making the most of our adolescents obese. It tells of a few families struggling with obesity, and how these families have been trying to do everything they can to help their children lose weight. It shows what kind of food that they are eating at home and the weight problem that most of the family is struggling with. The food that is being served at schools and also the thousands of products that contain sugar, everywhere groceries are bought; sugar is the main cause for obesity. It tells that low wage earners have no choice, but to buy unhealthy food, because healthier food cost more. “The bottom line: cheap, unhealthy foods mixed with a sedentary lifestyle has made obesity the new normal in America. There is no single, simple answer to explain the obesity patterns in America, says Walter Willett, who chairs the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health” article in the U. S. News. Although it does cost more, a school of public health wrote in an article, “While healthier diets did cost more, the difference was smaller than many people might have expected. Over the course of a year, $1.50/day more for eating a healthy diet would increase food costs for one person by about $550 per year. On the other hand, this price difference is very small in comparison to the economic costs of diet-related chronic diseases, which would be
Fed up focuses on the connection between the growing numbers of obesity and the increase amount of sugar intake. Throughout the film, they look at the roles of food industries and the government. Food industries want to make a profit, but they are ultimately responsible for increase sugar and processed foods, and having lobbyists who fight against regulations that the government tries to put in place. The documentary shows how difficult it is to be eating nutritionally healthy in our society when sugar and snacks are everywhere due to marketing and having it available at every store. They focus in on personal cases of young children struggling to overcome obesity as well as experts who explain their opinions.
“Fed Up” is a documentary written by Stephanie Soechtig and Mark Monroe (2014) that suggests that the food industry is to blame for the obesity epidemic in America. It suggests that the industry is increasing, hiding and heavily advertising products that contain high amounts of sugar. It makes good use of
Obesity has become increasingly more prominent in American society. It is also a major health issue affecting many adults and children in the US every year. In his article "Don't Blame the Eater," David Zinczenko sympathizes with children who are suing McDonald’s making them fat. In his own experience as a “latchkey kid”, he knows how easily fast food makes teenagers put on weight with a steady diet of fast food meals. Zinczenko argues that both lack of fast food alternative companies and lack of providing nutrition information contribute to childhood obesity.
Better eating Many people in today's world rarely pay attention to the foods they put in their bodies. Our country has now started to revolve and include fast food in our everyday lives, we do this because it has become convenient, cheaper and even just more fun. Because of this the obesity rate in our country has increased drastically, and will continue to rise if we do not take our eating habits more seriously. Fast food restaurants make it hard for us to make better decisions with our eating habits because they advertise and make it seem like fast food is a better alternative.
The documentary film Fed Up (2014) defines the problem of obesity in American culture due to low quality food products being sold by corporations through fast food chains and convenient stores. Katei Couric (the narrator) brings forth the argument that the quest for profits by industrial food producers reduces the quality of food through products, such as high fructose corn syrup. Currently, the dominance of industrial farming, genetic engineering, and lack of sustainable options define a downward trend in food quality: “One reasons why large farms are relatively unproductive compared to small farms is that large farms the world over tend to use monoculture. Monoculture is a single crop species” (8:45). This type of inefficient and wasteful method of farming depletes the land of minerals and tends to produce massive quantities of crops, such as corn and grain, as a base for the food supply. This corn product tends to be used in almost every food throughout the food chain, including feeding livestock for beef, corn syrup in fatty foods, etc. Therefore, industrial farming produces a decreasing variety of food products due to the prominence of massive industrial farms that produce America’s primary food supply. This encourages unhealthy and fatty foods (soda, bread, grease fried foods, etc.) to flood the food markets for greater profits due to the lower costs of food production.
The film fed up is an examination of America’s obesity epidemic and the food industry’s influence on it. The film Fed Up focused on childhood obesity. This film portrayed many issues that are present in the United States today. Childhood obesity is influenced by the constant advertisements focusing on the high sugar foods; these advertisements are targeting children. Along with targeting children these advertisements use favorite characters and idols to encourage children to want these products that may not be health for them at all. Advertisements are sending out false messages, such as ‘this product is good, your idol loves it so you will too!’. This isn’t fair to children to only show them advertisements of unhealthy, sugary foods. Children follow the examples of their parents, so if a parent not making the healthy choices then the children may follow their decisions healthy or not. The United States original “cure” for obesity is eat less and exercise more. However, this “cure” may not be the true answer to losing weight. In 1977 the obesity epidemic began as well as the low fat foods. The low fat foods were low in fat but in order to make the food palatable they doubled the sugar. Scientists believe that this
Known for his satirical street art that sends messages of awareness of the corrupt society, Banksy, has remarked that “ a recent survey or North American males found 42% were overweight, 34% were critically obese and 8% ate the survey.” With the rising awareness and prevalence, obesity has become an epidemic. In the United States alone, one of every five Americans are overweight, and one of every five are obese. Among the younger ages of childhood and adolescence, the National Health and Nutrition Examination reported that 17% of kids “age six through nineteen are obese.” This problem, of course, is not limited only to America. Studies performed by the United Nations have reported that in the year 2000, “the number of people suffering from overnutrition--a billion--had officially surpassed the number suffering from malnutrition--800 million.”
In the ted talk “Teach every child about food”, speaker Jamie Oliver, talks about the unhealthy eating habits of children all across America. He comes straight out by telling us the present generation of kids are implemented with 10 years of less life expectancy than their parents. The main focus of the talk is directed towards bad health and how it leads to the state of obesity, which is considered a global issue. Oliver gives a solid statement regarding his talk, “ Obesity costs you Americans 10 percent of your health-care bills, 150 billion dollars a year.” Furthermore, he visualizes his proof with a chart stating heart disease to be the number one cause of deaths in America, which is nearly 30 percent. To wrap up his presentation, Oliver makes a final statement that he envisions a food revolt, in his own words “ to educate every child about food and to inspire families to cook at home again.
Many attempt to discover the reason for the obesity pandemic occurring across the world, however few understand the true meaning. Media attempts to portray the simpler version of energy balance, consuming the proper amount of calories to energy expenditure. Conversely, the quality of the calories consumed drastically alters the end result. For example, consuming excess sugar with limited fiber leads to the creation of fat. The directors of Fed Up raise awareness to the many other issues producing an extreme weight gain among the population.
Imagine living in a world where every day is a constant struggle to survive. A world where no matter what you do you will always be in search for a resolution to a shortage of food. To make things worse, imagine dealing with this situation and being only a child, suffering on your own. This standard of living is common for children in various parts of the world today. In contrast to the theme of world hunger and its suffering in the first picture comes the inverse theme of obesity in America in the second. Although both situations are substantially important they are equally overlooked. Both of the given pictures create a chilling understanding of the