On Documentary 'Fed Up' - SC School Refuses to Sugar Coat Response

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - May 19, 2014 - PRLog -- Last week the highly anticipated documentary Fed Up premiered with much fanfare. Produced in part and narrated by Katie Couric, Fed Up takes a look at the food industry’s role in the rise of obesity over the past decades. The documentary focuses primarily on the food industry – specifically its marketing tactics and ingredient list, and it ends with a challenge to viewers to take the 10 Day No Sugar Challenge. Of particular interest were the children featured in the film who articulate their personal struggles with weight and fitness.

Experts agree on the facts: rates of obesity and type II diabetes have risen dramatically, both particularly in youth. Our nation’s children are now predicted to live shorter lives than their parents and be in poorer health for the duration. Fed Up makes direct correlations between rises in obesity rates and the food industry’s production and marketing tactics; the film likens “Big Food’s” methods to those of the insidious tobacco industry, which is scary but true. However, this obesity epidemic isn’t solely thanks to the food industry.

We have created a culture that, quite frankly, has outpaced our ability to keep up with it : increased screen time, video games, sedentary lifestyles – and yes, processed sugar-laden foods all contribute to our nation’s obesity epidemic. When these factors are combined and without appropriate countermeasures – i.e. regular exercise, “unplugged” time, and regular consumption of real foods: fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains etc., it is a perfect storm for poor health. So while Fed Up only tackles one piece of the problem, it does a great job of raising much needed awareness; it begins a dialogue about a really big problem (pardon the pun) that we can no longer sweep under the rug. So far, most programs in place offer solutions that can’t even scratch at the surface of the obesity issue, much less create any kind of meaningful change. Pamphlets offering weight loss tips are not going to make a dent. Telling our kids to exercise more and then feeding them processed junk food is not going to help them!

The challenges facing our nation as result of our obesity problem are daunting, and they affect all American’s—even the healthy ones. Increased obesity rates equal increased health care and insurance costs, lower productivity, and decreased military recruitment; these are just a few ways that a health crisis of this magnitude will impact the national economy. It’s scary – and it’s happening right now, but all hope is not lost. Great strides are being made to ensure that future generations live long and healthy lives, and thanks to movies like Fed Up, awareness of the issue is spreading. But what about the 12 million kids who are in peril right now due to obesity related issues? They can’t afford to wait for a cultural shift and new treatment options. They need a solution. Now. Blowing the lid off of corporations that know they can do better is a great start, but it isn’t going to help those already affected – or as Fed Up decries, infected with toxic levels of sugar.

This is a call to action for those who have a vested interest in obesity –medical professionals, parents, academicians, insurers, educators, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry – for all of us to collectively find our seat at the proverbial table and stop identifying the problems. We all know what the problems are (and, no not all calories are created equal! No, pizza is not a vegetable!) It is now time for us to start coming up with effective and long-term solutions. It is time for us to take real and meaningful steps to save the kids who need help.

We meet with families from all parts of our nation and all walks of life, and there is one common denominator: they have all “identified the problem.” They all understand intellectually that we need to eat less and move more, that we need to eat foods closest to what we find in nature. But because of the culture we have all collectively participated in creating, making the leap from understanding to action is much more challenging. Saving our children is not quite as simple as identifying who is the victim and who is the villain; as a culture we have all played a part in getting to where we are today. It will take a cultural shift to change obesity rates. It will take awareness, education, solution focused efforts, and participation from all industries to turn the tide on obesity and give our kids their lives back.

That is why we believe places like MindStream Academy are so critical. Awareness is certainly an important first step in combatting the problems in our society, particularly as it relates to health, our youth and their future. Thanks to a growing movement, we are now becoming aware. But we are remiss if we don’t also look to identify solutions. Awareness is only the first step. Fed Up’s 10 Day No Sugar Challenge is a good start but it is undoubtedly not the solution. It won’t save the at-risk children who need a serious intervention.

So, what is the solution? For starters, we would like to see more emphasis on whole-person wellness. We would like to educate people, especially teens, on how to properly nourish their minds, bodies, and spirits. We would like to provide skills and tools that are sustainable for a lifetime of health and wellness, rather than perform bariatric surgeries on children. We would like to encourage teens to share these skills with their siblings and peers. We would like to support and empower adolescents to make healthy choices for the rest of their lives, rather than blaming them for being obese, because our current cultural attitude implies that if they were smarter or better or worked harder they wouldn’t be so fat. We would like to food industry to stop spending millions of dollars on marketing and lobbying in order to sell junk-food to our children, and we would like Congress to stop calling pizza a vegetable. We would like to give struggling families their lives back.

Data supports the argument that the greatest hope we have to end obesity in our lifetime is through innovative educational programs like MindStream Academy. This approach works. It is proven. It is lasting and sustainable, and it is only one of the many innovative solutions needed to solve the current obesity epidemic. If you tell someone that their house is on fire, it’s best if you have a fire hose ready to go. Hey America! Your house is on fire! We have a peer-reviewed, evidence-based hose!

I am excited that documentaries like Fed Up, Food Matters, and the soon-to-be-released Bite Sized spark long-overdue conversations about our nation’s obesity epidemic. Awareness is a great first step. I am more excited, however, about the next phase: solutions. When we stop arguing about what the problems are and who created them is when the real work can begin.

contact www.mindstreamacademy.org to get started