Review of Fed Up (2014) by Colleen P — 11 Oct 2014

I can't imagine how far behind the times you'd have to be in order for this to be informative in 2014. Sugar is bad for you. Eating too many calories is bad and you can't exercise them off because it takes too much exercise. But they also peddle the BS line that calories-in calories-out is wrong. It's not wrong, it's just over simplified. If you eat too many calories with healthy food, you will still gain weight. It just happens much faster if you're eating non-healthy foods. There is some good info on the politics of food (lots of people aren't aware of that). There's also good information on the concept that you can be thin but still unhealthy because of what you eat.

The most infuriating thing though is that they actually argue that weight gain is not the individual's responsibility. Are we talking abut kids? Then no, it's not their responsibility. Adults? Yes, it's their responsibility (even if it started when they were kids). We need regulations to help people cut back the sugar, but abdicating responsibility doesn't help anyone. Plenty of people stop smoking on their own. Plenty of people lose weight on their own. It's hard, but it's 100% doable. They advocate the idea that healthy eating is SO hard. It's not-eat vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. If you fix it right it tastes way better than processed foods, and it's a lot cheaper than cereal and soda.

Finally, I ate cheese and wine while watching this. You can be healthy, a reasonable weight, and still indulge.