It's Time For Change #FedUp

I don't even know where to begin. If you know me (my mom used to get annoyed, she's used to it now), you know that I've been a big supporter of eating non-GMO foods for about three years now (thanks to my junior year AP Environmental Science teacher). We've all seen the movies- Fast Food Nation, Food Inc., Super-Size Me, etc. These movies really affected how I felt about inorganic meat and fast food, but unfortunately, it isn't as easy as it seems to make a change. 

This past week, I came across a documentary on Netflix called Fed Up. Unlike the other films, this one is focused on childhood obesity in America. My jaw was dropped throughout the entire movie. Of course I knew obesity was a huge epidemic across the country, and of course I knew Type II diabetes was becoming more and more prevalent among kids. It was just so shocking to learn the harsh truth that although it seems as if our government wants to help us out, they really don't care. Yes, some political figures, such as Michelle Obama, have started to advocate for healthy eating, but that isn't enough. As long as unhealthy foods are being produced, sold, and consumed, they're making tons of money (duh). 

Sugar is a GIANT issue within American eating habits. As most of us know, sugar is absorbed so quickly in our bodies that our livers and pancreases have no other option but to release insulin and turn all that excess glucose into fat- for storage purposes. One can of soda contains over 100% of the daily allowance of sugar. HOW are we allowing this into our bodies as if it's water? Another fact that shocked me was that although a product is "reduced fat" and contains fewer calories, it still contains the same amount of sugar as the non reduced fat product. Processed foods contain so much added sugar that it seems as if there is no escaping it. Studies show that in the near future, 95% of Americans will be overweight or obese. I don't know about you, but those percentages don't sound too enticing. 

We need to stop buying foods with added sugar and begin to eat healthily. Not for one month. Diets don't work. We need to eat healthy every day- forever. There's no getting around it. Instead of eating granola bars which contain so much high fructose corn syrup (sugar), we can eat natural nuts with bits of dark chocolate. Instead of regular pasta, eat whole-grain pasta (I promise it tastes the same). Cut out soda from your diet. Studies show that soda and sugary beverages (sports drinks, juices) are as addictive as cocaine. People have the same withdrawal symptoms when taken off coke (the drug) as when cut off from coke (the soda). Same name... creeeepy. Coincidence? I think not...ok maybe.

I also want to send a message to all the people who are fortunate enough to eat whatever the heck they want and still rock a six pack (shout out to my best friend). Doctors have found that although you are skinny on the outside, you might as well be obese by the way your insides look. Obesity isn't at the hand of the individual and we have to stop blaming them. A person could watch how many calories they intake and exercise every day, and still not lose any weight. It isn't about calories- it's about what is inside every piece of food we consume. Like the film mentions, imagine if soda cans had a label on them like cigarettes do, warning you about the extremely detrimental effects about drinking it. It really puts things into perspective. 

I know this was a long post, and I really hope you took the time to read it. There's so much more information that I feel everyone should know that I couldn't include on here or it would be considered a research paper. If you aren't convinced that we need change by this, take two hours of your day to watch Fed Up on Netflix. We can't wait for the next person to make a change- we have to do it ourselves. If every individual person decides to make this positive change in their life, it will turn into hundreds, and then thousands. 

I'm fed up, are you?

NG