This post is brought to you by FED UP. All opinions are my own.
FED UP is touted as the movie the food industry doesn’t want you to see, and I can understand why. After just watching the trailer and seeing the posters for the film, I’m starting to rethink my own eating habits. Now, let me make something clear, I don’t have a problem with sugar in foods in general. Sugar plays a role in our body’s functions just like protein and fat. I enjoy my chocolate way too much to ever completely give it up. I do think, however, that we have become an over-sugared society.
Think about it: sugar is everywhere. From our candy to our spaghetti sauce to our beverages. We ingest way more sugar than we ever did, and we’re paying for it. According to the American Diabetes Association, 8.3% of the population has diabetes. I am probably at a risk for it myself, as my diet stinks and I’m overweight. I know I need to make changes. I think most of us feel the same way. It’s hard, though, when you’re living on a tight food budget and high-sugar, processed food costs way less than healthy options!
FED UP: The Movie that Will Change Your Thoughts on Food Forever
FED UP is a brand new documentary from Katie Couric, Laurie David (Oscar winning producer of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH) and director Stephanie Soechtig. It opened across the country on May 9th. The movie follows the journey of several kids as they discuss their own struggles with weight. Soechtig started filming before the movie even had a budget. She had a brilliant idea to send out flip cameras to several kids and ask them to use it as a journal. Every two weeks, the kids would return the cameras for downloading, then get it back to continue. The result is a movie that interweaves the kids’ personal stories with experts on healthy eating and the food industry.
Check out the trailer to learn more, or visit the official FED UP website.
Startling facts about our food and its effects on our health
FED UP shares some really startling facts that will make you think. These include:
- Information about how, after the release of the first dietary guidelines, obesity rates and diabetes actually started to increase!
- From 1977-2000, experts estimate that Americans have doubled their daily sugar intake.
- By 2012, half of all public schools in the US served fast food, thanks to budget cuts by Ronald Reagan in 1981.
- Kids who watch television with food commercials tend to consume significantly more snacks than those who either don’t watch TV or aren’t exposed to food commercials.
Take the FED UP Sugar-Free Challenge
Are you ready to give cutting out sugar a try? Take the FED UP challenge to go sugar free for 10 days, starting on May 12th. . I honestly don’t know if I’d make it, but I’m willing to give it a go. For me, the biggest challenge would be getting used to unsweetened coffee. Head over to the FED UP challenge to sign to pledge.
I’m all about preaching moderation (although I need to learn to practice what I preach!). I don’t believe that we need to give up an entire food group to live a healthy life. I do feel that we should try to eat more natural sugars, like in whole fruits. I also believe that we should be educated about what we choose to put into our bodies. A lot of highly respectable people worked on FED UP to help open our eyes. The least we can do is listen with an open mind. Knowledge is power, and we seem to know very little about our food these days.
$50 Whole Foods Gift Card Giveaway
Enter below for a chance to win a $50 Whole Foods gift card to help you choose healthier foods for your family. Giveaway is open to US residents age 18+ and ends May 28th.
I don’t eat sugar so no food item to give up for me 🙂
probably yogurt
I started the journey of weeding the junk out of our diet a few years ago. The most difficult thing to eliminate was HFCS–not because we didn’t want to give it up, but because it is is almost every single thing in the grocery store! HFCS appears even in things that are not supposed to be “sweets”
I don’t eat much sugar now, but quiet some time ago I had the hardest time to quit sugar frosting on cinnamon buns.
Cookies!
I think it would be ice cream that I would hate to give up.
i realy enjoy visiting your web site
keep it up
Ice cream and cookies!
cookies
I have struggled to give up soda.
The hardest thing I have to give up is soda. Love coke
I’d have a hard time giving up ice cream.
Giving up chocolate would be the hardest for me.
My homemade candied orange peels covered in dark chocolate!
I’d have trouble giving up sweetened iced tea.
i have a hard time giving up chocolate candies and cookies, its very hard to just eat one
I really like jelly beans
Donuts brownies cupcakes
Swedish Fish is my weakness.
The hardest sugar filled item to give up for me is Sweat Tea. I don’t know if I could ever give it up completely!
I don’t have issues with sugar since I have never been a big fan of sugary drinks or food. Bread and potatoes are my problem. ~lol~
cookies – love my chocolate chip cookies
Any baked goods but especially cookies.
Ice cream is my downfall.
Thanks for the contest.
Giving up Pop would be the hardest for me.
Although we’ve tried to cut out most of our processed foods and sugars, I am always craving chocolate!
I love fro yo!
I would have a hard time giving up Pepsi.
I would have a hard time giving up Dr. Pepper.
That’s kind of hard to answer! I used to have the biggest sweet tooth on the planet!
I was lucky to never have had a weight problem, but unlucky that this meant I never learned about sugar/insulin etc. One day my Dad mentioned that he had high blood sugar and I then gave up candy and soda…almost 15 years ago. Have cut out all added sugars and sweeteners since. If I can do it, anyone can!
chcocolate!
I’d have a hard time giving up the sugar in my coffee in the morning, while I don’t use much I still can’t handle black coffee at all.
I don’t think I could totally give up chocolate.
I have a hard time giving up ice cream, it’s my favorite.
I’d agree with Cynthia that ice cream would be hardest for me to give up.
Over a year ago I gave up processed foods and sugar and the hardest for me to give up was soda. I was addicted to the stuff.
callawishes(at)hotmail(dot)com
I would have a hard time giving up ice cream.
I have a hard time giving up See’s Candy.
Any of the sweets I love would be a problem to give up, but chocolates would be the worst.
trail mix bars
anything chocolate
chocolate cake… I want it all the time.
I don’t think I could give up chocolate! It’s crazy how many non-sweet foods have added sugar now, though.
Chocolate was and is the hardest for me to give up.
The high-sugar food I would have the hardest time giving up is yogurt.
See’s Candy is my downfall!
I would have a hard time giving up milk chocolate.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
I love chocolate..so I think chocolate anything would be so hard 🙁
I would have the hardest time giving up cokes and chocolate!
Sugar in my coffee. Thanks
I would have a hard time giving up milk chocolate candy.
I would have hard time giving up Krispy Kreme donuts
I would have to say cupcakes
It would be hard for my to give up soda.
Thanks for the giveaway… it’s tough to wean myself off my favorite (sugar heavy) condiments i.e. Tomato Ketchup, mayo, etc