In America, more people are becoming overweight or obese than ever, over 70 percent of the population. Much of this is occurring because of what the food industry is doing and because of many misconceptions in the minds of the ordinary people. These, along with other factors are generating an obesity epidemic in the USA. This documentary visits several experts and people with first-hand experiences with obesity. They bring to light many of the causes that induce people becoming obese, teach people how to avoid such things, suggest methods for restoring one's health, and reveal the benefits that come with good health and the hindrances that come with malnutrition. At the same time, it follows the fictional life of a woman as she makes the decision …show more content…
One of the arguments it counters is that healthy food doesn’t taste good, and it responds with healthy food can taste good and then it brings up several examples. Another argument it addresses is that healthy food costs too much. They responded by conceding that healthful, fresh food does cost more than unhealthy food but then countering it by reinforcing that the benefits from eating healthy far outweigh the cost. These are just a few of the arguments that they respond to and counter in this film, there are much more. When they respond to the counterargument they acknowledge it, sometimes make a concession, but then counter it with heavy backing and …show more content…
They made it impossible to question the validity of their statements and always had adequate backing. They were also very convincing with all this evidence, a person who made it through the whole documentary may very well be convinced to be a healthier person, however, it was difficult to make it through the film. One of the movie’s greatest weaknesses is that it is boring. They have so much evidence but there is nothing to keep one’s attention and one can easily lose focus. The fact that the documentary so one dimensional contributes to the problem that if one does not have a personal interest in the subject, then it can be difficult to
He started in by researching breast and other cancer statistics in 3rd world countries and found that they are way less likely to obtain cancer compared to the US (Forks 00:19:36). This alone is also another huge factor for the documentary’s case but when these two forms of research are tied together, it effectively opens the viewers eyes to the main topic of eating right and furthers progresses the main
Obesity does not discriminate against social status, sex, or race; it can take a person’s life and turn it upside down in the blink of an eye if they are not careful. Some people think of obesity as a worldwide killer because there is no outrunning it if it overtakes a person’s body. Every 1 in 3 adults are obese right here in America, that should give each and every individual some type of hint that there is a major problem occurring. The obesity epidemic is not something that has just caught the attention of people recently; it has been going on since the 1950’s! This epidemic is a major problem; over 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being obese or extremely overweight and over 40 million children were said to be obese in
I believe the points behind the objective may be true. For example, in ‘Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead’ although the juice ‘cleansing’ worked I believe that eating nutritious food would be a better alternative. I believe this because I think food and exercise is a better technique for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. ‘That Sugar Film’ however, shows fairly important information especially for parents who believe what they are feeding their kids is ‘healthy’. The films had people try their experiment to prove their points. And in some cases they discussed health issues that appeared. This occurred in ‘Forks over Knifes’ when the experts explained how an animal based diet can cause harm to the body. Such as cancer. Many of the health issues that appeared were caused by a poor diet. They tried resolving the health problems by trying different diets in each films. Although ‘That Sugar Film’ didn’t show a nutritious diet, it showed the effects of why we should look after our
The documentary I decided to analyze was “Forks Over Knives”, by Lee Fulkerson. This documentary is about food choices you make every day, and how it can affect your health long-term and short-term, whether it be disease or nausea. Nutritional scientist T. Colin Campbell and surgeon Dr. Caldwell B.Esselstyn combine their decades of research and studies in hopes of simplifying the complexities and the benefits of a plant-based diet; such as preventing and even reversing heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. This film was made to promote plant-based diets, argue that animal-based diets are bad for our health, and address the issues of diets and diseases that aren’t being given attention
By using doctors that have high credentials the documentary gives the audience a reason to keep watching. If a random man or woman was talking about a subject such as this and their only credentials was that they had a salad with their steak last night, the audience would stop
Obesity in America is real and profoundly alarming when you look at the major impact it has on our communities. Major health concerns like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure cases are at an all time high. Specifically, the disparity between low-income urban inner cities in regards to obesity as compared to more upper class wealthier communities makes you take pause. This relates to my professional goals of going back into my community as an activist and organizer of issues related to my environment, like health and education.
Therefore it does not create a fair argument as there is not an opposing side to the argument, in which the viewers can make their own opinion on whether they should or should not eat fast food products, based on the information given. For instance, throughout the documentary, the presenter talks mostly about all the negative effects of eating fast food products than positives, which further helps to create an unfair/biased argument, as it does not include an opposing side to the argument. Throughout the documentary, it includes several codes and conventions that are commonly featured in a performative documentary, which includes a number of interviews, with them most commonly being seen in the documentary through the use of vox pops.
Obesity and being overweight are problems in America that are continuing to exacerbate each and everyday. According to Jan Simmonds, being a few pounds above an individual's ideal weight is considered overweight; while obesity is being more than twenty percent above an individual's ideal weight (3). Ideal weight is a number based on one's height and body frame. TeensHealth states, "Obese people are very overweight and at risk for serious health problems" (1). Obesity is life threatening and there are many side effects associated with being obese.
How would you feel if I told you that there is no one state with an obesity rate lower than 20%? Take this information and compare it to twenty years ago when every state had an obesity rate lower than 15%. Obesity has become not only the number one cause in death, but according to David Zinczenko, editor-in-chief of Men’s Health and author of “Don’t Blame the Eater”, it is the number one cost in health care with numbers rising well over 100 billion dollars a year (196). There are many people we could blame, such as the food industry or the government, but before we start pointing fingers elsewhere, individuals need to stand up and take personal responsibility for their own actions and health. Either way it is evident a
Our great nation has become divided by issues such as same-sex marriage, amendments, symbols, and an array of other topics that people constantly debate about. Social media has fueled this division among the American people; one’s “wall” or “newsfeed” is where someone can develop an opinion, obtain knowledge, or share facts without any credibility to their statement. I am an American with my own opinions, but I never felt compelled to join the debate on same-sex marriage, gun control, or the confederate flag. I could not sincerely relate to either topic, so I opted out and refused to give my perspective. A recent visit to Australia gave me a reason to examine a growing concern in our beloved country. I was savoring a meal from Hungry Jacks, which is a popular fast food restaurant that resembles Burger King. This meal was the size of a kid’s meal and it cost a small fortune. What puzzled me was not the size of the meal or the amount; it was the only size offered that grabbed my attention. No medium, no large, and no supersized meal were available.
Do you realize that more than 33% of grown-ups in the U.S. are affected by obesity? Obesity is identified with some driving causes of death. These include cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Obesity has been increasing for every social economic group. A few groups are more influenced than others. Research shows how financial status and obesity are connected. They found that obesity increased with a country's financial advancement, yet financial status and its relation to obesity changed. In poorer nations, individuals with higher financial status will probably be obese. Conversely in high wage nations, individuals with a higher SES were less likely to become fat. Why the inversion? It might be that in low wage nations, higher SES encourages expending fatty nourishment and avoiding physically demanding tasks. In any case, individuals in higher-wage nations with higher SES may have a good diet and regular exercise. The suggestion is that while financial advancement enhances well being, “Problems of malnutrition are replaced by problems of overconsumption that differentially affect SES groups,” In any case, some developing nations,
Obesity in America has been linked largely to fast food and lack of nutritional knowledge. A study conducted by researchers at RTI International, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have shown that the United States may spend as much as $147 billion per year on medical expenses linked to obesity. In most cases obesity can easily be prevented by a simple change in diet. In my opinion, a diet is not something that one ‘goes on’; rather it has a much simpler meaning such as: the way a person chooses to supplement hunger. You may choose to eat pizza for dinner every day for a week, or you may choose to have a more healthy and balanced meal such as a small portion of protein, larger quantities of vegetables, and healthy carbohydrates. An example would be one grilled chicken breast, grilled or baked asparagus, boiled and mashed sweet potatoes, and
Obesity has rapidly emerged as a serious health issue in America. The cause of obesity results from America’s social injustices. Today, food advertisements are in all places promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. Considering the great expense of healthy foods, low income families can barely afford fruits and vegetables. These two factors contribute to the increasing obesity rate in the United States. Unfortunately, it has taken an excessive amount of Americans to become obese for America to become aware of the issue and take action. Although obesity is still an increasing problem, America is fighting to reduce the number of obese citizens. As a result of low income and the media advertising unhealthy lifestyles, America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic.
The facts that were talked about in the film were questionable; they seemed highly exaggerated to the point where the validity of the facts were sceptical. For example, the documentary stated that if people changed to a plant based diet, patients of diabetes and cancer would not need their medications; rather, they would be cured by just the plant-based diet (Andersen & Kuhn, 2017). Furthermore, they tried to convince the audience that the plant-based diet was a perfect diet for everyone of all body types and health conditions, not just diabetes and cancer patients. However, this is not true, everyone has a different genetic build; therefore, each individual needs a specific diet designed particularly for them (NTNU, 2011). As well, they claimed that high carbohydrates and sugars aren’t the leading cause for diabetes (Andersen, et al., 2017), however there are various studies stating otherwise. The study conducted by Richard Feinman argued that carbohydrate causes increased in blood sugar, which can potentially
Obesity rates are soaring throughout North America (What Is Obesity?, 2013). With obesity reaching almost epidemic proportions in the United States, and the threat of a global epidemic, we must watch this alarming increase carefully ( Health Risks of Obesity, 2013). Obesity is defined as: "…an excess of adipose tissue…" (A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014). The two most common measures of obesity are Body Mass Index (BMI is a ratio of weight to height) and relative weight index, such as percent desirable weight (Body Mass Index , 2013). BMI is the most frequently used measure of obesity as it has a strong correlation with more direct measures of adiposity, such as underwater weighing (A Report of the Surgeon General, 2013). Some