Fed Up Documentary

The documentary Fed Up, released in 2014, was directed by Stephanie Soechtig and executive produced and narrated by Katie Couric (Fed). The film “Fed Up will change the way you eat forever” (Geary). In my opinion, a superior documentary film must present facts that are credible and accurate, display a compelling view of the topic, and educate the viewers. I believe Fed Up effectively shows the negative impact processed foods and added sugars have on childhood obesity by presenting credible and accurate facts, displaying a compelling view of the topic, and educating the viewers. Fed Up exposes the truth about what is really in food and follows the day to day routines of four statistically obese adolescence between the ages of twelve and

The film starts out with flashy images of fast food signs, obese children, and junk food. These images are accompanied by audio clips from old news casts and interviews. Couric leads the viewers through the facts and information that the director Soechtig has laid before them. The documentary follows four statistically obese teenagers between the ages of twelve and fifteen. The youngest of the adolescence, Maggie Valentine, sheds tears due to her frustration with her weight and with a quivering chin says, “I wish there was a pill I could take that would just make me thinner” (Fed). The compelling images of a sad little girl with a weight problem made me realize that this is a serious problem in today’s society. The film is filled with diagrams and images that aide in the explanation of the topic of obesity and its relationship with processed foods, sugars, and starches. Fed Up considers soda to be the present day cigarette and sugar to be just as addictive as cocaine (Fed). If that statement doesn’t compel the audience to reduce soda intake, I do not know what will. The film includes helpful pop-ups that further explain things such as sugar content, calorie content, and how long it takes to burn off said calories. Professional opinions of the PhDs and famous politicians really put the topic into perspective; assisting in the presentation of facts about the negative effects of sugar and processed foods. Dr. Robert Lustig states, “sugar is poison,” one of the simpler, yet extremely compelling facts of the film