Movie Guide: In Defense of Food Name: _______________________ Before you watch: Can you remember everything you ate in the last 24 hours? Fill in the chart. Be as specific as you can recall. Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snacks/beverages Look at your completed chart. Do you think you generally eat a healthy diet? What foods should you eat more or less quantities? Compare your answers to a friend. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Chromebook or Cellphone: Google search Michael Pollan, who is he? (career, studies, books, etc) ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Now watch “In Defense of Food” and answer the questions as completely as possible. 1. What kinds of health problems come with being overweight for kids? 2. According to Michael Pollan, describe the “Western Diet”: 3. What kinds of foods are the least healthy? What % do they make up in the American Diet? 4. Highly processed foods contain a lot of chemicals and are missing a lot of nutrients. Give a couple examples here from the movie. Highly processed food contain: Highly processed foods are missing: 5. How do these deficiencies translate into health problems? 6. Why are OMEGA-3’s important to our diet? 7. How are OMEGA-6’s different? Why do most foods contain them? 8. According to the film, was are the greatest contributors to childhood obesity? Do you consume these daily? 9. How do these drinks cause changes in your body? 10. Why is a mother’s milk considered to be the best food for babies? 11. How were the diets of hunter/gatherer peoples different than what we eat today in the “Western Diet”? Hunter/Gatherers ate... Western Diet consumers eat... 12. Thinking about eating better… What does Pollan recommend we do when food shopping? What would that look like in a grocery store? 13. Define “NUTRITIONISM” vs Nutritious 14. What kind of diet did the Kellogg company support? And condemn? 15. Today, what are some of the fad concerns around foods? (think of features on food products) 16. OPINION: Why do you think it’s so difficult for nutritionists to make healthy recommendations for the consumer? (answer with your own ideas and then compare with a friend) 17. Describe the “myth” around the healthiness of margarine vs butter. 18. What would be the best way to set a healthy diet for yourself? What could be some challenges to accessing these foods if you live in a lower income neighborhood? 19. Give some possible solutions to increase access to fresh foods in urban neighborhoods. 20. According to Pollan, what should be our FOOD RULES? 1. ______________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________ 3. _______________________________________________ 21. Thinking about your own diet, what are some steps you could take to lower your health risks? Follow up activities: ● View DEATH RECIPE by Erika Sheppard on Youtube: http://bit.ly/2O19VTk ● Create your own poem or spoken word about food you eat in your family/neighborhood/daily life. ● Track your diet for a week. Choose 3 foods you could eliminate or substitute with something healthier and try it for another week. How did your body respond? ● List the ingredients from a box of a highly processed food or a can of a sugary beverage. Research the ingredients on the internet. What are the health risks? ANSWER KEY: 1. What kinds of health problems come with being overweight for kids? Heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, knee problems 2. According to Michael Pollan, describe the “Western Diet”: Meat, flour, oils, sugars, highly processed foods 3. What kinds of foods are the least healthy? What % do they make up in the American Diet? 60% of the American diet is made up of foods that are heavy in sugars, salt, and fat 4. Highly processed foods contain a lot of chemicals and are missing a lot of nutrients. Give a couple examples here from the movie. Highly processed food contain: Highly processed foods are missing: 5. How do these deficiencies translate into health problems? Deficiency diseases like Rickets, Beri-Beri from lack of vitamins. Diseases like diabetes from too much sugar. 6. Why are OMEGA-3’s important to our diet? Improve heart health, brain function, these nutrients can’t be manufactured, must be ingested. (eaten) 7. How are OMEGA-6’s different? Why do most foods contain them? Cause inflammation in your body, Omega 3 is neutral, also contributes to cancer and heart disease. 8. According to the film, was are the greatest contributors to childhood obesity? Do you consume these daily? Sugary beverages (sodas, energy drinks, iced coffees, juice flavored drinks, iced teas) 9. How do these drinks cause changes in your body? Liver damage, diabetes, heart/liver disease 10. Why is a mother’s milk considered to be the best food for babies? - Evolves over time to meet babies nutritional needs - Contains undigestable matter that’s important to establish bacterium in large intestine which prevents disease. 11. How were the diets of hunter/gatherer peoples different than what we eat today in the “Western Diet”? Foods in unprocessed state, with roughage, vs highly processed non nutritious food with vitamins removed Hunter/Gatherers ate... Western Diet consumers eat... 12. Thinking about eating better… What does Pollan recommend we do when food shopping? What would that look like in a grocery store? Eat mostly plants, not too much meat, NO EDIBLE FOODLIKE SUBSTANCES. Shop the edges of the grocery store and avoid the aisles where the highly processed foods are located. 13. Define “NUTRITIONISM vs nutritious Believing that nutrients are the key to healthy eating vs putting nutrients into highly processed food. (cereals are “fortified”) 14. What kind of diet did the Kellogg company support? And condemn? Shifting from heavier fat laden breakfasts to a grain based cereal breakfast, fortified cereals by spraying them with nutrients 15. Today, what are some of the fad concerns around foods? (think of features on food products) Low fat, low carb, gluten free 16. OPINION: Why do you think it’s so difficult for nutritionists to make healthy recommendations for the consumer? (answer with your own ideas and then compare with a friend) Could include: Lobbyists controlling regulations/recommendations from USDA, meat industry, pressing politicians 17. Describe the “myth” around the healthiness of margarine vs butter. Both have the same amount of calories, butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams. Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter according to a recent Harvard Medical Study. Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods, butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added 18. What would be the best way to set a healthy diet for yourself? What could be some challenges to accessing these foods if you live in a lower income neighborhood? No grocery stores close by, no transportation, lots of fast food access, processed foods at convenience stores. 19. Give some possible solutions to increase access to fresh foods in urban neighborhoods. Food trucks that deliver produce for purchase weekly, community gardens on abandoned lots, urban farms 20. According to Pollan, what should be our FOOD RULES? Eat what rots Eat what’s been cooked by humans Avoid foods advertised on TV 21. Thinking about your own diet, what are some steps you could take to lower your health risks?
