Jacob Burton

Nutr1020
8/8/2020

Nutrition Perspectives
Summery:

Joe Cross was overweight and had a debilitating condition called hudicarious vasculitis, so he decided to

try to cure himself by doing a diet, or as he calls it, a juice fast. He fasted for 60 days consuming nothing

but fruit and vegetable drinks as he traveled across America. While he was on his journey, he met Phil,

who had the same condition that he had. After Joe completed his fast, he helped Phil do the same, who

then helped others, including his brother, eat better.

Reason:

I chose the documentary “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead”. The reason why I picked this documentary was

mostly due to convenience. I didn’t have a lot of time to look into the other options, and it was the first

one that I found; but I was very impressed with the documentary as I love the idea of traveling around

and helping others improve their life, especially when those I help do the same for others.

Author:

The author, or producer in this case, is Joe Cross. He doesn’t have much background in nutrition, but he

was aided by other professional nutritionists as he worked through his health problems and put

together the film.

When:

This film was first released on April 16, 2010, and I do believe that what was shown is still applicable

today, as the statistics that they used on the American diet still seem to reflect our diet today and the

health tips also are supported by science today.

Compare:

One of the main topics that I noticed in the documentary was on what our food intake should be, and

what it actually is for most Americans. According to Stacy Kennedy, a senior clinical nutritionist featured

in the film, the average American plate is one half meat, a quarter overcooked vegetable and a quarter

white refined carbohydrate (27:56). Along with this, the film states that 60 percent of our calorie intake

tends to be from processed foods (21:27). Because of the excess of processed foods that we take in

combined with a lack of fruits and vegetables, we tend to lack many of the needed micronutrients in our

diet. This idea is supported in Wardlaw's Contemporary Nutrition: A Functional Approach, stating that

“Many Americans have eating patterns that are low in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy… and high

in refined grains [and] added sugars…” (2.2 Dietary and Physical Activities Guidelines).

Something that is a little different between these two sources, however, is what we should eat and how

much of it. While the textbook upholds a diet that closely reflects MyPlate combined with moderation,

the documentary promotes a special diet of drinking only liquified fruits and vegetables. While it does

state that this diet should only be done under medical supervision and for a duration of a week, it does

advertise it as a miracle cure by flooding your body with micronutrients. This goes against the concept of

moderation that McGraw Hill and MyPlate promote, especially since such a diet won’t lead to lasting

improvements in health unless coupled with a more sustainable diet and exercise.

Another thing the documentary states is that there are two types of food: Micronutrient (fruits,

vegetables, nuts, seeds and beans) and Macronutrient (“everything else”) (24:30). It claims that
macronutrient foods provide little to no micronutrients. While for the most part this is true, there are

some foods, such as fatty fish and liver, that provide a substantial amount of micronutrients.

What I learned:

I think the biggest thing I learned about were eating habits and eating disorders. Throughout the film,

they interviewed people on the street, particularly those who were overweight, and asked them about

their eating habits and why they were eating the way they were eating. Nearly everyone who was

overweight said that it was because of ease of access to fast food. It was a lot easier to buy at a fast food

restaurant than make a meal, and after eating fast food for so long, they began to crave it. This helped

me to better understand why the American diet is the way it is. I also learned a bit more how eating

disorders are formed and cultivated when they interviewed Phil. He said that he always enjoyed food,

but that it started to become a problem after getting divorced. Between being alone and saddened from

his recent loss, he ate more to try to make himself feel better. As he gained weight, he further isolated

himself from his family so that his children wouldn’t see him in is obese state, which further escalated

the problem. This helped me see why family and support groups are so important for preventing and

breaking eating habits. Later on, it showed the difficulties Phil, Joe and Siong faced as they tried

changing their eating habits. The biggest challenges they faced were trying to overcome cravings and

social influences. Both Phil and Joe cut themselves off from others for a time, because being around

others who ate normally was hard for them. Siong faced the same problem when she went to a

restaurant with her husband, where he purposefully tempted her with his food. This helped me better

understand the difficulty of changing one’s habits and how to better help someone to change.

References:

Joe Cross, Kurt Engfehr, “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead” (2014) Web. 6 Aug. 2020
Wardlaw's Contemporary Nutrition: A Functional Approach. Smith, 5th ed.