Top 7 Nutrition Documentaries to Watch with Your Teenager
You are what you eat. It’s a timeless message, but for many teens it is hard
to truly comprehend how true the adage will ring as they grow older.
As a parent, we can make decisions about what food we keep in our house, but
teenagers often have expanded opportunities to make their own food choices away
from our kitchen. Helping teens navigate their ever-widening array of food
options must include education about how their food decisions today can affect
their lives in the future.
Diet-linked diseases like diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure, and
obesity are increasingly global issues that pose a serious threat to the world’s
population. What many people don’t realize are the myriad of ways, both overtly
and covertly, the foods that continue to cause such harmful health conditions
are finding their ways into our bodies.
One of the best things you can do as an adult is to educate yourself on the food
choices you have available and which foods are best suited to promote a truly
healthy and balanced diet.
Even better, go on the learning journey with your teenager!
Here are our top 7 nutrition documentaries to watch with your teenager to help
promote discussion and healthier dietary decisions.
Fed Up
Stephanie Soechtig and Laurie David’s look into America’s obesity epidemic is
truly an eye-opener. The film, narrated by Katie Couric, does a great job
showing how politics and corporations are able to continue to produce foods and
products known to contribute to obesity despite the research (and common
knowledge) that it shortens life-spans and adds to health care costs.
An interesting comparison is drawn between actions taken by the American against
tobacco companies for their deadly products and the lack of similar action
against the food industry for theirs.
Another intriguing point that is well illustrated in the film focuses on
debunking the notion that regular exercise can undo the damage caused by a poor
diet (spoiler alert: It can’t!).
Overall, Fed Up is a solid look into the institutional supports that have
allowed America’s obesity problem to continue despite clear knowledge of its
harm.
Conversation topics:
Obesity
Making your own informed food choices
Dangers of a sugar-rich diet
Exercise vs. diet
Bite Size
Corbin Billings tackles the obesity epidemic, but does so in a very human way
that focuses more on tugging on the heart strings of the audience than lecturing
with facts and statistics. The documentary chronicles the stories of several
children and the ways obesity has negatively impacted not only their health, but
their feelings self-worth. If your teenager responds to emotional content, Bite
Size will certainly make an impact.
Be warned, Bite Size is not a big-budget documentary (and it shows), but there
is an invaluable humanity in the interviews and stories it shares. Depending on
your teen, Bite Size may be an easier inroad to a conversation about obesity
than some of the others on this list.
Conversation topics:
Obesity
Body image
Food choices
Food, Inc.
While it’s not a horror movie, Robert Kenner’s look into the role corporations
play in the American food industry is terrifying. The film draws upon interviews
with experts in the issue like Fast Food
Nation’s
Eric Schlosser as well as key players in the food industry ranging from farmers,
to CEOs, to politicians. It may not be suitable for younger teens as there is a
fair bit of economic and political content that may fly over their heads, but if
you are willing to help break down the content, it is a very important message
to share.
What Food, Inc. brings to the table is an alarming look at how big the food
industry truly is and how certain large-scale producers are able to use
mechanisms like government subsidies and price-fixing to muscle out smaller (and
often healthier) food options on store shelves. Typically, a price-conscious
society will tend to flock to the least expensive option when presented with a
choice to do so. The end result of that choice is at the root of a global health
crisis.
Conversation topics:
Political influence on business
Making informed purchases
Forks Over Knives
Lee Fulkerson makes an interesting case for a full-scale rejection of animal and
processed foods in exchange for a totally “whole foods plant-based” diet (think
super-vegan). The film draws heavily from T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study
that used a 20-year research study to link animal-based food products and
diabetes, heart disease, and several types of digestive tract
cancer.
The documentary is a bit dry in spots, but the message is certainly one worth
engaging with. If you or your teen have any interest in moving to a more
vegetarian or vegan way of eating, Forks Over Knives will prove to be a strong
validation for that choice.
Conversation topics:
Vegetarianism & Veganism
Plant-based vs. Animal-based foods
Processed foods
Sugar Coated
The sugar industry is a multi-billion-dollar, global giant. Michèle Hozer’s
documentary pulls back the curtain on the way sugar has literally infiltrated
the world’s foods. The documentary is very well researched and presents a
compelling, well-reasoned case for why the danger of sugar needs to be taken
seriously.
The main draw to the film is its message. It is one of the more intellectually
stimulating films on the list, but for some younger teens it may be a bit heavy
to engage with without some parental support.
Despite the heavy topic, the cinematography is engaging with numerous archival
clips and footage of alluring confectionary goodies that the sugar industry used
to infiltrate the global mind-space. Watch this on an empty stomach and
experience first-hand how well the sugar industry has learned to manipulate your
taste buds into craving its wares!
Conversation topics:
Danger of sugar
Propaganda
Corporate lobbying and manipulation
Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret
Kip Andersen’s crowd-funded documentary focuses on the way modern animal
agriculture is detrimental to both the animals and our planet itself. The
underlying argument is that by unraveling our reliance on animal products in our
diet and, in turn, the animal agricultural business model, we will not only
improve our own health, but also rid the world of one of its largest sources of
pollution.
For such a complex correlation, Andersen does a remarkable job creating a very
watchable, easy-to-follow argument. There is a plethora of conversations that
this film could raise with your teen. Be advised, while the film has moments of
brevity, there are also scenes of intense animal cruelty that may prove very
upsetting to some.
Conversation topics:
Animal agriculture
Environmentalism
Vegetarianism & Veganism
Food Chains
Sanjay Rawal takes a unique approach in his analysis of the American
agricultural industry by examining the workers who are responsible for actually
harvesting and gathering the food that is sold to market. His documentary takes
a serious and gut-wrenching look into the terrible conditions plaguing farm
workers who suffering poor wages, lack of legal protection, and an
institutionalized system of fear.
The documentary itself is extremely well produced and has a solid balance of
credibility and emotionally-charged content. Food Chains is not only a great
opportunity to discuss making informed food-buying choices with your teen, but
also an opportunity to have a real conversation about fair treatment and equity
for all people.
Conversation topics:
Unfair labor practices
Fighting for equality and legal standing
Have thoughts on these documentaries or others pertaining to the nature of the
food we eat? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!