Obesity amongst children and young adults is a dangerous contemporary trend, contributing to variety of life-threatening diseases. From cardiovascular conditions to diabetes, obesity and unhealthy relationships with food is associated with numerous emotional conditions.
Jennifer Mattox and Douglas Clemons present a unique and powerful documentary, All Jacked Up (Faerie Films), a film starring typical teenagers who learn about their turbulent relationships with the food they eat and their emotionally-angst lives.
This award-winning documentary, All Jacked Up sheds light on the kids’ understandings of how they’re often exploited and manipulated by a food system that has little or no regard to their health.
Powerful Documentary
All Jacked Up is an examination of the food habits of typical teenagers. Viewers are let in on the lives of Melissa, Danny, Raquel, and Michael as they learn the association between their physical and emotional health with their eating habits—often addictive and driven by obsession. Bobby, the film’s narrator, is a Hollywood actor who shares the same concerns and explores the issues that teenagers face.
The movie’s premise is that behind this unhealthy and destructive trend amongst teenagers is an exploitative food system that is anything but supportive of healthy lifestyles and the development of nutritious eating habits. Not only is the lack of education teenagers have about this downward spiral exposed, but the film shows how the unsupportive and highly influential roles of the education system, families, and most of all money-hungry corporations contribute to the dangerous food addictions and habits shared by many teenagers.
Common Food Trends
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 70% of teenagers do not meet the daily recommendation of five servings of fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, 70% of teens don’t participate in regular daily physical activity, including physical education programs in schools.
It’s a common trend for teenagers to skip breakfast on a regular basis, resulting in a day fueled with high-calorie and high-fat convenience snacks. In fact, some reports state that over a third of teenagers’ daily calories come from saturated fats.
Major Food Influences
Families are a leading influence on the child’s diet. In today’s world, it’s common for families to be single-parent households, or to have both parents working outside the home. This environment has driven a greater dependence by families on convenience foods—something that food corporations and manufacturers have capitalized on with the market saturation of quick meals that are high in salt and fat.
The school environment is also a large determining factor in teens’ food habits. Peer pressure, a lack of teachers’ support, and the quality of food available at schools dramatically impacts the daily health choices of teenagers across the country. Additionally, many schools enter into exclusive financial deals with food and beverage companies that allow not only for unhealthy snacks and drinks to be sold on school property, but includes a powerful advertising influence.
All Jacked Up a Must-See Documentary
Not only is there an epidemic of childhood obesity, but millions of dollars are made each year by companies that lure unknowing and uneducated teens into addictive and unhealthy food choices. The purpose of All Jacked Up is to empower teens to become aware of what their bodies and minds are exposed to.
A team of health experts—from pediatricians to holistic nutritionists, and psychologists to raw food experts—are featured in the documentary to offer more information and assistance to the teens who are each making a life-changing transformation.
All Jacked Up is a must-see documentary for anyone—teenager or not—with passion for food education and self-empowerment.
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Watch the Movie Trailer
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