Fat Head:You’ve been fed a load of bologna
I’ve learned from Tom Naughton that his new movie is titled Fat Head and carries the tagline You’ve been fed a load of bologna. Tom has also graciously agreed to answer all your questions about the movie so fire away. Submit any questions you might have as comments, and Tom will answer them in a blog post within a few days.
I’m putting up the rest of the clips from the movie on today’s post.
The sequence of these clips as they will appear in the movie is as follows:
- Blaming Fast Food
- Spurlockian Bolagna
- The Guy from CSPI
- Big Fat Lies
- McGovern Report
I’m posting these in kind of reverse order. I put up the last two on yesterday’s post.
Here are clips 1 through 3:
And here is the clip that contains one of the most perceptive lines in all of moviedom. It’s so typical of do-gooders such as the jerks at CSPI, and it runs rampant in our own government. It’s the idea that anyone producing and/or selling a product is inherently evil, and that we, the consuming public, are stupid, and, consequently, are desperately in need of do-gooders and governmental regulatory bodies to protect us from our own brainlessness. Because, after all, we can’t possibly think for ourselves. Naughton captures this mindset perfectly in two lines from the Guy from CSPI. Watch for them. Beautiful.
Enjoy.
Hello,
here is the link to the site of Nicolai Worm, for your German readers. It contains all necessary to know about low-carb and such. The diet method is called LOGI-Methode and has quite good credentials since it was adopted in some hospitals to treat diabetis.
http://www.logi-methode.de/
Hey gallier2–
Thanks for the link. I’m sure any German readers will greatly appreciate it.
Cheers–
MRE
There was a full page ad in the NYT for Lipitor last weekend trumpeting a 36% lowering of risk for heart disease by taking Lipitor, in people with risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure and family history. Then it said in the study of those smokers, etc., 3% of people taking a placebo had a heart attack, and 2% of people taking Lipitor had a heart attack. Why would anyone take a powerful drug like that for such a tiny benefit? And what about all those people taking Lipitor who don’t have any other risk factors other than elevated cholesterol? Statins have to be the most overhyped drugs ever.
People take these drugs because their doctors tell them to. And they don’t question their doctors. A sad situation.
Cheers–
MRE
I love documentary! It brings in information you’ve informed us about, stuff Gary Taubes made better known by at least his NYTimes Magazine article several years ago (haven’t read his new book yet), and gets some great REAL expert opinion by interviewing you and Mary Enig. It would be great if he could also get Taubes, Ravnskov, Cordain, and your old colleage who I’m blanking on the name.
I try to forward articles, blog entries and recommend books around these topics, but busy people who aren’t as “geaky” as me about nutrition, or are still a bit too close-minded, I think, don’t read much. A movie such as this which is actually fun to watch can capture a lot more people’s imagination and start to break down some of the initial barriers to let them think more openly about this stuff. Humor is always great in doing this, but it helps to have great presentation and very cogent presenters, interviewee’s, etc. Here’s hoping this will be the documentary equivelent of ” What if It’s All Been a Big Fat Lie?”!
My questions to Tom would be:
1) When is the movie slated to come out?
2) Where can we look for it? Will it be in the DC area?
3) Will he have a website or mailing list that we can sign up to get news about the project?
Hi Levi–
Just got a chance to watch the full movie last night for the first time. According to Tom it’s about 95% as it is going to be. I can tell you that it’s brilliant (despite the fact that it mentions Anthony Colpo
). Much, much better than the few little clips I posted indicate. I can’t wait until the full thing is out.
Best–
MRE
Dr. Mike: Although this is off-topic with regard to the above, we think you and all those who visit your blog regularly will be interested in a very recent lecture by Dr. Kendrick that has been excerpted on youtube. Here are the links that came from the thincs website:
“Why raised cholesterol levels do not cause heart disease”. Talk given by Malcolm Kendrick at a meeting of the Leeds branch of the British Medical Association. Five parts on Youtube (Nov 25):
Part 1: Cholesterol http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XPPYaVcXo1I
Part 2: Familial Hypercholesterolaemia http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xrr8MjDJ78
Part 3: About Statins http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jE_RIQY53ys
Part 4: Stress and the HPA axis (Bjorntorp) http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fHIA8usGxEM
Part 5: CVD Populations and Stress http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Na_Ear8OdJM
Best,
W / J
Hey Wil & Judy–
Here they are, posted for all to enjoy. Thanks for sending. Just got my own invite from Uffe Ravnskov to become a member of THINCS, and will do so as soon as I can get all my stuff together to send him.
Cheers–
MRE
I think having a person go on an all quarterpounder with cheese diet from McDonalds (without bread and condiments-just cheeseburgers) and perhaps for breakfast coffee and sausage patties to show how weight loss can be achieved with the McDonalds menu would be very enlightening.
I ate their sausage patties for breakfast very regularly (many times 6 days a week) and often had quarter pounder with cheese patties as part of a low-carb diet where I lost 101.5 pounds over 23 months. Unfortunately I’m not sure their double cheeseburger is 100% beef but the quarter pounder seems to be.
What you’re describing is exactly what the full movie shows. I’m glad you’ve had good results.
Cheers–
MRE
The government has done something that is very very good, and that is require nutrition labels. We could not possibly figure out what was in any packaged food without those.
I also agree with Rico that Taubes would likely support government support of nutritional research – just better research. I am as mad as any of you at the low fat nonsense the government has been putting out. But I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water either.
I don’t think anyone is arguing that nutrition labels are not good. The law of averages mandates that every now and then the government will get something right. Problem is that it just doesn’t happen that often.
Cheers–
MRE
Hmmmm, I just came across this article in the Weston Price site, about Men’s Health magazine:
http://www.westonaprice.org/men/menshealthmag.html
Towards the end it has a section on Spurlock’s Super Size Me and how his 30-day experience with McD altered his health. Okay, we all know about that, but the article makes some interesting points about Spurlock’s mental decline as well as physical, pointing the finger at McD food additives such as MSG.
What do you think?
I posted my thoughts on MSG a while back, which you can find here.
MSG supposedly ‘rots’ the brain. If so, I’ve always wondered why Asians – who eat the stuff by the bucketful – always outscore we non-Asian Americans on intelligence tests.
Cheers–
MRE
“Sometimes it’s hard for me to have any sympathy for people like that. So what if you can’t always eat the stuff you love to eat!!! Eating is not only about taste. We eat to fuel our bodies.”
Tell that to a food addict.
Fast food places are to a food addict what casinos are to gambling junkies.
Of course no one’s DRAGGING you in.
The only thing forcing you is your addiction.
I agree. I thought that woman was a little over the top.
Cheers–
MRE
Thanks for the enjoyable clips. I’d sure like to see the full movie.
As to ms brody’s cholesterol update she offers teh following advice:
“Equally important are the foods to limit or avoid: organ meats like liver, egg yolks, most fried and fast foods, doughnuts and pastries, full-fat cheeses and ice cream, processed meats like salami, bacon and other fatty cuts of pork, and untrimmed red meats.”
I had half these foods just today (and you know which half).
Poor Jane. I don’t think she’ll ever get it right.
I would be that I had the same half you did.
Cheers–
MRE
Thank you very much for your MSG comment! I read all the links you provided and they all make sense… especially the part about 75% of Americans being low in Magnesium. For most of my adult life I’ve heard that MSG was bad, and hadn’t found much that said it was good, or even okay, so to hear some common sense about it is refreshing.
thanks again
Hi Jenny–
I’m glad you enjoyed the post. MSG has become the whipping boy for a lot of people whom I don’t think ever went to the trouble to think the issue through critically.
Cheers–
MRE
Dr. Mike:
Another load of bologna?
http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2007/12/03/is_eating_processed_or_red_meat_linked_to_a_higher_risk_of_cancer/
Comment please…..
Thanks
A massive load of bologna. I’ve got a blog post underway on this very report right now. Don’t worry, though, you can keep eating meat until I get the blog post up.
Cheers–
MRE
Michael Blowhard has just posted “Q&A With Tom Naughton, Part One” at the 2Blowhards blog:
http://www.2blowhards.com/archives/2008/01/qa_with_tom_nau_3.html
Hey Dave–
Thanks for the link.
Best–
MRE
An interesting link completely out of context, but I didn’t know how to send it to you otherwise:
http://press.psprings.co.uk/gut/february/gt131797.pdf
Check out today’s (Feb 24, 2008) post.
Cheers–
MRE
I would love to see Fat Head make it to theaters, but I fear it will be “straight to video” – not because it’s a rebuttal to Super Size Me, but because it will be decried as a “tinfoil hat conspiracy theory movie” like documentaries from Alex Jones. I’ve been lambasted as a shill for Big Food because I believe in Mary Enig over Michael Jacobson. I pointed out on Daily Kos that CSPI advocated trans fats in the “Truth About Trans” article from the March 1988 edition of CSPI’s Nutrition Action newsletter, and I was accused of being a disinfo agent. According to the brainwashed Kossacks, CSPI never advocated trans fats – even when I throw the evidence in their faces. They may as well have accused me of inventing a fake Nutrition Action article.
But to sum it up: “Fat Head” will be dismissed by the mainstream media as tinfoil hat material, and the people in the movie supporting the film’s message will be dismissed as tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorists – and yes, I have seen Mary Enig and Dr. Mercola dismissed as such. Controlled-left propagandists will declare the producer of the movie a far-right loon. Controlled-right propagandists will declare the producer of the movie a far-left loon. Of course the most likely scenario will be that the controlled media will basically ignore the documentary and refuse to discuss it because it’s “tinfoil hat material”. If there is any honest coverage and talk of the movie, it will most likely be relegated to alternative media such as the Alex Jones radio show and perhaps even Richard Green’s “Clout” radio show on Air America.
Let’s hope you’re wrong.
Dr. Eades,
I am not sure why I feel compelled to write, but I’m honestly surprised to come upon this site and the statements posted here.
The clips you posted, while they offer some funny moments, completely miss the point. It’s possible that it’s just they are out of context, but let me ask you – who cares if Spurlock ate 5000 calories or 4000 calories of complete garbage food? Either way, this is way too much for the average sedentary American. Something you should appreciate as a physician.
And why do you feel compelled to create a false choice – either personal responsibility or government regulation? Both are clearly needed. This is not about who is evil and who is good, it’s about what is effective. If financial incentives can be used to shift industry and personal habits, then they should be explored. If educational initiatives were sufficient then the diet gurus of 40 years ago would have prevented the current obesity epidemic.
In short, I find the wisdom and perspective in this post and comments thus far decidedly immature and lacking.
sincerely,
Dr Berman
Hi Dr. Berman–
You wrote:
Both are clearly needed? Government regulation of the diet? I think not.
Explored by whom? Do I want a bunch of lipophobe bureaucrats deciding what’s best for me to eat, then providing financial incentives to shift industry to conform to their idiotic bias. Again, I think not.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the wisdom and perspective. You can always vote with your feet.
Best–
MRE
Funniest thing I have seen in a long time. I will be buying a copy. My daughter was shown Supersize Me in school. You had better believe she will be seeing this doc at home!
Unfortunately, your positions are scientifically untenable. We are all physical beings that behave in a manor consistent with the laws of physics. That means that ALL of our actions are not a matter of free will but are a consequence of our history and the current environment. That means all of our choices are a matter of our programming. Too bad that most people have been programmed poorly – primarily by advertisements. Yes, the food industry should be regulated based on science – not right wing religion.
Welcome to sous vide Australia
Regardless, I won’t be running out to McDonald’s to make a steady diet of their food. While it may not be the high fat in their food that’s making people fat, it is also high in carbs, sugar, and hormone-laden meat. Not to mention all the chemicals in the foods. So I hope the movie doesn’t debunk that these fast food chains are still unhealthy.