When movies start to get made about a topic, it is clear that the issue is going to enter public consciousness. Of course, sometimes the movies often distort the facts or ignore the truth as was the case with movies glorifying the Vietnam war. However, in a recent movie I watched about the health of the U.S, Fast Food Nation, I was pleased to see various issues exposed.
In actual fact, I had thought that a movie about the food industry was going to be a documentary of sorts so I was surprised to see names such as Greg Kinnear, Bruce Willis and Luis Guzman on the cast list. As you may be starting to suspect, this movie isn’t a documentary. This cinematic technique was very interesting. It allowed the film maker, Richard Linklater, much more artistic license to tell the truth in a fictitious way.
The story follows a fast food marketing executive investigating how cow dung could be getting into their hamburgers. He goes on a mission to find out where their product comes from. The premise is quite amusing until we realize just how pervasive fast food is in our society today. Could this really be true or is it a completely made up story?
We are guided through a sequence of events that portray how meat actually arrives on our table. This leads us to the slaughter house where the cows are killed and chopped up. In the film, the slaughter house workers are all illegal immigrants from Mexico. It goes to show the general apathy towards illegal immigration as long as it guarantees us cheaper products. The working conditions in this fictitious slaughter house are not those that most U.S. citizens would want to work in. Does this mean that it’s right for Mexicans to be there?
Of course, in the movie there are a host of amusing, strange as well as not so pleasant incidents but rather than spoil it for you, it is certainly a film worth watching if you have any concern for your own health. It certainly exposed my ignorance as to where my food actually comes from. How many pairs of hands have touched it? Is it really safe to eat?
I’m not suggesting that all meat sold in the U.S. has been marinaded in cow dung, but how do we really know? For me, this is one of the take-aways from the movie. The issue of exploitation of Mexican immigrants being another. It really suggests that we have to take more responsibility for our own health and well being. We should become more questioning consumers.
If, like me, you are interested in health then it’s important that we are at least consuming the 5 a day quota of fruits and vegetables. In all honesty, the more we have, the better we’re going to feel. Fresh plant based produce helps us with digestion, energy levels and has been shown in scientific studies to prevent many chronic diseases.
Spending some time reading through some comprehensive juicer reviews is a worthwhile option. The fact of the matter is that with a juicer, it’s simple enough to juice up 5 servings of fresh produce to drink at breakfast time. Then every other piece of fruit and veg we have throughout the day is a bonus.