On Monday morning, the community of ATA College Prep was treated to an informative workshop on the topics of diet and nutrition. The format of the presentation combined elements of lecture, film, and discussion to educate students on the importance of healthy eating, along with the risks associated with improper nutrition.
As our guest speaker for the week, Dio offered his expertise on the dangers of sugar in the standard American diet. According to his research, sugar consumption in our population has increased dramatically over the past 40-50 years. This trend represents a threat to individual and public health by suppressing the human immune system and raising the level of toxicity within the body overall.
In addition, students watched a feature-length documentary entitled “Fed Up,” which investigates the causes and effects of a mass migration in the American dietary landscape away from preparing fresh, whole foods to consuming vast quantities of processed foods.
Both personal and editorial in scope, “Fed Up” chronicles the social, political, and economic forces that have contributed to an epidemic of obesity in America, as well as the narratives of families with children who suffer from diet-related illnesses. The film aims to demystify the risk factors leading to obesity and exposes sugar as the primary ingredient of America’s dietary woes.
After the film screening, the entire audience participated in a game which portrayed the projected statistics for the incidence of diseases such as diabetes in the future. Finally, members of the student body shared their reactions to the documentary, whose lessons will hopefully serve as a long-term call to action.