Lean Streak

Hungry For Change is a powerful documentary from the producers of Food Matters.  Of course the film takes on the usual suspects — processed foods, High Fructose Corn Syrup, MSG, diet soda, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated fats, etc. But it also delves into the psychology of the dieter and the overweight person. And it gives you courses of action that are more feasible than those given by food industry bashing films and books that are more extremist.

Hungry for Change is an expose on the food industry but first and foremost it is a self-help documentary. It reminds you not to beat yourself up and to be patient with yourself. After all, cutting against the grain can be counterproductive. Case in point, stringent diets that result in temporary weight loss, gain in weight afterwards and a deficiency in nutrients.

The Perpetual Feast: Over centuries, humans have been programmed to feast when there is sugary or fatty food so that we can live off the reserves during a famine / winter.  So, as the film tell us, we are hardwired to load on fats and sugars. In the West, we have year-round access to pizzas and cakes and that explains why we never get rid of the reserves.

Overfed Yet Starved: Most of us, in North America, eat too much. The documentary discusses how we load on processed foods that are rich in calories but deficient in nutrients. And since our cells do not get the spectrum of vitamins / minerals from junk food, we feel like eating more.

Here are Some Valuable Tips from the Film:

Hungry For Change

1. Detoxify: Juicing, eating gelatinous foods such as aloe vera and chia seeds, exercise and enough sleep.

2. Expand your Definition of Sugar: Not only does the film call sugar “the cocaine of the food world”, to also asks health conscious eaters to expand their definition of sugars to include bread, muffins, pancakes, pizza / pasta sauces, cereal, cough syrup, sushi, rice, etc. It goes on to say that sugar releases beta-endorphins just like opium does.

3. Dump Diet Soda: Diet soda has both aspartame (artificial sweetener) and caffeine. The deadly combination leads to a blend of excitotoxin that kills brains cells but before the cells die, there is a buzz. Aspartame results in  formaldehyde buildup in brain, frontal lobe inflammation, visual impairment, seizures, cancers, etc.

4. Watch out for Ingredients: Names of packaged foods may have very little to do with the ingredients and more to do with what the manufacturers want you to think you are eating. Also read the ingredients carefully and avoid eating MSG-containing foods. MSG, often used to enhance flavour, excites the part of the brain in charge of fat programs. This is a proven fact. In fact when mice in labs need to be fattened, they are fed MSG.

5. Use Visualisation to Communicate with the Subconscious: Picture yourself thin and healthy to reinforce positive intent.