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Diet for a New America

by John Robbins

In Diet for a New America, John Robbins, son of the founder of the Baskin-Robbins ice-cream empire, presents his theories about how an animal-based diet is killing Americans. Abandoning the wealthy lifestyle of his family, Robbins lived in a log cabin while subsisting on a simple diet of grains, and he eventually realized his calling as a dietary evangelist. He is not without a sense of humor; at one point he describes how he broke with his family by walking away from our ice-cream-cone-shaped swimming pool. But Robbins takes his mission seriously, buttressing his strong opinions about how America must reform its diet with commentary from physicians and academics, including some experts from Cornell University who appear on camera. Robbins himself visits farms where pigs, cattle, and chicken are raised in hellish conditions to make the point that modern meat production is inhumane. Much of this video comes across as being commonsense dietary advice, though some of the more extreme statements by experts are no doubt debatable. And there's no denying that footage of heart surgeries and animals cramped into filthy cages could serve as strong reinforcement to those seeking a healthier diet. Robert J. McNamara

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Super Size Me

by Morgan Spurlock

From a reviewer on Amazon.com

Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, rejected five times by the USC film school, won the best director award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival for this alarmingly personal investigation into the health hazards wreaked by our fast food nation. Under extensive medical supervision, Spurlock subjects himself to a steady diet of McDonald's cuisine for 30 days just to see what happens. n less than a week, his ordinarily fit body and equilibrium undergo dark and ugly changes: Spurlock grows fat, his cholesterol rockets north, his organs take a beating, and he becomes subject to headaches, mood swings, symptoms of addiction, and lessened sexual energy. The gimmick is too obvious to sustain a feature documentary; Spurlock actually spends most of the film probing insidious ways that fast food companies worm their way into school lunchrooms and the hearts of young children who spend hours in McDonald's playrooms. French fries never looked more nauseating. Tom Keogh

DVD Features

Fans of Morgan Spurlock's engaging documentary Super Size Me won't want to miss almost an hour of extra footage on the DVD. Best of all is a 25-minute one-on-one interview with Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, but other interesting moments are a chat with a couple who collects McDonald's memorabilia; an analysis of a supermarket's layout; further conversation with Big Mac fan Eric Gorske and his wife; a look at the deep-fried Twinkie; and a disgusting but funny piece on how McDonald's food rots (or doesn't). Spurlock also provides a commentary track along with his girlfriend Alex Jamieson (you know, the vegan chef) in which they discuss why he included certain scenes, how many times he ate McDonald's salads, and his recommendations for books to read and action to take. And because he and Jamieson received so many inquiries about the "last supper" he ate on film before embarking on his special diet, an insert contains the recipes, including the highly sought-after tofu and vegetable phyllo tart. David Horiuchi.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

Last modified: 02/21/05