Last night I went to a health meeting. We watched a movie called "King Corn", a docu-movie about 2 post college graduates in pursuit of discovering why their hair samples contained elements of corn. They moved to Iowa to grow 1 acre of corn and through the process, learned A LOT (perhaps more than they wanted to know) about the current corn industry. Segments of their documented experience include how corn is grown, how it has been altered to produce more product in the same amount of space, what kind of chemicals are used during it's growth process, and where it goes when it's harvested. Of interesting note, they also learned about the beef industry and exactly what goes on in the make-up of a cow given corn/corn by-products to eat before slaughter. It was remarkable...and disgusting. Other elements of the film covered the high fructose corn syrup industry, health related problems such as Type 2 diabetes, and government subsidizing of corn production. WOW.
Considering our culture of fast-food, consumption of carbonated beverages, and obesity epidemic, I highly encourage you to check out this film. It was pretty eye opening.
When I came home and told Andrew what I'd learned, I half-jokingly declared that the sodas in the fridge were the last ones to enter our household. (1 soda a day DOUBLES one's chances of Type 2 diabetes!!!) Unbeknownst to me, my subconscious got a hold of this and ran with it:
Last night I dreamed that I was locked away in a tower, about to be forced to marry a horrible beast. Andrew heroically defeated all odds to rescue me and brought me the one thing that could break the curse: a Dr. Pepper. I had to drink it before midnight for the spell to be lifted, and so I could be free to marry Andrew, the man of my dreams. I drank the filled-with-high-fructose-corn-syrup drink, the spell was broken, we kissed, and then I woke up. The end.
I usually don't make much of dreams, but got a good laugh when I woke up and realized where the key to breaking the spell had come from. Maybe I should lighten up? Anyway, if you can, watch the movie! I'd love to hear what y'all think of it!
"how it has been altered to produce more product in the same amount of space, what kind of chemicals are used during it's growth"
ReplyDeleteI'm sure this doesn't just apply to corn. I imaging there's similarly shocking information about much commercially grown produce.
Drinking soft drinks is definitely not good for you, but I have to say I don't abstain completely. The 12 pack I buy usually lasts me over a month, though.
Thanks for sharing! I don't imagine this meeting was endorsed by the Corn Growers of America, was it? ;) :P
It was definitely an independent film! The high fructose corn syrup plants they requested to tour were all denied. They did get the recipe for making their own...it was comical to say the least!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, I'll bet most produce is grown in ways we'd rather not know about. ALL the more reason to have a bigger garden!