Processed Food Documentary

The human body runs on food. Once, food shortage was the major concern. After the second world war, technological advances in food production led to a new era, that was characterized by an overabundance of inexpensive food, and relatively little physical activity. In the decades that followed, other sociocultural shifts continued to contribute to the changing way we ate. Women who had previously controlled most of the average family's food preparation now entered the workforce in significant numbers. And the processed food industry began to capitalize on our need for fast, convenient food.

This meant that fewer meals were being cooked at home. And since convenience foods were generally higher in calories than home-cooked meals, the average person's caloric intake increased dramatically.

Maya Adam, MD, is waging a battle cry against one of America’s most critical – and challenging – public health crises of our generation: childhood obesity. A lecturer at Stanford School of Medicine and in Stanford University’s human biology program, she is leading the cause through education.