NUTRITION LABELS HAVE LONG HIDDEN NEARLY AS MUCH VITAL
INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IS IN YOUR FOOD AS THEY REVEAL, BUT
TODAY THE FDA HAS ANNOUNCED NEW RULES THAT MIGHT CLEAR UP SOME
OF THE CONFUSION ABOUT PARTICULAR THINGS IN FOOD THAT
COULD BE HARMING YOU.
HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE NEW LABEL, NOT
THE FINAL DESIGN, BUT WHAT THEY HAVE CURRENTLY REVEALED.
YOU
WILL SEE SOME CHANGES, I WANT TO BREAK DOWN SOME OF THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT.
CALORIES WILL BE BOLD AND LARGER, APPARENTLY THE
CURRENT FONT SIZE IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH, PEOPLE STILL CONSUME FAR
MORE CALORIES THAN THEY SHOULD.
SERVING SIZES WILL BE UPDATED TO
REFLECT WHAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY EAT, RATHER THAN WHAT THE
MANUFACTURER WANTS TO PRETEND THEY EAT.
NUTRITION FACTS FOR
THE PACKAGE WILL ALSO BE LISTED, BECAUSE REALISTICALLY THAT IS
WHAT AMERICANS EAT, THE ENTIRE PACKAGE.
ALSO SOME VITAMINS WILL
BE TAKEN OFF OF THE LIST THAT IS ON ALL OF THE FOODS, INCLUDING
VITAMIN A. BECAUSE OF REAL-WORLD DEFICIENCIES CHANGING OVER TIME
PEOPLE ARE NOT DEFICIENT IN THOSE VITAMINS SO WE WON'T TRACK
THEM.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, AND THE REASON WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
THIS TODAY, IS --
THIS IS SOMETHING I HAVE TALKED ABOUT IN MULTIPLE VIDEOS,
A SORT OF DREAM OF MINE THAT I DIDN'T THINK WE WOULD EVER GET
BECAUSE OF THE POWER OF THE FOOD INDUSTRY.
CURRENTLY --
THOSE ARE THE ONES YOU WOULD RECOGNIZE AS BEING SUGAR, THERE
ARE LISTS OF LITERALLY DOZENS OF THINGS THAT ARE SUGAR, THAT THE
BODY TREATS AS SUGAR, THAT HAVE NAMES YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO
IDENTIFY THAT THEY WOULD HAVE IN THE LIST OF INGREDIENTS TO HIDE
THE FACT THAT YOU ARE CONSUMING SUGAR.
OR THERE WOULD BE
PRODUCTS THAT HAVE NATURAL SUGARS, FRUIT OR MILK OR THINGS
LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD HAVE ADDED SUGAR AND YOU HAVE NO WAY OF
KNOWING WHICH IS WHICH, SO THIS IS A GREAT CHANGE.
WE WILL TALK
ABOUT SOME LONG-TERM EFFECTS, BUT FIRST OF ALL I WANT TO GIVE
SOME CREDIT TO MICHELLE OBAMA, WHO CENK WOULD SUSPECT WOULD BE
INVOLVED IN THIS, SHE ANNOUNCED TODAY --
VERY SOON YOU WILL NO LONGER NEED A MICROSCOPE OR A
CALCULATOR TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER THE FOOD YOU ARE BUYING IS
GOOD FOR OUR KIDS, THAT IS A PHENOMENAL ACHIEVEMENT.
I AGREE WITH MOST OF THAT, NOT EVERY PART OF IT.
MOST OF THE INITIAL STORIES DID NOT MENTION MICHELLE OBAMA,
THAT IS WHY WE LOOKED INTO IT FURTHER.
IT DOESN'T TAKE A LOT
OF INVESTIGATING TO FIND OUT SHE WAS HAPPY ABOUT THIS, AND PART
OF THE PROCESS.
BUT WHY DID I WANT TO LOOK FURTHER?
WHY DID I
THINK SHE WAS INVOLVED?
IT IS OBVIOUS, SHE IS ABOUT GETTING
PHYSICALLY IN BETTER SHAPE AND EATING THE RIGHT THINGS, THAT
HAS BEEN HER WHOLE THING FOR THE LAST TWO TERMS, THAT IS HER
DRIVING FORCE, AND WHAT SHE WANTS TO TAKE ACTION ON.
THE
SECOND PART IS BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, HMM, LIKE JOHN SAID, THIS
IS NOT AN EASY FIGHT BECAUSE THE SUGAR LOBBY IS STRONG, ALL
THE LOBBIES ARE STRONG, BECAUSE THIS IS THEIR WHOLE LIVING, THIS
IS THE BOTTOM LINE, A LOT OF MONEY IS ON THE LINE SO IF THEY
WANT TO SPEND A COUPLE MILLION TO SAVE A COUPLE OF BILLION, IN
TERMS OF REVENUE BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH
IT AFFECTS THEIR PROFITS, THOUGH -- BUT CERTAINLY FINANCIALLY
MOTIVATED.
SO HOW DID THEY BEAT THIS STRONG LOBBY ON THE ONE
THING THEY CARE ABOUT?
IT TURNS OUT WHEN THE OBAMAS WANT TO
PASS SOMETHING, THEY PASS IT.
IT IS NEAR THE ELECTION, HE DOESN'T HAVE TO RUN AGAIN.
BUT MICHELLE OBAMA WANTED IT, SO IT TURNS OUT WHEN THEY
ACTUALLY WANT SOMETHING, THEY CAN PUT A LOT OF MUSCLE BEHIND
IT AND GET IT DONE.
I'M GLAD THEY DID THIS, GOD BLESS
MICHELLE OBAMA FOR DOING THIS, I THINK WE SHOULD DO MORE, BUT IT
IS CURIOUS THAT ALL THE THINGS THEY TELL US WE CAN'T DO, BUT ON
THEIR PRIORITIES, VOILA.
CHANGE.
SHE HAS BEEN CRITICIZED ON THIS SORT OF ISSUE, I DON'T WANT
TO SAY FOR SURE, BUT I BELIEVE ROBERT LUSTIG HAS WRITTEN
SEVERAL BOOKS ON SUGAR, HOW MUCH OF HER WORK FOCUSED ON GETTING
KIDS MOVING AND EXERCISING, ALL KIDS SHOULD, THAT IS GREAT, BUT
THERE IS NO ANTI-EXERCISE LOBBY.
THERE ARE LOBBIES THAT TRY TO
CONTROL WHAT YOU EAT, AND ANY PREVIOUS ATTEMPT TO MODIFY --
NOW WE DO THE MY PLATE, BUT THE FOOD PYRAMID, THAT WAS A
RIDICULOUS JOKE FOR DECADES AND DECADES BECAUSE IT IS CREATED
MOSTLY IN PART WITH ASSISTANCE FROM THE FOOD INDUSTRY THAT WANTS
YOU TO EAT EMPTY CARBS AND SUGAR.
SO THE FACT THAT IT TOOK
NEARLY 8 YEARS TO GET SUGARS ADDED ONTO THE LABEL, SHE
RECEIVED CRITICISM FOR THAT IN THE PAST.
AS YOU ALLUDED TO, THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IS NOT HAPPY, THEY
HAVE PUT OUT A STATEMENT SAYING --
WHICH I DON'T THINK WOULD BE TRUE --
[LAUGHTER] SHARED GOAL.
SURE, THEY SHARE THAT GOAL.
THAT IS WHY THEY WORK FOR THE SUGAR INDUSTRY.
THEY ALREADY SUGGESTED --
THOSE SONS OF BITCHES, IT'S THE MODERN EQUIVALENT OF THE TOBACCO
LOBBY.
AND THE SAME GOAL, TO NOT GET ACCURATE INFORMATION ON THE
BOXES.
THEY WANT YOUR KIDS TO EAT MORE SUGAR, THERE IS NO
SCIENTIFIC, LIKE, MAYBE IT IS BAD FOR YOU, MAYBE IT IS NOT.
I CONSUME A LOT OF IT, NOT BECAUSE I THINK IT IS GOOD FOR ME,
BECAUSE I'M ADDICTED.
THAT IS WHY THEY WANT YOUR KIDS TO
CONSUME IT.
WE ALL KNOW IT IS BAD FOR YOU.
I BELIEVE ASIDE
FROM ALCOHOL, WHICH HAS THE NICE SIDE EFFECT OF THE MORE YOU
DRINK OF IT THE HARDER IT IS TO DRINK MORE, BECAUSE EVENTUALLY
YOU PASS OUT, SUGAR HAS NO LIMIT.
IT MIGHT BE THE WORST
THING YOU CAN PUT IN YOUR BODY, CERTAINLY THE WORST THING YOU
ARE REGULARLY ENCOURAGED TO PUT IN YOUR BODY BY SOCIETY,
CULTURE, TRADITIONS, ADVERTISEMENT, AND THEY THINK IT
NEEDS TO BE DEFENDED, WE NEED TO HAVE MORE OF IT FOR OUR CHILDREN
TO CONSUME.
I'M NOT AS ANTI-SUGAR AS JOHN, I THINK YOU CAN TELL -- AND I
CAN PROVE IT RIGHT HERE.
BUT IT IS OBVIOUS THAT IT MAKES YOU
LESS HEALTHY, YOU SHOULD TRY TO CONSUME AS LITTLE OF IT AS YOU
CAN, OR WANT TO.
WE ARE NOT SAYING OUTLAW SUGAR, THIS IS SO
SIMPLE.
ALL WE'RE SAYING IS, LET'S PROPERLY LABEL IT.
CAN WE
AT LEAST DO THAT?
AND THE ANSWER IT TURNS OUT IS YES, IF WE TRY
HARD ENOUGH WE CAN.
I WOULD GO FURTHER.
LET ME JUST FIRST
QUICKLY NOTE, THIS LOBBY TALKING ABOUT SCIENCE IS HILARIOUS.
THEY
DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT SCIENCE.
NO MATTER WHAT THE REGULATION
WAS THAT CAME OUT, NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY WANTED TO LABEL THE
SUGAR, THEY WOULD HAVE SAID THIS IS NOT SCIENTIFIC, WE HAVE A
COUPLE SCIENTISTS WE PAID A LOT OF MONEY TO REPRESENT US, AND
THEY CLAIM EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE IN A TINY PERCENTAGE OF
SCIENTISTS THAT THIS IS NOT SCIENTIFIC.
THEY WOULD SAY THAT
NO MATTER WHAT, BECAUSE THEY ARE PAID TO.
BUT IN TERMS OF WHAT WE
COULD ACTUALLY DO, I WOULD GO FURTHER AND KILL THE CORN
SUBSIDY.
THERE IS NO REASON FOR ALL THESE SUBSIDIES GOING TO
CORN, WHICH THEN LEADS TO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WHICH IS
THE WORST KIND OF SUGAR TO PUT IN YOUR BODY.
DON'T PUT FAKE
SUGAR IN, AT LEAST HAVE REAL SUGAR.
I THINK THAT IS CRAP TOO.
I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING, WE HAVE HAD THAT
DISCUSSION, I THINK THE ARTIFICIAL KIND IS WORSE.
THE SUGAR IS CRAP, NOT YOUR ARGUMENT.
BUT THEN BY IMPLICATION MY ARGUMENT IS ALSO NOT GREAT, BUT
DON'T SUBSIDIZE IT, THEREBY HAVING HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
IN ALL OF OUR FOOD.
THERE IS NO NEED FOR THAT.
WHY ARE YOU
TAKING MONEY OUT OF MY POCKET AS A TAXPAYER AND GIVING IT IN THE
FORM OF A SUBSIDY TO AN INDUSTRY THAT DOESN'T NEED IT AND
EVENTUALLY, BECAUSE OF HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, MAKES US
ALL UNHEALTHIER?
YOU ASKED A QUESTION, YOU SAID WHY DO WE GIVE THAT MONEY.
CAN I
ANSWER?
I'M GOING TO GUESS IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH MONEY
AND POLITICS.
MONEY IN POLITICS, THIS IS WHY PEOPLE ARE
INTERESTED IN BERNIE SANDERS.
WE REALIZE NOW THAT NOT ONLY
EVERYTHING IS CORRUPTED, OUR ECONOMIC SYSTEM THROUGH WALL
STREET, OUR ENDLESS WAR SYSTEM WE'VE BEEN HAVING, ENDLESS, BUT
EVEN TO -- WE ARE NOT EVEN ALLOWED TO FIND OUT WHAT WE ARE
EATING BECAUSE IT MIGHT COST A CORPORATION SOME MONEY.
THAT IS
WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.
WE HAVE TO GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS.
OTHER
PEOPLE SAY, I DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO POLITICS.
POLITICS IS
INVOLVED IN EVERYTHING.
DO YOU WANT THE POTHOLE FIXED ON YOUR
STREET?
YOU WANT YOUR KID TO GO TO A BETTER SCHOOL?
THAT IS
POLITICS.
YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE FEEDING YOUR OWN KIDS,
THAT IS ALSO POLITICS, AND MONEY IN POLITICS ALSO AFFECTS THAT.
THAT IS WHY WE NEED A REVOLUTION AND GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS.
THEY CAN DO IT WHEN THEY WANT.
BARACK OBAMA DID IT, THE PROBLEM
IS HE HAS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS GOING THE OTHER WAY, ALL THE
OTHER POLITICIANS DO, TO NOT DO THE RIGHT THING.
THAT IS WHAT
PEOPLE ARE SICK ABOUT AND THAT IS NOT GOING AWAY NO MATTER WHAT
HAPPENS IN THIS PRIMARY, THAT IS HERE AND NOW.
TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW THIS MIGHT AFFECT PEOPLE, THIS
IS JUST INFORMATION, IT STILL REQUIRES THAT PEOPLE SEEK THE
INFORMATION, SEE IT, AND ACT ON IT -- BUT TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA ON
WHAT EFFECT THIS MIGHT HAVE, THE COST TO CHANGE THESE LABELS IS
$2 BILLION.
THAT MEANS THERE ARE A LOT OF LABELS THAT NEED TO BE
CHANGED --
THERE ARE SOME FOODS THAT WILL DRASTICALLY HAVE TO CHANGE.
PEOPLE TO EAT HEALTHY WILL EAT YOGURT, THAT FUCKING SHIT IS
LOADED WITH ADDED SUGAR.
AND YOU NEVER KNEW IT, BECAUSE YOU JUST
SAW SUGAR AND YOU SAID, IT HAS BLUEBERRIES IN IT.
NO, IT HAD
ADDED SUGAR, AND YOU WILL FIND OUT WHEN THEY PUT THIS INTO
EFFECT.
BUT THIS IS SIGNIFICANT.
IF WE WANT TO DEAL WITH ONE OF
THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS FINANCIALLY WE HAVE IN THIS COUNTRY, WHICH
IS OVERPRICED HEALTH INSURANCE, ONE OF THE REASONS IS THE
CHRONIC CONDITIONS WE HAVE AND THAT OTHER SOCIETIES ARE
STARTING TO HAVE.
DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, CANCER, STROKE,
THOSE KINDS OF THINGS LATER ON.
SUGAR IS ONE OF THE LEADING
REASONS PEOPLE DEVELOP THOSE CONDITIONS AFTERWARD.
THIS IS
ONE OF THE THINGS WE NEED TO TAKE OUT OF OUR DIET, THERE ARE
MANY THINGS WE NEED TO PUT BACK IN THE DIET, BUT THIS GETS US
PART OF THE WAY, RIGHT NOW MANY AMERICANS EAT ABOUT FIVE TIMES
THE AMOUNT OF SUGAR THEY SHOULD, ACCORDING TO A PROFESSOR OF
MEDICINE.
AND FAR MORE THAN WE DID A COUPLE OF DECADES AGO.
WHEN WE HAD THAT NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO GET FAT OUT OF OUR
FOOD BECAUSE WE FALSELY BELIEVED IT LEAD TO HEART DISEASE, THEY
REACTED BY PUTTING SUGAR INTO OUR FOODS SO WE WERE DOING THE
DAMAGE WE WERE TRYING TO AVOID.
IF YOU ARE NOT CURRENTLY
OBESE SO YOU ARE NOT WORRIED, SUGAR HAS OTHER EFFECTS ON THE
BODY AS WELL.
JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW, IT CREATES A CYCLE OF
INTENSE CRAVINGS CAUSING YOU TO WANT TO CONSUME MORE OF THE
PRODUCTS, IT IMPAIRS MEMORY AND LEARNING SKILLS, CAUSES OR
CONTRIBUTES TO DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, IT IS A RISK FACTOR FOR
AGE-RELATED COGNITIVE DECLINE AND DEMENTIA.
WE ALSO HAVE A
COUPLE OF CHARTS TO SHOW YOU THE CURRENT STATE OF OBESITY FOR
ADULTS AND CHILDREN.
IN OUR RESEARCH, OUR ASSOCIATED
PRODUCER FOUND THAT THANKFULLY CHILDHOOD OBESITY HAS SHOCKINGLY
ACTUALLY GONE DOWN.
IF WE CAN JUMP AHEAD TO GRAPHIC 15, YOU
WILL SEE THAT --
14% OF TWO TO FIVE YEAR OLDS WERE OBESE BACK IN 2004.
SO WHEN
YOU MAKE A CASE THAT PEOPLE AREN'T EXERCISING ENOUGH, THEY
DON'T HAVE WILLPOWER, TWO-YEAR-OLDS ARE NOT CHOOSING
WHAT FOODS THEY WANT AND THEY ARE NOT LIKE, I DON'T FEEL LIKE
GOING AND PLAYING BASEBALL.
IT IS THE SHIT THAT IS ADDED TO FOOD.
THEY WERE OBESE, THAT WAS FROM 2003, MAYBE A LOT OF THOSE
KIDS WERE EMOTIONALLY EATING BECAUSE OF 9/11.
THAT WAS DEPRESSING.
THANKFULLY SOFT DRINK CONSUMPTION HAS GONE DOWN,
THAT IS ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL PLACES PEOPLE GET SUGAR.
BUT ONCE THEY GET RID OF THAT, THEY MIGHT THINK THEY ARE
IN THE CLEAR, BUT THEY ARE NOT.