Movie Review: Pregnant in America

I finally got "Pregnant in America" from Netflix. S. and I watched it Monday night and enjoyed it. It was a cute movie, made by a first time father to be who was outraged at the maternity system in America. It actually made S. feel better to know that he wasn't alone. ;)

One segment talked about how there is no oversight over the medical community with regards to what drugs can and can not be used for labor - specifically CYTOTEC. This one family interviewed has been petitioning the FDA for help in banning it's use in obstetric care, however their response was that they had no jurisdiction over that. Disgusting.

The rest of the movie, for me, was all info I'm very well aware of so it didn't have the punch power, but still had some great info nonetheless. And any one that rolls the great Ina May Gaskin, Mardsen Wagner, and some OBs pissed at the system into their film deserves an A+ in my book. ;)

Movie Review: Food, Inc.

S. and I were feeling lazy and decided to watch a movie on Netflix last night. We perused the Instant Queue offerings and found Food, Inc. A friend recommended the documentary and so we put it on.

Oh.
My.
Gosh.

We already knew that there were severe issues with the system (a huge part of why we've only been going to farmer's markets for our produce for the past 6-8 months) but we had no idea how far reaching it was.

I see why people are vegetarians given the state of our food.

This movie has changed us completely as we will never step foot in a supermarket again. I'm even rethinking eating out. Has this information made me paranoid? No way. It's provided me with information and I feel empowered to make critical choices that will affect my family's diet in a much better way.

Do I recommend you watch it? Hands down, yes. Yes, yes, yes.

http://www.foodincmovie.com/

My rating: ***** (out of 5)

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Side note: Considering that health care seems to be a super hot topic right now here's a question that we should think about (this stems from the movie).

We are focusing so much on the insurance companies, doctors, and our government to fix this system because so many sick people need insurance but can't get care. In the movie, they talk about how ridiculous it is that a bag of chips and a soda are cheaper than buying fresh vegetables, which obviously severely affects the poor and minorities. The rate of diabetes, heart-related issues, and cancer is skyrocketing. No one is questioning the food. And no one is taking responsibility for their actions (choosing a McDonald's hamburger over fresh fruit and veggies).

My question is why are we racing to spend more money on a bill that will only put a band aid on the problem as opposed to changing out outlook on food and proper nutrition and exercise?

(The answer is in the movie so go watch!)