King Corn Documentary: A Review
About the Film
Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, two college friends from Boston set out to Iowa, a place they both had family roots, to find out why corn has taken over the nation, invading nearly every food Americans consume. When the two guys had their hair analyzed, they found that corn was even detected in their hair. In order to find out why, the two move to Iowa to find out more about corn, how it’s grown, and why nearly everything we eat contains it. Some of the things they found out will astonish you.
Corn Really is King!
Most of us realize that we’re eating corn when we roast an ear of corn on the grill, or stop by our favorite Mexican restaurant for tacos. We think of healthy, fresh cut produce when we picture corn, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Did you know that nearly every single item offered in fast food restaurants contains corn? Most all processed foods contain corn in the form of many different chemical derivatives. I’m not talking about fresh corn on the cob either. The corn found in the processed foods we eat is, according to the King Corn documentary, “not fit for human consumption”. This is a corn that is also used as feed corn for animals, and it’s no good for them either. As a matter of fact, most cows are corn fed in the United States. This is because cattle gain weight much faster on a corn diet, and can be slaughtered much faster. Actually cattle need to be slaughtered, because the corn diet will kill them if they aren’t. The documentary even states that muscle tissue from corn fed cows looks more like fat tissue in grass fed cows. This is the beef that we are eating in all those fast food burgers across the country. Beef from cows that are sick just doesn’t seem appealing.
Corn Is In Nearly Everything
Where can you find corn or its derivatives? Everywhere! Nearly all sodas contain high fructose corn syrup, along with most candies, baked goods, and sweets. Even salad dressings usually contain corn syrup! High fructose corn syrup is made from this same low grade, inedible corn, and so highly processed that watching the making of it looked like something from chemistry class. Ian and Curt couldn’t even gain access into a corn syrup factory while making the film. Not one single factory would allow it. In addition to corn syrup, corn starch is present in white flour, most baked goods, as well as many other foods. Derivatives of corn come in the form of hundreds of different chemicals, such as glucose, maltodextrin, dextrin, and many others. Corn is utilized in such large proportions simple because it is very cheap.
The movie suggests that the entire western diet is full of corn, and has been for the last 35 years. Ironically, in the last 35 years, diabetes and obesity have skyrocketed. The reason, according to the film, is government subsidies for growing so much corn. Growers are paid to grow more and more corn, and it is so cheap, that companies are finding more and more uses for it in the foods they produce.
Worth Watching
If you’re concerned about your family’s diet, this movie is well worth watching. It is extremely informative, and will educate you about what you are eating. Not only is the movie educational, it’s very entertaining in the process. If you’d like to know more about why our nation is a King Corn country, check out this documentary. It might just be all the motivation you need to make some positive diet changes.