An interesting take on healthy eating shows (Supersize Vs Superskinny)

Member Name: jesperado

Product:	Supersize Vs Superskinny
Date:	23/01/09 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Informative and non judgemental

Disadvantages: Gross in parts!

This is a Channel 4 show in which two people with disordered attitudes towards food swap diets for a short period. The most recent episode saw two nurses swap diets. Gillian is a working mum who is around 2 stone underweight at only 6 and a half stone. Phillipa is the opposite, severely overweight at 26 stone. The programme is split between this story, fronted by Dr Christian Jessen and a presenter in LA looking at cosmetic surgery and the lengths people will go to for the 'perfect' body.

I was impressed with the programme as it didn't have the exploitative tone of some shows like this. It wasn't a freakshow as most are but a real attempt to show that being too thin and being too fat are equally damaging. It treated its subjects with respect rather than making them out to be stupid or disgusting (Gillian 'Food Nazi' McKeith is especially guilty of this second part).

There was a scene in which all of the food each person ate for a week was dropped into a clear tube to show the sheer volume (or lack thereof) of food to make the message clear about how unhealthy each diet was. Both participants were shocked at the amount that they themselves and the other person ate. The presenter didn't try to make either of them feel bad about it (as happens in many shows) and it soon became clear that for Phillipa food was an addiction and that Gillian had a genuine fear of eating.

By sampling each others diets each participant learned something about how they ate before the programme but it also reinforced the message that any extreme diet is not healthy. I think this was a well-balanced educational show which refrained from judgement but also served as a warning to those with disordered eating habits.

Summary: Good for promoting sensible eating