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Indiana Jones & Raiders of the Fat Fridge

Pediatrician slams Indy film's junk food tie-ins

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted May 21, 2008 5:21 AM CDT

(Newser) – Indiana Jones has a new enemy. Pediatrician Rahul Parikh is irritated about Indy's marketing tie-ins to high-calorie foods like Burger King's "Indy Double Whopper" and Snicker's "Adventure Bar." Parikh has been enjoying the films of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg for decades, but he's also watching kids grow obese, thanks in part to fatty food marketing, he writes in Salon.

Studies have found that marketing strongly influences what kids eat, the doc points out. He notes that if Indiana Jones were actually scarfing down the fatty foods linked to his movies, he'd have a hard time getting around. Parikh admits childhood obesity can't be completely blamed on the media, but thinks Lucas and Spielberg can play a big role in helping slim down a generation of little Jabbas.

Pediatrician Rahul K. Parikh writes in an open letter to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg that their movies' fast-food tie-ins are contributing to childhood obesity.
Pediatrician Rahul K. Parikh writes in an open letter to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg that their movies' fast-food tie-ins are contributing to childhood obesity.   ((c) VirtualErn)
Actor Harrison Ford comes face-to-face with a cobra in a scene from the first of four Indiana Jones adventure films, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Actor Harrison Ford comes face-to-face with a cobra in a scene from the first of four Indiana Jones adventure films, "Raiders of the Lost Ark."   (AP Photo/LucasFilms)
Wouldn't Indy, now a senior citizen, have more than just a little bump in his cholesterol if he had scarfed down his namesake burger fries and a soda? Parikh asks.
"Wouldn't Indy, now a senior citizen, have more than just a little bump in his cholesterol if he had scarfed down his namesake burger fries and a soda?" Parikh asks.   (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, David James)
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