Buddy the Elf’s Health Problems

• Main Author: Tobin, Katy
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Leicester 2017
• Subjects: Film; Biology; Health; Metabolism; Nutrition; Buddy the Elf; North Pole
• Online Access: https://journals.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/jist/article/view/719

In the 2003 Christmas film ‘Elf’, Buddy is a human who grew up in the North Pole believing that he was an elf. He is seen to survive on an elf’s diet, which appears to contain mainly foods high in sugar, and low in other nutritional groups. This paper compares his daily intake, based on what is seen in the film, to the recommended daily intake (RDI) for an average male. It was found that in the day shown in the film, Buddy consumed 413% of the recommended amount of sugar and under consumed fats, fibre and protein by 19%, 45% and 45% of the RDI respectively. If this diet is followed long term, Buddy is likely to have detrimental health problems including digestive issues, weight loss, low energy and muscle weakness.