Have any of you had your "a-ha!" moment with regard to what you eat and your lifestyle? The moment where you changed your thoughts from "I can't eat that" to "I don't want to eat that"? Mine came around the time where I was reading Michael Pollen's literature (he of the famous quote: "Eat food, mostly plants, not too much") and simultaneously watching the documentary Forks Over Knives. These two things together gave me the impetuous to make a change.
It occurs to me that I have watched many documentaries that have had a big impact on my way of thinking about how we eat and the food industry we face every day. Here are my top five that I recommend to anyone interesting in learning more about how the food we eat can affect us.
1. Forks Over Knives - This documentary had me go vegan for several months and really sings the praises of eating a more plant-based lifestyle. Most impressive was the story of the man who, at the beginning of the film was on countless medication but after months of a plant-based diet had come off most every medication he'd been taking.
2. Hungry for Change - Really stresses how the food landscape has changed, and how we're no longer eating food but rather food-like products. The lovely Jamie Oliver is included in this round-up of talking heads. Terrific to watch if you're ready to make the switch to eating clean and real food.
3. Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead - I was captivated by the story of the narrator of this documentary, an engaging Australian who changed his entire life by extreme juicing. I don't know that I'd recommend this method to everyone, and of course it would need extremely close supervision from a doctor, but the people that this man encounters on his journey all have compelling stories to tell. And wow - the transformation!
4. Fed Up - Quite a political documentary focusing on the diet of America, taking on the evils of sugar, the food industry and their lobbyists, government policies and how they affect the food we eat, and especially the effect on our children. The stories of a couple of the kids featured in this film will have you crying in your quinoa.
5. That Sugar Film - a fairly recent film out of Australia that feels a bit like the sugar version of Supersize Me. We see first hand the damage done to an otherwise healthy body when it is overwhelmed by sugar and really have our eyes opened to the fact that the food industry is putting sugar in everything and it's killing us. This film was made so that children could watch and understand it so share this one with your young ones.
All films available on Netflix or Amazon.