Monday 4 July 2016

Documentaries about healthy eating and plant based diets, vegan, vegetarian.

If you are thinking of going veggie or vegan, or have made the switch but family and friends aren't very supportive- or you are struggling to keep to the lifestyle- there are lots of documentaries out there that can inspire you and give you the facts to back up your lifestyle choice!
Over the last week I have been ill (first time in about 10 years!!!) so I thought while I cant go to the gym or go out- I will watch some documentaries ive never had chance to watch, to get more knowledgeable about Vegan living - its been really eye opening for so many reasons
reinforcing my belief that's its the healthiest way to eat, but  also the information on environmental damage and how bad factory farming has become- id say worse than when I first went veggie 25 years ago... which is truly sad. Its also reinforced my belief in that whatever your food choice- avoiding overly processed food and reducing consumption of junk food is vital for our longterm health.

SO if you are interested in a good watch- heres the links to the ones ive been watching!

***UPDATE***
Since I wrote the original blog a new film has been released called
What the Health
This was filmed recently and focuses more on health and misinformation out there- definitely highy recommend this one- doesn't contain too much graphic filming so much easier to watch than many Vegan documentaries.
You can watch the film on DVD, Netflix, Vimeo and I found it on you tube too
http://www.whatthehealthfilm.com/

Original blog...
Vegucated
Vegucated is a 2011 American documentary film that explores the challenges of converting to a vegan diet. It follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks- also youtube have follow ups on each of them now! I think its interesting to follow people trying to adjust to this way of life as most of us could relate to them in some way.
Vegucated on YouTube


Food Inc
Not specifically focused on Vegan / Vegetarian diets-  but in more general terms looks at food production processes, How farming has changed, industrialisation of farming, GMO's and processing of foods. It may speak to a wider audience as its focus is food production, and would probably make most people think about reducing the amount of processed foods and junk foods in their diet and look at organic/ whole foods (nutritious whole foods) for a healthier diet.
Click here to watch Food Inc
Documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner examines how mammoth corporations have taken over all aspects of the food chain in the United


Forks over knives
Focuses on the Health aspects of Plant based diets. It looks at studies on the causes of illness and disease and how our diet can impact our health and how doctors are using food as medicine.
watch Forks over Knives

Cowspiracy & Meat the Truth
Both these Focus on the environmental impact and sustainability issues surrounding animal agriculture. SO if you are concerned about deforestation , global warming, pollution of our waters etc- these are very enlightening to watch!

Click here to watch Cowspiracy

The Sustainability Secret is a groundbreaking feature-length environmental documentary following intrepid filmmaker Kip Andersen as he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today – and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it.
Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution, is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry, and is a primary driver of rainforest destruction, species extinction, habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean “dead zones,” and virtually every other environmental ill. Yet it goes on, almost entirely unchallenged.
As Andersen approaches leaders in the environmental movement, he increasingly uncovers what appears to be an intentional refusal to discuss the issue of animal agriculture, while industry whistleblowers and watchdogs warn him of the risks to his freedom and even his life if he dares to persist.

click here to watch Meat the Truth
high-profile documentary, presented by MP Marianne Thieme (leader of the Dutch party for the Animals), which forms an addendum to earlier films on climate change. Although such films have succeeded in drawing public attention to the issue of global warming, they have repeatedly ignored one of the most important causes of climate change: the intensive livestock production. Meat the Truth draws attention to this by demonstrating that livestock farming generates more greenhouse gas emissions worldwide than all cars, lorries, trains, boats and planes added together. The calculations used in the film derive from and have been validated by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the UN (FAO), the World Watch Institute, the Institute for Environmental Studies of the Free University Amsterdam and numerous other authoritative sources.

Do you have a recommendation? Please share in the comments!