People have been telling me I have to see the movie Forks over Knives so I rented it this past weekend. This documentary explains that we can reduce cancer and many diseases by eliminating animal meat, dairy and oils from our diet. The correlation between meat and heart disease is astounding. I learned that erectile dysfunction is the first indication of heart disease (did you read that, men?) A group of fire fighters stopped eating meat, and lowered their cholesterol and increased their strength. Seeing them do pull-ups with heavy packs almost had me sold.
For those who think we need dairy for its calcium, it’s actually detrimental; people who eat the most dairy have severe osteoporosis. Just because milk is good for the calf, doesn’t mean it’s good for us. By eating unhealthy and processed foods, the stretch and density receptors in our stomach, which tells the brain to stop eating, gets messed up, so people keep eating, and end up overweight. They termed this the “pleasure trap.” The film goes over various studies, and interviews doctors, and those who have changed their diets, to validate its points.
They explain that eating 5% of animal protein from your diet seems to have no ill effects for most people (it can be life-threatening for those with autoimmune conditions). If you eat 2000 calories a day, 5% equals only 100 calories from animal meat.
What this film didn’t discuss was whether wheat products like bread or pasta was a good or poor choice of carbs, but the film seems to promote wheat since recipes with wheat flour are on the Forks over Knives website. (Bread and pasta are processed foods and fine for most people to eat daily as long as vegetables are eaten too).
They film did not discuss the fact that beans are hard to digest for many people, and if a person doesn’t eat beans, but adheres to a plant-based vegan diet, if they will be deficient in nutrients. (Beans are not an essential food. You can get all essential nutrients even if you exclude beans from your diet. Beans can be hard to digest for those that have excessive amounts of bad bacteria from processed foods, dairy and/or animal protein, so some people have to add beans slowly for the bacteria to change from bad to good).
This movie did not explain if a moderate protein diet from lean animal flesh would have the same benefits on a active person with an ideal weight, who eats fruit and vegetables. (Animal protein, oils and dairy is toxic for all humans, the more one eats, the more likely one will have heart disease, diabetes, and/or cancer).
This film provides convincing arguments, but the film has such poor sound quality, and feels dated so I recommend the movie, The Game Changers, instead. The Game Changers is the movie that finally convinced my family to give up animal products and go vegan. Check out the trailer below:
For more information on this film, check out: http://www.forksoverknives.com/
