Forks Over Knives

I had been hearing alot about a documentary called Forks Over Knives, so I decided to add it to my Netflix queue, and last week, I got a chance to watch it.

Forks Over Knives, a 2011 indie documentary by Lee Fulkerson, looks at the health benefits of a whole foods, plant-based diet versus the perceived negative effects of processed foods and animal-based products.  Aside from following a number of people on their journeys to better health through nutrition, including the filmmaker himself, it also follow two prominent doctors whose complimentary research in whole food, plant based diets strongly present the case.  Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn has spent years studying how animal-based foods are damaging our blood vessels and leading to heart disease such as stroke and heart attacks.  Dr. Colin Campbell has researched the effects of diet on large populations.  Most famously, he has shown the direct correlation between cancer and other major diseases when eating meat and dairy is common versus a predominantly plant-based diet.

My Review of Forks Over Knives

Overall, it was a very informative documentary and it gave me alot to think about.  The biggest drawback for me was how dry and scientific the material was.  When I compare it to the HBO special series, The Weight of The Nation, there isn't much competition.  If I was pondering vegetarianism or veganism, this may have done more for me, but it lacked a spark for me.  There wasn't a call to action.  The facts about the correlation between meat and processed foods and increased degenerative diseases like coronary disease and cancer is clearly present, but it just didn't have a hook for me.  I'm glad I watched it.  I learned some things, and that is one of my daily goals.  I can argue the benefits of a whole food plant-based diet, but for me, right now, it's not in the plan.