“One-quarter of what you eat keeps you alive. The other three-quarters keeps your doctor alive.” -Ancient Egyptian Proverb
Americans pay more for health care than any industrialized country in the world – but we’re the sickest. With no less than 68.8 percent of us obese, heart disease and cancer kill over 1 million Americans every year. In the documentary “Forks Over Knives,” directed by Lee Fulkerson, two food scientists explore the connection between the popularity of processed foods and the rising risk of obesity, diabetes and other diseases.
“Forks Over Knives” is a great movie that skillfully combines compelling storytelling, research and source interviews to make an impactful film. Throughout the documentary, Fulkerson chronicles the health journey of two people who received medicine to battle dietary diseases.Their goal throughout the film: lose weight and improve or reverse their afflictions.
From start to finish, “Forks Over Knives” provides data and statistics on mortality rates due to heart disease and cancer. With multiple perspectives, authoritative and to consider, Fulkerson provides viewers with the opportunity to learn about the benefits of switching to a whole foods, plant based diet. While the film was educational and informative, at its conclusion I didn’t feel the pressing need to change my own diet.
While this film was originally released in 2011, the research done by scientists Colin Campbell and Caldwell Esselstyn is still relevant today. Coronary heart disease, where a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries, killed about 365,000 people in 2014 according to the Centers for Disease Control. Even though “Forks Over Knives,” provides scientific evidence that an animal based diet is related with heart disease and cancer, Fulkerson’s message is lost behind the statistics. Fulkerson’s documentary shows viewers why they should change their diet, but not how.
With so many Americans believing that becoming vegan would mean changing up their whole life, Fulkerson fails to provide them with the tips to making that change. If the movie wasn’t focused on why it’s so bad for the body to eat meat, maybe it could have fit in a “What you can buy at the supermarket instead of meat,” or “How to make foods you love to eat (pizza, sushi, etc.) vegan.” Fulkerson even fails to mention that switching to a plant-based diet can actually be cheaper than an animal based diet.
Overall, the cinematography of the film is great. Interviews blend seamlessly with data and charts and supplemental footage. The overall tone of the movie is cynical – it questions the myths and assumptions that Americans have with the animal based diet. With real-life accounts of the difference a diet can make,
In the end, “Forks Over Knives” is an informative and eye-opening documentary you can find on Netflix. It might not convince you to change your diet completely, but it will definitely teach you about how your animal-based diet is affecting your overall health.
