Anyone seen the documentary "Forks over Knives"

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Captain_Tightpants
Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What are your opinions on it?

(for those that haven't seen it, it provides a fairly convincing argument that an entirely plant based, whole foods diet can not only prevent, but completely reverse a number of western diseases. Being someone who likes to hear all sides, I'd really like to hear some counterpoints)

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  • havalinaaa
    havalinaaa Posts: 333 Member
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    My boyfriend and I watched it not that long ago. As a full disclosure thing, I am a former vegetarian and already on the smaller portions of meat thing, but this help reinforce why it's important for me. And it helped convince the boyfriend to be more open minded about meatless meals. I don't plan on ever totally cutting out meat again, it's too delicious, but I will probably continue to eat moderate amounts of it as opposed to the large amounts a lot of Americans eat.
  • mandiemahoney
    mandiemahoney Posts: 9 Member
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    I thought it was quite good, although some of the more "propoganda"ish bits were really obvious to me. That's possibly because I'm always asking myself "what are their motives? what is their agenda?" whenever anyone is telling me anything. Oh, and I'm vegan for almost two years! :)
  • myang1021
    myang1021 Posts: 20
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    I really enjoyed watching that documentary but I can't give up my meat. :(
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    No. But I have seen at least 4 threads posted about it in the last 6 months.
  • durangocal
    durangocal Posts: 90 Member
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    Happened to read this article this morning critquing Forks Over Knives.

    http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review-and-critique/
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
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    A family member watched it and said to me "You shouldn't eat avocados because they cause heart disease."

    :( She is misinformed and claiming this info as from the Forks over Knives documentary. She is overweight and over 40. I keep trying to give her tips and info to help her make healthier decisions. She LOVES avocados, which is great because they are an amazing food. But now, she won't touch them.

    Makes me sad.

    I want to see this film just to know what she is talking about. From the one line she mentioned it sounds horrible and misinformed.

    *ps. I understand avocados are high in fat. but eating avocados as part of a healthy diet does NOT cause heart disease. if this is so please prove me wrong and point me to the medical data that shows this.
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
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    Vegan propaganda.

    A full breakdown of everything wrong with the film here:

    http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review-and-critique/
  • sunsetwest
    sunsetwest Posts: 199 Member
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    My hubby and I watched it recently. I consider all of these types of documentaries as entertainment only, as many are biased and, therefore, unreliable. I've been a vegetarian for 13 years and a pescatarian for about a year and, while I am not a non-meat-eater for ethical reasons, I do still continuously seek out information regarding dietary restrictions. It's interesting to me, especially living in a country where we have such a luxury.

    One of the better food documentaries I've seen is Fat Head. The production is not that great, but it's an intriguing response to Supersize Me.
  • PaulS70
    PaulS70 Posts: 70
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    A good way to hear the other side is to read many of the scientific critiques of the "China Study" that are readily available online.

    Here is a few. http://rawfoodsos.com/the-china-study/

    Then after that read the rebuttal from a Vegan. http://www.30bananasaday.com/forum/topics/has-denise-minger-read-the

    This study is cited in "Forks over Knives"


    My opinion: Vegans experience improved health because they are going Vegan "for health reasons" not for religious or cultural reasons.

    This change is usually a dramatic change in lifestyle that is often accompanied by elimination of processed grains and refined sugars, increases in exercise, quitting smoking, getting more sleep, going to the doctor more, etc. The total overall change, not solely the veganism is responsible for the better health outcomes.
  • PaulS70
    PaulS70 Posts: 70
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    Nice! the same website cited 3 times in 10 minutes!
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,280 Member
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    My hubby and I watched it recently. I consider all of these types of documentaries as entertainment only, as many are biased and, therefore, unreliable. I've been a vegetarian for 13 years and a pescatarian for about a year and, while I am not a non-meat-eater for ethical reasons, I do still continuously seek out information regarding dietary restrictions. It's interesting to me, especially living in a country where we have such a luxury.

    One of the better food documentaries I've seen is Fat Head. The production is not that great, but it's an intriguing response to Supersize Me.

    Agreed.

    One thing you have to keep in mind, and this is true with ALL documentaries, is that the information included will be skewed to that of the creator. It is simply how it works. If you want to get a point across, you are going to leave out any information that argues against that point.
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
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    One of the better food documentaries I've seen is Fat Head


    "Fat Head should be renamed Hollow Head for what it does to people's education of the various topics it butchers. A good way to make knowledgable people want to punch their monitor is have them sit through that raging piece of crap. " ~Alan Aragon
  • sandislim
    sandislim Posts: 264
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    People are consistantly arguing over meat vs veg. I'd like to see documentaries on fresh meat + veg vs processed food. I suspect the same health benefits would be apparent.
  • PaulS70
    PaulS70 Posts: 70
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    One of the better food documentaries I've seen is Fat Head


    "Fat Head should be renamed Hollow Head for what it does to people's education of the various topics it butchers. A good way to make knowledgable people want to punch their monitor is have them sit through that raging piece of crap. " ~Alan Aragon

    I'm surprised that Alan said that. Its seems as though he would agree with Fathead more than he would Super Size Me. Then again sports nutrition guys can be just as arrogant as the "Bros" they are constantly bashing.
  • sunsetwest
    sunsetwest Posts: 199 Member
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    One of the better food documentaries I've seen is Fat Head


    "Fat Head should be renamed Hollow Head for what it does to people's education of the various topics it butchers. A good way to make knowledgable people want to punch their monitor is have them sit through that raging piece of crap. " ~Alan Aragon

    By better I of course mean it was, to me, more entertaining in its perspective and approach. I'm not saying it is truthful by any means. :wink:
  • pbxr
    pbxr Posts: 100 Member
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    Forks Over Knives made me angry. But in a good way. In a get-off-your-butt-and-change-your-life-and-the-lives-of-your-children kind of way. While I did read some of the article that the above posters cited, I confess to being bogged down by it. Maybe I could be accused of being sucked in to "vegan propaganda," but I can tell you that my husband was compelled by the movie to give up his high fat, high calorie, highly processed food diet because of it. We haven't given up all meat, dairy, or eggs - we've adopted a 90/10 policy (90 percent whole grains & veggies, prepared at home/10 percent meat, dairy, eggs, and other miscellaneous foods). We can have a doughnut or a steak from time to time. We have chocolate chip cookies now and then. But the major change is that we aren't eating at restaurants (fast food and other) five times a week. I'm choosing whole foods and cooking more than I ever have. In my very unscientific, un-noteworthy opinion, Forks Over Knives does a service by shedding light on the fact that this nation is killing itself one mouthful at a time. And we need a radical overhaul in our lives and kitchens. Please don't throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one. Even if you don't agree with every aspect of the film, as I don't, hear its overarching message: we have to change how we're eating.
  • bigbeardiver
    bigbeardiver Posts: 154 Member
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    I watched it this week. It has changed my views about eating and how to raise my children. Looking back on family health issues, this points out a lot to me. I've known people to go into cancer remission without knowing why and seen heart risk people turn their lives around. I've also seen what happens when you don't. I'm making changes based on it. BTW you can watch it on NetFlix.

    The problem I do have is the long time supporters of this all seemed very tall, gangly and not much muscle tone. I'd be interested in if anyone who is building muscle or doing intense workouts follows a whole food and plant based diet and sees results.
  • pbxr
    pbxr Posts: 100 Member
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    The problem I do have is the long time supporters of this all seemed very tall, gangly and not much muscle tone. I'd be interested in if anyone who is building muscle or doing intense workouts follows a whole food and plant based diet and sees results.

    Check out Robert Cheeke, a vegan body builder. If you Google his name, you'll find lots of resources. :smile:

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