Just watched the incredibly inspiring and informational new documentary Forks and Knives last night and was once again reminded about how important it is for us to educate ourselves about our food and eating choices.
The film is ambitious in its scope and touches upon a host of serious issues among them: big business’s solicitous relationship with the US Department of Agriculture, the US government’s questionable dietary guidelines, scientific evidence that dairy products cause cancer and heart disease, clinical studies proving a plant based-diet is the only way to prevent, treat and reverse chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and more. Forks Over Knives also presents The China Study in detail: it is the largest, most comprehensive and most successful (in terms of validity of results) nutritional study ever completed. It took hundreds of researchers, scientists and field interviewers years to finish. It is the very same China Study that inspired US President Bill Clinton to switch to a plant-based diet and lost 24 pounds in a short few months.
What struck me the most while watching the film, other than the obvious big issues, was how odd it actually is that we have allowed the powers that be- political, financial, industrial- to dictate what we put into our mouths. We spend our lives arguing for and committing to freedom and democracy yet we let a select powerful few tell us what to eat. Let’s face it, other than sex and water, eating is the most crucial thing we do for basic survival. We do it multiples times a day. How can we not fully inform ourselves about it?
Say NO to big industry and big government telling you what to do. Take back control over your mouthful.
film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ijukNzlUg&noredirect=1
photo credit: bamalibrarylady via photopin cc