It's sometimes hard for me to articulate how and why I choose to eat these days. A lot of people have been asking me questions about what I can and can't eat. The truth is, I can eat anything! And I continue to eat everything I always have eaten. However, I am just more conscious about the quality of what I'm eating, and I prefer to eat the real, whole, natural version rather than a cheap, manufactured, chemical version. Still, I don't always have the patience or the time to really put into words how I view food and nutrition. Sometimes, other people can do a much better job of it than I can. So today I'm recommending two documentaries I've recently watched. Click the title of this post or the "read more" link to find out which ones. |
Coincidentally, both films happened to be produced by the same people. So it's no surprise that since I resonated with one so much, the same thing happened with the other. At the time I watched them, I had no idea they were produced by the same people.
Currently on Netflix in Canada.
The first film I recommend watching is called "Hungry for Change." This is the film where I found myself nodding like a bobble head and constantly saying "Exactly! I 100% agree! That's what I've been saying all summer!" I loved this film and it really does a lot to point out the value of good, quality, whole foods and how our bodies rely on them to do what it is naturally intended to do. It also gives a very clear explanation of why certain refined foods (like sugar or white flour) are so harmful to the body. Everyone knows cocaine is bad for the body - but no one ever really thinks of refined sugar as such. This film does a great job of pointing out the similarities between the two.
There are some scientific explanations in this film but for the most part it's all pretty straight forward, and easy for everyday folks like me to understand. I actually really appreciate how down to earth (no pun intended) everyone interviewed in this film really are. They tell it like it is. I respond well to that. The only parts I rolled my eyes at during this film were the cutaways to the actress who, I guess, is supposed to represent the average North American woman as she goes about her work day. I felt it was unnecessary and kind of cheesy. But it doesn't happen too often so it's not a big deal.
My favourite quotes in the film felt like pages of my journal over the last few months (so maybe that's why I liked them so much!).
- "People are overfed and undernourished."
- "You could be eating to your heart's content. You could be eating 10,000 calories a day. But if you're not getting the specific nutrients your body needs in a way that it can digest and assimilate, then you're starving on a nutritional basis. And as long as you're starving, your body is going to stay hungry."
Currently on Netflix in Canada.
Food Matters makes a few bold statements that I think some people may be a little uncomfortable with. For example, it makes the claim that everything we need, as human beings, in order to take care of ourselves and heal, is within our own bodies. As long as we treat our bodies right and nourish it in the proper ways. It really hones in on the idea that "we are what we eat." That might be hard for someone with a life-threatening illness to swallow (so to speak).
However, even though I think there is is a specific time, place, and circumstance for modern medicine, for the most part, I do believe that it is unnecessary. As a culture, I believe that we are highly over-medicated. Most common ailments can be naturally cured and even avoided with the proper nutrition. This film does a great job of exposing the relationship between foods (both "real food" and "manufactured food") and the body.
Some of my favourite quotes from this film:
- "We're poisoning ourselves with some of the foods we eat."
- "If terrorists really want to get us, they should just build more fast food places and pharmaceutical companies."
- "Good health makes a lot of sense, but it doesn't make a lot of dollars."
Have you watched these documentaries? What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.