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| Greens! |
I watched Forks Over Knives last night. Oh dear. The movie made it very clear that animal products are setting me up to have breast cancer and Rob to have diabetes. Such a bummer. Let my crisis of faith in ice cream and potato salad and hamburgers begin! Right before Fourth of July no less. It's not the first time a documentary or book has made me reconsider some of my decisions. Here's a few other documentaries and what I've learned from them:
Waiting for 'Superman' and The Lottery: The US public education system is turning my kids into dopes.
The Business of Being Born: Ella was induced and I had a c-secion with my boys? The horror!!
Food Inc.: I haven't eaten at McDonald's since watching it, except for 2 ice cream cones. Sinner.
Born to Run: Yay for running, boo for shoes.
How do you process information that defies everything you thought was true? Especially if it seems like you're powerless to make a difference? I like to start small with my family. Otherwise I'll probably get squashed like a bug. Off to buy some creamed coconut milk! Cows might finally be getting a break from me for a while.
ps
? I have. Poor old Netflix.
Documentaries you have mentioned plus a few others and some books did it for me. The facts don't lie, you know?
ReplyDeleteIn case you want some info on what a diet change could do (for the better! none of the scary stuff!) I am doing an ebook giveaway- come check it out! http://revitalizewithstefania.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-raw-food-diet-ebook-giveaway.html
thanks! just entered :)
DeleteGoodness. "Forks Over Knives" also rocked my world. I actually haven't eaten meat since, and I feel much better for it. I haven't been as faithful to dairy, but I'm working on it. Hurray for continual self-improvement.
ReplyDeleteForks Over Knives had us on a vegan kick that lasted about 2 weeks. We did make some changes though, in that I only buy organic meat now, and mostly chicken. Anything on the dirty dozen list is also organic. I tried switching to rice milk but my daughter refused to drink it (and I have to have half and half in my coffee). I still believe we should eat local whenever possible, organic as much as we can afford, and exercise portion control, period. My guess is that all those patients in FON would have seen either just as many benefits or close to had they simply reduced the meat and dairy and processed food in their diets. The key to sticking with anything is to make it practical. Full vegan isn't practical for us, it's just not. I do what I can and am okay with that. At least I'm conscious.
ReplyDeleteyeah good point--that's what the movie did for me too. it made me more conscious when meal planning.
DeleteForks Over Knives influenced my decision to become a Vegan. The China Study even more so. I enjoy being a Vegan, feel better, and have enjoyed the challenge of changing our diet. I've been a Vegan for 4 months now and I plan to be a Vegan forever. I love documentaries.
ReplyDeleteWe watched FOK in December and have considerably cut back on dairy, red meat and animal protein consumption. We were mostly vegetarian before, it's been dairy that's hardest to kick, but we're down to once a week now which I believe falls easily within the guidelines.
ReplyDeleteThe thing about documentaries is most of them are intended to scare the crap out of you, to be influential enough to make you want to change. But you can't possibly follow the guidelines in every documentary. :)
Ease into it, we all have to die of something. ha ha.
haha. yes-- since watching the movie--it's been dairy that's been the hardest. my husband brought home delicious ice cream and cheese pizza yesterday. i guess it could have been worse--at least it wasn't bacon ice cream or anchovy pizza!
DeleteHere's a very through review of the science in "Forks over Knives" which I also watched last year and thought about so much I started googling the heck out of it. Just thought you would be interested. Talked to my doctor (who addresses medical issues with nutrition) about a vegan lifestyle, would it be better for me?..her absolute answer was NO NO and NO. Her high cholesterol patients with the most trouble controlling their cholesterol? you guessed it...vegans. What is best for me is lean protein and lots of green veggies. Done.
ReplyDeleteMany documentaries and books have changed my food buying habits. "Animal, Vegetable Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver started it all.
http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review-and-critique/
ReplyDeleteSorry...forgot to type in the link....
Thank you so much for posting that link! I watched Forks Over Knives about 6 months ago but found it assumed a dumbed down approach...you know, playing on emotions rather than cold hard facts. The science is glossed over so quickly in this 'documentary' and I found it most unconvincing. The study of Norway's nutrition throughout WWII in the critique is particularly interesting regarding fish intake. Forks Over Knives most certainly ommitted this information, giving rise to a lack of credibility in its claims. I agree that we all ought to eat more veggies and less meat but to promote a NO meat and even a NO fish diet is ridiculous.
Deleteyes-- thanks for the link!! so helpful in giving the full story. good find
DeleteI was vegan a few months before watching Forks Over Knives, but seeing it definitely reinforced my decision! I have never had an easier time controlling my weight and my doctor thinks its a great lifestyle choice for me. Not to mention that since I started, I've run a half marathon and am training for a full, having never been a runner in my life before! It seemed like my health clicked into place once I became vegan. Even if you don't go all the way, I think it's awesome you're considering a revamp of the way your family eats!
ReplyDeletewow! congratulations! i love that you said you're health clicked into place once you became vegan. that must feel amazing. :)
DeleteGlad you are doing it, I was kind of expecting it to happen for quite a while. Persevere. x
ReplyDeletethanks!!
DeleteDid you really put a shady affiliate link to Amazon Instant Video at the end of your post?! It's one thing to use them when they're relevant, but a half-ass, seemingly-forced mention and link is just wrong.
ReplyDeleteha Yes! I totally did. here's three more forced amazon affiliate links for ya :)
DeleteSoul searching? This will help!!
Inhale. And Exhale. . .
Too far?
Who died and made you a sheriff? How about you relax and stop making half-ass, irrelevant, and dumb comments. Geez, some people!
DeleteOh brother, she was talking about movies then put a link so you could watch them instantly from your computer. Sounds relevant to me! ;)
ReplyDeleteA link that she makes money off of without disclosing. It's illegal, you know. ;)
DeleteDisclosure up! Thanks Anon for the legal help. I accept grammar tips as well. :)
DeleteFunny article: http://outspokenmedia.com/affiliate-marketing/disclose-affiliate-links/
DeleteCould I be you personal grammar tipster? I love editing. Is that normal? My favourite (I prefer British spellings) part of graduate school is writing and rewriting the papers; I only pretend to hate it all.
DeleteWe're gluten-free vegetarians. We eat organic, free-range, fresh eggs with b12, but otherwise the hardest thing for me to off was butter. I make our ice cream with coconut cream, and that's fun, but I really love that rich smell of onion in butter. Sigh. 7 months and counting. Before I had my son, I was a vegan, but had "fallen off the wagon" after his birth. Gluten-free breads are so dreadfully difficult for me. Any links for that? ;) I don't care if you make money off me...
ReplyDeleteI need to do more research on gluten-free. I don't know the rules.
DeleteOk back. Gluten-free breads do sound dreadful! Good luck!! :)
Coconut ice cream--yes please.
Haha
I just laughed out loud, genuinely! Ugh. I love gluten. And carbs. Darn this healthy nonsense.
Delete"How do you process information that defies everything you thought was true?"
ReplyDeleteSuch an awesome question Sharon. I think it is so important for people to take responsibility for their biases and be open to new information in the first place. Most people are so biased they can never play devils advocate for anything.
To answer your question, I research further. If my mind is not at ease, I have to know the truth and stop pretending that I am satisfied with what I claimed to be true in the first place. Recognizing your own cognitive dissonance is an amazing thing and it allows us to delve into our own mind and achieve authenticity! I am experiencing this with religion right now, and it is amazing to explore my own cognitive dissonance and work on aligning my gut feeling with my outward beliefs.
Forks Over Knives left me vegan for probably a good month. I always have had this bad feeling about eating animals, and maybe now I know why!! See you in August, can't wait!
Misty
I'm still with Netflix, b/c they have subtitles, and we watch TV with the volume pretty low at night and even if we didn't my husband is a little hard of hearing, for reals. I know all you other wives THINK that is true for your hubbies, but it really is for mine.
ReplyDeleteI already have Amazon Prime. I'd be happy to dump Netflix. Get some subtitles already, you bums! Also, I like Netflix's navigation better. At least Amazon added a favorites thing.
I agree with you about the documentaries. Happens to me with books too, but it takes longer to read a book than watch a DVD, so it's not quite as dramatic. After years of trying to be greener, I've made peace with the fact that I can't act on all the knowledge I have at once. I have a long list of to-dos and I just try to be realistic about how much I can change at once. I'm glad to hear that the fact that I never run anymore and have had the same pair of cross trainers for 5 years makes me a better person.
I will never give up animal products entirely if I can help it. But I'm gradually cutting back while switching to more expensive (organic, grass-fed, local) products.