Need a Good Movie to Watch?

Forks Over Knives,
starring T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., et al.
Aug 30, 2011

It’s been a year of changes, that’s for sure. Those of you following Laura on the Ta-Ta Times know that she has met the challenge of undergoing treatment for breast cancer in a singularly impressive fashion – with strength, courage and a positive attitude. A big part of Laura and Joshua’s approach to this challenge involved fine tuning their already healthy eating practices to include more vegetables/fruits and less meat, dairy, wheat, and processed foods.

Being raised in the southern Midwest, I always enjoyed eating good beef, fried chicken (well, fried everything), lots of cheese and bread, with a few fruits vegetables thrown in occasionally for good measure. And I have always had a sweet tooth! This past year’s challenge helped me succeed in making some significant dietary changes -- and this movie motivated me to go even further with healthy eating. 

For those of you wondering about the status of your own health in light of the Standard American Diet (SAD) and for those of you concerned about the rising costs of health care due to an epidemic rise in chronic diseases, this DVD/film/book offers a credible alternative: plant-based nutrition (yes, mostly a vegetarian diet). The film traces the personal journeys of two pioneering researchers, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, who separately conducted several groundbreaking studies and came to the same conclusion: degenerative diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even several forms of cancer, could almost always be prevented - and in many cases reversed - by adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet. Even if you find some of the research statistics a bit dry, you will probably enjoy the tracking of several "reality patients" who have chronic conditions from heart disease to diabetes. Several featured doctors teach these patients how to adopt a whole-food plant-based diet as the primary approach to treat their ailments – you get to see their challenges and triumphs. Their stories prompt some real thinking about how to avoid such dire circumstances.

Is this film worth a view and a change of eating habits? If you’re ready to think about your lifestyle and the silent progression of diseases that we see all around us – yes! Even if you cannot or do not totally adopt the plant-based nutritional lifestyle, you will benefit from initial small changes in that direction.