Tuesday, January 7, 2014

"Forks Over Knives" written / directed by Lee Fulkerson

“Forks Over Knives” written / directed by Lee Fulkerson is a provocative film on the relation between food and health.   Scientific research and clinical study are combined when the documentary showcases both a surgeon and a professor.  Both men discuss what they have discovered over their years.  You know these men are not biased because they both grew up on farms that sold meat and dairy.  For them to publicly speak out against consuming what they once promoted further proves their credibility.  Particularly fascinating is the international aspect of their work.  A study on China is presented.  Dating back to the 1970s, the study found that certain types of cancers were concentrated in different parts of China.  Each of these different parts of China had different diets.  It was found that the areas of China that had mostly plant-based diets had lower levels of disease and cancer; the areas of China that had more meat and dairy consumption had higher levels of disease and cancer.  But this movie doesn’t just stop with China.  A research paper from India claiming that meat is linked to cancer is replicated by the scientists in the documentary.  The results they find match the results in the Indian paper.  The filmmaker goes a step further and researches the effect of diet on European countries like Norway, as well.  I will not go into detail about all of the studies, but I would like to point out that the information in this film is appropriately referenced and detailed while still being easy enough for the average viewer to understand.  Another fantastic aspect of the film was that it followed a few ordinary people and showed how their health improved (and some diseases went away) for them when they adopted a plant-based diet.  It should be noted that there are some clips of surgery in this film.  So, if you’re squeamish, prepare to avert your eyes when you start seeing lime green medical coats.  This documentary has plenty of tough love, as well as great bonus features. 
     

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