What The Health is a “pro-vegan” documentary that came out in 2017 on Netflix. I would say that this documentary is very astonishing as after watching it for the first time back then, it caused me to change my eating habits forever. This film really changed the way I think about food and how it is produced in America. Overall, this documentary promotes and discusses the benefits of a 100% vegan diet while filmmakers go back and forth investigating different chronic diseases. They believe that diet and disease are directly correlated. The most fascinating part of the documentary and the filmmaker’s overarching message is that they claim that most chronic diseases are reversible through a totally plant-based diet. They believe many health issues today stem from what Americans are eating on a daily basis. Filmmakers interviewed real people with diabetes, asthma, and risks of stroke that are given only years or months to live. These Americans are very overweight, have constant pains, and are on at least 5-10 different medications daily. Just after two weeks on a plant-based diet, a women was able to completely stop taking her medications because they were simply unnecessary. She felt healthier, lost weight, and had no symptoms of asthma like she had before. After going vegan, a body builder was able to increase the amount of weight he could bench press and his tendonitis was gone. Having a background in health, I’ve heard of several stories where people were able to reverse their diabetes and cancer through vegan and all-juice diets. Personally, after only cutting meat out of my life, I lost weight, have more energy when I wake up in the morning, and really just feel better and healthier all around. Like they mentioned in the film, it is difficult to suddenly go from an animal-based diet to a plant-based one. Lifestyle changes take time to get used to. I’d recommend cutting out certain foods or perhaps a kind of meat slowly so that it is easier to adjust to. Also, it is not as expensive as one may think. I am a college student, working to pay my bills and have never stressed about having an expensive grocery tab. You just have to figure out what you like and where to get it. Although I love this film and its overall message, there are some extremes mentioned. The film claims that eating an egg a day is just as bad as smoking 5 cigarettes a day. I find this hard to believe because cigarettes and eggs do not have the same effects on the human body. They also claim that eating processed meat increases your chances for colorectal cancer. Similar to comparing eggs to cigarettes, just because processed meat is labeled as a class 1 carcinogen like cigarettes, does not mean they have the same effects to the human body. Eating processed meat is not like smoking cigarettes. On another note, the film mentions environmental pollution, a topic we have discussed in class. The films states that animals breathe in and are fed toxins (black carbon) and GMO’s. In turn, Americans eat these animals containing high amounts of toxins and they are trapped in the body forever. Then, these men and women grow up and pass the chemicals to their children. This part of the film scared me the most as I would not want to subject my future children to this. Something needs to change in this cycle. All in all, I recommend this documentary because it has really changed my life for the better. Though I do suggest comparing facts and doing your own research. A vegan diet and lifestyle will not only benefit you but the earth and future generations to come.

https://www.netflix.com/title/80174177