Netflix forks over knives documentary on Whole Food Plant Based Diet for Cancer ,diabetes and Heart

Just watched the documentary last night on Netflix and it appears very interesting on the results.
I haven't followed up on the actual studies but there are several doctors on the documentary who back the study and results.

The jyst of the the diet:
Cutting out all animal products such as meat ( including fish and chicken) , milk products and oils .
Pretty much a vegan diet I suppose?

The result:
Much less likely to get cancer
Lower Cholesterol
Control diabetes
More energy etc



I have pretty high cholesterol but hate taking medicine for it and I'm fairly in shape and not significantly overweight. I'm thinking of trying it for a few months to see the results ,but need to read up more on how to go about it. Depending on my results I might alter the families diet to decrease meat and include a more Whole Food Plant Based Diet

I was curious if others had seen the documentary and what there thoughts are. If you haven't seen it I suggest it.

Also I would like to look up the rate and studies on Vegan correlated with cancer and heart disease.

Has anybody hear tried it and they they notice significant health changes?


Forks Over Knives

I suggest you read this admittedly very long review of the movie with links to studies relating to the ideas put forth in Forks over Knives.

Both the movie and the review are biased in opposite directions, but it's good to have a rounded view of things.

a reply to: interupt42

There are studies out there, I would try to find them. The little bit of research I've done seems to be more suggestive of additives and processing being more of a problem. Meat does raise risk factors but that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to give them up completely. Switching to once or twice a week and organic, free-range, grass-fed, no hormones, no antibiotics meats would be much, much healthier.

Sugar is bad. Obviously sugar is bad for diabetes but it's also bad for cancer, cancer cells like sugar. But again it doesn't mean you need to give it up completely...this may be my own bias here but don't switch to artificial sweeteners. Try honey, maple syrup (cancer fighter), agave syrup and if you really, really need sugar... try organic cane sugar. It's pricey, everything in this vein is but if you're limiting your intake of meat and sugar it works out about the same for your wallet.

Find the veggies you love, eat a lot more beans and find healthy fillers such as whole grain rice, quinoa, buckwheat etc. The most important thing is to find food you love that is good for you. Don't eat kale if you don't like kale or you'll find yourself driving to McDonalds in the middle of the night.

If you can afford it, meet with a nutrionist and be honest with yourself and them when you're trying to make a plan.

a reply to: Atsbhct

Thanks .

Like I said, I just saw it last night and not looking to praise or trash the diet or the movie but rather see all sides of it, so I appreciate studies on both sides and arguments.

As in all things if its too good to be true than ...... , so I'm not totally sold on it. Although I don't see the harm of doing it for a few months and directly see the impact of it. I was hoping others might have done it here and could report their results.

Try it.

a reply to: interupt42

And there's a documentary out there where a guy levels his cholesterol, loses weight, and rids his slight heart palpitations by eating nothing but meat, cooked vegetables, and super high fat.
He also went on a pure fast food diet and did the same thing before he moved onto a more natural organic high fat diet to purge his system of all the chemicals and processed crap he ate.

The issue isn't meat, or dairy, or fish, it's processed foods, you know those sections in the grocery store that are strategically placed between the fresh produce and the butcher counter? That you just so happens to walk by while doing your shopping.
Vegetables should be part of our diet no matter what, that I agree but the old myth that eating meat will cause cancer or some sort of heart disease or diabetes is slowly and surely being proved false.

A perfect example of this is raw vegetables. Just think about how those grow, think how dense they are with sugars and minerals to sustain their growth. Calcium in thick leafy greens is a big one, kale, spinach, collards, and you ate those daily without cooking them, you'd be developing stones somewhere in your body on no time. Hence why we have cooked our food for thousands of years.

a reply to: interupt42

I have watched this, and some of it is interesting, but the reality is that the findings are biased, as is the premise of the study itself.

If you really want to better your health without making drastic changes, just rid yourself of all processed foods and just go back to real food: Meats, fruits, veggies, nuts, legumes, natural oils and fats, etc. This will get your body in tune with where it needs to be, and from there, you can tweak the ratio of how much of each that you eat, if necessary.

Basically, it's the Paleo diet, but without removing things like grains and legumes and the like.

Seriously, though, if our society would just rid itself of the dependence on manufactured, processed foods, we'd be so much more healthy. It's a fight I'm currently battling, but am making progress on. My biggest issue is empty calories (soda and candy, like Twix and Snickers and M&Ms). I'm fine with avoiding fast food and boxed and processed items otherwise.

ETA: And please keep in mind that fats are not a bad thing if they are the good fats--it has been proven that focusing on a low-fat diet is a terrible thing to do, as our brains and other parts of our body NEED good fats to properly function and remain healthy.

a reply to: interupt42

I'd say there's definitely something to it. I was reading about India recently and something like 40% of people over there are vegetarians, and guess what, cancer incidence in that country is much less than any western nation. In fact most diseases are happening with much less frequency over there than in the West.

Those numbers are even more impressive after you take into account the levels of pollution in india, some of their cities are the most polluted in the world and a lot of people try to link pollution levels to cancer. I'm sure this does have an effect but the fact remains that Indians are proving to us that eating healthy is very important

a reply to: interupt42 Thanks for bringing this documentary to attention.
I have a book which covers what I believe you are wondering about called, Healing with Whole Foods. It's focus is healing with food and is primarily based on Asian tradition. Many of the recommended diet plans involve cutting out a lot of meat consumption.

Oh, just to add... I have cut out meats from my diet for about half a year at one time with no side effects... you have to really research protein options and look for vegetables/seeds and such for iron. Also you might want to supplement with B-12...and I recommend you consult with a doctor on this or an eastern medical practitioner.

a reply to: peppycat

Cool thanks. You mention no side effects but didn't say anything about improvements?

Did you see any improvement after going the whole food route?

Did you also cut out oils ?

a reply to: interupt42 At the time that I had completely cut out meat from my diet, I also quit smoking and caffeine. I remember feeling good and relying on Tulsi tea to pep up in the morning.
I didn't cut out dairy or baked goods and even though I was walking long distances every day to get to work and back, I actually put on some pounds. I don't think I was consuming too much oil at the time because I don't consume it all that much in general except safflower oil to fry eggs occasionally and I sometimes eat avocados or use olive oil to roast veggies. (I'm experimenting with using coconut oil right now)
I do know that when I eat less meat and white breads and eat more legumes and veggies, I feel lighter in my spirit and in my step and my mind is a bit more clear. Eating meat in the middle of the day can make me feel tired and mentally foggy and eating veggie and plant based proteins in the middle of day, give me energy to keep going.
Be well!