Is it just me or are there so many documentaries on health and lots of them are pushing a vegan agenda that there is nice big list on PETA? So Netflix has a good variety of health documentaries also FMTV is great (the Netflix for mind body soul) so check them out. I have selected a few that I really made me think about how I live and what I eat and what society is telling us. BUT DID I CHANGE! THAT’S THE BIG QUESTION?

“It’s important to be aware that Films, even documentaries, are ultimately telling a story, and filmmakers don’t have the same goals or obligations that scientists do.”  

Lara Householder OHIO University November 2012

What the Health 2017

What the health has made some big claims about health. I did find it a very interesting documentary and It really made me think. But as you would also think it had lots of negative from the mainstream media some of the reviews can be seen below. It a good starting point to see what research I can find for the vegan diet argument.

“a controversial new documentary that claims that eggs are as bad as smoking” .

Independent UK  August 2017

“What the Health overwhelms the viewer with scaremongering ‘facts’ which do not hold up to scientific investigation”

Times Health August 2017

 “There’s a sensational new documentary out on Netflix that seems to have a lot of people talking about going vegan”

VOX July 2017

“There Is Almost No Good Science in the Movie ‘What the Health”

Tonic Vice August 2017

“What the Health is actually a pro-vegan film that tends to skew studies and figures to make a point”

Dr Axe August 2017

“WHAT THE HEALTH is the groundbreaking follow-up film from the creators of the award-winning documentary Cowspiracy”

Vegan ORG March 2017

“It presents some of the latest nutritional science”

Nutriciously September 2016

Food Matters 2008

A Very convincing documentary the filmmakers have interviewed several leading experts in nutrition and natural healing who claim that not only are we harming our bodies with improper nutrition, but that the right kind of foods, supplements and detoxification can be used to treat chronic illnesses as fatal as terminally diagnosed cancer.

“Unfortunately, the good points are overshadowed by a lot of misinformation. The interviewees, who are of questionable credibility”

Nutriciously September 2016

“The film makes some good claims about the lack of nutritional education of medical doctors”

Nutriciously September 2016

“You can learn more about actual food and nutrition science by watching Gordon Ramsay shout the F word at his cooks on television.” –

Dr. Alex Berezow ACSH ORG August 2017

Clean Eating – The Dirty Truth 2017

In 2017 this is one documentary that I was really looking forward to checking out. Unfortunately, I found they tried to do so much in so little time and also mixing up three very different diets/philosophy and put it all under one umbrella. Nutritional therapist Amelia Freer says the trend is well intentioned: “The clean eating trend was born of a desire to reduce the amount of processed or junk foods we consume, and increase our intake of unprocessed wholefoods. (11)

“As the documentary progresses Dr Yeo reveals just how closely the clean eating trend is based on scientific evidence and comes to some shocking conclusions”

Telegraph January 2017

“The interviewer was a Cambridge University scientist, Dr Giles Yeo, who declared at the outset that, in his personal life, he is an unchangeable carnivore and, in science, is a geneticist interested in obesity”

CNS January 2017

“BANT has previously highlighted its concern about the growing number of  ‘insta-nutritionists’ who have done short online courses, healthy eating bloggers, YouTubers and healthy eating recipe book writers,  who advocate radical ‘one-size fits all’ eating regimes which are not evidence based”

BANT January 2017

“The show was entirely one-sided with no examination or mention of how clean eating has actually helped people with health concerns or just made them feel better, healthier and good about themselves”

Huffington January 2017

In the Defence of food

This has to be one of the best documentaries I have ever watch, I also love his books. In Defense of Food is Based on this research, presented Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food. It offers viewers a simple, practical advice throughout the program about how to eat healthier, such as

“Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food,” “Eat only foods that will eventually rot” and “Treat meat as a flavouring or special occasion food.” It’s indispensable viewing for anyone interested in the relationship between food and health.

Michael Pollan August 2017

“Pollan’s documentary was featured on PBS last week and does a fantastic job explaining much of the confusing aspects of our food system.

Huffington Post January 2017

“Taking its title from Pollan’s recent book, the film cuts through the thicket of advertising, misinformation, crackpot diets and other nonsense that has screwed up our eating habits for years and offers us, in language anyone can understand, a few common-sense rules for eating correctly and well.“

SF Chronicle December 2015

Cooked 2016 

Explored through the lenses of the four natural elements – fire, water, air and earth – Cooked is an enlightening and compelling look at the evolution of what food means to us through the history of food preparation and its universal ability to connect us. Highlighting our primal human need to cook, the series urges a return to the kitchen to reclaim our lost traditions and to forge a deeper, more meaningful connection to the ingredients and cooking techniques that we use to nourish ourselves.

“Cooked” took a close look at how cooking has changed throughout history, and the key role that the elements – air, water, fire, and Earth – play in food preparation.”

Grant Butler, Oregonlive 2016

“It’s not some supposedly objective look at cooking through the ages, not a paint-by-the-number history series. It’s Michael’s point-of-view. That said, within that context, the directors were allowed a lot of freedom of style and content that brought a certain eclectic vitality to the series.”

Brenna Houck eater.com 2016

“This is Michael Pollan the food historian, but Michael Pollan the crusader is always hovering, ready to remind us how far we have wandered from our culinary roots. In one way or another, each of these episodes mourns our detachment from our food and how to prepare it.”

Neil Genzlinger New York Times 2016

“Mr. Pollan’s messages are important to hear and are engagingly presented in this series. Still, there’s a disconnect that’s never addressed. It would be great if all 7.4 billion of us could hunt our own lizards and cook them over an open fire, spend hours baking our own bread from grain milled on stone, and so on. But there’s a gentrification to Mr. Pollan’s brand of culinary advocacy.”

Neil Genzlinger New York Times 2016

Fed Up 2014

“Upending the conventional wisdom of why we gain weight and how to lose it, Fed Up unearths a dirty secret of the American food industry-far more of us get sick from what we eat than anyone has previously realized. Filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig and TV journalist Katie Couric lead us through this potent exposé that uncovers why-despite media attention, the public’s fascination with appearance, and government policies to combat childhood obesity-generations of American children will now live shorter lives than their parents did.”

 Sundance Film Festival

With Ms. Couric as its guide, “Fed Up” introduces you to a mystery, namely the puzzle of rising obesity rates. From there, it moves into investigative mode, which is where it becomes more complex and transparently political, as the filmmakers explore who’s killing our health.

Manohla Dargis New York Times 2014

Hungry for Change 2012

Featuring interviews with the bestselling authors, and leading medical experts, plus real life transformational stories, with people who know what it’s like to have been sick and overweight. Learn from those who have been there before and continue your health journey today

Fat Sick & Nearly Dead 2011

What emerges is nothing short of amazing – an inspiring tale of healing and human connection. Part road trip, part self-help manifesto, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead defies the traditional documentary format to present an unconventional and uplifting story of two men from different worlds who each realize that the only person who can save them are they, themselves.

Forks over Knives 2011

Forks Over Knives examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. The major storyline in the film traces the personal journeys of a pair of pioneering yet under-appreciated researchers, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.

Thanks and i hope you found this list interesting. If there are any other health documentaries I should check out, please do drop me a comment or message.