I have 17 more documentaries and films to go before my 50 Docs Challenge is up!
A World Without Cancer: The Story of Vitamin B17 is another documentary about the suppression of alternative cancer treatments. I’m very careful with the use of “alternative” especially if a treatment is proven effective but has not been inducted into the conventional medical system.
What is B-17 (amygdalin)?
I learned that ”fruit seed cyanide” fear is mostly propoganda, but somewhat justified. First, moderation is important. You are instructed to eat no more seeds than the fruit itself.
Points I learned
Cyanide in fruit seeds such as bitter almonds or apricots are unlocked by beto-glucosidase, which is found in cancer cells, and not normal cells.
In addition, normal cells have a rhodanese enzyme, which detoxifies cyanide
Think less of “cyanide,” but more of a molecule with cyanide and benzaldahyde (both poisonous) that is locked with sugar bonds.
Your healthy cells aren’t unlocking cyanide or benzaldahyde from B17 (laetrile) from fruit seeds (apricot, bitter almonds). It’s your cancer cell that’s unlocking this bond, where the cyanide and benzaldahyde kills the cancer.
Soul Food Junkies is a well-rounded documentary that revolves around the historical, cultural, and somewhat sociopolitical aspects of African-American southern cuisine.
“Is soul food really healthy?”
It all depends on how meals are prepared, and possibly what era you were born in. The growth in processed foods, fast food restaurants, and lack of fresh food markets in the communities of “soul food” eaters deserve just as much responsibility for obesity growth and health crises as the soul food cuisine itself.
Byron Hurt filmed this documentary as a healing discussion after experiencing his father’s health decline from obesity and death from pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is disproportionately higher in African-Americans.
Although problems are highlighted in this film, Soul Food Junkies ends hopeful in the vein of the documentary Fresh. You’ll see features on urban food markets, backyard gardens, and environmental education in schools, which all affect diet choices.
Ultimately, soul food eaters are urged to look to the elders, who were “green and sustainable” for survival reasons; who labored physically out of necessity; who prepared and ate fresh foods out of accessibility. It appears that survival and accessibility are essential with food preparation.
Prepare to block out time to complete this DVD collection of live foods vignettes. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of The Raw Food Lifestyle meets the raw food trifecta: promotional, educational, and inspirational. The diabetes section alone is more valuable than many medical features I’ve seen. Other highlights were Victoria Boutenko’s feature in the Nutrition section on greens as the “missing jewel micronutrient” in raw eating. Another highlight is the Optimal Performance section where immunity strength and recovery are featured as the secret to elite athletic performance. I’m familiar with many raw recipes and preparations, which can be a highlight for a novice.
This DVD is a well-rounded introduction to raw foods with testimonies, recipes, medical studies, and more. You’ll see firsthand how raw foodists can be much more persuasive in zeal for plant-based foods than regular vegans. With features ranging from medical doctors, triathletes, actors, motivational speakers, chefs, and spiritual coaches, the general consensus for starting out raw is to:
Keep it simple
Let it happen organically
Start eliminating foods on your own terms
Began replacing them immediately.
Salads, green juices, blended meals, and fruits can be your short term replacements.
If you’re looking to venture into raw foods, The Ultimate Encyclopedia along with documentaries like Forks Over Knives are great motivators!
Wow! I reached a new milestone by watching 30 of my 50 documentaries, films or videos on plant-based diets, nutrition and health. Actually, I’ve watch more including a few “side videos” on my list.
These videos below aren’t added to my 50 documentary challenge list, but the information is equally as valuable, and cover areas of health, environment and nutrition.
Repetition is good for learning! After watching thirty nutrition and plant-based documentaries, I’ve seen it all and heard it all. So, I have to judge PlanEat as if I had virgin eyes. PlanEat differentiates itself by showcasing restaurant chefs and cooks in its discussion. It meets all requirements of a solid plant-based documentary:
Faults in industrial farming
Disease prevention benefits of plant-based
Environmental effects from the meat and dairy industries
Plant-based recipe substitutions
Definition of local and organic farming and foods
It’s a great documentary to watch if you are committed to learning more about nutrition and options of plant-based foods.
Of course, you can’t have a “pop doc” without an industry guru. Members of the “Fab Five” of the medical plant-based worlds are featured:
Fab Five Superstar Plant-Based Doctors in Documentaries
T. Colin Campbell
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn
Joel Furman
Dr. Neal D. Bernard
John A. McDougall
(I left out Dean Ornish and a few others, and Dr. Oz doesn’t count!)
A: Yes. I liked it. This movie is a pro-vegan bootcamp. Three people from different backgrounds experience a plant-based diet. Very original! Ha ha! But, I actually like it!
Q: What was the best part of the movie?
I felt more connected to the character, Tesla. She lived in a blended family with a diet that counters a plant-based lifestyle. Personal choices can be compromised when your income is divided in a blended family. But, she held on.
Q: Did this change your mind about veganism?
A: It confirmed that veganism is quite separate from traditional plant-based diets. Holistic and political changes are incorporated into your life, such as clothing choices and personal care products.
Q. Would you recommend this documentary to a friend?
A: Absolutely! It’s not too heavy. It’s a diet challenge, but gives a capsule of information that I’ve seen in heavier movies like Eating, Chemerical, Earthlings, and Simply Raw. It’s digestible for a person with little interest or understanding of a vegan lifestyle.
” A farmer and produce manager has more to do with your health as your doctor.”
Locavore: Local Diet, Healthy Planet is a beautiful documentary that doesn’t require the presence of “superstar medical professionals” to give it credibility.
Instantly, I began to question where my food came from by witnessing a sustainable community and farmers that made it work.
I also love a challenge! My quest to eat more local moves beyond browsing grocery produce sections or updating Cotsco subscriptions. It involves speaking to your produce manager about local seasonal foods and shopping at a farmers market or purchasing directly from the farmer.
I pay attention to advertising of “sweet Texas oranges or blackberries” now. I’m more prone to seek out various farmer’s markets, coops, and CSA’s in my surrounding area.
Sounds challenging? Yes. But, it’s easier than expected. If you start slowly.
But WHY is it truly important to seek out local foods?
With less mileage of transportation, you will receive riper fruit that has more preserved nutrients. In my quest to eat a plant-based diet, both nutrient density and ripeness, matter!
Eating local shapes and improves the local economy with direct relationships with farmers and vendors, easier quality control, and possible transparency. These are advantages that a local economy over big agribusiness that lacks proper oversight.
By recycling money throughout your community, it leads to a more sustainable and economically stable community.
As a person transitioning to raw foods, The Woodstock Fruit Festival documentary was inspirational, educational, and aspirational for me. Even the tone of it lacked the fanatical judgment of many vegans I’ve encountered.
Some of my favorite raw foodist gurus and rock stars (physicians and youtubers included) are featured. I mentioned before that raw foodists have done a much better job with stressing the health benefits of a plant-based diet than traditional vegans and vegetarians.
Organized by fruitarian Michael Arnstein, this raw food festival heavily showcased the 80 10 10 diet of the raw food world! Athleticism, fitness, and strength training were justly highlighted in this documentary, to dispel the “weak plant eater” myth. If anyone can dispel the “protein myth” in the next decade, raw foodists can!
There are also features of various events, health reversals, obesity journeys, and raw vegan children. This documentary can easily pique any omnivore’s interest in a living, plant-based lifestyle. Job well done!
I recently watched Alissa Cohen’s dvd, Living On Live Food. It applies various raw recipes in a pleasant conversational style that ranges from simple to gourmet meals.
I’ve grown accustomed to most cooking dvds; most have a companion book. As a person transitioning to raw food, I’ve experienced all patterns of raw food dvds, which include: smoothies, squash pastas, raw food appliances, and different variations on tuna loaf, sushi, pasta dishes, and wraps. I’ve seen my share of dates and nut-heavy desserts; or raw variations of popular cooked dishes.
I respect Cohen’s challenge to go 100% raw to avoid addictive qualities from your old meals. As someone transitioning, I expect many raw foodist to push less drastic measures. I’m having a hard time giving up chocolate and cookies, which are very addictive.
The raw banana crepeswith nut cream filling and strawberry pureed topping were my favorites. Yum! I also want to try the enchilada meal! Most raw dvds focus on gourmet heavy meals to attract cooked dish lovers, but simplicity is emphasized in Living on Live Food!
CAUTION: This is a conversational style dvd, a question-and-answer cooking session between Cohen and her two guests! I am familiar with many raw recipes, so I enjoyed the knowledge I gained. If you’re looking for an instructional video, get ready to rewind repeatedly! This isn’t one.
So, why do I continue to watch cooking dvd’s?
Repetition is good. Watching is so much better than reading. I’ll have a visual for application.
The information and wisdom from each individual chef is priceless.
I like variety. All cooks aren’t equal, and it expands your creativity with meals.
I watch cooking dvds for the same reason YOU continue to watch The Food Channel or Cooking Channel.
Do you want a health coach to give you a tour through the grocery store; teach you to read nutrition facts and food labels; clean out and exchange your cupboards and refrigerator with healthier food options?
If yes, please watch Forks Over Knives Presents: The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue.
Author, triathlete, and firefighter, Rip Esselstyn assisted two families with improving their food, nutrition, and shopping habits. Fiber, water, phytochemicals, and antioxidants are the building blocks of Esselstyn’s plant-based meals that range from a portobello mushroom panini sandwich to sweet potato lasagna.
Like most “life makeover” shows, Esselstyn sprinkled the video with wisdom such as: turkey and chicken having similar fat and cholesterol as beef. Esselstyn suggested whole grains expansion outside of rice, and cautioned the overuse of nuts and olive oil.
If you enjoy cooking dvds and makeover shows, this will work for you. Recipe substitutions are essential when transitioning over to a plant-based diet.
I enjoyed Lose One Pound A Day The Healthy Way by Dan “The Man” McDonald because I knew it would contain valuable information outside of weight loss.
He calls his “weight loss” plan nourishing and cleansing. It encourages fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens that are high water content, low fat, and nutrient dense.
Juicing vegetables in the plan allows faster body absorption. An important takeaway from this video are the cell hydrating and body mineralizing foods, which includes:
Breakfast: Fruit or Juices (from freshly juiced produce)
Lunch: Fruit, Juices, or Smoothies
Dinner: A large salad
Make a salad of chopped spinach, tomato, cucumber, and cabbage with a dressing of blended apple cider vinegar, avocado and dill.
It sounds very simple, but you will take in a LOT of calories. Dan displays recipes from juicing, smoothies, salads and dressings. After researching heavily in juicing and raw foods, I can agree that this plan is effective without being harmful to your body. From personal experience, I can attest that my increase in raw food servings has contributed to my 25 lb weight loss—-and I’m not even 60% raw!
When Healing Becomes A Crime tells the story of Harry Hoxsey’s homeopathy elixir, alternative medical methods, and cancer treatment. Inspired by nature, Harry’s father mimicked his herbal recipes from observing a “terminally horse” heal itself with plants. Harry’s father passed the discovery to him.
Like The Gerson Miracle, this is a tale of homeopathy’s persecution by the conventional medical industry. What makes Hoxsey’s 1920s-1960s war “against the machine” interesting is Hoxsey’s influential supporters and his legal victory against the American Medical Association in 1949; with a latter retaliatory blow by the Food and Drug Administration.
This movie made me ask 3 Questions surrounding alternative medicine or homeopathy
What if homeopathy had the public backing of figures like Carnegie, Morgan, and Rockerfeller? Many people who used homeopathic physicians publicly supported the American Medical Association.
Will the bio-tech industry find a sneaky way to make intellectual property of remedies of homeopathy, which traditionally can’t be patented? Hoxsey’s refusal of the AMA’s patent and control of his herbal elixir may have stirred the opposition against him.
Do options really matter?Chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery can’t be the only way! Sadly, optional medical care has been relegated to the title “alternative medicine.”
With the flaws in conventional medicine and alternative medicine, I refuse to pit one side against the other. I support integrative medicine and having options.
