Binge-worthy shows for the self quarantined: Food documentaries to shape your next meal
At the beginning of this pandemic we learned to cook with the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Jon Favreau. With that knowledge comes great responsibility. What should we be eating? Do we need to change our eating habits? These are great questions to ask yourself before laboring over a hot stove because what we put into our bodies matters.
We’ve heard the term “you are what you eat.” In his novel “High Fidelity,” Nick Hornsby proclaimed, “what really matters is what you like, not what you are like. Books, records, films, these things matter.” So it’s not a leap to say that we are what we watch.
Here are some delectably informative documentaries to watch that could help shape your next meal.
‘Super Size Me’
What it’s about: While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences of his health from a diet solely based on McDonald’s food for one month.
Why you should watch: Morgan Spurlock is hilarious and charismatic in this documentary. I mean we all know how bad fast food is for you, but this film shows us just how bad. The best part is that it’s mostly done with humor so the information is easy to digest.
Where to find it: Available on Amazon Prime.
‘Vegucated’
What it’s about: “Vegucated” is a guerrilla-style documentary that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks and learn what it’s all about.
Why you should watch: Like “Super Size Me” this documentary is a limited challenge. It follows multiple people as they figure out what going vegan is all about. Some try to eat mostly healthy vegan food while others live on vegan junk food, and viewers get to see the results. It’s very intriguing, and you’ll never guess what foods are vegan in the cookie isle.
Where to find it: Available on Amazon Prime.
‘What the Health’
What it’s about: An intrepid filmmaker on a journey of discovery as he uncovers possibly the largest health secret of our time and the collusion between industry, government, pharmaceutical and health organizations keeping this information from us.
Why you should watch: This movie is pure vegan propaganda, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth watching. Through this film we get to see some pretty awful things about the meat industry and we learn about all the pros of a vegan lifestyle. After learning this information you can either become more resolute in your dietary choices, completely change your meal plans, or find some place in between.
Where to find it: Available on Netflix.
‘Forks Over Knives’
What it’s about: This 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.
Why you should watch: When our parents told us to eat our vegetables because they were good for us, they weren’t kidding. This film is loaded with heart warming stories of people changing their lives for the better, and what’s better than that?
Where to find it: Available on Netflix.
‘Eating Animals’
What it’s about: An examination of our dietary choices and the food we put in our bodies. Based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s memoir.
Why you should watch: This is one of the most beautifully shot documentaries that brings a nostalgic feeling of the old American farmer. It’s a David and Goliath tale, the O.G. farmer and the industrialized animal factory. Natalie Portman also narrates, so there’s that.
Where to find it: Available on Hulu.
‘Food Evolution’
What it’s about: Using the controversy over genetically-modified foods as its entry point, “Food Evolution” shows how easily fear and misinformation can overwhelm objective, evidence-based analysis.
Why you should watch: Are GMO’s bad? Yes. Wait, no. Umm, I don’t know? This documentary goes through all the science and gives viewers some facts that you might not agree with. Also, Bill Nye the Science Guy is in it.
Where to find it: Available on Hulu.
‘Food, Inc’
What it’s about: An unflattering look inside America’s corporate-controlled food industry.
Why you should watch: This movie has beautiful cinematography, engaging information and stories that pull on your heart strings. We get to see how the food industry got to be the way it is and how we can change things by the choices we make at the grocery store.
Where to find it: Available on Amazon Prime.
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 10:08 PM with the headline "Binge-worthy shows for the self quarantined: Food documentaries to shape your next meal."