Dinner and a Movie (Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead)

I put Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on my Netflix instant queue several weeks ago and had skipped over it several times because I really didn’t know what to expect. It was a Saturday night, Lori was making dinner (we’ll get to that later) and I had the chore of choosing our entertainment during dinner. This film has been popping up on forums and blogs more frequently as of late, often mentioned alongside Forks Over Knives, so I took a leap.

An Australian based production, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead follows Joe Cross, a financial guru, from New York to Arizona as he “reboots” on a 60-day all fruit and veggie juice diet. Joe is overweight, suffering from a chronic auto-immune based illness and swallowing prescription steroids when he finally decides to take the plunge. Joe goes to the extreme (with medical supervision) as he drives across the U.S. with a Breville juicer in the back of his SUV. The standard “reboot” program is a bit different, as the Reboot Holdings website states:

This is our classic program which has worked wonders for people around the world. This program consists of 5 days of eating, blending and juicing only whole fruits and vegetables; followed by 5 days of just juicing; followed by 5 days of eating, blending and juicing whole fruits and vegetables. Think 5-5-5. (jointhereboot.com)

As Joe spreads the word to various cities and people on his tour, he runs into a truck driver named Phil. Phil is overweight and suffers from the same illness Joe has. They share a batch of juice and Joe sends Phil on his way (first exchanging contact information).

Finally, Joe ends his tour and flies back to Australia only to receive a call from Phil, asking for help. Phil has hit rock bottom and wants to change his life and diet for himself and his family. The film takes an interesting turn at this point and follows Phil around as he wrestles his food demons and “reboots” on juice.

While the film doesn’t feel like a Breville juicer commercial, when I visited fatsickandnearlydead.com it felt a bit like an infomercial. The juicer is never shown up close, nor is the brand ever mentioned in the film. The main message is “we are what we eat” and changing your diet to fruits and vegetables exclusively can do amazing wonders for your health. What’s really amazing is Joe and Phil stop experiencing complications with their illness and are eventually taken completely off prescription medications. If you’re looking for a change and are sick and tired of all the latest diet trends, definitely check this film out.

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Now, the lovely little dinner we had was of Lori’s design. A wonderful broth and noodle based veggie and tofu soup of sorts. She marinated tofu, boiled some Asian pasta in vegetable broth and sautéed some broccoli, green peppers, onions and carrots to form a delightful dish.