Dinner and a Movie (Food Matters)

Food Matters touches mostly on vitamins and the smear campaign against our consumption of vitamins. The film links our malnourishment to the lack of crop rotation, our fatty, empty calorie diets and our dependency on prescription medications to fix our ailments.

One reviewer on IMDB.com says “this move is full of lies and cherry picking cases” (actripxl). While the movie does call out doctors on their lack of using vitamins in large doses to cure certain diseases, the main message portrayed is eat healthy, take care of yourself, and you won’t need to see doctors for the dangerous prescriptions they’re giving out. There’s some great information in the film and anything that makes us think about what we eat can’t be all bad. Food Matters pleads for you to take another look at what you’re eating and what your doctors are giving you.

Notably, the film touches on Gerson Therapy, an alternative cancer treatment. “The Gerson Therapy is a state of the art, contemporary, alternative and natural treatment which utilizes the body's own healing mechanism in the treatment and cure of chronic debilitating illness” (gerson.org). Even Charlotte Gerson (Dr. Max Gerson’s daughter and the founder of The Gerson Institute) makes an appearance discussing health with a bit of sarcasm interspersed with real conviction. The great message Gerson gives is to eat healthy and the body will heal itself, this seems to make sense. Unfortunately, the medical community has never taken Dr. Gerson seriously:

In the U.S., Gerson applied his dietary therapy to several cancer patients, claiming good results, but colleagues found his methodology and claims unconvincing. Proponents of the Gerson Therapy assert that a far-ranging conspiracy headed by the medical establishment prevented Gerson from publishing proof that his therapy worked. In 1958, Gerson published a book in which he claimed to have cured 50 terminal cancer patients: A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 Cases. Gerson's medical license in New York was suspended in 1958. (Wikipedia)

If you’re looking to get a start on the recent trend in food documentaries, this film is a good launching pad. Food Matters touches on many issues that need to be addressed, however, the film tends to flow sporadically. Having a raw food specialist chime in between Charlotte Gerson’s commentary tends to make some moments a bit random. Those moments are few however, and generally the film stays on course and presents some really great datasets.

Obviously, with the amount of heart disease and cancer we have in this country we’re doing something wrong. If you get hit by a car, there’s a resounding YES, we need modern western medicine. But if you want to live a long and healthy life without dependence on pharmaceuticals, you don’t need doctors; just don’t treat your body like a dumpster or a drug depository, simple as that.

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On a lighter note, dinner was fantastic!
Lori dug out the Favorite Brand NameTM Vegetarian Cookbook and made Bulgur Pilaf with Tomato and Zucchini. It was a great meal, and it’s definitely something we’ll be having again!

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.