Possibly the most informative, comprehensive health documentary to date, “What the Health” might even persuade the most confirmed skeptic that a dietary shift away from meat and dairy could help prolong their lives.
The new documentary marshals enough persuasive facts to present the case that we can solve America’s health crisis through changing our diets, specifically to a plant based one.
With Hawaii having the highest rate of diabetes in the nation, who knew that just one serving of processed meat per day increased the risk of developing diabetes by 51%.
A 2009 study demonstrated that a Western diet characterized by a high intake of processed meat, red meat, butter, high-fat dairy products, eggs, and refined grains plays a critical role in triggering the diabetes epidemic.
One of the biggest, most astonishing takeaways from the film is how quickly a plant based diet can reverse certain illnesses. Three people are profiled suffering debilitating health conditions (including diabetes) who have been prescribed a laundry list of drugs. After just two weeks on a plant based diet two of them completely stopped needing to take any medication, and one cut his insulin intake by a half.
Dense with information, it almost pummels the viewer with startling evidence backed up by scientific study. There is a link between consuming dairy products and autoimmune diseases, and that a vegan diet free of gluten improves the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. A plant based diet combined with exercise and meditation halted the development of prostate cancer, and blood taken from the participants actually diminished the growth of prostate cancer cells.
Among the experts interviewed in this remarkable film, Dr. Kim Williams, President of the American College of Cardiology, declares: “There are two kinds of cardiologists, vegans and those who haven’t read the data.”
“My mission is to let everybody know you do not need to suffer from cancer and diabetes and heart disease,” says nutritionist Dr. Ruby Lathon who cured herself of thyroid cancer. “Plant based diets can heal the body.”
No stone is left unturned as the filmmakers, Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn, expose one disturbing revelation after another, illuminating how we’ve been brainwashed and manipulated by powerful corporate interests.
Among their findings – that many of the leading health organizations like the American Cancer Society and the American Diabetes Association promote unhealthy diets, and are funded by the meat/dairy/pharmaceutical industries. It’s a shocking story of collusion and corruption that is keeping us sick and costing trillions in healthcare dollars.
Noting that a high proportion of the world’s population is lactose-intolerant (95% of Asians, 73% of African Americans, 53% of Hispanic Americans), Dr. Milton Mills of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine emphasizes: “Our government is encouraging Americans of color to eat foods that it knows will make them ill. This is so that it will benefit dairy farmers. That is a form of institutionalized racism.”
More information on this important documentary is available at whatthehealthfilm.com, including research links for many of the dietary suggestions. It’s also available on Netflix. Interestingly the “What the Health” social media pages were hacked by someone on the Netflix worldwide launch day.
