Eating (documentary)

[Guest guest]

    In a segment on health in my American Politics courses (we've also

discussed elections, power, the environment, empire, and many other

topics and

themes), I

discussed various health  issues (including AIDS and ebola, antibiotics

and MRSA, national healthcare, smoking, corn, GMOs, Blue Zones, etc.)

and also showed about

the first 2/3 of a documentary called Eating (2nd ed.; I need

to get the new edition) (see

ravediet.com for more info). I got some very strong responses from my

students (I love having a captive audience).

    Of

course there were some who said they're sticking with their meat, that

they didn't believe it, that it was biased, that it was too much like

an infomercial.

However, there were plenty of others who are already making positive

changes:

many are eating less meat, some cutting down on dairy, some going

vegetarian, a vegetarian going vegan, and they're telling other people

about it. A few of them said it should

required viewing in schools. I agree.

    Below are some student comments from their typed reflections.

    Peace,

Dan

 

 

I was aware that plant based foods are a healthier choice, but I was

not conscious of how terrible animal based foods are to our health.

 

I will limit my meat intake to once a week and then wean myself off of

it entirely.

 

Starting from today I have decided to change my diet. ... This should

be played by every school so we can all live a longer and healthier

life.

 

my child will not follow our OLD eating habits.

 

This movie lets me know that the plant-based diet is one of the keys

to lead a healthy life.

 

I think everyone should watch this video because it was like a wake up

call.

 

I learned that animal food close your arteries, and plant food open

arteries. ...Animal based diet feeds cancer, and plant base diet feeds

the immune system.

 

Even though it would be hard for me to stop eating meat overnight, I

have already changed my diet and hope to adjust it more and more. ... I

did go purchase some meat substitutes and will try my best to eat

healthier.

 

In reality meat is an unhealthy choice, containing high amounts of

cholesterol, resulting in clogged arteries and other detriments to

one's health. ... I'm a red meat type of woman. ... trying to stay open

minded, I've ordered tofu with my Thai food and a hearty salad versus a

meat based lunch. ... I always enjoy learning new ideas and

incorporating them into my own life. After all, you are what you eat,

and I'd rather be as cool as a cucumber rather than a chicken, who's

afraid to try something new.

 

Fish and chicken are staples in my diet, which I think is great...or at

least I did. ... This is all so horrifying yet amazing to me. ... I

will be cutting down on meat and dairy. It sounds like a good idea.

 

Life with meat has been nothing but trouble to society causing heart

failure and obesity; this problem can be easily solved by the

elimination of these harmful products and the promotion of healthy and

affordable natural and organic fruits and vegetables.

 

I'm not one to to just sit down and believe every thing that I see or

hear, but it seems to me that this film hit it right on the money.

 

I attempted to lessen my meat consumption and dairy products ... I am

hooping I can change my diet.

 

The

thought of an all-vegetable diet is intriguing. It makes sense

considering the

health risks that are associated with meat and animal fat.

 

In today's society we eat meat all the time, at the same time taking

in all the antibiotics the animals are force-fed their whole life.

 

I

was even

considering going on an all plant diet because of all of the arguments

that

were presented in favor of an all plant based diet.

 

If

Americans, or all people for that matter, cut meat

and animal products out of their diets, they would be way healthier.  By eating a plant based diet, you avoid all

the cholesterols and fats that clog our arteries, and will prevent us,

essentially, from slowly committing suicide. 

 

 

A

change to plant based diets can vastly improve our health. Plants don’t

contain

fat or cholesterol; plants clean clogged arteries.

 

it

was horrifying to realize the damage we are

doing to our bodies by eating animal based diets.  ... I

called my parents after watching the film

urging them to check out the “RAVE dietâ€. ... There

needs to be some serious changes made, and

the healthy, life saving, benefits of plant based diets should be

uncovered. 

 

I always thought being a vegetarian was a moral issue, and it was

always hard for me to be one because I don't think it's wrong to eat

animals. However, after watching the video and doing some additional

research, I now consider being vegetarian and healthy eating a

political issue ... and for exactly one week now I haven't had a bite

of meat or eaten any vegetables not listed as organic.

 

This video definitely made me want to cut down on meats and other

processed foods ... definitely a wake up call for me and I'm slowly

changing my diet and making my family aware of what I have learned.

 

The

idea of eating a plant based diet has never

appealed to me before viewing Eating

in

class last week.  ... I was

unaware that cholesterol was strictly from

animal sources.  Another fact that I was

unaware of, was that changing our diets can actually reverse any

previous

damage that resulted from eating animal products.  The

idea that animal based diets cause

cancers, heart disease, allergies and the other prevalent diseases in

America

was shocking.  ... Needless

to say Eating,

has

made an impact on the way I think about the food I ingest and the

food I feed my family.  We have committed

to eating a vegetarian diet 5 days out of the week.  Who

knows, we may become vegans before the

end of the year!