While at the dentist today, I came across an
article in the New York Times that I thought was excellent, and I would like to
share it with you. Ever since I watched the ‘documentary’ (and I use this term
loosely) called “What the Health”, I have wanted to write a blog post about why
I found the documentary to be poorly done. But I never was able to piece my
thoughts together as well as Jane Brody has in her article:
If you know me at all, you’ll know that I
absolutely support animal rights and believe that if you choose to eat animal products, that
you have a moral obligation to ask where your food comes from. But for many
reasons, I choose not to eat vegan – and it makes me so mad when
‘documentaries’ like these that are lacking in accurate information are
released to the general public who may take it at it’s word. This
article by Brody outlines some of these inaccuracies.
I appreciate anytime
people move to a healthier lifestyle and those who choose not to eat meat for ethical reasons. For many people however, this way
of eating is not always a good one to adopt. I will also take this opportunity to point out
that there would be an amazing impact made by meat-eaters if they chose not to
eat meat for a day or two a week, and/or didn’t eat animal products every meal.
Anyway, here is the article – I encourage you to read it especially if you have
watched “What the Health” and were thinking "What the Fuck" like I was.
Excerpt: "Such is the case with a recently released Netflix documentary called “What the Health” that several well-meaning, health-conscious young friends have urged me to watch. And I did try, until I became so infuriated by misstatements – like eating an egg a day is as bad as smoking five cigarettes, or that a daily serving of processed meat raises the risk of diabetes 51 percent — that I had to quit for the sake of my health. While the film may have laudable goals, getting the science wrong simply confuses the issues and infuriates those who might otherwise be supportive."
Also, if you wish to 'deep dive', a bit - here's a well written article by Robb Wolf that reviews the movie in more detail than I would ever care to...https://robbwolf.com/2017/07/03/what-the-health-a-wolfs-eye-review/
But before I sign off here, I'd like to say that I think it's great if people are vegan or who want to become vegan (and it's done right). I completely respect people's food choices. It's super frustrating that there is so much conflicting data out there when it comes to food research -- but that's just the way it is -- and the fact is that one has to do a lot of experimenting with their own bodies to find what works for THEM. My issues are with the twisting of data, crappy science and people using titles or fame to misconstrue facts - vegan or carnivorous alike.
EDIT: Today (May 27th) I came across a well written article about What the Health and wanted to add it here for additional information:https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/7/25/16018658/what-the-health-documentary-review-vegan-diet
Excerpt: "Such is the case with a recently released Netflix documentary called “What the Health” that several well-meaning, health-conscious young friends have urged me to watch. And I did try, until I became so infuriated by misstatements – like eating an egg a day is as bad as smoking five cigarettes, or that a daily serving of processed meat raises the risk of diabetes 51 percent — that I had to quit for the sake of my health. While the film may have laudable goals, getting the science wrong simply confuses the issues and infuriates those who might otherwise be supportive."
Also, if you wish to 'deep dive', a bit - here's a well written article by Robb Wolf that reviews the movie in more detail than I would ever care to...https://robbwolf.com/2017/07/03/what-the-health-a-wolfs-eye-review/
But before I sign off here, I'd like to say that I think it's great if people are vegan or who want to become vegan (and it's done right). I completely respect people's food choices. It's super frustrating that there is so much conflicting data out there when it comes to food research -- but that's just the way it is -- and the fact is that one has to do a lot of experimenting with their own bodies to find what works for THEM. My issues are with the twisting of data, crappy science and people using titles or fame to misconstrue facts - vegan or carnivorous alike.
EDIT: Today (May 27th) I came across a well written article about What the Health and wanted to add it here for additional information:https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/7/25/16018658/what-the-health-documentary-review-vegan-diet
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