Today’s Design and Technology class involved examining “Forks Over Knives”- a documentary released in 2011 which investigates the current American health care crisis of diet related illnesses. The movie primarily follows Colin Campbell and Caldwell Esselstyn, two experts in the field of nutrition each coming from a different backgrounds to the same conclusion. This was followed by a Q&A session with John Thorne who is the Sustainability Coordinator here at GSA.
I enjoyed watching documentary and found some of the points it raised interesting. It advertises a plant and whole foods based tonight to promote health and well-being. That means excluding all animal products, processed foods and refined sugars which is claimed to reduce or even reverse the symptoms of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease that are directly related to diet. There is obviously a growing awareness of veganism and the impact livestock farming has on the planet we all share but “Forks over Knives” presents medical arguments for switching diets. It explained that the geographically hot spots of cancer types that were studied and compiled in China, in one of the largest scientific studies ever attempted, are linked to the different diets in the regions. Similarly, in Norway during the second World War cases of heart disease plummeted during the Nazi occupation as many meat and dairy produce were confiscated. Amongst others, these examples were used to support the theory that the casein protein, which is exclusively found in animals, triggers tumour growth of cancers and contributes to a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Feeding rats this protein in different amounts proved the theory and, for me, was the most concrete and clear evidence presented by the movie. For instance, were there less patients diagnosed in Norway during World War 2 because of a shortage of doctors or a reduction in the health care available? It may have been a sound conclusion to draw but some examples were unclear in their reliability.
I thought it was remarkable that a change of diet could actually reverse the growth of tumours and diabetes. It seemed that the personal stories used in the movie were of people that had not only changed diet but also their lifestyles. I wonder if other new life choices such as the increased exercise also had some influenced but this documentary gave sole credit to the diet. In that respect, it very much was a piece of propaganda for veganism. It is difficult to fully understand and support the message when no counter arguments were suggested or discussed. Nonetheless, with some bias, another interesting point was raised; where do our perceptions of these food originate?
Even with strong scientific evidence pointing at the health benefits to plant based foods there’s strong beliefs within the public that meats and dairy should be included in a healthy diet. Experiencing the power behind multi-million dollar industries controlling Government guidelines and recommendations is a scary prospect. For instance, the famous “Food Pyramid” or giving children a glass of milk everyday at school are Government schemes that are there to educate but who is deciding what is the correct information to give? In many cases, unfortunately, the answer often involves someone with a conflict of interest and marketing strategies from the dairy industry. We seem to have a strong desire to protect our status quo from changes rather than admit wrong doings and change when new information is presented. I am part of that collective too. As a meat eater aware of this information I am part of the problem and maybe should give more thought into what I am buying and eating. Who and what is my weekly food shop supporting and what long term affect is having on my body?
John Thorne spoke a little more about this after the movie. He predicted a future where vegans become extinct which I am not sure I agree with. As lab grown meat becomes less expensive and more widely available he discussed how that could impact the meat aisle of the supermarket. I think there will always be diversity in what people want to eat. Other aspects of food could change in the near future too. New systems are needed to tackle the root of big issues rather than small effort to act on the symptoms. Food is a global market so the solutions to the environmental and social problems my generation will face need to be global. I enjoyed thinking about and discussing how the landscape of food is likely to change and John could be a useful contact to consult our “Future of Food” project with.
Commentaires