Last night Julie and I had the privilege of attending the premiere of the new and revelatory documentary FORKS OVER KNIVES. You might have caught a segment about the film on the Dr. Oz show last week. If you missed it, just click the following links to viewr PART 1 and PART 2.
It was a great night in which my worlds happily collided — Hollywood and plant-based nutrition. One minute Julie and I are chatting with plantstrong pioneer Dr. Esselstyn, the next minute I’m hugging it out with Steve-O from Jackass and being interviewed by best-selling VEGANIST author Kathy Freston for the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Talk about trippy.
Anyway, for those not familiar with the film, it is a soon to be released documentary that examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. A bold statement for sure, but more than worth examining. And a revealing look at just how improperly intertwined our government has become with Big Agriculture and Big Pharma. But also an important move in the right direction in terms of the primacy of nutrition and preventative medicine as a curative means to solving many of the health and health care woes that plague our country, cripple our population and exacerbate our budget crisis.
The filmmakers describe the film as follows:
What has happened to us? Despite the most advanced medical technology in the world, we are sicker than ever by nearly every measure.
Two out of every three of us are overweight. Cases of diabetes are exploding, especially amongst our younger population. About half of us are taking at least one prescription drug. Major medical operations have become routine, helping to drive health care costs to astronomical levels. Heart disease, cancer and stroke are the country’s three leading causes of death, even though billions are spent each year to “battle” these very conditions. Millions suffer from a host of other degenerative diseases.
Could it be there’s a single solution to all of these problems? A solution so comprehensive but so utterly straightforward, that it’s mind-boggling that more of us haven’t taken it seriously?
FORKS OVER KNIVES examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the so-called “diseases of affluence” that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. The major storyline in the film traces the personal journeys of a pair of pioneering yet under-appreciated researchers, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn….Their research led them to a startling conclusion: degenerative diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even several forms of cancer, could almost always be prevented—and in many cases reversed—by adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet. Despite the profound implications of their findings, their work has remained relatively unknown to the public….
The idea of food as medicine is put to the test. Throughout the film, cameras follow “reality patients” who have chronic conditions from heart disease to diabetes. Doctors teach these patients how to adopt a whole foods plant-based diet as the primary approach to treat their ailments—while the challenges and triumphs of their journeys are revealed.
I first became aware of this project some time ago via my friend Rip Esselstyn, author of the bestselling book ENGINE 2 DIET and his father Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, author of HOW TO PREVENT AND REVERSE HEART DISEASE. Through the film we see not only Rip and his father, but the parallel paths taken by Dr. E and his colleague T. Colin Campbell, author of THE CHINA STUDY who over the decades began to independently piece together the scientific underpinnings of treating a variety of health maladies via whole food plant based regime rather than prescription medication.
In addition, the film takes on a few interesting case studies. We are introduced to a variety of people in various states of health decline who embark on the experimental path of treating their diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol with a change in nutrition. The results are quite astonishing. And there is even a great segment on my boy Mac Danzig, MMA fighter kicking butt on plants.
Whatever your perspective on diet and nutrition, I urge all to go check out this film. Draw your own conclusions — just set aside your preconceived notions for a bit and go see it with an open mind.
Check the film WEBSITE for screenings in your area.
I consulted with Dr. Esselstyn a few weeks after I had dropped dead on a tennis court from a plaque rupture in my left main coronary artery. Lucky for me two docs (including a cardiologist) were on the courts, too and performed world class cpr for 12 minutes until the fire dept.’s rescue squad arrived to apply the defibrillator. It was an easy decision to go pant strong. I had thought running and training protected me from the standard American diet. I was very wrong.