Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Nutrion Perspectives
Nutrion Perspectives
NUTR 1020
Abstract
In this essay I am going to be writing a review about the documentary What the Health? By Kip
Anderson. This film talks about the dangerous effects of eating animal products and the harm it
is doing to our bodies, and how we should consider a vegan diet. I am going to be explaining my
For my nutrition research paper I chose to watch “What the Health.”In this movie, Kip
Anderson the writer and producer explains different health consequences that can occur from
eating animal products including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, etc. Anderson has a history of
cancer, heart diseases, and diabetes in his family. He lost both his parents to cancer and also lost
his grandfather because of the same reason. He doesn’t want to fall into this same pattern that his
family members went through. He is an animal rights activist, which I also think is one of the
This film was released on March 7, 2017. I do think that these themes are still applicable
today. There are still a lot of people agreeing with Andersons side, and are on an all plant-based
diet. It also depends on where you grew up. This can change your perspectives on what you
consume. There are also a lot of people disagreeing with this subject and think this is a ridiculous
film. As I was looking at reviews for this film many people don’t like the idea of someone
bashing another side. I am in between, I know that if someone really agrees about what they are
talking about, learning about the other side isn’t something that they will be interested in.
In this movie each area of the animal is talked about and how bad it is for you. One of his
main points in the film that he brings up is the American Diabetes Association, he goes on about
how there are many food products that can cause high risk for diabetes and this association
doesn’t bring them up. He tried interviewing multiple people that are a part of this and they
refused to talk. This shows a lot about how there are various things processed in animal products
and how bad it is for us. He also goes on explaining how animal products are main reasons for
I chose this film because I remember one of my English teachers in highschool talking
about this in highschool. She said that one of the main reasons she became a vegetarian was
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because of this film which I think is very interesting. How something can change your
perspective. She told me how this film talks about how meat products ruin your health
drastically, and it is the main reason that there are multiple diseases. I thought I should give it a
I’ve done a few researches on this movie and supposedly this film “forces” you to
become vegan and that this is the only “healthy” way to eat, bashing other food groups. In the
movie it stated that “eating one egg a day is just the same as having 5 cigarettes'' (Anderson and
Kuhn, 2017). This is something that really stood out to me because many people eat eggs and it’s
included in our every day diet. There is also no cited source after this given information which
In the textbook it states that eggs are an excellent source of protein and that “Inclusion of
animal proteins may be important because they generally contain a higher proportion of the
amino acids leucine, which plays a key role in stimulating muscle protein growth”(Wordlaw and
Smith, 2018). This really leaves me thinking, considering that I get most of my protein from
animal products. I don’t have any health problems, and according to the book animal protein can
However, I do think that having a vegan diet can go really well, and you can get just the
same amount of protein. There is plant-based protein powder available at stores that you can buy
as well. There are many foods that you can add to your diet when being vegan. I think that a lot
of research has to be done so you aren’t just munching on whatever and being hungry all the
time.
In the film, Anderson talks about how being on a plant-based diet can help you not need
your medication if you are on any. Anderson tried convincing audiences that “plant-base” was
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perfect for everyone. This can vary since everyone's diet is very different and can range. Having
a plant-based diet lowers your risk of getting cancer according to Anderson. I do believe this to
be true, in the book it talks about a compound group called phytochemical, “found in foods from
plants sources, especially within the fruit and vegetable groups…not considered essential
nutrient but provide significant health benefits” (Wordlaw and Smith, 2018) . The textbook also
explains how phytochemicals prevent the growth of cancer cells. However, I do believe that
there are ways to prevent any diseases even when eating meat, and the documentary should also
One last thing that really stood out to me is that “milk does not build strong bones”
(Anderson and Kuhn, 2017). My entire life I have heard from friends and family that milk makes
you grow, and even from doctors saying that milk is an important source of calcium. In the
textbook, it states that “consuming foods high in lactose” is great for growing your bones and
making them stronger and that “dairy products provide about 75% of the calcium in the North
American diet” (Wordlaw and Smith, 2018). I am in between, since there are many sources
explaining that this is good for you. There are still other options to get your calcium intake with
There are a few things I learned while watching this documentary, it gave me a very
different perspective on what I eat. I realize now what I am consuming in my body and how bad
it is affecting me. However, I don’t think that this will change what I eat. I have grown up
hearing that it’s okay to have animal protein, and that it can be very healthy. I am going to try to
include more vegetables in my diet. I learned how bad processed meat can be, I knew a little bit
of this because there are so many chemicals that are added to this type of meat that isn't natural.
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Another thing I learned is that fish is toxic, when I thought that fish was going to be a lot
better than red meat. This really shocked me because a few people I know are on a “pescatarian”
diet because it’s a lot better for them. I am in between the arguments in this film. Many of the
foods talked about are known as healthy. I kind of feel bad about myself watching this film. I feel
like I am not giving my body what is needed and view myself as unhealthy when really my diet
The documentary made it seem like anyone who consumes animal products is going to
die, when that isn’t true. You can balance out your meals, include more healthy foods, and get
the exercise that is needed daily. Mostly everyone in this film is NOT vegan so it is very
one-sided. I think it is a bit extreme and it bashes other sides. I do however plan on eating less
One thing that stood out to me in the documentary was the lady going 14 days without
her meds and being on a vegan diet. I think that it depends on the person and who is getting this
diet. Many people are in need of meds. I know life before didn’t have all this science we have
now and many people survived with what they had, but people adapt differently. I think it is
important to take note of everyone’s lifestyle while making these choices. The other side wasn’t
able to talk about their opinion which I think also made this film very biased.
I don’t think anyone should feel bad about the food choices that they make, we all grew
up differently and it’s important to accept and be okay with other people's food choices. We
should also be okay with other people’s cultures and what they are eating. What is okay for them
might not be for us and vice versa. Vegan diets aren’t the right fit for everyone.
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With this being said I think to eat what you want, but also include mostly plants. Include
a variety of options on your plate. Don’t feel ashamed of what you are eating, as long as there is
References
https://www.netflix.com/browse/my-list?jbv=80174177&jbp=1&jbr=5.
Wardlaw, G. M., Smith, A. M., Collene, A., & Spees, C. K. (2021). Wardlaw's contemporary