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There has been a lot of buzz around the internet lately about the new film “Hungry for Change” and I’ve seen some relatively strong opinions on both sides. (Not to be confused with the Hunger Games, which I know much less about but which is getting a lot more attention…)
I watched the film when it was available to view for free online, and overall, I’d say it is worth the view. Though it had its flaws, the message was good and for most people, the changes they recommend would be beneficial.
The Good
- They majorly slam processed foods, sugars, artificial sweeteners, MSG and other preservatives. I agreed 100% with the info they provided on these points. They provided some good science to back up what these chemicals do to the body and were pretty convincing in their recommendation to avoid them.
- They definitely promote the veggies, and since most people are not getting near enough fresh veggies, this is great.
- Probably my favorite part was how they addressed the mental aspects of food and dieting. My favorite piece of advice from the movie was to not think of it as “I want that (food, drink, etc.) and can’t have it” but to reframe in your mind, take control if it and think “I could have that (food, drink, etc.) but I don’t want it.” Merely changing your mental attitude away from a scarcity mentality, which will make you crave it more, will help change the overall outlook on food.
- The movie also addresses the importance of letting go of feelings of guilt, shame, etc related to your body image and how you relate to food. This is vital for many people, because just the guilt/shame about needing to lose weight and not being able to it very difficult for many people and increases cortisol and stress hormones.
- There was a star studded list of speakers and while I disagreed with some of them, they all promoted their ideas kindly and in a coherent manner.
- Did I mention they came down hard on artificial ingredients and sweeteners 🙂 It would be worth watching for that alone.
The Not so Good
- There was definitely an underlying anti-meat message, and one instance where they specifically said that meat, especially grilled, was dangerous, without giving any science or reference to back it up. It also seemed like several times quotes from Dr. Mercola (who promotes eating quality meats) were cut off in the middle of a sentence or though, and it made me wonder if that is what had been edited out.
- In the same way, they fell a little short on their healthy fat recommendations. They suggested plant based fats like avocado, olive oil, etc. but didn’t mention coconut oil at all. They came close when they said “Even Salmon can be a good source of healthy fats” but failed to mention that grassfed meats and pastured chicken and eggs can be as well.
- There was a weird story line mixed into the whole thing about a woman who was struggling with her health. It wasn’t that the story line was bad, it just seemed like it was forced the way they wove it into the film.
- The whole thing was very pro-vegetable juicing. Certainly, there are worse things to be a proponent for, but I always recommend vegetable smoothies instead of juice (and suggest throwing in a little gelatin too).
- They talk about the importance of gelatinous foods like chia seeds and aloe, which is true, but don’t mention Gelatin, which is one of the best sources.
Although not perfect, Hungry for Change is a decent documentary that you might want check out if you’re in the mood.
Do you agree with my opinions? Disagree? Are you drinking a veggie smoothie as you type? Let me know below!
I’m not sure why Ms. Wells and so many others here are so anti-vegan or believe that “healthy fats” can include chicken, fish, meat, eggs, or whatever. All of those things can and do kill people everyday. In fact, the very notion of health fats is super dangerous. Yes, avocados is better than animal fats, by far, but even avocados, olive oil, and canola oil are going to clog your arteries if you eat them. We did NOT evolve with bottles of cold-pressed vegetable oils around! And yes, we hunted, but the archaeological record was biased towards hunting instead of gathering because stone tools survived by plant matter disintegrated. That has since been corrected as they have found conclusive proof that we evolved mostly on plants – not to mention that our teeth and digestive systems are clearly designed for plants. We don’t produce our own vitamin C, like predators do, because we were eating a ton of it all day everyday! Every commenter here needs to read The China Study and How Not To Die. Seriously. Our obsession with meat and dairy is killing us, and needs to stop ASAP. If you want to eat it, fine, but please stop peddling the propaganda fueled by powerful industries. A whole food, plant-based, no oil diet is the way to go! And if you’re saying that fat is necessary, well, guess what? Your morning bowl of steel cut oats has enough for your whole day.
Thank you for your comment! These very detailed reviews of the China Study and Forks Over Knives are interesting if you want to take a look. https://deniseminger.com/the-china-study/ And Katie also shares more of her views on veganism here. https://wellnessmama.com/health/plant-based-diet/
Katie, have you seen the movie What the Health? I just watched it and feel very confused. I’ve been following the dietery recommendations of the Weston Price foundation and other like-minded sources, yourself included. This documentary essentially equates what I’ve been feeding my family to giving them cancer on a plate.
What are your thought on this movie, if you have seen it, or simply that all fat and meat cause disease and the answer for optimal health is a purely plant based diet?
Thanks!
Maybe they don’t mention meat because it’siterally not as good for you as you think. And it’s cruel and inhumane to kill animals. Don’t kid yourself into thinking otherwise.
Hi – Thanks so much for your review. It was nicely balanced. I have not yet finished watching the documentary, partly because I was starting to get suspicious that juicing was sliding into position as The Ultimate Answer and my food plan (and thinking) is (are) at odds with that. Having said that, there are some fabulous, general “take-aways” that I’ve gleaned thus far. I will get back to watching it, and continue along my merry way, anti-cancer/ketogenic food plan and all. Cheers and thanks for your efforts. A+!
I have to disagree! After being sick for years with Lyme, mold, parasites and heavy metal poisoning, the only thing that helped me was eating for my blood type. I am blood type A and meats are not healthy for me. So, for some, meat is a bad thing.
Hi, like most of your review but found most of the points you made in the negative were very trivial. Mainly like not mentioning a few foods like coconut oil, chia, aloe. I guess one can’t list EVERY single food.
Of course grilled meats have always raised the question of the charcoal type thing happening as being carcinogenic. One can look it up. Meat will that is always a question especially if you are not a meat eater.
While I am a vegetarian for 40 years plus now, I actually think people should look into the issue of the greenhouse gases worldwide and global warming. A film like Cowspiracy tells it all highest pollution and loss of rain forest is due to cattle grazing and destroying lands for growing crops to boot. Then one has to consider the humane level of killing animals but all that comes with personal growth and spiritual development.
While loosing weight is low on my priority scale the unfortunate fact is if you mention food, diet which for me just means what type of eating plan or diet you are on and not dieting, the majority of women anyway will immediately will go to weight, looks, weight loss. Reading books like Women, Food, and God as well as
Healthy at all sizes should be required reading in school. Most people don’t think about food in real relation to health.
So the movie is great and does a good service and if you take the overall message it does it’s job.
thanks.
I’ll admit it, I’m a documentary junkie. If the television is on while I cook or clean its a documentary. So now,after this one played the other day, my 6 year old son yells, “POISON !!!! ” wheneever a soda commercial or sugary cereal commercial airs. Hahaha He did it the other day in town when a person was walking out of a fast food place. Cracked me up! Gotta love it!
Also, he was recovering from a nasty viral throat infection last week(which we CURED with Katie’s 25 cold and flu remedies! ) when my older son’s girlfriend brought over some Red Swedish Fish as a treat because she heard he was sick. The 6 yr old thought it was really nice and thanked her with an “awwww, thats so sweet of her”. After she left, he turns and looks at me and says, “What the heck? Is she trying to kill me?!?!”
LoL
I haven’t seen this particular film, but I recently watched “The Beautiful Truth” about the Gerson therapy, which promotes juicing and is also anti-meat /animal fat. It is used primarily for the treatment of cancer, but was recommended to me to reduce thyroid nodules that would otherwise have to be surgically removed. I follow a strict paleo diet so going without whole foods and animal fat for a month seems extreme.
Anyone here have any experience with the Gerson therapy?
i saw this on amazon prime and i want to say that i am proud of amazon for putting out there documentaries such as this one. anyway. i like it; i was thinking of suggesting some people in my life watch it. it was also one of the first documentaries i watched on our food system and it really opens your eyes to how broken it is. we have farmers that can’t feed themselves. how backwards is that.
i have watched many of these type of “movies” since it really motivates you to do a serious change in your life
that being said i am from the midwest and we have winter here; like below zero for days on end; and that puts a serious damper on getting fresh vegetables from anywhere except WALMART and our other regional grocer. that is my biggest, i guess you could say, stumbling block.
thank you Wellness mama you are awesome. i just found your website the other day and it is exactly what i have been looking for. keep up the good work!
You are right on mama! I enjoyed the film. But they omitted healthy meat sources.