Forks Over Knives

This past fall my friend Dr. Soram Khalsa made me aware of a new documentary & book called “Forks Over Knives” that he urged everyone to watch. The feature film Forks Over Knives examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods.

I added it to my NetFlix movie queue hoping to watch it, but it was in so much demand that I didn’t get it till very recently (I think it is available streaming now). Last night I watched it and was shocked to hear the information they shared. I’m already ahead of the curve in that I don’t eat meat, have very little dairy & already eat pretty well. What surprised me was the fact that this information is not so widely available. I think the Meat & Dairy lobbyists have so much control over the government (USDA) and that Americans (especially doctors!) have been so mis-informed.

You can get the documentary from amazon.com or read more about it on the official website http://www.forksoverknives.com

Just the simple awareness and changing of ones diet to primarily Whole food, plant based nutrition millions of people could be living much healthier and happier lives.

Here are some facts from the movie, which will probably surprise you:

• The average American carries an extra 23 pounds of weight.
• Heart disease and stroke claim the lives of 460,000 American women per year.
• There are 215,000 new cases of prostate cancer per year in American men.
• “We have a growing problem and the ones who are growing are us.” – Katie Couric.
• 40% of Americans today are obese.
• Almost one in five American four-year-olds are now considered to be obese.
• “This could be the first generation of children in the United States that lives less than its parents.” – Richard Carmona, former Surgeon General of the United States.
• “We have an unprecedented amount of type II diabetes in our children, and we are starting to see hypertension in our children in grammar school.” – Richard Carmona, former Surgeon General of the United States.
• About half of all Americans are taking some form of prescription drug.
• We spend $2.2 trillion on health care, over five times the amount we spend on the defense budget.
• We pay more per person for health care than any industrialized country in the world yet we are sicker than ever.
• Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure are all diet-related health issues that cost this country more than 120 billion dollars per year.

In August of this year a new study was published in Lancet magazine entitled “Health and economic burden of the projected obesity trends in the USA and the UK.” Researchers point out that excessive weight gain in populations forecast an increased burden from several diseases, most especially cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancers. They use a simulation model to project the probable health and economic consequences for the next two decades from the continuing rise in obesity in the United States and the UK.

The researchers project an additional 65 million obese adults in the United States and 11 million more obese adults in the UK by the year 2030. This is expected to lead to an additional 6.0 to 8.5 million cases of diabetes, 5.7 to 7.3 million cases of heart disease and stroke, and 492,000 to 699,000 additional cases of cancer. They predict that this will lead to  a loss of an additional 26 to 55 million quality—adjusted life years for the United States and England combined.

The researchers also predict that the medical costs associated with these preventable diseases are estimated to increase by $48 to $66 billion per year in the United States by the year 2030. They recommend that effective policies to promote healthier weight be put in place as soon as possible because of the economic benefits.

It is because of all these statistics and studies that I urge you to watch Forks Over Knives. It is a simple way to learn the benefits of a whole food, plant-based diet, which has been documented to help improve ALL of the conditions mentioned in this article.

I can also recommend that you read the book associated with the movie, because it is loaded with recipes to help you get started on this diet.

You can get the documentary from amazon.com or read more about it on the official website http://www.forksoverknives.com

Comments are closed.