Monthly Archives: May 2011

Jason and I went to see Forks Over Knives last night. If you haven’t seen it, the whole premise of the movie is that we can control our health with what we eat. Forks over knives (medical knives, like scalpels). It’s based on the separate research of two doctors – Dr. Campbell and Dr. Esslestyn, both of whom came to separate conclusions that a plant-based (aka vegan) diet can stop and, in some cases, reverse a whole slew of medical problems.

I’m not a nutritionist or a doctor. I just have an interest in food and health. I’ve read a bunch of articles on this and I’ve read Dr. Campbell’s book, The China Study. (Just a side note that I thought the book was totally boring because it was a scientific study. I’m a girl with a degree in art and english, not science!) I’m familiar with their claims and I didn’t really learn anything that surprising in the movie. Although, it was pretty interesting to see actual examples of people who had changed their lives through their diet, it wasn’t shocking to me.

However, I really think Jason got a wake-up call. He eats the Standard American Diet. While he likes and eats vegetables and healthy stuff, his diet consists of a lot of processed food, fast food and meat. At 30 years old, I think he’s starting to realize that he’s not invincible and the choices that he makes will have an impact in regards to his health.

I agreed with lots of the points in the movie but I do wonder whether or not it’s the animal protein in the Standard American Diet (SAD) or the combination of animal protein plus processed and refined foods in the SAD that’s causing so many medical issues. Is it actually the meat itself or the general diet? That said, although I’m not a vegetarian (I eat fish), I’m a total proponent of the vegetarian diet and I think it’s hugely beneficial.

When the credits started rolling, I looked at Jason staring at the screen and said, “You were either totally affected by that movie or you want to eat a burger!” Guess which one it was?

We went to a Thai restaurant next to theater for dinner and shared two vegetarian entrees! While Jason eats my vegetarian meals at home, I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen him order a vegetarian entree at a restaurant where meat was available.

While I was running this morning (5 miles, most I’ve done in like a month!), I was thinking about something. Like I said, I’m not a vegetarian; I eat fish and seafood. Why? Really the sole reason (is sole a type of fish? No pun intended!) is that going out to eat is a huge part of my social life. I want to try new restaurants and not feel like I can’t go places because there is nothing on the menu for me. So I eat fish because then I know there will always be something I can eat. Sometimes I feel guilty about it. I’m not vegetarian simply because it’s easier not to be. But, as I came to realize on today’s run, I’m still doing something. Just because I’m not 100% whatever label doesn’t mean that I’m not making a difference in my own health. Something is better than nothing.