A review of the popular netflix documentary, “What the Health.”
In June of this year, a popular documentary hit the e-shelves of Netflix called What the Health. The response has been far and wide with many claiming a conversion to veganism or citing its research to support their current lifestyle. This review will cover the overall climate of the film, fact check some of its claims and give my professional opinion as a food and nutrition expert in response to the film.
What the Health: Documentary Review & Fact Check
To be honest, when Facebook friends and acquaintances started raving about What the Health and restating some of its facts, my blood started to boil a little. I wanted to avoid watching the film because I assumed there was a lot of bias involved. Although there was bias, in all actuality the film was less shocking than I had presumed (though I did I brace myself for the worst).
That’s not to say that there aren’t incorrect facts and figures, outdated research, poorly-performed studies or research lacking strength (inadequate subjects, not duplicated, etc.) – because there are absolutely those weaknesses. I wasn’t shocked by the light music that played happily in the background while the now make-up-laden, smiling ladies and man presented as case studies exclaimed how great they felt after two weeks on a vegan diet because I expected that of the film. I wasn’t shocked by the staggering statistics on obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease because (they are accurate and) I was already aware of those. And lastly, I don’t disagree at all with emphasizing a plant-based diet. I think we should all be following a plant-based diet. That doesn’t necessarily mean I think everyone needs to eat a completely vegan diet (although it’s nutritionally adequate with the inclusion of a vitamin B-12 supplement), but yes I agree that a majority of your diet should consist of plant foods and we all need a whole lot more fiber in our diets.
What I would like to do in my approach of this review is calm fears by providing insight and context and fact-check some of the claims made by the producers or contributors to this film.
What's up with What the Health? Insight, context and fact checking. #healthtalk #RDchat Click To TweetOverall Climate of the Film
As expected, the film is skewed towards a low-fat vegan diet. In the opening Kip Anderson, a film producer by trade, describes his qualifications as a “recovering hypochondriac.” The tone is dark and dramatic music plays during animal agriculture scenes and when the video spans over primarily overweight individuals walking along the street. Upbeat music accompanies any discussion of a vegan diet and its many benefits. The film advocates for a solely vegan diet and an expert on the panel states there is no room for “moderation.” The word “terrifying” is used when describing food. The film uses a scare-tactic approach to push its agenda of persuading viewers to a low-fat vegan diet.
Representatives Unable to Answer Questions via Phone
Kip, the main character of the film, repeatedly calls or shows up personally to major organizations like the American Diabetes Association and American Cancer Society only to feel defeated when the call center representative or secretary isn’t able to answer his questions. Understandably, these individuals would not be qualified representatives to answer his questions on diet and chronic disease risk or why certain foods are recommended on their websites. Although his drastic measures are understandably out of exasperation, the correct individual to have connected with in each case would likely have been their head of nutrition education (and probably media or public relations) for each organization.
At one point he does meet with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Ratner of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) who refuses to discuss the role of diet and diabetes citing that there are too many different types of diets possible to recommend one specific diet. I don’t necessarily agree with his refusal to discuss the role of diet and diabetes; I think he could have commented more specifically. I do agree that there is significant data on numerous dietary patterns with beneficial effects on weight, HbA1c, cholesterol, triglycerides, and inflammatory markers.
Fact Check
Claim(s) #1. A lot of people have diabetes and heart disease and a lot of money is spent because of these diseases.
True. In the US, heart disease is the number one cause of death claiming 633,842 lives and costing Americans $207 billion dollars annually (1,2). An estimated 422 million adults – that’s 1 in 11 adults – worldwide have diabetes; one in three of these are overweight and one in ten has obesity (3). In the US alone, diabetes costs an estimated $245 billion in direct in indirect costs (4).
Claim #2. Diabetes is not caused by eating a high carbohydrate diet or sugar.
True, but insinuating that those with diabetes can eat all the carbohydrate they want is completely incorrect. Diabetes is caused by pancreatic insufficiency or insulin resistance, not by a high carbohydrate diet or sugar. In a normal healthy body, after eating carbohydrate, glucose (AKA carbohydrate AKA sugar) moves from the blood into the body’s muscles and cells and the body is able to use it for energy. In diabetes, either because of pancreatic insufficiency (beta cells unable to produce insulin or inadequate insulin production) or insulin resistance, glucose stays in the blood stream which damages the blood vessels. Blood sugar rises in all bodies with carbohydrate intake at least a small amount, and in normal healthy bodies blood sugar returns to normal within an appropriate time frame but in diabetes blood sugar does not return to normal quickly, causing micro- and macrovascular damage.
HIGH NET CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE (in diabetes) = HIGH BLOOD SUGAR RESPONSE = INCREASED RISK FOR MACROVASCULAR DAMAGE
Claim #3. Within minutes of eating dead meat bacteria toxins, the body gets a burst of inflammation, stiffening or paralyzing the arteries.
False or inadequate data. Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is considered to be a chronic inflammatory disease. However, there is not data to suggest “within minutes dead meat bacteria toxins stiffen the arteries.”
Let’s look at the filmmakers’ references here and here for this statement. The first is basically a glorified YouTube video, which won’t be evaluated since it’s not a study and doesn’t meet any of the grades of evidence. The second is a study done in vitro, meaning it was not performed in humans, and it evaluated inflammatory reactions to different foods (cytokine secretion) and evaluation of the presence of TLR2, TLR4, and TLR5 stimulants in different foods. As a whole, inflammatory response and TLR2, TLR4, and TLR5 presence were increased in animal foods compared to plant foods. However, cytokine response to lamb, chicken nuggets, milk, eggs, beef and pork pie was the same as peppers, bananas and peas and a number of other plant foods, and lower than the cytokine response to bread. Research has generally supported fish as anti-inflammatory however fish was not included in the study. Despite research supporting dark chocolate as anti-inflammatory, the cytokine response to chocolate in the present study was higher than the response to any of the meats or yogurt, and comparable to the response to cheese. The study did not evaluate any effects on blood vessels; again it was performed in vitro only. In my opinion, more importantly than evaluating blood samples in a well plate in response to isolated foods would be to look at inflammatory response in humans in the context of an entire meal.
Claim #4. Eating 1 egg per day is just as bad as smoking 5 cigarettes per day for life expectancy.
False. Let’s review the references listed for this claim on the What the Health website here, here and here. The first is again a video which won’t be evaluated since it doesn’t meet any grades of evidence. The second is an observational study. What’s the strength of an observational study? Not much; it means they watched people, asked them questions and then drew between the lines. As my Stats 101 professor repeated over and over: correlation does not equal causation. The subjects weren’t asked for any other lifestyle factors except for egg yolk consumption and smoking, and all subjects were patients at a vascular clinic. Do we know if the people who ate the most amount of eggs also used high saturated fats in cooking? Or if they exercised less? Or ate out more regularly? Or used added sugars sugars regularly? Those lifestyle questions were not assessed. There were no subjects who did not have vascular damage (since they were all vascular clinic patients), so we have no control group without any vascular damage to compare their egg yolk consumption. And the last reference? It does not even address egg intake. Not even once. Hit control F and search “egg” or “eggs.” Nothing. Zip. There is absolutely inadequate data to suggest, by any means, that eating one egg per day is the equivalent of smoking 5 cigarettes daily.
Claim(s) #5. The leading source of sodium in the diet is chicken and it’s also the number one source of cholesterol in the diet.
Depends on the reference and age of consumer, and the second claim is false. According to NHANES 2003-2008 data cited here (which actually is valid data, but outdated) chicken and chicken dishes were the top contributor of sodium for adults ages 20-50 at 7.3% of sodium intake, with yeast breads right behind it at 7.2%. Chicken was not the number one contributor of sodium in children or in older adults. According to What We Eat in America 2009-2010 data, mixed dishes (e.g. sandwiches, burgers, pizza, pasta or rice mixed dishes, stir-fries, soups, and meat or poultry mixed dishes) are the number one contributor of sodium and saturated fat in the American diet, which both sodium and saturated fat are considered nutrients of concern for overconsumption and damaging to health (5).
The film reference listed here for chicken being the number one source of cholesterol in the diet actually does not state anywhere that chicken is the number one source of cholesterol, or review any intake data for Americans. The number one source of cholesterol in the diet is eggs and egg-mixed dishes (whole milk, butter, soups, quickbreads, pancakes/waffles/French toast) (6). Cholesterol is only found in animal foods. Our bodies produce cholesterol, so cholesterol is not a necessary nutrient to consume. Although an exact limit on cholesterol intake is not presently part of the Dietary Guidelines of Americans as of 2015, the authors continue to recommend limiting cholesterol intake. Further, saturated fat intake is recommended to be kept at ≤10% of total calories, which inherently limits total cholesterol intake (since most high saturated fat foods also contribute cholesterol) to between 100 mg and 300 mg depending on the calorie level of the diet (7). The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat intake to 7% of total calories which would further limit the amount of total dietary cholesterol intake. The Institutes of Medicine (IOM) recommends limiting cholesterol as much as possible but does not outline an upper limit (8). Notably, the observation of dietary cholesterol increasing blood levels of cholesterol and on dietary cholesterol and increased risk of cardiovascular disease has been inconsistent in large population studies (8). Also important to note, is that fiber has a tendency to decrease LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) levels in the blood, which again supports the idea of all Americans increasing their intake of high fiber foods.
Is sugar really not that bad for you?
Simple sugars can have negative health impacts. Fructose in particular (which is found in added sugars like table sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey, high-fructose corn syrup, agave nectar, etc. and also naturally occurring in smaller quantities in fruit) is particularly lipogenic, or converted to fat easily. Fructose also increases blood triglycerides, which is more pronounced in people with hyperlipidemia or insulin resistance, increasing the risk for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) or other cardiovascular disease. High fructose consumption also tends to increase visceral adiposity (fat around the organs in the midsection) which increases chronic disease risk. Added sugars are not benign and should not be glorified as “totally harmless” as the film depicts to a degree. (This whole paragraph: Modern Nutrition in Health & Disease, 11th ed.)
Is it just the fact that vegans don’t eat animal foods that makes them healthier?
In graduate school I took a semester-long course on vegetarianism. Absolutely, there are fantastic benefits to a completely plant-based diet.
However, some confounding variables to consider on the research done in vegetarians is that on average, vegetarians are more likely to:
- Have a higher socioeconomic status
- Have higher education
- Be more health conscious overall
- Be non-smokers
- Be more physically active
- Participate in stress-reducing activities (like yoga, meditation, etc.)
Each of those are behaviors or factors which either reduce risk of chronic disease in and of themselves or are related to less incidence of chronic disease.
What about fat? They talked a lot about it in the film.
Notably, fat is frequently cited as the culprit for cardiovascular disease and diabetes in the film, however no trace mention of the essential nature for fat (i.e. fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K can only be absorbed when fat exists in the diet or discussion on essential fatty acids n-3 or n-6), or including mono- and polyunsaturated fats, is made. A healthy dietary pattern can certainly include ~25-35% of total calories from fat. As mentioned previously, limiting saturated fat intake to 7-10% of total calories and trans fats as close to zero as possible is recommended as we generally see an increase in LDL (“bad cholesterol”) levels with high saturated fat and trans fat intake. Fat is an essential nutrient, and preferably nutrient-rich sources of mono- and polyunsaturated fats should be used to meet the majority of fat needs.
Are Plant Foods Really That Much More Environmentally Friendly?
Yes and possibly no. A study published last year in Environment Systems & Decisions evaluated the environmental effects of Americans shifting their diets towards the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (since only 10-20% of American adults eat the recommended number of servings of vegetables daily and 15% meet fruit recommendations (5)) and found that reducing calorie intake to appropriate levels (since Americans are also overall eating too many calories) and shifting to the USDA recommendations would increase energy use by 38%, blue water footprint by 10%, and green house gas emissions by 6% (9). Although that may seem surprising, more resources would have to be used to produce equivalent calories overall to meet human energy needs since most plant foods are comparatively lower in calories than animal foods.
Conclusion
In no way do I disagree with the recommendation for everyone to increase the consumption of plant foods. Increasing plant intake increases overall fiber intake and a number of vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants. I do disagree with the fear-mongering approach of the filmmakers. Any film that makes you shudder or suggests cutting out entire food groups should be looked at with a critical eye. I do disagree with the filmmakers use of “alternative facts” to emphasize their agenda.
Certainly we would have a healthier population if more people followed a plant-based diet. However, in my opinion, I don’t necessarily think that including 2-4 oz of animal protein at meals makes it no longer “plant-based” when three-quarters of your meal is plants. A vegan diet doesn’t necessarily “work” for everyone. And quite frankly, you can have a really crummy vegan diet with significantly more highly-processed foods (like these “chik’n nuggets” from Morning Star Foods) with more ingredient names than words on the first page of an encyclopedia; I would much rather just include a few ounces of plain chicken. Animal foods also provide other important nutrients like vitamin B-12, zinc, iron, selenium, choline, n-3 fats in fish and more. Further, if you hate lentils and legumes, tofu, seitan and tempeh then you might have difficulty meeting baseline protein needs on a vegan diet. Any diet where you don’t eat or enjoy the food doesn’t do much good to provide your body the nourishment it needs. Veganism isn’t a fit for every one and every family, and I think that’s okay. In any case, I think we could all do a little better on striving to make a majority of each of our meals based on plant foods.
What are your thoughts on this What the Health review?
What other questions about What the Health did I not get to that you wish I would have covered?
Comment below and let me know.
Disclosures: None. This post was not created in partnership with any product or brand.
thanks for the breakdown! I haven’t seen it, but a lot of folks are asking me about it.
Thanks Lindsey!
Excellent, well-written and referenced review, Stacey.
Thank you, Neva!
The craziest statements I remember from the documentary were:
-Carbs don’t make you fat
-Sugar doesn’t cause diabetes
-Eating 1 egg per day is just as bad as smoking 5 cigarettes per day
-The dairy industry is racist
Love that you broke it down by claim. Super helpful and informative! You should make this a new segment where you break down more health documentaries!
Thank you, Chandler! I really appreciate your feedback.
This was awesome, thanks for putting in so much time and research in to this! I’m always impressed with your knowledge on all things nutrition.
My wife and I started to watch this a few weeks ago but turned it off after about 15 mins because it was just so terrible and ridiculous.
A couple things from the film I wanted to get your thoughts on:
1) the “doctor’s” comment that eating chicken vs beef is like choosing between being shot or hung
2) The claim that sugar can’t make you fat. I think he said that only fat can make you fat. Which doesn’t jive with basically everything I’ve read.
Thanks again!
I agree! I couldn’t get past the first 20 minutes. Excess sugar is stored as FAT. This creates stress on the liver. So much misleading info presented. I kept wondering who was really behind this “documentary”?
True, excess calories from any source can be stored as fat. Thanks Maggie!
I think that the documentary always clearly says if you eat the right off calories calories.
Sure you can’t complete overeat on sugar, but that’s not the question. At 2000 calories a day (or whatever you needn’t as an individual) sugar doesnt hamr you. Animal products do.
Hi Thomas. I respectfully disagree that excessive sugar intake isn’t harmful, and that a moderate amount of lean animal proteins is harmful. Thanks for your feedback.
Such a great review! I agree 100%, and always take these food documentaries and books lightly. Thanks for sharing this!
Why not do your own Netflix film? There is never enough Netflix.
Haha I don’t think I would ever make a film, not for me! 🙂
Great post, Thanks for the review!
Thanks Sarah!
Great piece, Stacey!
Thank you, Amy!
I STILL need to see this doc. Until then, this review was super comprehensive and was a pleasure to read. Thanks for getting the facts right!
Thanks Abbey!
Thank you so much for the breakdown! I watched this last night and I was ready to throw out all of the meat I just bought but then again if I cut out some things along with make healthier food choices then I would be just fine lol
Yes I think lean animal proteins remain appropriate in the context of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and high-fiber starches and grains! I’d focus on what seems like a manageable change in stepping towards a healthier diet!
I really appreciate your insight on this. My husband and I watched this over the weekend and have been referring to any animal products we have eaten since as “poison” (sarcastically), but we also really took the information to heart and talked about changing our diet.
However, we already eat a diet very low in processed food and while still imperfect, much higher in plant-based items than many/most Americans. I cook at home a lot and feed my kids mostly organic, hormone-free homemade food with lots of fruits and vegetables. Yet this film made me feel like I was killing myself and worse, my kids, by feeding them animal products. I can improve and will keep working to do so, but it did seem pretty radical and not very realistic. (Plus, the idea of totally giving up ice cream and pizza, which I consider special treats, just had me depressed!)
Thanks for sharing, Kristin. I had hoped to clear the fear. It sounds like you are doing a great job nourishing your family! Keep on keeping on. There’s definitely no harm in emphasizing more plant foods, but of course you aren’t poisoning your family by including a variety of lean proteins or having the occasional “fun food”! I am a firm believer in creating a pleasurable experience around food.
I watched this documentary and have since changed my diet. I agree that some of the information is taken out of context, which is really unfortunate, as we need more accurate and not sensationalist information on the link between diet and illnesses. Personally I have already reaped benefits from cutting out diary and animal based foods all together. I have struggled for many years with aches and pains and can now move my joints freely. Despite the fear-mongering of the movie, I am grateful that there are increasingly sources out there questioning the need for diary and other animal-based products. Vegan works for me but I do understand that one diet does not fit all. Thanks for your interesting article on this.
Hi Lesley! I’m so glad to hear you’ve made positive changes that are really working for you. Absolutely, one size doesn’t fit all. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Stacey. You said you can’t review the evidence from nutritionfacts.org videos. The studies are all there linked under the video under the “sources cited” tab. Here they are from the 1st link about endotoxins:
Harte AL, Varma MC, Tripathi G, McGee KC, Al-Daghri NM, Al-Attas OS, Sabico S, O’Hare JP, Ceriello A, Saravanan P, Kumar S, McTernan PG. High fat intake leads to acute postprandial exposure to circulating endotoxin in type 2 diabetic subjects. Diabetes Care. 2012 Feb; 35(2):375-82.
Erridge C. The capacity of foodstuffs to induce innate immune activation of human monocytes in vitro is dependent on food content of stimulants of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4. Br J Nutr. 2011 Jan; 105(1):15-23.
Deopurkar R, Ghanim H, Friedman J, Abuaysheh S, Sia CL, Mohanty P, Viswanathan P, Chaudhuri A, Dandona P. Differential Effects of Cream, Glucose, and Orange Juice on Inflammation, Endotoxin, and the Expression of Toll-Like Receptor-4 and Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling-3. Diabetes Care. 2010 May; 33(5):991-7.
And here from the second about eggs:
J. D. Spence, D. J. A. Jenkins, J. Davignon. Egg yolk consumption and carotid plaque. Atherosclerosis 2012 224(2):469 – 473
I would be very interested if you would review these studies as I have altered my diet because of studies such as this and would appreciate your viewpoint.
Thanks
Hi Steven! I can review the studies from the videos. I did not review them originally because the film was citing the videos themselves, not the studies. The videos are essentially an opinion based upon the studies. One of those studies was cited directly and I did discuss it above (the study about eggs). I’ll look into the other studies you asked about and will comment again. I should have some time next week I’m able to. Thanks for your questions.
Thanks a lot Stacey, much appreciated.
Steven, I took a look at the rest of these studies:
1. Harte AL, Varma MC, Tripathi G, McGee KC, Al-Daghri NM, Al-Attas OS, Sabico S, O’Hare JP, Ceriello A, Saravanan P, Kumar S, McTernan PG. High fat intake leads to acute postprandial exposure to circulating endotoxin in type 2 diabetic subjects. Diabetes Care. 2012 Feb; 35(2):375-82.
This was a small study done in 9 healthy adults, 15 obese adults, 12 adults with impaired glucose-tolerance, and 15 adults with type 2 diabetes. They were given a super high fat meal (75 g!! That’s 25 more grams of fat than I would recommend for a whole day for someone on a 1500 kcal diet.) really limited in carb and protein (5 g and 6 g respectively). They drew labs at baseline and at 1, 2, 3 and 4 hrs. The endotoxin levels were raised post-prandially for all groups. LDL and HDL cholesterol increased significantly for all groups post-prandially except for the control group. Triglycerides raised for all groups significantly. Baseline endotoxin levels were lower in the normal group compared to the obese, impaired glucose-tolerance and those with diabetes.
My thoughts: Endotoxins can produce a variety of inflammatory molecules like cytokines, and because we know inflammation is part of a number of chronic diseases we want to reduce inflammation. However, this is not in any way a balanced meal (I mentioned above the actual macronutrient breakdown). They didn’t share what percentage of that fat was saturated vs. unsaturated. What the study shows us is that yes a super high fat meal increases endotoxin response and blood lipids in those that are overweight or have other negative biomarkers (diabetes, imparied glucose tolerance). What about more moderate? A meal including 10 to 15 g of fat? And where is the fat coming from? What type is it? But also including a more balanced amount of protein and fiber? I’m curious what they actually fed the test subjects to give them that much fat at a meal (it was not disclosed). We also see that those with a normal, healthy weight had better responses than those at a higher weight or with impaired glucose tolerance which suggests to me we should all strive for a healthy BMI, as other research indicates.
2. Erridge C. The capacity of foodstuffs to induce innate immune activation of human monocytes in vitro is dependent on food content of stimulants of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4. Br J Nutr. 2011 Jan; 105(1):15-23.
I already evaluated this one under claim #3, second paragraph.
3. Viswanathan P, Chaudhuri A, Dandona P. Differential Effects of Cream, Glucose, and Orange Juice on Inflammation, Endotoxin, and the Expression of Toll-Like Receptor-4 and Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling-3. Diabetes Care. 2010 May; 33(5):991-7.
This was a study in 48 adults divided into 4 groups of 12. They gave them 300 kcals of either: glucose, orange juice, cream, or 300 ml of water. They took blood samples at baseline and at 1, 3 and 5 hrs. They found increased inflammatory markers after glucose intake and after cream intake. Interestingly, orange juice is primarily all carbohydrate (103 kcals of 110 kcals in an 8 oz serving (reference here); per 100 g: 2.0 g glucose, 2.4 g fructose, 4.2 g sucrose (reference here). Endotoxins were increased after the cream only.
My thoughts: I do think it’s interesting to note the increase in inflammatory markers post-prandially, however it’s not done in the context of an entire meal. We don’t eat nutrients in isolation, we eat them in combination. To put in context how much chicken breast you’d have to eat to equal the same amount of saturated fat, you’d have to eat 15 cups of chicken breast to equal the same amount of saturated fat as they had in the test meal (which was 21 g of saturated fat). I would be more interested to see inflammatory markers in the context of an entire, balanced meal, which would include protein and fiber from whole grains or non-starchy vegetables, and an appropriate amount of saturated fat in one normal 3 oz serving of meat.
At the end of the day, research highlights bits and pieces of information. My takeaways from the above are that yes – super high fat and high saturated fat meals can produce some negative inflammatory markers after a meal, which falls in line with healthful dietary recommendations to maintain a moderate amount of fat in the diet, preferably from healthy sources (mono- and poly-unsaturated fats), and break this up between each meal. We already know that diets high in saturated and trans fats can lead to increased risk for cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke, so these studies aren’t particularly groundbreaking. Hope this feedback helps.
Thanks Stacey for your time on this it helps a lot to have your professional opinion!
Of course!
Hi Stacey,
I would be interested to know more about your take on dairy – you’ve mentioned that you disagree with the documentary’s push to cut out all meat, but in your professional opinion, do you think our diets are better off without milk/cheese/creams/etc.? Because honestly, after watching it, I realized it would be much easier for me to cut out meat from diet than dairy haha.
Hi McKenna! Thanks for your question. In my opinion, I think that low-fat or fat-free dairy products (like milk, Greek or Icelandic Skyr yogurt, cottage cheese) are really rich sources of many nutrients (calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, protein, etc.) with limited saturated fat, while higher-fat dairy options like cream or full-fat cheese can be used in smaller amounts more sparingly. I wrote a blog post about milk here a few months ago. I didn’t quite dive into bone health or data on the DASH diet in that post, but I do share some interesting graphics on dairy nutrients (e.g. it would take 22 cups of broccoli to equal the same amount of calcium in 3 servings of dairy). That’s not to say you can’t have a dairy-free diet that’s not nutritionally adequate, but if someone doesn’t have an ethical issue with including dairy or doesn’t have a preference to avoid it, I think lean dairy sources can certainly be included.
Similarly, I don’t have a problem if someone chooses a completely vegan diet. I think choosing a dietary pattern is quite personal and the individual needs to consider what’s sustainable for her, her family and lifestyle. I like to think of the question, “If there were ONE thing you could do today to improve your diet what would it be?” I just don’t necessarily think it’s a one-size-fits all. I also just wouldn’t base my decision to follow a vegan diet solely on what’s presented in this documentary.
Bottom line: more plants for everyone, lean proteins (whether that’s lean animal meat, lean dairy or plant-based protein!) :). I hope that helps!
I really appreciate this review. It is thorough, thought out, and statements and opinions (or the disproving of them) are provided giving it true validity. I also completely agree with the stance that we should all strive to eat more plant-based diets, but that does not mean everyone must be 100% vegan. Thank you for this article.
Thanks Johnny!
Hi-
I don’t understand why people would consume animal products when plants can provide all that you need. Stacey, I fully understand your viewpoints on the nutritional part, but why make animals suffer (and let’s call it what it is…animals are killed), pollute the environment, and drain valuable natural resources? These were also mentioned often in the film, but not discussed here.
I am not trying to start a battle here. I am just curious as to why, if nutritionally we can get all we need elsewhere, would we continue to farm animals for food and have all the collateral damage (nutritional needs put aside)?
Thank you.
Hi Steve. Thanks for your question. As a nutrition professional, it’s difficult for me to “put nutritional needs aside.” I think whether or not someone chooses to consume animal products is a personal decision which they might make for a variety of reasons. That being said, “nutrition aside” those reasons might be flavor (someone not enjoying the flavor of plant-based proteins), how they were raised (maybe they were raised on a farm or are a 4th generation family farmer, or weren’t exposed to plant-based proteins growing up), family situation (some members of the family might oppose plant-based proteins making it difficult to make a whole family meal surrounding it), lack of knowledge of plant-based protein options or how to prepare them, difference of values (what do they believe the purpose is of life or hierarchy of life – were animals put here for man’s use) etc. Those are just a few “nutrition aside” ideas that come to mind of why someone might choose to include animal-based proteins. It really comes down to differences in preference and opinion. At the end of the day, consumers have choice to make decisions that line up with their personal values.
Love this!!
I really enjoyed your read. May I suggest a book to complement your review?
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Nutrition Based Cure by Dr Esselstyn.
Don’t be dissuaded by the title as it suggests it is for people with heart disease. He describes his study on people with serious heart issues and how they ate only plant based food in which he monitored for years helped eliminate heart disease. His conclusion was simply a vegan diet with no oil period. Just a splash of oil for cooking caused people with heart diseases to trigger. The book is also for the healthy who want to prevent heart disease issues. His recommendation was keeping fat to 10% of the calories required for the day. He also said people with serious conditions to avoid Avocados due to the high fat content. He specifically mentioned the fat % of 30% is a dangerously high level and it is slowly chipping away our lives due to how it works once it enters our bloodstream. And one last point he makes was describing the Western World as 1/4 of the population that’s unhealthy with heart diseases while the other 3/4s rarely have heart issues due to people more of a beans, rice type of diet.
Wondered your thoughts on this book. If you decide to review it, let me know so I can keep an eye out.
My Facebook friends’ comments about the documentary have turned me off to eating almost ANYTHING, and I haven’t seen the film. I love cooking, food and many cuisines. I write about food & wine, smh! Eating has become depressing and not fun, with trying to make the right choices. Thanks so much for this in-depth review. I found it on Google. I am not familiar with your work, but will certainly share this blog post and subscribe to your newsletter!
Thank you for your unbiased opinion you wrote a wonderful article that did address the fakeness of the documentary.
Hi Danae. Thank you for your comment. I don’t disagree with encouraging more plants, but I do disagree with “alternative facts” :).
I disagree with your point that the goal of the movie was to promote a vegan diet. The goal , in my opinion, was to serve as “hit piece” for PETA. The movie’s main purpose was a not so subtle argument against the killing of animals for food purposes.
Hi Allen. That could certainly have been a motivation. Thanks for your thoughts.
I watched this doc last night and found it to be a little on the observed side of vegan. I do not agree with most of this doc, but like you have pointed out so well in this review fats and sugars are nutrients we need. Breaking down what that means is simple. If a man, has messed with it (processed) then it is probably not as good for you and might do more harm than good. Sugars from fruits are great for you. They give you a little boost of energy and they taste great. Fats are essential to the development of the brain and our brain develops our whole life time. New neurons are being formed every day. Thanks for giving a complete view on your review. I agree with another response that you should do more of theses types of review. You are good at it!\
Scot J.
Thank you, Scot. I really appreciate your kind feedback. Yes, food is fuel! 🙂
What are your qualifications, and are your conclusions merely opinions? I see no information sources.
Hi Johnie, thanks for your questions. I’m a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (more information on what that credential means if you click here). I have a master’s degree in nutrition and undergraduate degree in dietetics (nutrition). I do have citations throughout if you notice the hyperlinks, but this is my professional opinion.
Hi
Thank you so much for your point of view. You basically expressed exactly how I felt after watching the film and doing further research with a more analytical and critical mind. I became concerned when alot of people on fb and social media are now converting to plant based due to this movie and not doing it in an educated manner. Overall, I have always advocated for a balanced approach to everything and like you said, any diet that tells you to eliminate an entire food group is probably not the right one
Hi, thanks so much for your comment. I don’t disagree with someone choosing a completely plant-based diet (as long as a vitamin B-12 supplement is used) and I think we should all eat lots of plant foods! I just wouldn’t advocate a conversion to a vegan-only diet based solely upon this film. That being said, I personally prefer a balanced approach as well.
Just watched the documentary yesterday afternoon, and I was totally freaked out! I think I may have had a panic attack. So many thoughts have been running through my head since, and I feel overwhelmed by all of the information thrown at me. I have been researching reviews on the film and I think yours was one of the best I have read.
One thing I will take away from the film, is that I will more than likely stay away from red meats and pork. I have also been doing research on plant-based eating and believe I am going to adopt a Mediterranean diet/lifestyle change. I think this may be a good option for me because I can cut back on my meat intake significantly while adding more veggies and fruit to my daily diet. I also agree we should all add more plant-based foods to our diets.
Thank you for your awesome review!
Blair, thanks so much for your kind words. My hope was to help remove some of the fear out of food, while still encouraging more plant foods for all of us. Those sound like fantastic changes to help boost the overall nutritional value of your diet! Wish you all the best in your efforts!
Waiting for your reviews of the studies Steven posted on August 4th, the ones you said you couldn’t review…?
Hi Michelle, working on it as we speak. I’ve been busy with my in-person work the last couple weeks and haven’t had a chance to thoughtfully review these until today. Thanks for checking in.
Thanks Stacey! From one MS, RD to another I appreciate your ability to note the truths in the film as well as the biases and over-exaggerations. I had the same impression as you have had. For those of us in the field the “truths” are things we’ve been trying to tell the public all along.
Hi,
Thank you for the article and review. This has always been my argument with people propagating the vegan diet. Growing up in african, we couldn’t afford a lot of meat and our diet was mostly plant based and healthier. As an adult, I thought my diet should be 75% protein. Now I know better. I do not agree with cutting out meat completely out of my diet even though I have completely eliminated dairy out of my diet and have seen impressive results. I will be sharing a link to your blog to educate those friend of mine who do not have a science background and are easily enticed by propaganda instead of taking the time to do a little research as asking analytical question like, what’s the end game of this movie, what is its motivation?
Thanks again.
Thanks Izzy, I really appreciate your comments.
I watched this 2 nights ago and like most have not been able to get it out of my head. I don’t even know what to eat now. Do I just live on water? Of course the animals and how they are treated is something that matters to me and I have recently cut mammals out of my diet. I thought chicken and fish were very good for me. Are they really that bad? Also, can we talk more about dairy, milk and cheese especially? You didn’t really touch on it. I did see another person ask you about dairy but in your reply there was no mention of the puss they claim in our milk and how cheese is the worst thing we can eat because it’t like a fermented ball of puss (so gross). I would just really appreciate a more detailed explanation of what really is in the milk we are drinking.
Hi Heather! Yes I can touch on that. I’m sorry I’ve been getting a lot of comments and I want to take time to thoughtfully respond to each one with references for you. I should be able to address this in the next couple days.
Hi Stacey,
I’m wondering about the milk thing too because my kids drink it everyday.
Thank you!
Great review and commentary. Thank you for being straight up and honest, it is refreshing to hear this!! Keep up the good work.
Thanks Joe!
Hi Stacey, thanks for this great review. I’m currently writing a review of the Australian documentary “That Sugar Film” and found your page whilst looking for information on similar films.
I have been vegan for 10 years, and animal ethics aside I agree with all of your points. I have not seen this film and I probably won’t bother watching it, because I’d get upset about how the film makers portray vegans in general. I made my decision myself, and I want everyone to decide what to eat based on education and good advice from trained professionals, as unbiased as possible. We all have different bodies and we all need things a little differently based on exercise and age and other health conditions. Also, health is not a moral imperative, and a lot of this talk of healthy diets at the moment is hiding some pretty nasty fat phobia. All bodies are good bodies.
I don’t like the use of fear or “gross” factor when trying to talk to people about animal products. Life is gross! Surely the yeast in our bread is gross then too? That’s not a good enough reason in my eyes.
Honestly there are so many complex reasons for why we choose what goes in our body, from the monetary cost to social influences and where we live… I think it’s really important when presenting a view about the nutritional facts of food, to at least mention these other things. If we all knew what was in food and exactly what to eat to be “healthy”, we still wouldn’t do it! Because we have habits around caffeine and sugar, and we work in sedentary jobs, etc. We all need to learn how to critically examine things around us and then make a decision from there. I think that’s the key to a lot of problems we face.
Thanks again
Janey
Thanks for sharing Janey!
I think you would definitely care about the “gross” factor (or have more compassion) if your lived next to the slaughterhouse. There is definitely a reason their doors are closed to the general public. What we do to animals is nothing short of genocide.
Though this movie was somewhat of an eye opener, I was very skeptical of this whole movie and especially at the end when all those supposedly sick people were harping on how they threw away most if not all of their medicines after being on a vegan diet for only 2 weeks.
Thank you for posting this information. I’m a fairly health conscience person; I couldn’t finish watching the film because it was so upsetting and the facts about many things they said did seem “skewed”. I went seeking fact check and more details and found your post which provided clear and ease to understand “Healthy Choices”. Thank you again!
Thanks Kary!
Hi Stacey
Thanks a lot for your review of the film!
I watched it last night, and it left an even bigger impression on me than Cowspiracy, since the main focus of “What the Health” was personal health rather than saving the globe (don’t get me wrong, saving the globe by having the whole world population going vegan would be awesome, I just think that extensive meat/dairy taxes worldwide would be needed in order for this to actually happen… that is another discussion 🙂 )
However, I cannot help but wonder: Are meat and dairy products as harmful for your body as it is depicted in the film?
The whole thing with our flat teeth, that milk is for baby cows, gorillas getting their strength from plants etc… it all sorts of make sense.
On the other hand, we were savages hunting animals back in the stoneage… I am sort of confused.
Is there any scientific evidence that you know of, which states that the chance of getting these horrible diseases increases considerably simply by eating meat and dairy products? Or is it only concerning ingredients like highly processed meats, cream, high-fat cheese etc.?
Oh, and another thing: What exactly does it mean that meat is processed? They didn’t really mention that in the film, as I recall…
That was a lot of questions! Hope you have time to respond 🙂 Thanks in advance!
Thanks for the fact check – very helpful!
One thing is bothering me though… You say that more resources would be required for people to eat more veggies and less meat, but is that taking into account the fact that animals have to be fed on veggies? Surely if we eat the veggies instead of the cows eating them, we’d have to grow overall fewer veggies? If I’m missing something, please tell me!
Hi Anna! Yes that can definitely be confusing. I’m not saying it definitely would require more resources, because perhaps there could be some advancements made in the way that we produce food, but here are a few things to consider: 1. Livestock are primarily kept on lands not suitable for cultivated agriculture (rocky, hot, dry, etc.). We don’t have a California climate everywhere, unfortunately. 2. 86% of the diet of cattle is inedible by humans. They eat the leaves and stems of grains, byproducts of soy production, grass or alfalfa, etc. So cattle, for instance, actually play an important role in reducing overall waste and they aren’t really “eating our vegetables.” 3. We need to think in terms of calories and nutrients. In terms of volume-based servings, non-starchy vegetables provide about 25 kcal per serving, fruits about 60 kcal/serving, starches/grains about 60 kcal per 15 g carb serving. Lean proteins from animals contribute 150 kcal per 3 oz serving. It would take a lot of servings of broccoli to equal the same amount of calories in a lean animal protein. Each plant also takes resources to produce: water, land, fertilizers and products, etc., and current livestock land is not necessarily fit to house plants. All of those factors make “which is better for the environment”? a complicated question to answer. Hopefully that helps provide a little bit more insight. Thanks for your question!
Who are the sponsors of this web site? I’ll double check that….. Just kidding! Nice review, thank you!
I was really shocked at the level of fear mongering they tried to employ in the movie. Especially when they talked about the government jailing activists. I did some research on the guy he interviewed, and he wasn’t thrown in jail just for being an activist. He and a group of fellow activists were vandalizing property and publishing personal information of government employees for others to harm them, in addition to a few other violations. The documentary had good points, but felt like the purpose was to get a muse out of people, not for educational purposes.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing. Yes, I think encouraging more plants is great, but the method is not my preferred style of encouraging healthy behavior changes.
I agree with your response to this video. A lot of people have become easily persuaded before gathering the facts. Before watching the video I knew that is was going to be used to persuade and to support his lifestyle. People have been eating meat and vegetables since the beginning of time and what has change is how we farm. I could go on, but I’m not Thank you!
Thanks for your comment, Sharonica!
Thanks very much for sharing your thoughts on the film and the analysis of the nutrition claims. The insight you shared about whether it’s necessarily a vegan diet that makes vegans healthier or the fact that people who choose to be vegan are more health-conscious in other aspects of their lives as well – that does put things in perspective that you can’t look at diet in isolation. I’ve been a vegetarian for 20 years and eat mostly whole foods. But since I still take eggs and dairy, watching What The Health equate eating eggs to smoking cigarettes was pretty shocking. Glad I came across reviews such as yours that provide a more balanced and nuanced view.
Hi Stacey
Good to get some balance to some of the claims made in the documentary.
The parts of the documentary that interested me most are the parts you’ve been mostly silent on; the promotion of diets and foodstuffs by the ADA & AHA that contribute to diabetes and heart disease, and the conflicts of interests between these public awareness bodies and the meat industry.
What are you thoughts on these bodies accepting donations from the very food producers which produce foods that contribute to these debilitating and life-changing diseases?
Do you agree with the documentary on these points? If so, why have you not joined the condemnation of these organisations and their conflicts of interest?
This review was the perfect balance of what I liked about the film vs. what I disliked about it. Thank you for doing the fact checks!
Stacey you have articulated all my concerns of this film so perfectly and professionally! I am a new fan. Thanks so very much 😊
Of course!
I have to say that I was always very active and ate a “healthy” omnivore diet. When my cholesterol and triglycerides increased to high levels I decided to adopt a whole foods plant based diet (WFPB). I have to say that many of the film claims are true. Within 6 weeks of eating this way I had another blood test with results my naturopath and doctor had never seen even with the help of medication. So, I agree with the film and its interviewees despite the dramatic format (which I didn’t particularly like). After watching this film and Forks over knives I found many scientific articles that showed significant evidence that this was indeed the best diet for humans (there is a best diet for each species and we’re in no way different). We are, after all, great apes… And please review your environmental data: producing more plant foods for humans IS less damaging to the environment, not to mention the cruelty associated with eating meat and producing dairy. Well written review but in my opinion biased and incomplete.
Hi Val, thanks for your comment and opinion. I’d love to see references for your environmental data if you can provide some peer-reviewed study links. Thanks!
I highly recommend consulting nutritionfacts.org for actual facts. Unlike this blog, its a non profit with zero advertisement.
Thanks for your thoughts. I make very little on advertisements on this site, actually. NutritionFacts.org is able to survive off of donations; perhaps that’s something I could look into in the future. Although I love providing free resources to readers, I do still have to pay for my equipment (laptop, camera), resources (utilities, wifi, research journals, new books, professional credentialing fees and ongoing continuing education units, website fees, website designer, domain fees, plugin fees), and I pour hours into my research-related posts. So, in order for me to eat I do have to have some sort of compensation and I can’t afford to “just blog for fun”. I likewise have a family. Thank you for your understanding.
Although, there were some mistakes in the movie, like you said a plant based diet is a healthier option then the typical Western diet. I strongly believe animal agriculture is destroying eco-systems, and many people simply don’t want to believe the facts. It was not mentioned that most vegans choose this way of life because they are strong advocates of animals. Millions of animals are killed each year for us to eat. They are tortured, abused and live in the most horrific conditions. Dairy farming is one of the worst! For me going vegan was the best decisions I have made, I feel better, have more energy and I’m living a compassionate life. Any diet should be thought out carefully. The only supplement a take is B12 and a multivitamin, and my blood levels in all categories are great. For me its an easier choice, I would much rather take a vitamin then to ever participate in the needless killing and torture of animals for my appetite, when we have no biological need for it.
Many people have to take B12 even when not vegan, especially when getting older. I used to take more supplements when I ate animal product (even though I ate lots of veggies) to control my cholesterol and help with rheumatoid arthritis. So in my experience going vegan helped reduce the number of supplements along with my cholesterol, triglyceride, and blood pressure. I also love the idea of not contributing to the animal and environmental abuses related to the industry. The film critiqued here focuses on human health however, there are good documentaries addressing the topics you mention. I like “Live and let live” a lot 🙂
What about animals having to leave their homes because humans need to use the land for farming? What about pesticides killing insects? This is just inconsistent propaganda.
Great review, thanks for taking the time to fact check this documentary! I agree that the film makers intentions are to promote health and that we have an alarming rise in obesity and diseases affected by diet. However there are some falsities and over extreme statements that need to be addressed and you did a great job putting together a good review of their claims.
Thank you, Emily!
what are the sponsors of what the health
Hi Arthur, I tried to look this up. It looks like one of the filmmakers (Kip, the lead in the film) founded a non-profit company called A.U.M. Films and Media. I believe that company, on donations, funded both this film and Cowspiracy.
Hi Stacey,
All of the comments and yours were very interesting to read. Do you have any idea or how to find out whether or not the “real life stories” people interviewed remained vegans and if they really did not need the medications or the walker in the months after being interviewed. And if their blood pressure and diabetes remained under control. Thanks for any info.
Hi Ronald! That’s a great question. I don’t. You could try contacting the film producers or search for their contact info online. Probably more importantly than those anecdotal experiences, though, I would say that there is really good research on improved health outcomes when individuals transition to including significantly more plants in their diet.
Should I go for Vegan or Vegetarian? I love meats but day by day getting so much fat.
Hi Ronald. I would choose a dietary pattern that feels like it fits your lifestyle best in terms of sustainability. If you want more plant-based meals in your diet, you could start with having one vegetarian or vegan meal per week or per day and then increase it from there if that is your goal.
“Any film that makes you shudder or suggests cutting out entire food groups should be looked at with a critical eye.” “I do disagree with the fear-mongering approach of the filmmakers.” You say these things like they are doing something bad. Would you disagree with fear-mongering if it was to undermine a business that industrially murdered dogs and sold their processed flesh as meat? (P.S. I don’t use these words in exaggeration or fear-mongering, IT IS murder and IT IS processed flesh)
There is nothing negative about a possible underlying message to change your diet in order to discourage mass cruelty and slaughtering of animals.
Even if some of the claims made in this film are false, the whole project doesn’t seem like a bad thing to me. And if there’s anything in the documentary that makes you shudder, it’s most likely the sight of dead animals, which should be something to shudder at.
I fully agree with them trying to stare people away from their traditional diets of consuming animal products. Your pretty much saying that “it’s worse to try stop someone from murdering and eating an animal than it is to eat a murdered animal”
Thanks for your thoughts, Callan. I approach the film from a nutritional perspective rather than an ethical one, and find it important to point out some errors that have a fear-mongering approach. Each is entitled to his own opinion, and I wouldn’t discourage someone from a vegan diet if it’s their preference whether it’s a nutritional decision or an animal welfare decision. Thanks for your feedback.
The comments about eggs and milk threw me off the most!
I have a young child, and he has been drinking organic cows milk since he was a baby. He is a vegetarian so I include eggs in his diet as a good form of protein.
The documentary has me thinking twice about our egg and milk consumption.
Human milk has the lowest protein content of all the mammal species. Cow’s milk is breast milk for cows and very high in protein. Its purpose is to grow a small calf hundreds of pounds in a very short time. Why would we give this to children? To a human adult? It was never designed for human consumption! We are the only species that drink breast milk after we’re weaned and the only species that drink milk from another species. I can understand that at some point in human evolution our plant foods had been scarce and humans needed to be creative in the way they were getting their calories for survival. Northern latitudes did not offer many plant foods in winter. However, we now live in a world where the vast majority of humans have access to many nutritious plant foods. We should seriously re-think our addiction to meat and other animal products. We are ruining our health and the health of the planet all in one.
I think we can all agree there are many variables to what it means to be truly healthy. Can we define it by what athletes are capable of doing or by how centenarians evade disease all their life or by the average person who takes CrossFit classes or remains slim despite gorging on food?
It all comes down to what you perceive to be healthy. Yes there are shocking statistics and methods in the movie, but here’s the real questions. 1. When we say a disease is costing the US x amount, who is it really costing? 2. Why has this movie affected you so much? Maybe it’s time to not look for the wrong answers in the movie, but look at what’s wrong with ourselves… All the best on your journeys and thank you to Stacey for opening this forum.
Thanks for this, it was really interesting. I’ve only just gotten around to watching it and it felt very much like propaganda so I wanted a levelheaded overview of the findings.
I do have one question from your write-up that I can’t rectify in my mind, would love to hear your thoughts on it;
With regards to the increased use of environmental resources required to produce enough food for a plant-based diet, does this consider the resources used to feed the animals in the first place?
In my mind consuming meat equates to ‘consuming’ the environmental resources that it takes to rear and slaughter the animals which would also include the plants that are grown to sustain the animal throughout its life (not to mention all the water and antibiotics they consume), whereas in eating plants alone, you would only be ‘consuming’ the environmental resources used to grow the plants. Does that make sense?! All I have going around my mind is grow and plant AND an animal or just grow a plant…seems so clear to me!
This concept really messes with my brain so I would love to have some opinions on it.
Hey Kelly! Thanks so much for your question. Interestingly, the majority of animal diets are plant leftovers that humans can’t or don’t eat. In beef, for example, 90% of the diet of those cattle is forage and leftovers.