I watched this film the other night as part of the free online screening event. The film can be viewed until March 31st, 2013 for free by clicking on the photo.
Here’s what I thought…
1. THE MESSAGE made this movie well worth my time. Diets don’t work. I don’t need to be sold on that… but somehow, I never considered why that is. I have always said healthy eating is about adding and replacing, not about eliminating. I am sure I am not alone in the Ah-Ha moment provoked by the film’s statement, “I want it but I can’t have it” being the diet mentality and, “I have it but I don’t want it” being the healthy mindset. This has been the primary shift in my own journey from dieting years ago to healthy eating now, even if I couldn’t identify it.
That and the fact that people don’t even realize that there are any other options outside of the SAD (standard American diet) or SAD low calorie diet, which both contribute to illness via malnutrition.
2. PROCESSED FOOD (coupled with a sedentary lifestyle) is undeniably the main culprit in today’s obesity crisis. I have never seen, nor can I imagine, a person being capable of getting to the point of obesity eating food that came from the ground.
They mention that the standard process for converting your average slender lab mouse into a chubby tubby is nothing more than adding a sprinkle of MSG to their diet. From my research, it appears that an endocrine destabilizer and a hefty amount of food are the standard protocols to fatten up mice. However, I did find research that suggested adding MSG to the regular diet of mice made them fatter than your average American. So, although I have zero experience getting lab rats to beef up, I am not sure that I believe that the standard protocol is to add MSG to their diet… even if the point is still valid.
I do wish that they touched on the role of enzymes for complete digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Conversely, they should have touched on the role of preservatives and their role in disabling enzymes even if ingested in separate foods (i.e. putting processed salad dressing on salad). Of course, this is the job of preservatives… great at preserving foods but very disruptive to actually digesting them. The film seems to support a raw diet… touching a little on raw milk and the dangers associated with BBQ’d meat (which really needed no academic support) so they could have went one little step forward.
They also went after the carcinogenic chemicals that are added to fake food to make them taste like real food. The ones that don’t require a parking spot on the label. McDonalds fries have a lot more ingredients than oil, potatoes and salt. Like hundreds more.
A few points bugged me though. Aspartame and caffeine make your brain cells explode? Nothing about the role of excitotoxins. No rational explanation. The film just went on. Mercola could have explained it better (and he does on the last link of this page).
The whole sugar is as bad as heroine line is well, yikes. Good god, have these people ever seen a heroine addict I wonder. Maybe they should check out the riff-raff at Dairy Queen and then have a wander down Vancouver’s Lower East Side. See? Different. Much different. The comparison is there. Both are highly refined and addictive white chemicals from an otherwise fairly benign source. Sure, it’s no apples to oranges… but it’s certainly kumquats to oranges. I’m sad they dropped the ball on an otherwise great point with such a ludicrous statement.
3. JUICING is processing people. Aren’t we talking about eating, whole, unprocessed foods in their natural state? Ok, it’s minimally processed food and an improvement on the SAD. It’s a definite improvement over juice sold at the market. But why remove the fibre from a perfect food (unless you are ill, pregnant, or otherwise have trouble digesting it). For me, the Vitamix is a much better way to make fruits and vegetables into liquids (outside of wheat grass since you should not be ingesting the fibre… in this case a masticating juicer is best.) Maybe Vitamix wasn’t willing to shell out the financial support that Juice Master was. Although there is plenty of research that shows that chewing food is important for complete digestion… so why not encourage people to eat plant based natural foods. Maybe give them some resources. So much for taking the high road and being able to finger wag at corporate America’s control over the food industry. Juice Master.
4. DETOXING is a diet. It’s short term. Most people see it as a quick and intense weight loss or quick road to health and wellness strategy. And it has been pretty much shown as unnecessary – your food should be detoxing you. There may be spiritual or personal reasons to do it not addressed in the scope of this film. Fine. Leafy greens and gelatinous seeds are good for you. Awesome. Detoxifying. Great. Eat them every day.
5. CHEESY side story. She’s not even fat. I do love how her hair miraculously gets curly and her house suddenly gets more windows when she starts juicing. Talk about promotion Juice Master Jason. Oh and the self promo of her watching the video on a tablet midway. Yeah, we’re already watching the movie. Maybe add that to the trailer? I also like how they are listing the virtues of love and social networks for the entire movie but as the film closes the main character goes beyond it. Apparently pony tail elastics and love are unnecessary as soon as juicing comes into your life. I would have liked to see her buck up and talk to the guy. Maybe start jogging.
Overall though, a great movie… if not for a few flaws. The central message was awesome and they had some new ways of presenting critical information. This is a particularly important film for those who cannot see beyond the SAD.
http://www.msgexposed.com/studies-show-msg-fed-mice-became-grossly-obese/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/24/aspartame-affects-brain-health.aspx
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