With food being essential for survival, it’s not surprising that there’s a plethora of documentaries that specifically focus on food, health, and wellness. Watching food-related documentaries is one of the best ways of understanding human relationships with food and the way it impacts health. A good food documentary is able to weave together incredible stories about food, about the way it’s produced and the people that produce it. Moreover, they shed light on how complicated the food industry is. Here are some of the best food documentaries of all time:
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 Vegucated (2011)
Vegucated follows three meat and cheese-loving New Yorkers as they challenge themselves by shifting to a fully vegan diet. For six weeks, they have to keep away from meat, eggs, and all types of dairy, including cheese and butter. During their “vegucation” trial, the three also get lessons in Factory Farming, which means they’re exposed to the inhumane treatment of animals. The vegan lifestyle might not be meant for everyone, but the documentary really helps highlight the disconnect between animal farms and the consumption of meat. It brings to light the ethical issues that surround the food industry and the cruel treatment of animals. The documentary features Howard Lyman, an American farmer and animal rights activist, and Stephen R. Kaufman, a former acting US attorney. It even has a cameo from Kneel Cohn, lead singer and guitarist of Warshow Angels and The Dead Stars on Hollywood.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Bite Size (2014)
Bond/360
Obesity and diabetes are ever-growing health concerns in the United States. According to research, one in three children in the United States is overweight. Bite Size highlights this concern by following four overweight American pre-teens as they struggle with their eating habits, all the while trying to keep their bodies healthy. While the four stories all deal with the same issues, each story is unique to the person and their relationship with food. In addition, the documentary brings to light the struggles of being an overweight pre-teen, such as bullying. For those who are trying to lose weight, the documentary gives insight into different ways one can lose weight while maintaining a happy and healthy relationship with food.
4 That Sugar Film (2014)
Thunderbird EntertainmentMadman EntertainmentSamuel Goldwyn Films
That Sugar Film follows Australian documentarian Damon Gameau as he sets out to investigate the hidden sugar in everyday food and the effect it can have on one’s body. Over the course of 60 days, Gameau replaces his normal diet, which contains no refined sugar, with a diet with low fats but high sugar (160 grams or 40 tsp of sugar per day). Throughout the documentary, the viewers are introduced to the “bliss point”, which refers to the amount of sugar one can add to food to ensure optimal desirability.
Adding more sugar beyond the “bliss point” leads to a decrease in the desirability of the food. As a result of the experiment, Gameau gained weight, grew more lethargic, and even developed fatty liver disease. The documentary also includes appearances from popular Australian actors such as Hugh Jackman, Stephen Fry, Isabel Lucas, and Brenton Thwaites. It makes one want to look twice at the ingredients label on their food before eating.
3 Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
Magnolia Pictures
Jiro Dreams of Sushi follows Jiro Ono, a then 85-year-old, who is considered the world’s best sushi chef. Directed by David Gelb, the documentary centers around Jiro, who owns Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat sushi restaurant located in a subway station. Jiro’s restaurant was the first Japanese establishment of its kind to receive three Michelin stars. One needs to book months in advance to get a reservation at the restaurant. The documentary also features two of Jiro’s sons, Yoshikazu and Takashi. The younger son, Takashi, following in his father’s footsteps opened his own restaurant in Roppongi Hills, while Yoshikazu, the older son, works with his father in hopes of succeeding him one day. Watching the documentary will surely make one crave for some sushi.
2 Super Size Me (2004)
Samuel Goldwyn FilmsRoadside Attractions
Starring independent filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock, Super Size Me will either cause one to crave Mcdonald’s or never want to eat from the fast food franchise. The documentary follows Spurlock as he eats nothing but Mcdonald’s for an entire month, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, the whole thing. The documentary records the drastic effects, both mental and physical, that Spurlock’s new eating habits have on his health and well-being. During the course of the documentary, Spurlock ate everything on Mcdonald’s menu at least once, consuming an average of 5,000 Kcal per day. Despite walking 2 km per day, Spurlock still gained 11.1 kgs, a 13% increase in body mass, and increased his cholesterol levels to 230 mg/dL. In addition, the experiment left Spurlock with mood swings, sexual dysfunction, and fat accumulation in his liver. Later, Spurlock revealed that it took him fourteen months to lose all the weight he had gained in that single month.
Super Size Me highlights how corporate giants have little to no concern about healthy nutrition and only care about their own profit. Spurlock’s film was nominated for an Academy Award and even won Best Documentary Screenplay at the Writers Guild of America. Spurlock also released a sequel documentary in 2017 called Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken.
1 Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
Netflix
Produced and directed by Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn, Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret delves deep into the food industry, providing some shocking insights from the meat and dairy industry. The documentary explores the impact of animal agriculture on the environment; it draws up links between the former and environmental concerns such as climate change, water use, deforestation, and ocean dead zones.It takes this a step further by examining the policies various environmental organizations have proposed to tackle the issue.
The documentary has been criticized for falsely claiming that animal agriculture is the primary source of greenhouse emissions, amongst other environmental issues. Despite the criticism, Cowspiracy has won the Audience Choice Award at the 2015 South African Eco Film Festival and the Best Foreign Film Award at the 12th annual Festival de films de Portneuf sur l’environnement.
