Three documentaries that opened my eyes about food

A few years ago I got really addicted to documentaries on Netflix. I remember it all started because I was pregnant with Olivia. Someone told me about The Business of Being Born and then it all spiraled into an obsession with documentaries about pregnancy, birth, and babies. At the time, I was spending a lot of time with my chiropractor. I was getting adjustments, acupuncture, and prenatal massages. I was taking yoga classes. I was taking care of myself in ways I never had because I was carrying a child. My child. My obsession lasted for a while and at some point, I ran out of documentaries centered around family and babies. By the time I was pregnant with my second, I had moved on to documentaries about food. And it changed my life. Or, at least it changed the way I saw the world. These documentaries opened my eyes and put a fire in my belly.

The first is Fed Up. This should be required viewing for anyone who buys and consumes food. The families in this film break my heart. I identified with the mothers who think they are helping their kids, making healthier food choices based on what it says on the box. In truth, it’s those boxed buys that are killing us. In most cases, if you go to a grocery store and buy the items that are in boxes advertising “reduced fat” or “sugar-free,” you have been brainwashed to think that these are the healthy choices. In reality, they are filled with sugar or chemicals. The real healthy foods are the ones that don’t come in boxes like that. They’re in the produce section and the meat section. A nutritionist once taught me to only shop the outer circle of the store and stay away from the aisles. That’s where all the brainwashing lies. This film rips off the blinders to expose the secrets behind the obesity epidemic that will kill us and our children even faster.

Next is GMO OMG. I had never heard of GMOs before watching this documentary. I felt so betrayed afterward. I admire the filmmaker’s drive and determination to feed his family with healthy foods that are not genetically modified and/or covered in pesticides. The nightmares he uncovered in his quest to know more about how the food industry is poisoning us will shake you to your core. It was eye-opening to see all the ways our government has allowed the food industry to modify our foods in order to line their pockets. It truly made me afraid to eat almost anything and made me even more cautious about what I feed my children.

Finally, Food, Inc. Holy cow. This film made me so mad. It disgusted me to see what the food industry does to put food on our tables and the whole facade they have created to get us to eat it. They are destroying history, the environment, jobs and our health in order to produce more food faster and make the most money in the process.

All of this very scary. I definitely went through the five stages of grief to process it. At first, I denied it all, figured these documentaries were part fiction and I was crazy for believing any of this was true. Then I was mad at all the people who let this happen at the same time. I thought, if only I had known about this sooner I could have done something. Maybe just for myself, but maybe for others. Then I was depressed about it and felt like there was nothing I could do. All food was out to get us. Finally, through talking with others, online research and experimentation, I learned that I could do something about it and it could start in my home. Yes, consuming all this information can make you feel helpless and afraid for the future. But I was determined to learn from these films and make changes that I could live with. I turned to the Internet and I was surprised by the number of online communities, bloggers, and apps that I discovered.

So this begins my series on what we can do to make healthy choices that we can be proud of. Avoid the brainwashing and show others that there is a better way to be had with food and choices.

Today on my vlog I will be going over the first step. Arming yourself with information. Along with watching the documentaries I mentioned here, there are several apps you can utilize to help you shop smarter. Check out the video to learn about the most important app in my arsenal.