“Food Matters” is a documentary that uncovers the falsehoods in medicinal drugs and gives people the alternative of overcoming diseases through a healthy diet. The film is based on the Hippocrates oath “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” According to Victor Zeines, a nutritionist in the documentary, a quarter of the food we eat presently keeps us alive while three quarters keeps the doctor alive. He is trying to give the relationship between the fast foods that have become so popular to the lifestyle diseases that come from over-consumption of such foods. We then spend much of our time at the doctor, getting drug prescriptions thus helping the Big Pharma hit its profits. According to the nutritionists in the film, the problem starts in the farms, the soils are suffocating with pesticides, and the water for irrigation is from polluted streams. The only effective and safe solution to the problem is a lifestyle change (Bittman 16).
The documentary states that the present doctors receive very little training in nutrition; instead they are taught how to diagnose diseases and give out medication pills. That is where the problem lies. Modern medicine has been found to kill 225000 people annually in the U.S alone. Cardiovascular diseases, cancers and diabetes have become too common. Dr. Victor Zeines asks people to question how old the food they eat is. Most of the foods sold in American stores are at least one week old. Ian Brighthope asserts that most foods found in American stores are processed and the nutrients stripped of it. Farmers have created an overdependence on the pesticides as they have not taken good care of the soils (Cohen 3). The result is that even if we eat vegetarian food, we still get the toxic chemicals passed to our bodies. Food preparation also matters. Most foods that are cooked lose their nutrients in the process. They turn into toxins that make people sick (Givens 132). It is evident that people are poisoning their systems by the foods they eat either knowingly or unknowingly. The quick relief found in pills has also served to give people a false sense of being in control. In addition, many doctors and pharmacists tell patients that some drugs rob the body of its nutrients. Many medicines have the potential of stealing life from people quickly (Cohen 3).
I feel the movie is a very educational one that lays out truths that are often denied by many people. It is true that many doctors usually prescribe pills not bothering to get into the changes that one should bring in their lifestyles to combat illnesses. It has been proven by research that indeed eating organic, plant-based diet coupled with exercises can actually improve one’s longevity and quality of life (Bittman 20). It is also true that many doctors are helping the pharmaceutical companies at the expense of the population. Few if any urge people to avoid fast food restaurants if possible. The truth I subscribe to is that the body can thrive well fed in plan and nut based diet more than on animal products. Diseases can be prevented by one’s decision of meals. Research has linked red meat to diabetes and cancers so in order to combat such diseases, a change in diet is often encouraged. The problem however is that people have become too comfortable taking pills that instead slowly kill them. Pills work on easing the effect of the poison in the body caused by the toxic food we eat but the problem remains. Human beings are not meant to live and work and stay alive but also to live quality lives. A quality life is possible when one makes the important decisions about their lives like on health. Organic foods may be expensive but treating diseases is more expensive (Roseboro 34).
Work Cited
Bittman, Mark. Food matters: A guide to conscious eating with more than 75 recipes. Simon and Schuster, 2008. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BPpCOYH2RCgC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Food+Matters:+A+Guide+to+Conscious+Eating+with+More+Than+75+Recipes&ots=4lbd3rLoPt&sig=Mff8YxLG9GKp0rXOcN-rD9XaqXs&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Food%20Matters%3A%20A%20Guide%20to%20Conscious%20Eating%20with%20More%20Than%2075%20Recipes&f=false
Cohen, Suzy. Drug Muggers: Which Medications Are Robbing Your Body of Essential Nutrients-and Natural Ways to Restore Them. , 2011. Internet resource. https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=cFeWnyoZkXkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Effects+of+medicine+on+the+body&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjKvr75k5bZAhXPY8AKHewDDSUQ6AEIJTAA#v=onepage&q=Effects%20of%20medicine%20on%20the%20body&f=false
Givens, D I. Health Benefits of Organic Food: Effects of the Environment. Cambridge, MA: CABI North American Office, 2008. Internet resource. https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=Oz9yevQIDswC&printsec=frontcover&dq=benefits+of+eating+organic+foods&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_yJPQkpbZAhUFSsAKHT5ZCGcQ6AEILDAB#v=onepage&q=benefits%20of%20eating%20organic%20foods&f=false
Roseboro, Ken. The Organic Food Handbook: A Consumer’s Guide to Buying and Eating Organic Food: Easyread Super Large 24pt Edition. ReadHowYouWant. com, 2009. https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=A8iwd0ofdSkC&pg=PA155&dq=benefits+of+eating+organic+foods&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_yJPQkpbZAhUFSsAKHT5ZCGcQ6AEIOzAE#v=onepage&q=benefits%20of%20eating%20organic%20foods&f=false