6 Food Documentaries That Will Change The Way You Eat

By Elana Goodwin on March 4, 2015

Do you ever stop to really think about what you’re eating?

Most college students (and Americans) don’t; instead we focus on how fast and cheap we can get our food. But these six food documentaries will not only change how you look at food, they’ll also hopefully make you reconsider your eating habits and what you choose to eat.

Photo Credit: Food Inc.

1. Food, Inc. The 2008 documentary looks at corporate farming in the U.S. and explores the reasons why the way food produced by agricultural business is unhealthy, and how it damages the environment and is harmful to both animals and humans.

Though the film’s only an hour and a half long, its three segments do a good job of covering the different aspects of food production, from looking at meat, to grains and vegetables, to the actual food companies and their economic power in society.

“Food, Inc.” doesn’t cut any punches either, and the camera goes into slaughterhouses and factory farms, showing viewers firsthand the horrific experiences the animals are subject to before being killed and sold to consumers.

The food documentary isn’t necessarily an easy one to watch but was lauded by critics and even nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary, and is definitely one worth watching.

2. Vegucated. This 2011 documentary follows three carnivorous New Yorkers who agree to try a vegan diet for six weeks. During their six week trial into veganism, the participants went to an abandoned slaughterhouse and explored and acknowledged the harsh realities of the country’s intensive animal farming.

The documentary also discussed the way society views vegetarianism and veganism, how society doesn’t like to think about the connection between animals and meat, and the environmental and health benefits of adopting a vegan diet.

While filming, and after learning about some of the horrific practices that occur in the industrial production of meat, the three participants decided to trespass on a factory farm to see for themselves firsthand what it’s like.

“Vegucated” can be graphic but also imparts a lot of helpful and enlightening information about the vegan movement and is a food documentary that might just change the way you eat.

3. Super Size Me. This film, which came out in 2004, is one of the most well-known food documentaries.

“Super Size Me” explores the influence the fast food industry has on society and the filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock, personally investigated how maintaining a diet of only McDonald’s food for one month would affect his health.

Viewers see how Spurlock’s physical and psychological states of being change as a result of his eating McDonald’s three times a day, ordering every item on the restaurant’s menu at least once. The documentary was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary and received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics.

This food documentary is definitely one to watch if you want some help and to be encouraged to decrease or eliminate fast food from your diet and adopt healthier habits.

Photo Credit: Food Matters

4. Food Matters. This 2008 documentary looks at how the foods we eat can either help or harm our health and well-being. The film includes interviews with a number of nutritionists, doctors, journalists and other experts, who talk about topics ranging from organic food to food safety.

“Food Matters” asserts that the over-industrialization of food production is harming American society and making us sicker, and takes a good look at the increased use of chemicals in the foods we eat. This food documentary will definitely make you analyze the chemicals and ingredients in your food that much more closely.

5. Forks Over Knives. This 2011 film, which has become one of the more well known food documentaries, investigates the claim that the majority of, if not every, degenerative diseases that people are diagnosed with is a result of our diets.

Instead, these diseases could be managed, or reversed, by discarding our typical diets of animal-based and processed foods in favor of a low-fat whole-food plant-based lifestyle.

This documentary is definitely one that’ll have you considering what the possible long term effects of your current diet could be for your health and may push you to reconsider some of your food choices.

6. A Place at the Table. This 2012 documentary examines the prevalence of hunger in America and how many face food insecurity in the U.S. today. The film also proposed some solutions to the pervasive problem of hunger and how to better establish food security.

“A Place at the Table” will help you appreciate your ability to buy food and make you think more broadly about hunger, its implications, and possible solutions.

So if you’re looking to possibly make a change in your diet or learn more about the food industry, watch these food documentaries — because they’ll definitely make you reconsider what you eat and hopefully help you to adopt healthier and more food-conscious choices.

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