I was mindlessly browsing through Netflix this afternoon, trying to find something to entertain myself for a little while. After searching through various genres, I checked under our Instant Queue and found this documentary. My mom loaned Rip Esselstyn's book from the library after watching Forks Over Knives, and it looks like she found a movie that goes along with it! Interesting. I had flipped through Rip's book a little bit, so I was somewhat familiar with his ideas and opinions. I figured hey, why not give the documentary a try?
Good thing it was only 50 minutes long. I really don't know if I would have lasted much longer.
In the first place, I find it hard to agree with Rip's nutritional advice. Obviously he is healthy and has helped others positively change their lifestyle - I can't deny those facts. It's just that I am a firm believer in moderation. I don't want to demonize any particular food group or nutritional element because, from what I understand, they all work together to create a well-rounded diet. Sure, meat, dairy, and fat CAN be bad for you... if they make up 90% of what you're eating. But to write them off entirely? Along with all oils? Ehhh, I'm not buying it. I am loving the plant-based, whole foods approach though. It completely makes sense to me to build your diet around fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Those are great building blocks - or a firm foundation, rather. Going all gung-ho on ridding my pantry of oil and animal protein certainly isn't something I see in my future.
On top of an iffy concept of nutrition, the film itself is weak. Honestly, students at my university could easily have made a more professional-quality production. This one feels like it was shot by an amateur and cheaply edited. Ah, and the content. Definitely lacking in that area. Rip hardly goes into detail about how to implement his diet plan, and there is absolutely NO follow-up with the families he "helps". The recipes he coaches them with aren't even that interesting. His approach is essentially this: take every fruit/veggie you can get your hands on, use little to no seasoning, throw in some sort of grain, cook it, and voila! Delicious food! Nomnomnom! In reality, not much culinary inspiration is involved.
I appreciate Rip's efforts, but this film just fell short for me. Not engaging, hardly educational, and, in my opinion, a little misguided.
My Rating: 1 out of 10
Worth The Watch: give this one a polite nod as you pass on by
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