Dietitians in all places launch a collective sigh each time Netflix releases a vitamin documentary, and with good motive: traditionally, these docs are filled with bias, dangerous information, and sensationalism…none of which really helps anybody take change of their well being.
Like I at all times say, misinformation doesn’t empower anybody. Simply the other, really.
Once I heard that You Are What You Eat was directed by the identical one who directed The Sport Changers, I knew I wanted to look at and evaluate it.
Learn my Sport Changers Evaluate right here.
On this You Are What You Eat evaluate, I check out Netflix’s newest vitamin documentary.
The doc focuses on the execution of the Stanford Twins Research. This 8-week examine, which was simply printed on the finish of 2023, used 22 pairs of twins to find out the cardiometabolic results of a vegan weight loss plan versus an omnivore weight loss plan.
Twins are genetically an identical, which afforded researchers the uncommon alternative to realize useful perception into how every weight loss plan might influence one twin versus the opposite. In accordance with Christopher Gardner, vitamin scientist and one of many examine’s investigators, people reply in another way to the identical meals, so getting people who find themselves genetically the identical eliminates this confounder.
Twins have the identical genetic make-up, making them the right controls for each other.
Over the course of the 8 weeks, investigators will monitor indicators of cardiovascular well being, metabolic standing, and intestine microbiome by way of poop and blood samples.
They inform viewers that they’re trying peoples’ organic clock, physique composition, microbiome, and mind. The precise examine, which I discuss within the final a part of this evaluate, doesn’t point out the microbiome, mind, or organic clock. I’m questioning if these components are upcoming.
You Are What You Eat Netflix Evaluate
In Episode One in every of You Are What You Eat, we meet a few of the specialists that have been concerned within the examine, together with 4 units of the examine’s twins.
Within the first 4 weeks, every twin is randomized to both a vegan or omnivore weight loss plan. Every part they eat is made for them and delivered, so there’s no guesswork, and researchers can management all the things about every weight loss plan. Each diets have been deemed to be ‘wholesome’ by scientists.
After the primary 4 weeks, the twins stay on their assigned weight loss plan, however are left to prepare dinner their very own meals.
The twins even have a coach, who they work out recurrently with.
It was straightforward to see the place this documentary was going when Dr. Michael Greger, physician and recognized promoter of a vegan weight loss plan, pops up on the display screen. He was additionally in The Sport Changers and What The Well being, each Netflix documentaries whose overarching message was selling a plant-based weight loss plan and mainly scaring individuals about consuming animal merchandise.
I’ve talked about Dr. Greger in my writing earlier than, basically calling him out for twisting details and blowing up claims to go well with his agenda.
He shortly does the identical factor in You Are What You Eat, telling viewers how an excessive amount of dairy will increase threat for Parkinson’s illness and prostate most cancers (with out citations or proof, naturally). He lets us know that ‘the #1 reason for demise within the US is the American Weight loss program’ (in line with the CDC it’s coronary heart illness, really, however there are lots of components that contribute to this), and what we put in our mouth is extra essential than the rest.
That is traditional Greger, making claims which can be overblown and completely with out nuance.
Dr. Michael Greger
We additionally meet a ‘plant primarily based dairy innovator’ named Miyoko Schinner, who tells us that cheese is ‘biologically addicting,’ which is ridiculous and never factual. She follows up by trotting out the vegan calling card that ‘milk is for child cows, not people.’
She tells us that ‘most populations on the earth didn’t eat meat and dairy, besides in very small quantities if in any respect.’
Once more, we now have an ‘professional’ who’s clearly biased to in the direction of a vegan weight loss plan. I’ve nothing towards the vegan weight loss plan, after all, however in a documentary, it’s at all times good to signify each side of an argument.
I stored ready for somebody with out a plant-based agenda to be revealed as an professional, however SPOILER: I used to be dissatisfied.
Because the documentary progresses, we find out about meals deserts and concrete farms.
Right here’s why we don’t all have the identical 24 hours in a day.
Tracye McQuirter, a Public Well being Nutritionist and self-proclaimed ‘vegan activist,’ explains the best way to create a balanced vegan plate. whereas speaking about meals apartheid for African People in city centres.
This can be a actually useful lesson, and it’s correct – meals deserts do exist, particularly in racialized communities. They’re intimately linked with poor well being outcomes, and we most positively have to do one thing to enhance entry to wholesome meals in North America.
One other good lesson we get is across the conflicts of curiosity among the many dietary tips committee, and the way agricultural lobbyists affect the verbiage within the tips. That is additionally an issue, and the explanation why Well being Canada refused to have meals business on the desk when growing the newest meals tips.
The remainder of You Are What You Eat, sadly, looks like an advert for a vegan weight loss plan.
We be taught concerning the animal agriculture business. We’re taken inside manufacturing unit farms. We hear how soiled they’re, how the animals are injected with antibiotics, and the way hog feces and urine are sprayed throughout adjoining fields. We see slightly injured rooster and contaminated ponds.
Dr. Greger pops in to inform us that extra antibiotics are fed to livestock than are utilized in all of human drugs to advertise progress and stop illness in a annoying, unhygienic surroundings. ‘Lifesaving, vital medicine are being squandered simply to make cheaper meat.’
Or, perhaps there are much more animals than people, which accounts for these numbers?
Nonetheless, it’s authorized to make use of antibiotics in cattle for progress promotion and illness prevention (right here and right here)
Ought to the typical individual be involved?
I’m undecided, as a result of we have been solely introduced with one facet of the argument. The common individual will in all probability take that unchallenged facet as truth, which is problematic. I’d have appreciated to listen to from an unbiased farmer and scientist about this, and about, effectively, your entire documentary.
We hear a rooster farmer who clearly hates what he does, discuss how disgusting the odor and filth of the rooster barn is. That birds are bred to have such massive breasts, that their organs and skeletal system can’t sustain. The birds scratch one another, leaving wounds which can be infested with micro organism.
We see an environmental activist lawyer speaking about antibiotics in meat, and Pat Brown, the Founding father of Inconceivable Meals, who tells us that ‘each time you eat a steak, slightly puff of smoke goes up within the Amazon. That smoke is the ‘second hand smoke out of your burger.’
George Monbiot, an writer, journalist and environmental activist tells us how the meat business is mainly killing the planet. ‘the agricultural business is among the biggest sources of greenhouse gases on earth.’
We’re proven a graphic that states that greenhouse gases from the agricultural sector are 31%, versus 14% for the transportation sector.
I believed these quantity seemed a bit bizarre, so I went in search of the stats.
Seems, the EPA has some completely different numbers:
Shifting from the horrible risks of meat to what’s terrible about farmed fish, we’re launched to extra activists, one being Don Staniford, who campaigns towards salmon farms. He tells us that ‘if individuals realized the total horrors of salmon farming they’d keep away from it just like the proverbial plague.’
Hyperbole appears to be one among You Are What You Eat’s nice strengths.
We see Don telling the twins how firms dye their fish pink to cover the truth that it’s farmed. He says that this synthetic coloration has been ‘linked to human well being issues,’ though we don’t get any particulars about which issues.
He talks about how farmed salmon is much fattier than pizza and bacon. And, lest you imagine that farmed salmon incorporates wholesome fat, he provides us the rubbish take of ‘these aren’t good oils, they’re omega 6s.’
Please Don, cease speaking. The twins decide up on his concern mongering, calling the farmed salmon ‘diseased meals’ and throwing it into the precise rubbish.
Are seed oils dangerous? Learn my put up right here.
We’ve gone from speaking about meals deserts and entry to nourishing meals, to throwing a wonderfully good piece of fish into the rubbish. Disgusting.
Alexandra Morton, Biologist and activist, tells us that tons of waste is ‘pouring out of those farms’ and reveals us disturbing photographs of diseased fish. She claims that greater than 98% of the samples fish she purchased in supermarkets and sushi eating places have been contaminated with a salmon blood virus, though she admits that there’s no analysis on how these pathogens influence people.
I’m not going to say that these points the activists are speaking about are false, however with none counterbalance, all of it comes off as individuals pushing an agenda. As somebody with vital considering abilities, this makes me very suspicious of their details.
As slightly sidebar, Eric Adams, the Mayor of New York, talks about how weight loss plan reversed his diabetes with Complete Meals Plant Primarily based weight loss plan. He tells us that his endocrinologist didn’t find out about weight loss plan and diabetes in medical faculty, so he took issues into his personal arms.
I discover the ‘docs don’t know concerning the worth of weight loss plan’ tactic to be a extremely disappointing, lazy solution to flip individuals towards standard drugs and proposals.
What did the Stanford Twins examine discover?
After all the effort, did the Twins examine end result favor a vegan weight loss plan?
It did, in some methods.
As you’ll be able to see within the graphic under, the vegan twins had a better discount in LDL-C, the ‘dangerous’ ldl cholesterol. However, their HDL or ‘good’ ldl cholesterol additionally went down greater than the omnivores,’ and the vegans’ triglycerides ended up far greater than the omnivores’.
In reality, the one metrics that have been vital between the 2 teams have been LDL-C, insulin, and weight, though each teams misplaced weight.
It’s essential to notice that the examine was quick and small, and the topics have been predominantly ladies. The second week was not managed, so theoretically, every group might have strayed from their diets in weeks 5-8, confounding the outcomes. We additionally haven’t any longer-term follow-up.
Within the examine conclusions, did admit that the vegan weight loss plan fed to the twins was restrictive, and that “clinicians ought to permit sufferers to make knowledgeable decisions that help them to decide on which dietary strategy is best suited for them.
At a inhabitants degree, wider adoption of a culturally applicable dietary sample that’s greater in plant meals and decrease in animal meals can promote well being and environmental advantages.”
As a dietitian, my suggestions gained’t change due to this documentary. Eat as many vegetation as you’ll be able to. Purchase what you’ll be able to afford. Watch out for concern mongering ‘specialists’ who clearly have an agenda. Know that Netflix vitamin documentaries are low-bar and deceptive.
You Are What You Eat evaluate, briefly:
You Are What You Eat is a traditional Netflix vitamin documentary, flawed from the start with clearly biased ‘specialists’ and activists going unchallenged all through the movie.
Whereas I do help a plant-forward weight loss plan, I believe it’s insulting and weak to not give a balanced perspective. Why not give viewers ALL of the data earlier than permitting them to make their very own determination? Isn’t that what a documentary must be about? It’s too dangerous, as a result of ‘eat extra vegetation’ is a good message. I don’t suppose it must be supported with misinformation and hyperbole.
The one a part of You Are What you Eat that I believed was easy, was the messaging round meals fairness. Till all sides are represented and all details are certified by a mixture of specialists, You Are What You Eat is sensationalized vegan propaganda at its very most interesting.
Let’s do away with these vitamin and weight loss plan traits in 2024. Learn right here.
