FORKS OVER KNIVES
Forks Over Knives is both a personal journey story and an educational documentary. It explores the world of nutrition and the damage foods derived from animal-based food products (meat and dairy) may be doing to human health. Forks Over Knives also makes the claim that “most, if not all” degenerative diseases that plague humans can be controlled or reversed by moving away from animal-based and processed foods.
Forks Over Knives is written and directed by Lee Folkerson, who for personal health reasons, looks at the affect of processed and animal-based foods on his health. The research of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional biochemist from Cornell University, and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn a former surgeon at the well know Cleveland Clinic is highlighted. According to the filmmaker, Esselystyn and Campbell’s separate, independent studies into degenerative diseases, proves there is a connection between eating processed and animal-based foods and diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other problems.
The opening scenes of Forks Over Knives begins with the following quotes, “the average American now carries twenty-three extra pounds.” “ Heart disease and stroke will claim the lives of 460 thousand American Women,” and “We’re talking about diabetes and hypertension, bone disease and osteoporosis…” also facts about the food we eat and health problems in the United States and other countries. Food and the drugs we take may be extremely harmful to the health of adults and children in the long run. According to the film the US spends five times more on health care then the defense budget. Why are there so many health problems? Bill Maher is quoted saying, “…There’s no money in healthy people or dead people. It’s the people in the middle; people who are alive with one or more chronic conditions…” Others like Michele Obama talk about “Obesity,” and other conditions as seen in a montage of film clips. These facts are well documented and the problem well stated to set the investigation conducted by the documentary.
One of the marks of a good documentary story is not to have a string of talking head interviews. In Forks Over Knives there is a continuing montage of action and “B” roll that parallels what is claimed with graphic evidence making for a convincing argument.
Forks Over Knives takes an unexpected turn when it takes goes to China and a study done there initiated by Chinese Premier Zhou En-lai, who is suffering from bladder cancer. Six hundred and fifty thousand researchers cataloged the mortality patterns caused by several types of cancer for the years between 1973 and 1975. The study covered every county in China and over 850 million people.
Based on the study by Dr. Campbell they found some important correlations between what people in China were eating and the types of cancer and other diseases they contracted. An in-depth food and nutrition study ensued looking at the diet and lifestyles of people over many years. The results were conclusive. In 1990 after ten years of intensive work, Dr. Campbell and his team published the China Study. It identified no less than ninety-four thousand correlations between diet and disease.
Forks Over Knives is a documentary that may well change your life. There is important information here that cannot be ignored. This is a film well worth seeing, that makes a definitive statement based on fact and not speculation. It is informative and educational. It may save your life.
REVIEW WRITTEN BY J R MARTIN,. AUTHOR CREATE DOCUMENTARY FILMS, VIDEOS AND MULTIMEDIA . See other documentary reviews by James R Martin at http://www.jrmartinmedia.com/reviews
TRAILER
FORKS OVER KNIVES – 2011 – 96 Minutes – Written and Directed by Lee Folkerson – Virgil Films Entertainment
LINKS
Forks Over Knives
Books by James R Martin Available on Amazon
Listen Learn Share: How & Why Listening, Learning and Sharing can Transform Your Life Experience In Practical Ways
Create Documentary Films, Videos and Multimedia: A Comprehensive Guide to Using Documentary Storytelling Techniques for Film, Video, the Internet and Digital Media Projects.
Actuality Interviewing and Listening: How to conduct successful interviews for nonfiction storytelling, actuality documentaries and other disciplines … (Documentary and Nonfiction Storytelling)