If you’re looking to transition to a plant-based diet, vegan documentaries are the thing to watch. It is also a valuable resource if you want to find out the health and lifestyle benefits of the movement  Netflix is currently building up their vegan documentary section and we have chosen two of our favorites. These vegan documentaries highlight the damaging effect that the meat industry has on the environment. It also features the endless health benefits that a plant-based diet can have on yourself and the environment.
Must Watch Vegan Documentaries
Cowspiracy
Released in June 2014, Cowspiracy touches on some highly controversial points, to do with the meat and dairy industry.
Cowspiracy Summary
Cowspiracy delves into the shocking impact that the meat and dairy industry has on the world. The directors go on a search for answers from well-known environmental organisations such as Greenpeace. He aims to discover why they do not explain the damaging effect of meat production.
The documentary covers many harmful effects that meat and dairy production has. Here are just a few:
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The meat and dairy industry produces more greenhouse gases than cars. It is eventually the highest producer of greenhouse gases.
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The water used to farm and make a hamburger is equal to one person showering for 2 months straight.
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45% of the worlds’ land used for raising and farming livestock.
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91% of deforestation is due to companies making more room to raise and farm livestock.
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Cow excrement is the number one ocean polluter.
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100 plants and insects become extinct every day because of deforestation for the meat and dairy industry.
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Finally, to farm an animal producing 1 gallon of milk, 1000 gallons of water is used.
The conclusion from this documentary
It suggests that by being vegan, every day a person can save:
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1100 gallons of water
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45lbs of grain
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30 sq. ft of forest
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10 lbs of C02
And at least one animals’ life.
This Cowspiracy summary alone will open the eyes of any viewer. It helps them understand how their lifestyle affects the environment. Indeed, it highlights the positive impact that their lifestyle changes can have in creating a sustainable future.
Follow Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn on their journey in discovering these mind-blowing facts here.
What the Health: A Must Among Vegan Documentaries
What the Health is another documentary directed by environmentalist Kip Andersen and produced by Keegan Kuhn. The same creators of Cowspiracy. What the Health explores the damaging effects that the meat and dairy industry has on peoples’ health. Besides, it also covers all the benefits of a plant-based diet.
What the Health Summary
The film sets out to discover the main causes of health problems such as diabetes. Andersen discovers that the main cause of diabetes is not sugar but processed meats.
Andersen sets out to discover why many medical platforms do not highlight meat as a significant cause of health problems like diabetes and cancer. Many organisations fail to answer his question. These organisations sponsors are producers of meat and dairy worldwide.
The documentary also follows individuals who suffer from health problems like diabetes and asthma. We can see how those people’s lifestyle change. Indeed, they switch to a plant-based diet which helps improve their health.
A big time of the vegan documentary is when one participant, an extreme asthma sufferer, switch to a plant-based diet. After two weeks only, she was able to stop taking all her medication and her breathing problems had disappeared.
What the Health is a great documentary when trying to gain an understanding of the actual health issues that meat and dairy can have on an individual.
Main points raised in the film:
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Processed meats such as bacon and sausages are classified as a group 1 carcinogen. This is in the same category as cigarettes and asbestos.
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By eating 1 piece of processed meat a day, an individual increases their risk of getting diabetes by 51%.
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65% of the human population is lactose intolerant.
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Filled with hormones, milk increases your risk of suffering from hormonal cancers such as breast and prostate cancer.
Watch What the Health here.
These are just two of the many eye-opening vegan documentaries around today. They allow you to understand the environmental impact of meat and dairy products as well as the impact that these products have on your own personal health. Both documentaries conclude that a plant-based diet is the most sustainable and healthy diet around.
To find some inspiration for your plant-based journey, visit our Healthy Food page.
Written by Rebecca Jones
