Roger Ebert on FOK and Trailer

Forks Over Knives
Eat meat and die!
Release Date: 2011
Ebert Rating: ***    
By Roger Ebert May 11, 2011


Here is a film that could save your life. So you'd better stop reading now, because you don't want to go to the trouble. You are addicted to fat, salt, sugar and corn syrup. Your body has established a narcotic-like dependence on them, and you're comfortable with that, just like smokers know why they keep on smoking. If you have to die 10 or 25 years sooner than necessary to smoke, if you need Viagra because your vascular system is compromised, or if you're overweight, you can live with that.

Hey, I'm not going all holier-than-thou on you. Think how fat I was for years. I knew the solution, I was weak and lazy. Over 12 years I was eventually able to lose about 70 pounds with a proper diet, but my current weight and superb physical condition can be attributed to my illness. I am unable to eat or drink anything, and my (therefore) perfect diet of canned nutrition has given me an ideal weight and incredibly good blood numbers. I don't recommend that you get sick to get well, however.

What every human being should do is eat a vegetarian diet based on whole foods. Period. That's it. Animal protein is bad for you. Dairy is bad for you. Forget the ads: Milk and eggs are bad for you. Skim milk is no better, because it contains proportionately more animal protein. What you're trying to avoid is dietary cholesterol. You also need to cut way down on salt and sugar, and run like hell from high fructose corn syrup.

"Forks Over Knives" is a documentary in which Lee Fulkerson enacts a mirror image of the journey taken by Morgan Spurlock in "Supersize Me." Instead of eating only at McDonald's for a month and nearly killing himself, he eats a plant-based whole food diet for six months, gets off all of his cholesterol and blood pressure medications, drops a lot of weight, sleeps better and has more energy.

His film follows three other sick people: one with breast cancer, one given less than a year to live because of heart problems, one with murderously high cholesterol. All are well again after the vegetarian diet. The movie opens with a warning that no one should take such steps without consulting a physician, and I quite agree; I would not have depended on nutrition to cure my cancer, but I'm convinced that I would always have been healthier if I'd eaten correctly.

The film hammers us with information. It centers on the work of famed nutritionists Dr. T. Colin Campbell of Cornell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn of the Cleveland Clinic. Campbell conducted the awesome China-Oxford-Cor­­nell study, which fol­lowed millions of Chinese over decades and found that increases in their incidence of cancer and heart disease directly paralleled their adoption of a Western diet.

Short term studies show the same thing: When Nazis commandeered all the food animals in Norway and rationing forced Brits away from meat, disease rates plummeted. After the war, they moved up again. In the traditional Japanese diet, breast and prostate cancers are all but unknown.

These facts have long been established, not only by Campbell and Esselstyn but also by Dean Ornish, John McDougall and the researchers at Pritikin. There is a Catch-22. The federal government subsidizes such crops as corn, which is used for lethal corn syrup and to feed animals which we then eat. It puts bad foods in school lunches. The lobbyists of agribusiness control national farm policy. The government spends millions to subsidize an unhealthy diet. We are raising the first generation of children who will not live as long as their parents.

Over the years I tried vegan and low-protein vegetarian diets, benefited from and enjoyed them. I found by experience that all one needed was a rice cooker, a knife, a chopping block, whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. I got all the protein and calcium I needed. I enjoyed it. But I was tempted. I strayed into the Elysian fields of pizza, steaks, hamburgers and soft drinks. I once was blind and now I see.

"Forks Over Knives" is not subtle. It plays as if it had been made for doctors to see in medical school. Few doctors seem prepared to suggest proper nutrition as an alternative to pills, stents and bypasses. Although regular exercise, especially walking, is invaluable, the film shows only a little exercise and focuses singlemindedly on nutrition.

The bottom line: I am convinced this message is true. A plant-based whole foods diet is healthy. Animal protein is not necessary, or should be used sparingly as Asians did, as a flavoring and not a main course. This adds the advantage of allowing us to avoid the chemicals and carcinogens pumped into livestock and poultry. Fast food is lethal. Parents who feed it to their children are helping them get hooked on fat, salt and sugar addiction. The facts are in. Didn't I warn you to stop reading?

P. S.: I have recently decided to ditch my canned nutrition and switch to a liquid diet based on fresh fruits and vegetables. Yes, I consulted my physician. 

It's About Justice

"Let me clarify: I am not a vegan because I “love animals”. Rather, veganism is about justice. It is not a “lifestyle choice”. It is not a “personal preference”. Veganism is not about you or me at all. It is about the fundamental right of nonhumans not to be used, owned, labeled, branded, enslaved, exploited and generally commodified to serve our interests and convenience."

~ Kerry Wyler May 29, 2011

Cyrus And Baba

In times past when Cyrus would stay with us he primarily stayed with me. Saeed was usually in the middle of a semester and/or in the midst of writing patient reports. This visit has turned out to be very different. Cyrus and his Baba have spent a lot of time together. Not only is that easier on me (I get breaks and fix food without simultaneously playing cars) but it's been great for them to do guy things together.

Cyrus dons his new Diego sunglasses to go to Cherry Park.

Uh-oh, Cyrus? Are you falling asleep? "No."

Cyrus, do you want us to wake you up when we get to the park? "Yes"

I suggested that maybe he'd wake up when he heard all the kids playing.

No amount of prodding would wake him up.

Saeed was in heaven. After 30 hopeless minutes we decided to just go home. Sorry bubsy.

Saeed thought he was going to read his mortgage paper.

How can you resist a face like this?

 

Buddies.

Every visit has a favorite book that we are asked to read multiple times. The previous two or three visits the book of choice was Room on a Broom but The Runaway Pancake has moved to the top.

 This book is very old; it used to be mine when I was a child.

 It's probably not very PC. The fat cook and the old lady couldn't catch the pancake because they were too fat/old. I guess it's still OK to say a hen can't run very fast.

 This ending only led to one possible ending: the pig eating that pancake and...

 ... Cyrus' Nama fixing him pancakes for breakfast this morning.

Yum! Don't worry mom, he also had blueberries, eggs, and soy sausage.

 What good is a wall if you can't drive your car through it?

Baba and Cyrus played hide and go seek.


Cyrus is a big teaser and funny guy. Many times this weekend we noticed that he much preferred doing the 'wrong' thing in order to get a laugh. Three-year-olds are so silly!


Well, his parents should be here any minute, so let me go down and get our Memorial Day dinner ready. I'll be so sad to see them go.

OK, Back To Me

Saeed helping Cyrus learn the bicycle.

He still does better on the tricyle.

Cute pudgy road block.

Naked, staggering, cooing, soccer player (love that extended right arm!)

Walking like Godzilla is exhausting.

Never knew Godzilla had such long dark eyelashes.

For dinner Cyrus ate a tofurky sandwich on Ezekial bread, mangoes, cottage cheese, and dates with walnuts hidden inside.

Reminds me of reading to the girls. Cyrus said, "Let's snuggle" and "You stay there and wait patiently while I get another book."

This morning Cyrus ate oatmeal with blueberries and while I went upstairs to get the laundry baskets he recruited his Baba for more book time. I'm so happy he likes books. (Tippy does too.)

After an intense game of deck basketball and deck kickball Cyrus worked on his bubble-making technique.

How cool is that. (Love those cute little dirty hoofies.)

Time for a mid-morning muffin break. After two he asked for a third; sorry buddy!

My First Blog Post - by Cyrus

The captions below were written by Cyrus.


These are the pictures I took today:

This is my Baba.

Baby Kai.

Baba.

Mommy and Daddy

Mommy and Daddy

Little bugs.

My fingers today.

Chairs and table

My fire truck

Taking my own picture.

I took my picture today.

I took my pictures today.

Getting Ready...

... for Cyrus' visit. Fuffins, of course.

Those beautiful heads of lettuce are from the Farmer's Market.

Shirin, as I was trying to put the salad in the fridge your dad walked by and said, "I want some!" You'd better drive quickly.

Family Fun

The morning after the birthday party Cyrus and I were up earlier than everyone else and decided to give these games a try. Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Hi Ho Cherry-O are games that I remember liking from my childhood.

Cyrus quickly grasped the instructions to Pin the Tail and soon found it funnier to get it in the wrong place. How did I know he'd do that?!

He promised to try to get it on the rump this time...

... but didn't... on purpose. Imp.

Hi Ho Cherry-O has come a long way since I was little. All my cherries were red cherries. In the modern version you have a choice of a cherry tree, a green apple tree, and orange tree, and a blueberry bush. I was again impressed by how quickly Cyrus could spin the arrow, count the number of oranges he was allowed to move, and then pick them out of the tree and put them in the bucket. After playing two games it degenerated into "let's see how many fruits we can put in the wrong tree!" It was a lot of fun.

We then went on to the memory game. We did a simpler version than the actual instructions but he'll grow into this one very quickly.

Enough with the structured games. Three-year-olds need to get physical.

Yes I see you!

Finally everyone else woke up and came downstairs. Kai was happy to see Cyrus and in the process of giving him a big hug tipped him over. Kai's no feather!

This may look unfair, but Kai is a very quick crawler.

Still, somehow Cyrus got away. Where'd he go?

I guess Baba couldn't see the vegetables well enough so Cyrus shined some light on the subject.

Meanwhile Kai took a dip in the cat fountain.

Busted!

The pictures on the deck are a bit dark because we were in the shade and it was so sunny outside. Click on the next two so you see how Kai is lusting after those subs his parents are eating.

Gabriel has him in a Persian lock.

Hmmmm... new taste... sub sandwich... I think I like it.

This is actually Cyrus' cup but he patiently waits for Kai to share.

But when patience doesn't work you have to just...

... pull it in tight!

What a nice picture of Saeed.