Don’t want to study for exams? Here’s a list of documentaries to spend precious procrastination hours on! They may also enlighten, inspire, cause doubt, change, or enjoyment!
I confess that before this year I was never really a documentary-watching kind of girl. I’ve always liked movies with a script and a narrative, and hopefully a happy ending. My boyfriend is the opposite; he loves documentaries and doesn’t care for movies as much. As a compromise, we often watch documentaries about things that I am interested in, such as food, health, animals docs, etc. Thanks to this compromise, I’ve come across a handful of documentaries that have genuinely had an impact on the way I think about health.
1. Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead
This documentary follows the life of Joe Cross. At the beginning of the documentary, he is suffering from a rare skin condition and is generally unhealthy (overweight, doesn’t eat healthy foods, rarely works out etc.). The video follows his extreme journey to fitness and well-being. By extreme I mean EXTREME. He juice fasts for months on end and loses an incredible amount of weight. Disclaimer: He is monitored by doctors the entire time – do not try to go on a juice cleanse without consulting a professional! The juice cleanse wasn’t the only inspiring thing for me, though. What was inspiring was that while he was doing this, he was traveling across America and critiquing aspects of the American diet that are incredibly bad for us and trying to sway people onto healthier, better diets! Guess what? There’s even a part two!
2. Sugar Coated
SOMEONE FINALLY DID IT! I am recommending this documentary because it is one of very few that (rightly) attacks sugar as a harmful substance to our bodies. Sugar Coated features some Canadian experts that speak about food labelling and what Canadians eat on a daily basis (including one former uOttawa prof!) which makes this a relatable movie to watch for those of us that grew up in Canada. It’s rare to find people who are so objective and honest about the harm that sugar can cause our bodies, since there is sometimes an emotional connection to unhealthy foods (like when you’d get an ice cream cone after a soccer game when you were a kid). It’s easy to overlook sugar when everyone is screaming that fat is the bad guy. I appreciated this documentary because it speaks the hard truth about how overlooking sugar in our food is incredibly dangerous and can have detrimental side effects.
3. Minimalism
This documentary is more about mental health and mindful consumerism than what we are putting into our bodies. Watching this doc made me want to get rid of a lottttt of stuff! And for good reason. Minimalism is a way of living that assigns more meaning to your physical possessions, i.e. by needing them to have a purpose. Straight from the Minimalists’ website, “Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom.” As a university graduate, I know how small apartments in the city can be so this minimalist take on owning less “junk” is beneficial in many ways. As a former knick-knack lover, this documentary showed me how much calmer and savvier my life can be if I really critique what I spend money on. There is a wonderful quote from this movie that says “Love people. Use things. The opposite never works.” How accurate.
4. Food Matters
Here is one more documentary to watch while you’re supposed to be studying: Food Matters. This documentary takes a proactive stance, showing us that what we feed our bodies will impact us afterwards. It has a very scientific approach to food, explaining how food is broken down in our bodies and what effects these foods have on us. The experts in this video also show what diets are beneficial and compare a change of diet to medications for those suffering a number of illnesses. Ph.D. Andrew Saul, a therapeutic nutrition specialist, states “We have to be a lot more serious about prescribing nutrition.” Check it out!
That is my short list for impactful documentaries! I recognize each for their unique way of opening our eyes to new ideas of health and well-being. Life is ever-changing, our ideas about healthy living should be too!
Sources: Cover, photos 1-4 are screenshots taken by the writer