10 Vegan Documentaries That Will Blow Your Mind (by Sophia Aloui)

This article was originally posted by Sophia Aloui on her blog!

It’s 2018. Wanna learn? Grab a computer!

It’s actually crazy how much information we can learn for free online these days.

I legitimately don’t think I know anyone who hasn’t learnt their makeup tips and tricks from Youtube.

How about the fact that you can legitimately get free workout sessions from the comfort of your living room.

The internet is where I get all my vegan knowledge and inspiration for vegan recipes.

I want to be honest though…

I’m a pretty slack vegan.

Let me start by saying that I never eat animal products….that’s not what I’m getting at.

I just kind of don’t feel fully educated on factors that drive the vegan movement.

If you’ve met me in person and have asked me why I’m vegan, I legitimately will just brush it off.

In general, I’m not one to get into a debate over politics, religion or any other conversations that tend to get people riled up.

I do me and you do you, yeah?

If anyone genuinely is curious as to why I choose to eat vegan, I explain that a huge driving factor for me was the ethical reasons.

I think that there’s a lot of misconceptions and controversy that surrounds a vegan diet, particularly as there are those who choose to be more outspoken about their views.

It’s totally fine.

However, I’m also a firm believer of people making choices that are suitable for their lives.

Also, anyone attempting a vegetarian diet or maybe someone who keeps slipping up as a vegan…

I think it’s super great that you’re consciously trying to make a difference and y’all should be applauded for that alone.

We’ve been socialised to eat meat and animal products our whole lives. People are slowly making the switch as they educate themselves, but it isn’t easy.

This brings me to the whole education/vegan documentaries point, but first, let me explain my situation…

Rewind almost two and a half years ago and I actually had an incident.

My roommates and I were standing around this huge family sized pie, each holding a fork and stuffing our faces. We were in a rush to go to the pub.

Don’t judge me, I was living in England. It’s rude to not have a daily pint.

Anyways, I was eating this pie and all of a sudden I felt myself swallow this weird slimy object.

I asked my roommates what flavour the pie was and they proceeded to explain it was steak and kidney.

I legitimately swallowed a whole kidney.

In general, I’ve always been a little uneasy about eating meat. As a kid, Mum would yell at me because I’d refuse to eat my chicken unless it was charcoal.

But let me tell you, that kidney ordeal was the end of meat for me.

I started eating vegetarian and then transitioned pretty quickly to veganism.

I watched a few vegan documentaries, such as Earthlings, which further reiterated why I wanted to make the switch.

However, Youtube was probably where I found most of my inspiration.

It was vegan Youtubers, such as Ellen Fisher, Bonny Rebecca and Tess Begg, that really helped me understand the ease of making the switch in my everyday life.

I learnt that it was okay to eat whole foods in abundance.

I’ve fluctuated weight my whole life and when I finally made the switch, it was as if I stopped caring.

I was looking at food like fuel.

All of a sudden my subconscious mind was looking after my body and needed to make decisions that would fuel it.

The physical changes were mind-blowing.

To think that Youtube is actually free and provides so much education and inspiration is actually insane.

However, here comes the problem that I’ve been reflecting on.

I initially went vegan for ethical reasons, however, have always neglected to educate myself on other factors.

I want to learn more about the health benefits and the environmental impacts.

Recently, I’ve slowly transitioned away from focusing a lot on whole foods and find myself buying a lot of refined carbs, sugars and multiple blocks of dark chocolate.

It’s made me feel shit.

Wow shock horror…

Anyways, I wanted to get more in touch with my body and wanted to start incorporating more whole foods into my diet.

I feel the best way to do this is to go back to basics and really educate myself.

CUE BINGE WATCHING!

I want to be able to share knowledge and education next time someone asks me why I’m vegan.

I’m not one to ever get preachy but would like to be able to actually give reputable answers when people are genuinely curious.

There are hundreds of amazing movies and vegan documentaries out there that educate, however, I’m keeping this list for those beginners.

I feel these are the vegan documentaries and videos you need to watch when starting out.

10 VEGAN DOCUMENTARIES THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND

1.0 EARTHLINGS (2005)

(NATIONEARTH.COM)

I’ve heard so many stories about people watching Earthlings and then immediately making the switch.

Shaun Monson exposes the animal suffering endured at puppy mills, factory farms, research labs and more.

Some scenes might shock viewers but unfortunately, it’s the harsh reality of what actually occurs.

I cried like an actual baby.

Earthlings can be watched on Youtube.

2.0 WHAT THE HEALTH (2017)

(WHATTHEHEALTHFILM.COM)

What The Health focuses on the detrimental effects animal foods have on human health.

Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn speak to various medical professionals and researchers about the growing effects that animal products have on the human body.

They soon realise that major health organisations have conflicting interests when it comes to educating the public, uncovering the massive corporate influences that impact on a nation’s health.

So many conspiracy theories debunked.

Netflix offers the film in most countries or buy it here on Amazon.

3.0 COWSPIRACY (2014)

(WWW.COWSPIRACY.COM)

Cowspiracy is all about the devastating environmental impacts of animal agriculture.

The film sheds light on how animal agriculture is the primary driver of climate change.

From the same makers of What The Health, Cowspiracy approaches some of the biggest environmental organisations like Greenpeace and Sierra Club.

Prepare to feel super anxious for the future of planet Earth.

Netflix offers the film in many countries or buy it here on Amazon.

4.0 FORKS OVER KNIVES (2011)

(WWW.FORKSOVERKNIVES.COM)

Forks Over Knives features leading experts in health such as Dr. T. Colin Campbell, co-author of the China Study and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, author of “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” among many other doctors and researchers.

Both experts grew up on farms, believing that animal protein was healthy and necessary but soon changed their beliefs based on scientific data.

We get a close look at how a whole food plant-based diet is the answer to obesity and can heal or even reverse the most common degenerative diseases of our society.

I like this movie because the information is presented in a plausible way, as opposed to being preachy.

Netflix offers the film in many countries or buy it here on Amazon.

5.0 JAMES WILDMAN: 101 REASONS TO GO VEGAN

(WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/ATHEISTCHANNEL)

This presentation was put on by The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida and presented to a bunch of high school students.

This presentation really resonated with me. I learn best in a casual environment.

James Wildman really educates the audience, while doing so in a fun but powerful manner.

This is the video that I show my friends and family when I don’t want to be too scientific but really want them to get it.

You can access this video on Youtube.

6.0 SUPER SIZE ME (2004)

(WWW.WIKIPEDIA.COM)

Director Morgan Murdock conducts an experiment to only eat Mcdonalds for 30 days straight.

His experiment is supervised by three doctors who are shocked by the dramatic decrease in his physical and mental health over the experiment duration.

This film doesn’t directly promote veganism, however it reiterates the importance of eating a healthy diet.

The film also uncovers how the fast food industry is fooling people into becoming consumers, putting their physical and mental health at risk.

Netflix offers the film in many countries or get it here on Amazon.

7.0 BLACKFISH (2013)

(YOURFAMILYEXPERT.COM)

Blackfish follows the story of several orcas who were forced into captivity at Seaworld amusement park for people’s entertainment.

The film focuses on a specific whale called Tilikum, an orca that has been involved in three deadly incidents.

We get a better understanding at the highly sensitive lives these orcas are forced to live and how their cruel treatment is causing them to show aggression.

This film really highlights the ethical issues that come with animal mistreatment for our own entertainment.

Netflix offers this movie in many countries or get in here on Amazon.

8.O VEGUCATED (2011)

(WWW.DOCUMENTARYLOVERS.COM)

Vegucated follows three omnivores who try veganism for six weeks.

Initially driven by the potential of losing weight, they soon get educated about the environmental and ethical implications that come with eating their previous diets.

The knowledge they gain soon makes it virtually impossible for them to return to their previous lifestyle.

Vegucated can be found on Netflix in limited countries or get it here on Amazon.

9.0 FAT, SICK AND NEARLY DEAD (2010)

(WWW.RENEGADETRIBUNE.COM)

Australian Joe Cross, is 100 pounds overweight and also suffers from a rare autoimmune disease.

Conventional medicine and doctors aren’t able to help him, so he decides to go on a 60 day juice cleanse.

His aim is to get off his pills and regain his health.

Joe hits the road and travels the West Coast of America, interviewing Americans about their eating habits.

The documentary really reiterates that we have the power to take our wellbeing and health into our own hands.

Netflix offers the movie in various countries or get it here on Amazon.

10. FED UP (2014)

(WWW.HOMECURESTHATWORK.COM)

Fed Up focuses on the causes of obesity in the U.S. and how the food industry may be responsible for more sickness than previously realised.

The documentary shows how the first dietary guidelines issued by the U.S. Government overlooked the role of dietary sugar in increasing health problems, such as diabetes and obesity.

These children face shorter lifespans as a result.

The film concludes with a list of 20 companies, industry groups and politicians who refused to talk to the filmmakers.

Netflix offers this movie in various countries or get it here on Amazon.

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