3 Films That Will Turn You Vegan

Finding the motivation to make a major life choice such as going vegan can be difficult. Veganism can seem pointless and silly unless you are passionate and understand the bigger picture. These three films helped me realise the truth about the meat and dairy industry.

"There are three main reasons why a person may decide to go vegan."

Health

Fat Sick & Nearly Dead

A 2010 documentary

Fat Sick & Nearly Dead follows the 60-day journey of Australian Joe Cross, as he travels across the United States whilst living on a 100% juice diet.

At the beginning of the documentary, Joe tells us of his multiple health problems and dependence on prescription medication. Under the care of nutritionist Dr Joel Fuhrman, he follows a juice fast to regain his health. Living in what is essentially a raw vegan diet, he is able to detoxify his body, cleaning out all toxins and replacing them with essential vitamins and minerals.

60 days later and 100 pounds down, Joe is visibly healthier, leaner, and free from all health issues.

Fat Sick & Nearly Dead is an eye-opening documentary which highlights the importance of healthy eating. Our modern western society's health is in decline due to the ever growing amount of junk and processed food. Illness and obesity could be controlled if only we were more mindful about the food we put in our bodies.

Animal Rights

Earthlings

2005 Documentary

If Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead didn't want to make you put down your cheeseburger, then Earthlings will.

Earthlings is a shocking documentary about the exploitation of animals, whether its for food, entertainment, fashion or scientific research.

We as humans have taken this way too far. It started off with hunger for food, now we are hungry for their skin and bones.

Now we want to humiliate them, cage them and torture them.

Where will we draw the line?

We forget that animals are our friends too. They feel as much as we do, and deserve a chance to live a full, happy life much like us.

I will admit, this documentary is hard to watch at times. It's gruesome, bloody and truly upsetting. But it's vital that we understand exactly where our food came from and how it was treated.

COWSPIRACY: The Sustainability Secret

A 2014 Documentary

Did you know livestock production is accountable for approximately 18% of human-caused greenhouse gases?

Neither did I untiL I watched Conspiracy. In fact, I wasn't even slightly aware of the environmental impact that the meat and dairy industry caused.

That's the scary thing about it - no one knows. We are led to believe that the leading cause of climate change is due to the burning of fossil fuels and pollution when in actual fact, the meat and dairy industry has surpassed both the transportation and electricity industry as the greatest source of greenhouse gasses.

Due to the ever increasing demand for meat and dairy products, it has reached a point where the is no sustainable way to raise animals in order to meet the growing demands. If we keep heading in this direction, we are only going to keep on destroying our planet.

If we can't trust the meat and dairy industry to be truthful to us, how on earth can we trust them to feed us?

These three documentaries helped change my view on the meat and dairy industry. I spent 8 years a vegetarian prior to turning vegan at the start of this year. I used to think that the dairy industry was fine and a necessary part of life. I now think the complete opposite.

If you are struggling to understand why anyone would want to go vegan, I highly recommend watching these documentaries, or any other documentary you may find on this subject matter.