It's worth saying at this point that he does all this under the supervision of a doctor. So he is pronounced fit to eat no food for 60 days and instead simply drink juice. Juice which he prepares himself with a fancy juicer and boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables, including a massive amount of kale. He spends this 60 days in America, in New York and then travelling around, with the juicer in his boot, hooked up to a portable battery. He is a very gregarious character and chats to all kinds of people about having only juice, about why he is doing this and about their health. This gives rise to some jaw-dropping conversations, with people who are unbelievably honest about their health and their weight and their intention to effectively keep eating badly even though they know it will shorten their life spans. He talks to people everywhere, more or less accosting them, but in a very friendly way, and at one point meets a huge guy in a truck stop in Arizona, who has the same medical condition. Much of this chat and interaction takes place in fast food joints or restaurants and you can't help but feel sorry for Joe, surrounded by big American portions of ribs, chips, burgers and cake, while he sips on his juice.
However, he is changing before your eyes as the days are counted off. So, the 60 days finishes, he has lost massive amounts of weight and heads back home, having come off all his medication and still in good health. At this point, I realised there was about half the film left to go, and I couldn't work out how they were going to fill the rest of it! Then something unexpected happened and it was just amazing... I won't give it away! I highly recommend this movie - it is well made, thought provoking and funny in places.
And it made me think about the idea of cleansing and juicing and then afterwards restricting your diet to mostly micro nutrient foods - effectively turning the food pyramid upside down. Extreme? Yes, absolutely. Fascinating nonetheless, and it stayed with me.
Then Netflix, as it does, decided I like films about fat people and food and suggested Hungry for Change. This turned out to be a documentary about the food industry - the diet food industry in particular - and how deceptive and damaging it is. There was a huge range of experts, who by and large spoke very well within their individual expertise. The myth of 'light' or 'fat free' foods was well and truly exploded as they went through the ingredients of some of these foods and their effects. Diet Coke in particular - you will never touch it again if you watch this... There were some fascinating stories from a few people who had lost startling amounts of weight and gone on to help others in this area. There were 2 women who were living with cancer long after they were expected to die, and whose complete change of diet, they believed, was largely responsible for their ongoing health despite their prognosis. Joe Cross popped up as well with his story!
It could have been very formulaic; with talking heads spouting facts and theories, but the passion of all the speakers really shone through and I found it very interesting. Some of it was a bit 'Californian' for me, with a strong emphasis on loving yourself. While I may agree with the sentiment, it was a bit overdone onscreen.However, I came away once again thinking about the importance of what we put in our bodies and with some very thought provoking statements ringing in my head.
All the experts agreed that 'diets' as we know them, do not work and there is some crazy statistic about how many people regain all the weight they lose and more through diets that restrict access to certain foods, like the Adkins Diet. I am sure almost everyone reading this can attest to the craving for that one particular food that comes over you like a fever, when you are following a plan which includes a list of 'forbidden' foods...
So how's this for common sense? Instead of cutting things out, one expert suggested adding things in: healthy things. Increasing your fruit and vegetable intake and gradually crowding out the bad foods. This is in fact remarkably like what Slimming World gets you to do, which I am still following. You are meant to have 1/3 of your food be a portion of fruit or vegetables, every time you eat. It has the effect of boosting your healthy food intake, but it also automatically restricts the amount of 'bad stuff 'you eat, as you have to match it by a third each time. Gradually, your habits change, if you strictly follow this rule.
They all commented on the need to read labels. And there was huge enthusiasm for juicing, and for cleansing. There was a strong suggestion that if you planned to change your eating habits, you should have a juice cleanse for a week or 2 and then gradually add foods back in. It was interesting that, although weight loss was mentioned, the bigger benefits were related to health and also to beauty; nails, hair and skin will be hugely improved by this apparently.
So there we are. Should I dig out my juicer and go for it? It is tempting to try to have juice only for a couple of weeks. By all accounts, the first few days are tough, but then you feel great and have loads of energy. I must say, I am really considering doing this, perhaps in a month or so.
But mainly, what I am left with is a change in my thinking about food. It is so hard not to continually associate changing your eating with weight; at least it is for me as this is something that I have been engaging with for years, in particular the last 3 years. This leads to so many conflicting thoughts: 'Who am I doing this for? I should be able to eat what I want! Maybe I'll just be fat and learn to be happy with that... Why do I feel the need to conform to a societal norm or a stereotypical understanding of beauty? There is too much pressure to be thin from skinny celebs! Why should I care what others think? I wish I was thinner! My clothes don't fit... Oh crap, I have a party in 3 weeks and nothing to wear...' Please tell me I am not alone in this spiral of useless thoughts!
But if you switch it to health as the issue, the perspective changes and the goal becomes bigger and more important. In this context, I am motivated to continue to follow the Slimming World plan, but for different reasons from now on. Yes, of course I still want to fit into that dress I looked nice in 3 summers ago... But I also want to be healthy, energetic and here for a long time yet! And it would be interesting to investigate further how diet, not 'a diet', but diet, could perhaps improve or even shut down the colitis which I have.
The 2 films described are highly recommended. They are both on Netflix, but it may have been the American version thereof that I was watching. Try these links for more info too: http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com and http://viooz.co/movies/4394-hungry-for-change-2012.html. If you google the film titles, you should find that you can see trailers at the very least.
Would love to know what others think of these films! Too extreme? Or perhaps Food for Thought?
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