It's been a while. I guess nothing's happened that struck me with the inspiration to write these days, but recently it has. I'm always in the mood to watch any muckraking, inspirational, or health-educational film and just found one. Excited by the title, I searched for it and found it and want to share it with the masses on the internet.
It's a documentary called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" As you can see. The image and trailer can be accessed at the page:
http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/ and also leads to the online community known collectively as "the Reboot." It goes back to the time-tested practice of fasting to in effect "reset" the body.
For anyone who's followed my posting they know I have sporradic health complaints. I think I'm someone who needs a lot of variety in my diet. My last diet experiment had to do with avoiding gluten, and after avoiding it temporarily for a month or so I can tolerate even gluten containing foods in moderation (success!). For those who are severely overweight and experiencing mild to severe health effects from a processed or low plant food containing diet, I think this movie is a must see. Joe Cross (the director and main subject of the film) is your average younger-end middle aged man who finds himself 40 or so, overweight, and saddled with an autoimmune medical condition which for a time he chose to control with modern medicine: predisone. Another subject in the film has the same condition (chronic urticaria) the other man with the condition is a similar age but more overweight. Both stories are inspiring. My father also suffers from a chronic hive condition and he wears the same badge of metabolic crisis: what I would call "basketball gut." Or my mother says it looks like my dad's carrying triplets.
How is it that for all our advancements, technology, and wealth-- we are failing to fuel ourselves with the nutrients we need? Why does our food: that which we put in our bodies, fail to warrant the financial investment we're willing to make for clothes, tech devices, cosmetics, and everything else in our lives?
All in all I find the film to be a great inspiration. It goes where films which came before such as Super Size Me and other food-related documentaries don't go. It shows that there is a way to break the cycle and restore balance in the body. And also, that there's a way to do it without breaking the bank. Both the director/main subject, Joe, and the secondary character, Phil, loose their basketball gut and their western medications--while at the same time inspiring their families and communities to consider themselves undertaking fasts (Joe and Phil complete 60 day juice fasts), although for those who are facing more mild conditions and mild overweight, shorter fasts and maintaining balance in the diet is probably enough to consider fostering health.
A must see. I remember watching Super Size Me in my high school health education class. I think this film could easily take the place of that film as being educational and inspirational for people to suggest to their friends or family members.
