vegan nutrition

The Game Changers – vegan movie review

The Game Changers film poster
~ Paul ~ 1 Comment

The Game Changers is the latest in a list of “must-see” vegan films, but it is the first to receive such widespread cinema showings.

The Peterborough (UK) screening sold out and a number of my friends missed out – it is, however available to pre-order on i-Tunes at the time of writing, and I’m sure it will be available elsewhere in the near future – keep an eye on the website https://gamechangersmovie.com/

But is it any good?

In a word, “yes”. Unlike Earthlings and Land of Hope and Glory, it focuses on the impact of a vegan diet on a human body, while briefly touching on climate change – animal abuse is hardly mentioned and there are no disturbing images – although the discussion on the positive effects of a vegan diet on errections did make a few people blush – but it’s interesting viewing for penis owners and people who enjoy penises in a sexual way.

When it comes to star names, The Game Changers has them in abundance – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lewis Hamilton and James Cameron – who executive produced the film too.

It features interviews with vegan athletes, scientists and spends a lot of time with James Wilks – an elite Special Forces trainer and winner of The Game Changers The Ultimate Fighter. He is on a quest to discover the advantages of a plant-based diet in repairing the body after injury – obviously, the advantages of the diet are huge – but the fact that someone so closely connected to elite forces is endorsing veganism is huge news in itself and should banish a few ideas that vegans are weak and protein deficient.

World record-holding strongman Patrik Baboumian is also heavily featured – again this dispels any notion that a vegan diet leaves vegans weak and lacking in any nutrients. I like the fact that these athletes also points out the huge range of vegan foods which are now available.

There is a lot of scientific data in the film explaining why a vegan diet is healthier for both athletes and the general population. The information about vitamin B12 is particularly interesting – many state that it is only available from meat, however, it is added to animal feed and used to be available in the soil attached to vegetables – that is now killed by pesticides, therefore fortification or supplements are the best ways for humans to get B12 – vegan or not.

I was also particularly interested by the archaeological evidence challenging the notion that ancient man hunted to live. The argument that it was the marketing of meat that has formed many people’s beliefs in the need for it as part of a healthy diet, that it makes you stronger and more manly was fascinating to me. This section was well argued and it’s something I hadn’t thought of before. It has definitely given my another string to my bow when arguing veganism’s corner in debates.

The scenes of UFC fighter Conor McGregor mocking vegan Nate Diaz’s diet and then getting beaten by him made the already vegan members of the audience smile and nod that justice was done. McGregor was also seen relishing in his steak-based diet – however, Diaz was beaten in the rematch a couple of months later – this wasn’t mentioned or discussed in the film – a shame which could lead to some criticism.

Overall, it’s a very watchable film – the science is explained clearly and the narrative never gets bogged down in the complex scientific facts, but it doesn’t over-simplify them either – a balancing act which is hard to pull off successfully. The famous names and frank interviews are also a big draw for those interested in nutrition for athletes.

It’s well worth a watch and I definitely advise checking out the website for more details – here’s the trailer

 

The reason people hate vegans revealed!

~ Paul ~ Leave a comment

I found the recent Press stories about vegans lacking choline a bit odd. At first, I thought it because we weren’t visiting enough public swimming pools, but apparently, it’s a vital brain nutrient.

I’d never heard of it before the Media used it as a “bash the vegans” stick, the Mail’s story even totally neglected to mention the plant sources of the nutrient.

Apparently, Emma Derbyshire wrote the piece for an opinion body, so it’s an opinion piece, not scientific fact and vegans had great fun debunking the story on Facebook. The anti-vegans were also less than quietly condemning vegans for their “nutritionally deficient” diet, an opinion backed up by no evidence at all.

The Vegan Society have summed the whole thing up rather well: https://www.vegansociety.com/whats-new/news/statement-media-reports-about-choline-and-vegan-diets

But that’s the point in this social media opinion dominated world, facts go to the wall and convenient truths rule the roost. I read someone said “I don’t trust scientists” on one thread. Personally, I don’t trust anyone who’d believe politicians and businessmen above scientists – maybe he thinks the world is flat, cigarettes don’t cause cancer, water isn’t necessary for survival and cars do run on baked beans – basically anything that isn’t a scientific fact! This is what we’re up against when debating climate change – one of the reasons it’s important to be more vegan. Yes, I said “vegan!” Most people say “plant-based” these days as if veganism is a dirty word.

Similarly, stories that vegans carry a higher risk of strokes – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-49579820 – neglected to mention the fact the same study found vegans had a lower risk of heart disease in their headlines.

So, the real question is, why are people so worried about vegans’ health?

They’re not.

When people ask you “where do you get your protein/B12/iodine/choline” (delete as applicable) what they actually mean is “don’t be vegan, it doesn’t give you a balanced diet and that’s a good excuse for me not going vegan”. It’s another stick to beat vegans with. This one has “don’t you dare question my safe little reality with your vegan facts” etched on it.

They say “ignorance is bliss” and this rings so true when it comes to attacking veganism. Vegans are questioning the status quo, in effect questioning capitalism itself as the system is built on animal testing, animal agriculture and viewing our fellow creatures as commodities and not living beings – no wonder the Press, politicians and business leaders wish to lead the attack against veganism.

They do like to profit from the vegan pounds, of course, paying lip service to us by introducing plant-based products in supermarkets and fast-food outlets, raking in the vegan cash while failing to cut back on the number of animal products available.

People who question vegan nutrition online probably wouldn’t rush to your aid if you did collapse from protein deficiency. They laugh in a morbid “I told you so” manner when vegans happen to fall ill – totally ignoring all other factors. It is a sick way of reinforcing their prejudices if you think about it deeply – or not deeply at all come to that.

It comes down to asking why people hate vegans – and it’s not because we always talk about veganism, push our opinions down their throats or any other weak excuses, it’s for all the reasons above. Veganism remains radical, veganism remains rebellious and, fundamentally, it is the only way to save the planet’s wildlife and the planet itself. That this is seen as a threat shows that something is deeply wrong about people’s thinking and attitudes in the world today.