Serving Up Success (One Plant At a Time)

Last night I went to a film screening of the documentary “Eating You Alive” a feature length film about the science behind why we’re dealing with such prevalent chronic illness in North America, why we’re being fed the wrong information about food, and how a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle can have a tremendous, positive impact on our own health (and subsequently, the health of the planet). It was awesome and the screening was awesome – more on that in a minute. If you’ve ever seen Forks Over Knives; Food, Inc; or What the Health, you’ll know roughly where this movie goes but if you’re thinking, “Well I’ve already seen all of those films…why do I need to see another?”

Trust me, you do.

Full disclosure: this is the way I currently eat (whole-food, plant-based). I’m convinced that this is a fantastical solution to many of the crises we face today: health, environment, and climate. What follows are my own viewpoints. You can take ’em or leave ’em.

Way Back When…

Years ago I was fully whole-food, plant-based and I went down this path for purely environmental reasons. I was on a mission to eradicate plastic from my life and as it turns out, a lot of animal products often come wrapped in shiny layers of the stuff. Ugh, lame! So, there went the meat and in its place came a whole lotta plant goodness that I could pick up for a fraction of the cost, and plastic-free! #winning

Funnily enough though, once I went on a plastic-free diet, I started noticing my physical health changing for the better. I had more energy, I was running more, I felt strong. Going vegan transformed who I was as a person. Whodathunkit?

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A Return to Plants

Fast forward to today: after a few years oscillating between vegetarian and full-on omnivore, I’m back to eating plants. Watching “Eating You Alive” last night added more fuel to my personal fire of continuing on this path and it also left me feeling so hopeful and buoyant. Here’s why:

1. The screening was held at an elementary school and it was free and open to the public.
2. There were well over 100 people in attendance. May closer to 150. Either way, the gymnasium where it was held was full!
3. Two of the people interviewed in the film were in the room, living proof that we can be the change we want to see in the world.

The Power of People

Put these three together and what do you have? An audience that was, if I had to guess, parents with children, students, or interested members of the public. Imagine all the potential sitting in the room. Here we were, 100+ strong, not all of us vegan, watching a very compelling and scientifically accurate film about how powerful eating plants can be. What I loved most was that although this event ran late (on a school night!), many people stuck around for the Q&A. They were curious. They wanted to know how it all worked, they wanted to know specifics.

People, this is success! The creators of this film created a compelling, engaging narrative that was in itself a massive success story. Person after person interviewed, from the medical community to regular people like you and me (thank you Indian Rock Vegans Sheanne and Dan!) shared their story about how much their lives changed when they adopted a different way of eating. It changed their health and their individual choices are having a positive impact on the planet.

One Plant At A Time

Eating You Alive is a powerful story about transformational change, about how something so simple as a dietary flip-of-the-switch can have such radical impacts on multiple facets of our lives. Just by EATING, we can help make the world a better place, and our own bodies better places to live in.

To me, success happens when you’re able to bring people together that may have different view points, to all focus on a specific topic for a short time and end up creating a productive space for discussion, inquisition, and thoughtful dialogue. Change only happens when we ourselves feel compelled to act and last night, I saw that for myself. We were curious, hopeful, and inspired.

There is no line between food and the environment, or food and the plastic pollution problem, or food and climate change. It’s all related and all these problems play off one another. Solve one and you solve the rest. If a room full of 100+ people go out and make changes in their own lives, and start voting for the foods that will give them health and vitality instead of sickness and pain, imagine the future that could be created!

All this, over plants. Imagine that. 😊