Forks Over Knives is both a documentary and a book based on the concept that a whole-foods, plant-based diet is not only the healthiest way to eat, but also has the potential to prevent and reverse health problems. Health care costs are subsequently lowered, and the reduction in animal consumption results in a positive environmental impact.
Americans are addicted to high fat, salt, and sugar foods. With two-thirds of adults overweight or obese, and more obese children than ever before, diabetes and heart disease are on the rise. Patients who have been convinced by their doctors to adopt a plant-based diet have seen dramatic improvements in chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart issues. These findings are in line with statistics from populations whose primary diet is traditionally plant-based; these populations have significantly lower cancer, diabetes, and heart disease rates than the rest of the world.
To eat the Forks Over Knives way, avoid anything that ever had a mother: no meat, no fish, no dairy, no eggs. Stay away from artificial and chemical additives and preservatives. Avoid overly processed and refined foods such as white bread, bleached flour, and refined sugars. This includes oils, even olive oil as it is refined to eliminate its nutritional aspects leaving behind highly concentrated fat.
Eat whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, mushrooms, and plant milks. The foods you consume should be in a form as close to their natural fresh-from-the-ground state as possible. Potato chips may never have had a mother, but they are not in their natural healthy state. You can use low-sodium vegetable stock as an olive oil substitute. Choose good carbohydrates such as mango, broccoli, and whole grains. Avoid dairy as the key protein in cow’s milk, casein, has been shown in studies to possibly be a carcinogen. Read ingredient lists carefully: simplicity is key. Cut salt and use extra spices instead. Use orange puree instead of oil for dressings.
We do not advocate this diet because it contrasts with another highly-touted healthy lifestyle, the Mediterranean diet. Mediterranean people have diets focused on fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, but olive oil is the primary source of fat, yogurt and cheese are eaten daily, fish and poultry are eaten are few times a week, red meat is kept to a minimum, and a glass of red wine accompanies dinner. Mediterranean-style eaters have lower rates of heart disease, obesity, cancer, diabetes, lung disease and asthma, allergies, and Alzheimer’s.
