What The Health

Column #204

A few months ago I received a question about the credibility of a Netflix documentary titled “What the Health” (WTH). Supposedly this 2017 film “exposes the collusion and corruption in government and big business that is costing us trillions of healthcare dollars, and keeping us sick.”

It doesn’t fulfill its hype. Instead, it’s a vegan promo co-directed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn--the creators of another Netflix documentary, “Cowspiracy.” Typical of films like WTH, this one used straw man arguments to influence the viewer to opt in for the director’s vegan diet. In so doing Kip exposed his own corruption.

For example, WTH pummeled animal products of all kinds for being bad for your health starting with them being dangerous sources of dioxins. But it failed to mention a couple facts. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes (along with animal products) are sources of dioxins. In addition, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences recently announced that: “Strict regulatory controls on major industrial sources of dioxin have reduced emissions into the air by 90 percent, compared to levels in 1987. Today, the hazards posed by dioxins have faded from public view. And, in fact, the extent of the hazard has diminished in the U.S., as environmental controls significantly reduced the introduction of new industrial sources of dioxin.”

Kip said all protein comes from plants which makes plants the best protein source. But that’s not so. All organisms, including animals, synthesize their own protein. Once they have amino acids, every organism is able to combine them into proteins. This is the main function of DNA, which lines up amino acids into a protein that creates the animal’s body and enzymes. Kip ignored the fact that animal foods are the highest quality protein sources and that plant sources lack one or more amino acids. Animal protein sources are also higher in certain nutrients such as vitamin B12, vitamin D, the Omega-3 DHA fatty acid, heme-iron, and zinc.

Kip suggested that eating 2,000 calories of brown rice and broccoli would provide more than enough protein. But it takes 4.7 cups of brown rice to get 1,000 calories and 32.3 cups of broccoli to get 1,000 calories. One pound of ground beef provides 1,000 calories. So pass the ground beef please, just make it grass-fed.

WTH didn’t address why chronic diseases continue to mount while the per capita consumption of red meat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and salt declined in the past 50 years. Chicken consumption is up though. The per capita consumption of vegetables and fruit are down slightly, but that’s mostly due to a reduction in potatoes and fruit juices. With more green leafy vegetables being consumed this may be a healthier mix. In addition, in the past few years calories consumed are down slightly. These macro numbers do not support WTH’s argument for its conspiracy theories.

Kip referred to various studies that supposedly supported his arguments without elaborating specifically on which ones they were. That’s deceptive because some studies are merely theories that recommend further study. Some are actual studies comparing two approaches. Some are peer-reviewed fact checks on prior studies. Some are written by authors with conflicts of interest.

Unfortunately when it comes to nutritional studies on humans all too often diets are not properly tracked. Other issues involve flawed techniques or studies that are too brief. Diets are also complicated in that one food addition or deletion may not be relevant. The result is that there are thousands of studies on both sides of the isle for every condition. Some are credible, others less so.

I was not surprised when my Internet searches for “What the Health” revealed many negative reviews by health, nutrition, and medical professionals. Their main complaints were that WTH exaggerated weak data and misrepresented science in order to promote a vegan diet and a PETA agenda.

Surprisingly, for a movie promoting healthy eating, some important words were never uttered. A search of the movie script could not find “grain-fed,” “grass-fed,” “Omega,” “glycemic,” “chemistry,” “green leafy,” “kale,” “spinach,” and on it goes. The movie did obsess over saturated fat and cholesterol voicing 100-year-old concerns that were never properly documented. In the past ten years studies are indicating that those old theories were unfounded! There was not one word about the need for a lower ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) in the diet whether it be animal based or vegetable based.

I think WTH has less credibility than “Food Inc.” In fact, I think both movies promote chronic diseases rather than cures! Both ignore over 50 years of Omega-3 research. WTH even promotes sugar and ignores the modern science behind anthropology, biology, and food chemistry.

I’ve worked with folks at the National Institutes of Health that have researched which foods are best. But they have a hard time getting the word out because of movies like WTH and the ingrained traditions that keep people going back to the same old crap that kills them. Yes, the food industry provides consumers exactly what they want. If that wasn't the case, and people actually wanted to change to healthier diets, my grass-fed/Omega-3 meat company would be like a small Amazon rather than a lonely roadside stand on a deserted back road.

The universally accepted optimal diet focuses on whole foods that are low glycemic, nutrient dense and diverse, with 1:1 balanced EFAs. The best selections are grass-fed and Omega-3 meats, wild-caught seafood, and green leafy vegetables. Very little fruit falls into that category. Many vegetables do, but not all. And with their high EFA ratios, grain-fed livestock, nuts, seeds, and grains certainly do not belong in the optimal diet list.

Kip’s take is that our government, agriculture, the medical profession, food processors, and big pharma are conspiring to keep people sick and block change. Yes, in every case each of those participants are specialists with their own self interests. Yet even though he referred to the National Institutes of Health (a government agency) as a great source for research that he quoted from, he says consumers are being swindled by them all. So he blames “them” for having self interests, which he also exhibits. Does he assume consumers are not capable of self interest?

This is where Kip missed the primary point made by the representative from the American Diabetes Association. And it’s the biggest bugaboo, yet Kip tried to smear the representative as part of a conspiracy rather than give him any credit. What was the representative’s point?

Currently the general public eats less of the healthier foods then is recommended in the “official” government literature. That means if the recommendations were improved today, the general public would be even further behind. For significant change, people have to learn what a healthy diet actually is and then stick to it. That means they have to educate themselves and accept some personal responsibility based on their self interests. If they actually want to alleviate or avoid a chronic condition they must change and stick to their change which is the most difficult part of dieting.

But what’s happening instead? Too many consumers are blaming others for their misfortune or they simply ask for pop-a-pill cures. Unfortunately, pop-a-pill cures don’t exist for any chronic disease. Only smarts and will power work if one approaches body failings with diet, exercise, sleep, meditation, environment, and stress management.

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don’t miss these links for additional reading:

What The Health Website

What the Health (2017) – Full Transcript from Scraps from the Loft

What the Health entire movie free from Watch Documentaries

The Science Behind the Top 10 Claims from What the Health

Why I Constantly Said “What the..?” While Watching What the Health by Megan Meyer, PhD

Dioxins from National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Dioxins and Dioxin-Like Compounds in the Food Supply: Strategies to Decrease Exposure

5 Studies on Saturated Fat--Time to Retire the Myth? by Adda Bjarnadottir, MS from Healthline.com

Cholesterol in Food from National Heart Foundation of Australia

Are Plants the Source of All Protein with Animals Being Accumulators? By Matt Pizzuti, Science Writer

Animal Proteins Are Complete, But Plant Proteins Are Not by Mary Jane Brown, PhD, RD (UK) at Healthline