It is imperative that you watch the documentary: “Forks Over Knives.” We saw it Tuesday night, and I cannot tell you loud enough that you have to watch it. It is a fascinating take on our health, food, obesity. So the first quote that hit home at the very beginning was this one:

“We pay more for health care per person than any industrialized country in the world, yet we are sicker than ever.”

Wow. That says a lot doesn’t it? We spend so much money on our health, when really we should be spending our money on buying good fruits and vegetables. Throwing away the sugar, cookies, pop-tarts, etc. My rule of thumb is to try to eat as much of my food that is alive. Fruit is alive. Vegetables are alive. They are grown through the sun. They were not made with chemicals in a lab. They were not created with artificial flavors. Anything created from fake sugars, flavors, and preservatives were never alive. Something that was alive transfers that energy to you. You want to eat that real energy. Alive = real energy = your energy.

I found this quote fascinating:

“Let food be thy medicine.” Hippocrates

Hippocrates said this. Wow. Hippocrates was born in 460 BC and died in 370 BC. He was definitely well before his time. We should start listening to him now. Food that is alive is the best way to care for the body. Which leads me to my next fascinating quote from this documentary:

“The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” Thomas Edison

Edison was born in 1847 and died in 1937. It sounds like we still have not seen the future. It is starting though. More individuals are finding that whole foods, vegetables, and fruits are the best way to take care of the body. Yet, we are still treating most ailments with drugs. Why? Because it is easier. It is maybe the easiest thing. Pop a pill or eat spinach? Pop a pill or have a salad? Pop a pill and have a cookie? It seems easiest to just pop a pill. What is harder is to change our habits and make eating healthy food a priority in our life. Whole foods fill our stomachs and we do not eat as much. Eating foods that do not contain natural fibers mean that our stomachs do not fill up as full, and we eat more, gain weight, and the result = unhappiness. It is a continuous process from day-to-day. Two more interesting quotes:

“He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the time of his doctor.” – Ancient Chinese Proverb

“One-quarter of what you eat keeps you alive. The other three-quarters keeps your doctor alive. -Ancient Egyptian Proverb

All such great ideas. Go out and watch this documentary. It might change the way you view food and your doctor visits. It might change your life.