Watch something that matters this week. Here are 10 powerful films that will change the way you see food. Documentaries can get a bad rap for being boring, but stream this list for a heaping helping of information topped with loads of entertainment. I bet you can't walk away from these without having your current assumptions about food totally devoured.
Conspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
Watch if: You’re on the fence about going vegan
Why you should watch: If you’ve been considering an all-veggie diet, this film will give you more than a moral nudge to get there. Executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio pushes the facts on factory farming and the claims that animal agriculture is the biggest threat to the environment—moreso than even fossil fuel. Director Kip Anderson explores government ties to the the meat industry what that means as far as our national understanding of food.
Where to watch: Netflix or download
Sushi: The Global Catch (2012)
Watch if: You love sushi or have an interest in the world economy or conservationism
Why you should watch: This film takes a conservationist’s point of view on the insatiable demand for sushi resulting in the overfishing of tuna is recent years. Take a tour of a Japanese fish market and see hundred pound bluefin tuna up for auction at $100,000 or more and explore why limited our appetites for these fish matters to every ecosystem on Earth.
Where to watch: Netflix
Bite Size (2014)
Watch if: You have an interest in America’s child obesity problem
Why you should watch: The director, Corbin Billings, walks us through the lives of four American kids from diverse backgrounds as they desperately struggle to lose weight and keep health issues at bay. This documentary takes a look at the childhood obesity epidemic beyond just facts and figures.
Watch on: Netflix, iTunes
Farmageddon (2011)
Watch if: You’ve ever questioned whether the government knows best about what you feed your family
Why you should watch: The New York Times called this film “part consumer-rights advocacy, part abuse-of-power exposé.” Less government regulation is the call to action in this film. Regulations are in place to protect the public, but filmmaker and “mom of four” asks us to consider if the current approach is outdated and destructive to local farmers.
Watch on: Netflix, Amazon, iTunes
Somm (2013)
Watch if: You like wine a lot, a little or just want to be informed
Why you should watch: You’ll probably learn a ton about wine. The Court of the Master Sommeliers is the organization that regulates the standards and practices of the world’s leading wine experts, or sommeliers. The film takes an often dry topic (pun intended) and makes it surprisingly entertaining as it follows four young master somm wannabes as they sweat the studying and prep for the notoriously rigorous Master Sommelier exam.
Also check out Somm: Into the Bottle (2015)
Watch on: Netflix
A Place at the Table (2012)
Watch if: You social issues are your concern
Why you should watch: Food insecurity is one social problem afflicting the US. This documentary uses personal stories—a mother, a small-town policeman and a farmer—to shed light on the plight of 49 million Americans struggling to put food on the table.
Where to watch: Netflix
Vegucated (2011)
Watch if: You’re considering going vegan
Why you should watch: It’s inspirational. Watch three typical New Yorkers ditch their meat and cheese ways in hopes of better health. They have six weeks to learn the basics, practice the food prep and learn to live a new lifestyle. But when the cameras turn off, are old habits and family traditions too tempting to stay vegan for life?
Where to watch: Netflix, YouTube
The Search for General Tso (2014)
Watch if: You’re curious about Chinese food
Why you should watch: This entertaining flick looks at the history of one of America’s favorite Chinese dishes. The only problem—it was probably not invented in China. The Search for General Tso looks at Chinese and American history to find out who the real General Tso was and how this dish became some popular around the country.
Where to watch: Netflix
Food, Inc. (2008)
Watch if: You are all about farm-to-table eating or wonder why others are/You confidently never want to eat anything but vegetables again in your life
Why you should watch: The oldest film on this list, it still draws frequent references in the food industry. Drawing on the books Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, the Oscar-nominated documentary looks at the food industry’s detrimental effects on our health and on the environment. Filmmaker Robert Kenner visits farms and slaughterhouses and gives us a view of our world rarely seen.
Where to watch: Netflix
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2010)
Watch if: You want to try something new
Why you should watch: You’re probably eating like garbage. Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead focuses on two men who have treated their bodies poorly for years. Obese and overcome by illnesses, both men attempt to rescue their health with a new lifestyle centered on a diet of juiced fruits and vegetables.
Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu
