Nutrition Perspective

For this assignment, I chose to watch the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead by

Joe Cross. He is an entrepreneur who knew his health was in trouble. He now advocated health

from a perspective outside of a medical personnels. Although he doesnt have a nutrition

background, he consulted with people who did throughout the documentary. He consulted and

worked with Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a doctor who advocates a micronutrient rich diet. I chose to

watch this documentary because I have heard quite a few people talk about it and suggest it to

me. I talked to a woman once who had done something similar to what he does in this

documentary and she suggested I try it, but if not at least to watch it. Another reason I chose it

was because it was the only one of my knowing, if I chose to, I would be able to do what they

were suggesting. I knew it didnt have any meats or animal based foods in it and that was the

deciding factor.

This documentary was released in 2011. The themes in this documentary would still

apply because not enough has changed in the last 6 years for the themes to have changed. You

would still be able to do this to help yourself be happier and healthier. One of the only things that

would be different is the price of making the juice has increased. People still view food now like

they did then. People still eat more fast food, meat, and carbohydrates than they do fruits and

vegetables.

At the beginning of the documentary, Joe Cross was an overweight, sick entrepreneur

from Australia. He wasnt always obese, but he had focused on wealth over health. Joe suffered

from an autoimmune disease which was like a chronic rash that would break out at random

times. He would break out into hive like rashes that were painful, itchy, and inconvenient for

years with no luck of curing it or finding anything to help. He had tried doctors, massages,
acupuncture, witch doctors, and everything else he could think of, but still he had these rashes.

He had also tried different things to lose weight with no luck. Feeling like he had exhausted all

of his options, he decided to come to the United States and juice fast for 60 days and 60 nights to

help him lose weight and to hopefully help with his disease. He decided to spend his first 30 days

in New York City and then spent the next 30 days traveling across the country. After this he

went on to spend the next six to eight months eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans.

When he got to the United States, he met with Dr. Fuhrman to discuss if this juice fast

would be okay for him to do. Dr. Fuhrman told Joe that he could do the fast for sixty days as

long as he promised to get blood work done every ten days to make sure he was healthy. After

getting his health checked and getting the okay by the doctor, Joe began his fast. Juice fasting is

just drinking your nutrients, mostly micronutrients. He decided to juice because he couldnt eat

the proper amount of fruits and vegetables whole every day.

On day of the fast Joe weighed 309 pounds and was taking 15 milligrams of Prednisone a

day for his rashes. He reported that the first days were hard. He had felt groggy, tired, hungry,

and grumpy. He talks about how he didnt feel like doing anything, even leave bed. After the

first few days, he was walking around New York City and drinking his juice. He felt better and

felt like his mind already felt clearer. By day fourteen of the fast he had lost 26 pounds and was

down to only taking 10 milligrams of his medication.

He begins talking to strangers that he meets in New York of all different backgrounds

and weights about his fast. He asked a lot of them if fasting is something they would be willing

to try to lose weight, to be healthier, or just to feel better and most of the people said no. Most

people said even though they knew it would be beneficial that they wouldnt want to fast because

they dont have interest in it, they love food too much, or they have no self-control. A lot of them
admitted to needing to lose weight, but not being willing to change any of their eating habits,

even people whose weight is or will affect their lives.

On day twenty, things are getting a lot easier for Joe. His blood pressure has gone down,

his weight has gone down, and hes overall feeling much better. He doesnt feel nearly as hungry

and he can be around people eating food and know he isnt going to eat any of it. He walks

through restaurants all over New York City, but only has juice. His temptation to eat food has

gone way down, even if it does smell good. He continues talking to people and comes to the

conclusion that a lot of the people he is talking to are very sedentary people, but they are

consuming a lot of calories. They talk about fast food they like, watching TV and eating, but not

much is said about diet and exercise from the strangers.

It is now day 31 of the juice fast and Joe is ready to travel across the United States. He

has now lost 47 pounds and is only taking 7.5 milligrams of prednisone. As he travels across the

country he talks to different people about his fast and lets them try some of his juice. A lot of the

people he talks to dont feel healthy and are very aware they need to lose weight. When he talked

to people about what they liked to eat most of their responses were some sort of fast food, meat,

and potatoes. When he asked them about fruits and vegetables they all admitted to not eating

very many and a couple people even said they eat practically none. People he talked to all over

the country felt the same way as the people in New York, they knew they were unhealthy but

they didnt want to do anything to change it.

A lot Americans live by the motto Im here for a good time, not a long time when it

comes to food. Most Americans desire way more food than they actually need. But the more they

eat, the more their stomachs stretch, and then they need more food to feel satisfied. The typical

American plate consists of half a plate of meat, one-fourth over cooked or steamed vegetables,
and one-fourth of a plate of some sort of carbs. Obesity is killing over 70 million people on the

United States.

On day 49, Joe is now down sixty-seven pounds and is only taking 3.5 milligrams of his

medication. The doctor tells him that his blood pressure, cholesterol, and everything else that

was high is all coming down and he is healthier. He continues to talk to people all over the

United States. He finds out that most people arent even willing to start or try lifestyle changes

because they think they will fail. Its better to try and fail than to never try at all.

At the end of two months Joe was down 82 pounds and no longer on any medication. His

thinking was clearer and he was healthier. Along the way Joe had met Phil, someone with the

same disease as him. He told him if he ever wanted help changing his life to give Joe a call and

he did. Phil said he was taking too much medication, he had no energy, and was sick of looking

himself in the mirror. He decided to try a 10-day juice fast. When he started he wore a 5xl or 6xl

shirt and weighed 429.6 pounds. He started by juicing and doing some light walking for ten

minutes a day. By day five Phil had already lost 17 pounds and by day 10 he had lost 30 and

decided to try to go for another 20 days on the fast. By the end of 30 days, Phil had lost 61.6

pounds, his blood pressure was lower, his fats dropped, and he was overall healthier. This fast

made him feel so good, he decided to keep going. He felt so passionately about this fast and what

it had done for his life he began to spread the word and teach others all about it. Many people

looked up to him and he was their inspiration. By the end of the two months, Phil was down 91

pounds, he felt better, his medications had been lowered, and he had no rashes. He can now jog,

workout, and play football with his son when before he could barely walk. He continues to

spread the about his amazing success and give others advice. A year after Joe started this
lifestyle change for himself, he was 89 pounds down and no more medication still. Phil was over

202 pounds down and still motivated to keep active and healthy.

In our book, we discussed most of the key topics of this documentary. This documentary

talked about finding a lifestyle to help maintain or lose weight, adults following dietary

recommendations, and relying on medications. In this video, Joe and most people he works with

and talks to are overweight and need to change their lifestyles. The book says, the earlier we

develop lifestyle habits of good nutrition, regular physical activity, and the avoidance of

addictions to salt, fat, sweets, high-calorie foods, and sedentary lifestyles, the better (Smith,

Collene, and Spees p. 25). Even though the book says it is better to start young, this movie shows

you that it is never too late to start trying to change your lifestyle for the better. Although adults

have started complying more to dietary guidelines, the book and the documentary both show that

there is still room for much improvement. The documentary shows people eat less fruit and

vegetables and more fast food and sweets. In the textbook, it agrees to an extent by saying the

major contributors of calories to the adult dietary pattern are white bread, beef, doughnuts, cakes

and cookies, soft drinks, milk, chicken, cheese, alcoholic beverages, salad dressing, mayonnaise,

potatoes, and sugars/syrups/jams (Smith, et al., p. 718). Both of these imply that Americans

need to eat less sugar and more nutrient dense foods. The documentary shows two men who have

heavily relied on medications due to disease induced by being overweight and unhealthy. Some

people need medications but other times infection or disease can be prevented by your lifestyle.

The book tells us that people who must take medications should eat nutrient-dense foods and

avoid any specific food or supplement that interferes with the function of their medications

(Smith, et al., p. 726). After watching the documentary and through personal experience, I know

most people taking medications arent complying to this advice.

 After completing this assignment, I learned quite a few things about nutrition. The things

that really stuck out to me were how much most Americans over eat or even binge eat. In the

textbook, we learned about the dangers of binge eating and obesity and this documentary really

brought all of that to life. It shows you how many people struggle with these things, but arent

willing to make a change. I also learned that most people fall very short on the nutrients they

need every day. They arent getting the fruits and vegetables they need, which most likely means

they arent getting enough vitamins and minerals either. This documentary was really eye

opening to me on how many people struggle with their health and eating habits, but arent

willing to change it or are scared to. Sometimes I think starting is the hardest part, but you only

have to start once. Changing your lifestyle will help you feel better about yourself and your

health, prolong your life, and make you happier. This documentary showed me that everyone

starts somewhere and it doesnt matter where you start, as long as you do.
 Works Cited

Smith, Anne, Angela Collene, and Colleen Spees. Wardlaws Contemporary

Nutrition: A Functional Approach. 5th ed., McGraw-Hill Education. 2015. P. 25, 718, 726.