Sustainability History Project

[This post was written by Megan Foster, Grant Russ, and Sara Scott in response to viewing the documentary Foodmatters]

The documentary Foodmatters is shocking and revealing. The film brings up several points that the public should be aware of but are not. Most people are aware that fast food and processed food is bad for them, but are not aware of how much healthier they can be with raw foods (i.e. fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds). Many people do not realize that what we eat is what is causing many diseases that several thousand people die from yearly. This documentary really puts a new spin on the phrase “you are what you eat.”

Not many people are aware how effective nutrients and vitamins can be to our bodies. Yes, some people take vitamin supplements, but do they really know what those vitamins are good for? Do people even stop to think that instead of taking supplements daily, they should instead change their diet? America’s society is so fast-paced that it is hard to be able to eat healthily. Unfortunately, our way of living is costing us our health, therefore, our lives.

The film pointed out that vitamin deficiency is most likely the cause of many ailments, so when someone takes vitamin C to help fight a cold, they are really just giving their body the vitamin it already wanted. If that person did not have a vitamin C deficiency, there is a good chance they would not have gotten a cold in the first place.

Some interesting facts:

• 106,000 deaths a year in the United States are from drug side-effects!
• A drug only has to prove that it is more effective than a placebo in TWO test trials to be licensed and sold!
• High IV’s of vitamin C will kill cancer cells!
• It is ILLEGAL in most countries to treat cancer with nutrition!
• 2 handfuls of cashews is equivalent to taking 1 Prozac.

Another shocking point made in the movie was that the public is unaware of the divine effects of nutrition because “there is no money in health”. If people are healthy, the health care industry and the pharmaceutical industry are not profitable. In a capitalist system how do advocates for nutrition pave the way for less expensive methods of treatment and prevention? Saying it is difficult is an understatement. Think about the fact that there is no regulation regarding what pharmaceutical companies can charge for medication. The price can be anything that is seen fit and will reap the most profit. The companies know that people will pay for the medication no matter how expensive it is because for them there is no other option. They don’t know about the benefits of nutrition.

A big difference between nutrition methods and surgery or medication is that nutrition can address but also prevent ailments and disease. Surgery and medication are meant to “solve” the problem after it occurs or to attend to symptoms but they don’t prevent the things they are suppose to solve. Advocates for nutrition make arguments that with the proper nutrients and diet there is little need for risky surgery or expensive medication because the problem never develops.

In light of other eye opening documentaries as of late, Foodmatters continues the current trend of alternative health sources that are pushing for a more democratic approach assessing societies lifestyle while looking into the ethics behind those decisions. In the face of sustainability, the documentary shows what is contrary to the pillar of equity in facing this stiff opposition. In this case, the multi-national pharmaceutical companies that use a fraction of their profits to funnel into world governments and media outlets to reduce any hindrances towards their annual intake of revenue at the cost of the world’s population health. Even if it is to intentionally mislead the population with inconsistent reports about the benefits of the drugs.

This is a practice of anti-sustainability: when actors—from corporations to governments—that behave outside the norms of the definition of sustainability for their personal gain while neglecting the interests of the global community, its health and to its future generations. For sustainability to flourish in a society, there needs to be a true open public venue to properly inform the people of the issues from all sides. Transparency represented from the side, alone, will not move the practice of sustainability to the consciousness of the general public to take action. If sustainability is to resolve the hard issues further discussion is necessary in the public realm for the people to make rational decisions.

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