Kathy Smith’s Plant-Based Learning Library
We call One Degree Organic Foods co-founder Kathy Smith our Chief Learning Officer for good reason: she is incredibly passionate about investigating the impact of food on our health. As she explains it, “Every time you make another move toward learning something, it’s another ‘ah-ha’ moment.” We tapped that contagious curiosity for a list of her top learning resources. Here are the Plant-based Learning Library resources she loves most:
Whole by T. Collin Campbell
“I read the book Whole by T. Colin Campbell,” says Kathy. “It’s not the sum of the parts you’re looking for, it’s the whole foods—those are the most nutritious, when you don’t take them apart.” The book continues Campbell’s thesis of a whole food plant-based diet being the healthiest way to eat and dives further into the complexity of the human body and how it processes food. This one will make you rethink your eating habits.
The China Study by T. Collin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell
Co-authored with his son Thomas, T. Collin Campbell’s best-seller reveals the findings of his ground breaking China Project—one of the most comprehensive studies on nutrition to date—and fundamentally links nutrition to preventing heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and more. It also looks at how powerful interest groups influence nutrition findings.
Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science by Carey Gillam
Currently on Kathy’s reading list is Gillam’s exposé on glyphosate, the main active ingredient in the world’s most widely-used herbicide: Roundup. This is a book that explores the lengths businesses will go to in order to protect their interests at the expense of the public, and Gillam chronicles farm families plagued with cancers they believe are caused by the chemical. (FYI: One Degree Organic Foods voluntarily tests for glyphosate. It is not currently required by law.)
Eating You Alive
This 2016 documentary features highlights the connection between how we eat and the rise of chronic diseases. Throughout the film, leading medical experts and researchers take a scientific look at illness, faulty information, and how we can use whole-food, plant-based nutrition to correct our health.
DIRT! The Movie
This 2009 documentary unveils the incredibly far-reaching impact that the soil has on our world and that we have on the soil. Consider this film a call to arms and a motivator for change across environmental, economic, social, and political systems.
GMO OMG
This 2013 documentary follows filmmaker and father Jeremy Seifert as he learns some hard truths about genetically modified organisms (GMOS), including how they affect the health of our planet, our political systems, and how hard they are to avoid.
The Future of Food
Released in 2005, this documentary was ahead of the curve on exploring food safety, the rise of the biotech industry, the brutal law issues surrounding patented seeds, and the unyielding power of agricultural giants like Monsanto.
Forks Over Knives
Faced with the glaring realities of preventable chronic diseases, 2011 documentary Forks Over Knives profiles everyday Americans faced with hypertension, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease as they switch to a whole food plant-based diets under the supervision of visionary doctors.
Kathy also loves the Forks Over Knives website as a resource for healthy recipes, food news, and more.
Game Changers
You don’t have to be a heavyweight fighter to find 2019 documentary Game Changers compelling. Its fresh perspective focuses on plant-based nutrition as a means to improve athletic performance in both strength and endurance sport, highlighting the connection between recovery and nutrition, and busting long-held myths about the power of plants to sustain peak performance.
Documentaries, studies, books and movies have plenty to offer if you are curious about the many benefits of plant-based eating. But learning can come in bite-sized bits, like the ones you’ll find in our 30 Tips for Living Vegan article, too. Scroll down to sign up for our newsletter to get helpful articles, hear the stories of farmers who grow our plant-based organic ingredients, and discover healthy recipes your family will love.
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