The documentary recently released on Netflix and focuses on the benefits of plant based diets for athletes- however wellness director Gideon Remfry calls it a “sensational bit of advertising”.
The 2018 documentary film released recently on Netflix follows former British UFC fighter, James Wilks, who investigates plant based diets as he recovers from an injury. The film covers a range of athletes in sports from Olympic cycling to American football.
To learn more about the accuracy of the film, we spoke to Gideon Remfry, a wellness expert with over 25 years of experience in the world of nutrition, fitness and wellness.
Remfry has worked as the Wellness Director at KX private Members club in South Kensington since 2001, and has a degree in nutrition and a MSC degree in integrated health.
So Gideon, first off, did you like the film?
“I thought it was a sensational bit of advertising. From the science side, I always look at both exercise and nutrition from an evidence based perspective. I was aware through my own experience and research that the evidence in the documentary was what we would call cherry picking – where you use specific data to suit your purpose. By example, there was a lot of reference to studies or data that was actually extracted from omnivorous (inclusive) diet research.”
What does the documentary get wrong?
“Well, what you end up drawing from the film is that it’s not science. It’s an advert for turning people towards a vegan diet. My frustration was with the film blatantly misusing aspects of a credible plant-based diet, like the bean burritos give better erections scene. (Gideon refers to a pseudo experiment in the film where three college athletes are fed meat and meat free burritos to see the difference in the strength of their erections while they sleep.) This was basically an analogy for the whole film, they sell viewers a ‘bean dream’ without accurate evidence.”
The film has over a dozen executive producers, including Titanic director James Cameron, and legendary actors such as Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Did this have an impact on the film?
“Yes, the film is very cleverly geared towards men. When you look at the people who made the film, you see that they actually own one of the biggest pea protein companies in the world. (James Cameron has a $140 million investment in plant-based proteins.) We cannot say that outright, It was the main agenda of the film, but it is definitely worth considering the motivations for making the film when the financial rewards are so high in selling more plant-based products.”
Does the documentary get anything right?
“I’m a really big advocate for seeing people increase plant-based foods and incorporating them into your diet. Plants have a profound effect on health but this is lost in translation to a story about the virtues of veganism without reference to the main hero – what plant foods or diet did the heroes actually eat to gain health, performance, and erection benefits? I think there are some rational environmental and ethical arguments against mass animal farming and I’m not against veganism in any way. I just want to make sure the general public are aware of the evidence based arguments for increasing plant foods in their inclusive diets, while debunking some of the bad or bro-science. It is important to make people question what they are being sold before they potentially restrict foods without good knowledge or knowhow. Ultimately we need good & credible health information to stop more public food & diet confusion!”
What health tips would you give to people to improve their diet?
“A bad or unhealthy diet can be a vegan or a meat-eaters diet – it just depends on what you are regularly eating. The big take home is: it is hugely beneficial to increase the amount and the diversity of plant foods in your daily diet. One of the most evidence based diets in the world is the traditional Mediterranean diet which is an omnivorous diet with a large amount of plant foods which has been shown to decrease mortality rates by 35%, which is a larger percentage than any drug on the market.”
“I urge people to do a lot of research to learn the foods, nutrients, and practical implications of any specific or restrictive diet before committing. When I’m working with vegans in clinic, we pay special attention to protein and mixing plant protein sources to achieve a good balance. We include vitamins like B12 (naturally found in higher amounts in animal foods), Omega 3, (an essential fatty acid found in oily fish), and micronutrients like selenium (important for reducing oxidative stress and supporting thyroid function), and are all very important to remain healthy.”
(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity)