Let it be known that I grew up with healthy parents. Oh yes, I remember whining at them at the age of about 9 saying I was hungry and being told to have a handful of almonds. I, of course being the precocious little nine year old that I was, turned my nose up at that kind of suggestion. No, clearly hungry filler foods meant biscuits, crisps and sugary cereals. You know, all the stuff that my friends had at their house. Or better yet, the type of stuff my grandparents used to let me eat with free rein (Hundreds and thousands on white bread with butter…just think about that for a moment and Insta the face you pull).
When I flew the coop, I instantly developed the classic University bloat. This Uni-Bloat is primarily caused by multiple jacket potato and cheese dinners, 'Pound a pint' events at your Student Union and the fact that one doesn't actually see a piece of fruit for their three year university experience. When I visited my family in Australia after my first year, they politely suggested a few changes to my diet. Things like avoiding white bread, cutting my drinking down, 'When was the last time you ate fruit?' and 'Oh my god, why are you so pale?' (This is a usual Aussie comment, tbh). I turned my nose up at their concern, taking it to heart before I took it to my brain. Having my defences up, like a lot of eighteen year olds would, I put it down to thinking they were health nutters who were just sticking their nose into my business.
Fast forward into adulthood and I decided that I needed to change simply because I didn’t feel good. So I did the diets. I swore off chocolate for the longest of afternoons. I dabbled in yoga. I walked everywhere (Easy to do when you don't have a car or money for cabs…). But I wasn’t feeling or looking any different (Of course vanity was in there- what's wrong with a little vanity?!). What I needed to change was my diet, my routine and my mentality. I knew this, but nothing stuck. I needed a massive kick up the arse to make the change.
I remember reading that a lot of people went vegetarian after watching the film 'Babe' (That'll do, Pig). I seem to remember experiencing the same phenomenon as a kid after watching 'The Little Mermaid' when I stopped eating fish for about a week (The kitchen scene…for real). But my real kick up the arse didn't actually come until two years ago when I came across the following frankly life changing films...
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| Hungry for Change also goes into the power of positive affirmations- so simple, but so awesome! |
1- Hungry for Change (2012). My older sister, a glowing Sydney-ite who lives the life, sat me down and made me watch this. Jaw. Floor. Veil. Lifted. It all became clear; why the hell hadn’t I thought of all this before? I'll confess that it is my bible doco. It instantly made sense to me, so it’s the one that I will naturally turn to first. If you look past the dramatic Hollywoodisms in the trailer (THIS SUMMER....SUGAR IS GOING TO F*** YOU UP) then it holds a lot of really good learning points to ponder about our relationship with food. The conclusions are alarming. But, in my opinion, it presents truths that were powerful enough for me to take note of. It was literally like a foot came out of that screen and roundhouse kicked me in the face.
2- Sugar: The Bitter Truth This is a 90 minute lecture that was put up on YouTube in July 2009 causing a huge stir across the interwebs. It's led by a guy called Robert H. Lustig who is an American paediatric endocrinologist (For those of you, like me, who glazed over that bit- is means that his area of expertise is human metabolism). The lecture highlights how sugar is a toxin and is the reason for the global obesity epidemic. He doesn’t scare you with talk of calories, instead he talks about the fact that he believes sugar to be a poison that he identifies as 'evil'. He’s passionate, he’s a little cocky but, trust me, it's another one that packs a punch and is definitely one to watch.
3- 101 reasons to go Vegan Okay, I only made it halfway through this and I'm also not vegan (I flirt, but more on that in later posts). But, this doco made me question again what I was putting into my body. In fact, since watching it I've been pescatarian (So I still eat fish, eggs, cheese, honey…they didn't get me there but maybe I need to watch the whole thing…). Warning: it is heavy stuff. It is graphic. Laugh at me all you want, but it made me cry. It may not have put me off eggs, but it made me reflect on where the meat I was consuming came from (Leather goods included here). So, if you’re looking to step away from eating animal related food products this is your poison.
So there you have it: my Holy Trinity of motivational, kick up arse, life changing for the better films. I'd highly recommend viewing them if you're looking for reasons to make changes to your lifestyle. Let me know what you think of them. And if you have others to recommend back, please do!
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