Mary Jane Berry is a colleague and Nurse Practitioner who has a special interest in nutrition as it pertains to Cancer Patients. She and I both watched the documentary “The Game Changers”, available on Netflix. We found this movie not only to be entertaining but also a persuasive and well-informed look at plant-based eating. Like Mary Jane, I recommend that my patients watch this film to learn about plant-based eating and the benefits of optimizing health, and physical performance. It is important to note, for cancer patients, eating healthy is essential to optimize overall health. By optimizing health, not only do we reduce the risk of obesity, we reduce risk for many types of cancer. The stronger and more fit a patient, the better he or she is able to tolerate various treatments and protocols that can be necessary in cancer management. In other words, being strong and fit reduces risk of complications and potentially opens more doors for treatment options. Here, Mary Jane gives us a glimpse of why this movie is worth checking out-
“The Game Changers” is a well-researched documentary about athletes who adhere to a plant-based, whole grain diet. It follows the story of James Wilks, a former UFC fighter who started researching how to use food as a tool optimize his athletic performance as he recovered from an injury. Wilks features the stories of elite athletes who adhere to a plant-based diet including runners, a cyclist, a weightlifter, football players and other athletes who tell their stories of performance improvement after eliminating meat from their diets. Their stories are interspersed with groundbreaking data and research explained by doctors and scientists. Ultimately, Wilks was surprised to find out that what he had been taught about animal protein was wrong and ultimately not only debunks the “real men eat meat” mentality but that veganism, at least for these athletes, is performance enhancing. The film ends noting that plant-based eating doesn’t have to be an all or nothing approach, encouraging viewers to just try one meatless meal a week, for example. Wilks makes a great point; making small changes, and simply cutting back on meat intake is a great place to start. As the credits roll, clips of athletes listing their favorite plant-based meals from pizza to tacos reminds us that even without meat there are endless options for a varied and delicious diet.