Forks Over Knives

Humble vegetables are finally getting some respect, as reported in F&W's November Trendspotting. With so many awesome vegetable-based recipes (recent personal favorites include F&W Test Kitchen Supervisor Marcia Kiesel’s gorgeous cauliflower steak and chef Kevin Gillespie’s Indian-spiced okra), I rarely cook meat at home anymore. A new documentary premiering in theaters March 11, 2011, asks us to go a step further and give up animal products altogether.

Forks Over Knives asserts that diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cancer can be treated—even reversed—through a whole-foods, plant-based diet. The film follows a group of individuals, including the film’s director Lee Fulkerson, as they undergo radical diet changes to combat high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. The participants shed pounds and find new levels of energy: one breast cancer survivor in her seventies is now a six-time Ironman triathlon finisher. I was inspired by the message that we can control our own health through our diets. Even former President Bill Clinton is a believer: Motivated by the researchers profiled in the film, he recently cut out meat and dairy and lost 24 pounds.