Life-Changing Vegan Books & Documentaries

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I accidentally became vegan. It’s been four years now, and I often repeat what I hear many others say- I wish I had gone vegan sooner. But this is not the story about how I became vegan. This article is meant to showcase life-changing vegan books and documentaries that have impacted millions to make lifestyle changes to save animal lives and improve the health of ourselves and our planet.

The very first vegan documentary I watched, What The Health, emphasizes the health impacts of eating animals. I started watching the documentary without even realizing what it was about exactly, only curious to know how I could improve my health with this film I kept hearing about. I gasped, cried throughout the film, called my mom, and changed my habits immediately. Cold turkey, if you will. Eric came home from work to me emptying out the fridge and freezer of any and all animal products. The impact of this lifestyle change on our marriage will have its own article one day, as I know it is and will be common for other couples to adapt to this new way of eating and appreciating food.

People often ask me where they can go to learn more about why they should become vegan. That is precisely what this post is meant for, to serve as a landing place to direct people to with reliable, science-backed, life-changing vegan books and documentaries. Enjoy!

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret

Cowspiracy, a vegan documentary backed by Leonardo DiCaprio that I found on Netflix many years ago, explores the impact of factory farming on our planet and our health. Cowspiracy was produced many years before What The Health, but it did not gain the level of fame or awareness until after What The Health was featured on Netflix. While What The Health will make you empty your cabinets and fridge of meat immediately, Cowspiracy will help keep it that way. Kip Anderson, the film maker in Cowspiracy, has difficult conversations with major environmental groups about why they are not more outspoken about the impacts that factory farming is having on our planet.

“Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution, is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry, and is a primary driver of rainforest destruction, species extinction, habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean “dead zones,” and virtually every other environmental ill. Yet it goes on, almost entirely unchallenged.”

How Not to Die

I became vegan while I was still in graduate school to become an occupational therapist. I remember marching into class one day, and my girlfriends looked at me like I had grown a third head when I explained I would no longer be eating animals. Many asked why, many others told me they would rather be ignorant than know my reasons why and feel compelled to change their lifestyle. Those people hurt my heart the most.

As an occupational therapist, patients are referred to me when they have experienced some type of medical crisis resulting in a loss of independence and needing rehab to resume the lifestyle they once had independently. While learning about diagnoses that our patients might have and the health implications of those problems, it became apparent that the cause of many of these conditions was oftentimes lifestyle-related (re: food-related). Unfortunately, our medical system does not treat people by advising on food and lifestyle changes but rather by recommending medications which come with a whole host of their own side effects and often do not actually treat the cause of the medical problem.

How Not to Die, a ground-breaking book written by Dr. Michael Greger, explains that the majority of premature deaths we experience as humans can be prevented through simple diet and lifestyle changes. The first part of the book highlights a different medical condition in each chapter from high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancers, Parkinsons disease, etc. and explains what that actually means medically and how what you eat worsens or improves that specific medical condition. He writes in a way that is easy to understand and impactful. He targets the top 15 causes of death in Americans and tells you exactly how prevent dying that way.

You can find the book, How Not to Die, on Amazon here!

Seaspiracy

Seaspiracy is a vegan documentary just released this year (2021)! It is a piggy-back on Cowspiracy (see above) backed by Leonardo DiCaprio. You can also find this film on Netflix. This film seeks to expose the ways that the fishing industry and devastating human habits impact the lives of our oceans and the creatures that live in them. According to the film, there are over 150 million tons of garbage currently floating in the ocean, and every minute there is the equivalent of a garbage truck of plastic being dumped into the ocean. It’s bone chilling when you consider the extent of the damage that could cause on marine life and the underwater, intricate ecosystems.

While the majority of us love and crave beach vacations, there are very few who take responsibility for their daily habits and how those impact our beloved oceans and marine life. This means taking responsibility for the amount of waste that we produce daily, decreasing the use of toxic products on beaches (certain types of sunscreens, bug sprays, trash, etc), reducing demand for seafood, and more. There are very manageable and reasonable lifestyle changes that can promote the health of our oceans and reduce the rapid rate at which they are being destroyed.

Meat Me Halfway

Meat Me Halfway is a vegan documentary that encourages just that- meeting halfway. Many of us know, or at least have heard in some capacity, that eating meat is bad for our human health and bad for the health of our planet. And yet, people continue consuming animal products at higher rates than ever documented before. This vegan documentary seeks to find a middle-ground for encouraging people to, at the very least, reduce their consumption of animals and animal by-products as a compromise.

Food is emotional. Often times, there is a feeling of threat and hostility when people are challenged to change certain habits, especially when it comes to eating habits they enjoy. In general, we know from research studies that the more plant-based a person’s diet becomes, the healthier they become also. So maybe it isn’t all or nothing for those who cannot completely give up consuming animal products. Perhaps it is helping people do the best they can to make more educated food choices to promote their health, the health of their families and our planet, and to encourage the cyclical nature of our food system to be improved.

Click here to go to the documentary’s home page and choose how you would like to stream this documentary!

Eating Animals

Eating Animals, a vegan documentary produced and narrated by Natalie Portman, investigates factory farming and how our communities, environment, public health, and economy are impacted. Eating Animals was produced only a few years ago in 2018, and it is a concise examination of animal rights, how antibiotics and hormones are used on animals, and the level of pollution that occurs with factory farming.

“The film reveals through intimate narratives what has happened to our country in the past 40 years as we have moved away from traditional farming communities to massive industrial farming complexes that produce a seemingly endless supply of so-called “cheap” meat, eggs, and dairy.”

You can watch Eating Animals on Amazon Prime!

The World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony

The World Peace Diet took me many years to finish. It is a deeply insightful book that speaks to the spiritual and social implications of eating animal-based foods. He brings our food choices full circle, if you will, by speaking directly to the hard truths of animal suffering, environmental impact, and the reality of how our health suffers as a species. It took me many years, because even as a vegan, I found that I processed his insights better in shorter bursts of truths. This book is full of real, hard truths that will bring you to a higher spiritual awareness with a greater connection to nature, animals, and your loved ones through intentional lifestyle changes. To this day, I consider it one of the most profound and impactful books I’ve ever read.

If you like audiobooks, he has a serene, calm tone that makes it enjoyable to listen to also!

You can find The World Peace Diet on Amazon here!

Comfortably Unaware

Comfortably Unaware is a book written to connect our global depletion with the food choices that millions of us make every day. He reveals each step of the process that is hidden behind our plates. I learned a tremendous amount about the sustainability of our planet and its resources. When we talk about sustainability, we have to acknowledge the full spectrum of what’s happening to our planet including how that steak ended up on our plates. There are cultural and political implications behind our food choices, and we have to acknowledge that we are primed to have a certain type of health to buy back into our corrupt healthcare system.

This was one of the first books I read after becoming vegan, and I was shocked at how little I knew about our planet and the process of animal agriculture. The resources required to farm animals and turn them into food is more than I ever thought possible, in fact I was always raised to think that farming animals was the natural and healthy way to produce food. This is a relatively short book, so even if you aren’t a big reader- you should be able to get through this one relatively easy.

You can find Comfortably Unaware on Amazon here!

What Next

If you’re like me, it will be hard to figure out what to eat for your meals if you are entirely unfamiliar with this lifestyle. I discovered a free 30-day challenge through Cowspiracy that I stuck with my first month as a vegan. It helped me to stay focused, intentional with my food choices, and served as a daily reminder of the importance of making better choices for my health and farmed animals. It’s crucial to find a support system that will help you along the way, and this free 30-day challenge is a great place to start!

Of course, there are many other books and documentaries out there that capture the essence of a vegan lifestyle. These are just a few of my favorites that have been the most impactful on our choice and ability to remain vegan. A vegan documentary is one of my favorite ways to introduce people to this lifestyle, one simply cannot unsee that kind of information.

Make sure to check out my other blog pages where you will find cruelty-free and clean products, plant-based recipes, information on animals in our food system, and more!