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Netflix and chill is so<\/em> 2015. Today, it\u2019s all about Netflix and learn<\/em>. Sure, we can marathon watch Stranger Things <\/em>and House of Cards <\/em>all day. But food industry-related documentaries are dominating discussions everywhere from the news to your post-workout brunch<\/a> table \u2014 and that\u2019s because there\u2019s some seriously interesting things going on out there. From the world\u2019s insatiable demand for meat to the sugar hiding in our foods to Monsanto\u2019s controversial practices, get ready to get your seemingly healthy views rocked. If you don\u2019t want to be left out of the post-run club conversation, check out these 13 classic, controversial and eye-opening documentaries that\u2019ll change\u00a0the way you view your food.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> This is the insta-classic documentary your BFF watched before she decided to go vegetarian<\/a>. But it\u2019s not just a preachy \u201cdon\u2019t eat meat\u201d fest. Instead, Forks Over Knives<\/em> advocates a whole foods, plant-based diet that\u2019s devoid of processed foods and oils. (Check out our complete rundown of the diet here<\/a>.) And while that may seem like a no-brainer idea today \u2014 or at least one that might make you consider Meatless Mondays<\/a> \u2014 it was slightly more shocking when it debuted in 2011. That could be in part because it doesn\u2019t hold back. The film takes an aggressive \u2014 and at times graphic \u2014 stance on the meat and dairy industries. It asserts that most degenerative diseases can be controlled or reversed by ditching animal-based and processed foods<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> Got a sweet tooth or two? This \u201cI Quit Sugar\u201d documentary wants to forcefully remove it. Like its friends Fed Up<\/em> and That Sugar Film<\/em>, this doc addresses the politics surrounding the sugar industry and\u00a0its claims that the white stuff isn\u2019t toxic. Sugar Coated<\/em> wants the industry to take responsibility for America\u2019s growing health issues, and compares the sugar industry\u2019s tactics to Big Tobacco\u2019s. There\u2019s no denying it now \u2014 a recent New York Times piece<\/a><\/em> reported on how the sugary industry paid scientists in the 1960s to play down the link between sugar and heart disease<\/a> and to shift the blame on saturated fat.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it: <\/strong>The food we eat today is drastically different than the food people consumed 50 years ago. And Food, Inc.<\/em> says that has less to do with human behavioral habits and everything to do with the food and agricultural industries. The no-holds-barred doc exposes the way many common foods are produced, and reveals the laws that are in place to protect the food industry.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:\u00a0<\/strong>Acclaimed food writer Michael Pollan takes a compelling look at the four natural elements \u2014 fire, water, air and earth \u2014 and how they are all represented in the history of the way we make and enjoy food. Throughout the four-part docuseries, Pollan draws a connection between various cultures and how each element is celebrated in their cooking techniques. And unlike other food documentaries that make meat \u2014 and gluten \u2014 the villain, Cooked<\/em> strives to show balance in a diet. For example, the episode \u201cAir\u201d shows just how much the bread making process has changed over the decades, and why more people are becoming more sensitive to gluten.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> The film\u2019s tagline alone packs a punch: \u201cCongress says pizza is a vegetable.\u201d (And that\u2019s true: In 2011, Congress passed a bill<\/a> that said two tablespoons of tomato paste was a vegetable, thereby qualifying pizza as a school-lunch-approved meal. Yikes.) The Katie Couric-backed documentary specifically hones in on staggering rates of obesity in the United States and puts much of the science-backed blame on the sugar industry. Remember when fat-free products were taking over grocery shelves in the 90s? As weight loss diets pointed the finger at fat, the food industry removed fat from their products and actually replaced it with sugar<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it: <\/strong>Most people don\u2019t know a ton about commercial food production, which is precisely why Hungry For Change<\/em> was made. The film\u2019s agenda includes debunking common diet and weight loss myths<\/a>. It also\u00a0offers up little-known facts about the food we\u2019re all eating. The film\u00a0suggests a few ways to kick bad habits to the curb \u2014 and move toward the much healthier perimeter of the grocery store.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> Filmmaker Damon Gameau was in great shape, had a healthy life, and hadn\u2019t eaten sugar in nearly four years. That all changed when he set out to prove that eating too much sugar<\/a> \u2014 40 teaspoons a day \u2014 for\u00a0a two-month period will have detrimental effects on the body. Instead of going\u00a0the Super Size Me<\/em> route, Garneau opts for foods that are marketed as being healthy. Foods like low-fat yogurt, granola bars<\/a> and cereal helped him reach his 40-teaspoon per day goal. The result? He packs on 19 pounds; his skin breaks out; and he adds four inches to his waist. But that\u2019s not all. Just 18 days into the project, he developed fatty liver disease. (Think Fed Up<\/em>, but from a strictly personal and experimental perspective.)<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/strong>How to Do a Sugar Detox (Without Going Crazy)<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> Some credit this film with McDonald\u2019s discontinuation of its Super Size option just six weeks after the movie\u2019s premier. Regardless of the impetus, it\u2019s not to be missed. Imagine being asked, \u201cWould you like to Super Size that?\u201d and having to accept the offer each time. That\u2019s exactly what Morgan Spurlock had to do \u2014 for 30 days. Spurlock embarked on a 30-day McDonalds-only challenge to show the damaging effects of fast food on your health. If it doesn\u2019t get you to kick your Big Mac habit and say, \u201cNo, I don\u2019t<\/em> want fries with that,\u201d then it\u2019ll definitely make you think twice about it.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> Cost of healthcare on your mind this election season? You\u2019re not alone. Take a look back at Food Matters<\/em>, which asserts that Americans\u2019 poor diets have something to do with that. The film argues that the over-industrialization of food production is making us all sicker. (And that there are way too many chemicals being added to our foods with bogus claims like \u201chealthy\u201d and \u201cnatural.\u201d) Directors James Colquhoun and Laurentine ten Bosch were inspired to create Food Matters <\/em>when Colquhoun\u2019s father was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome<\/a>, depression<\/a> and anxiety<\/a>. To convince him to change his ways, Colquhoun and ten Bosch interviewed the top health experts around the world. When Colquhoun brought the footage to his dad, he took the advice to heart. You\u2019ll want to see the transformation that followed.<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/strong>Forks Over Knives: Can a Vegan Diet Cure What Ails You?<\/a><\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> It\u2019s the documentary that helped spark the fresh-pressed juice revolution<\/a>. At 100 pounds overweight and with a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe Cross set out on a mission to take back his health. His plan? Thirty days with just some fruits<\/a>, vegetables and a juicer. Yup, imagine doing that three-day Blue Print juice cleanse for another 27 days \u2014 all day, every day. And that excuse that whipping up your own juices is \u201ctoo much work?\u201d Cross managed to do so while traveling across the country, keeping his veggie haul and juicer in the trunk of his car. NBD.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> Because we\u2019ve all wondered what it might be like to go vegan<\/a>, right? Hey, even Beyonce and Jay-Z have tried it. This doc follows three New Yorkers \u2014 who love<\/em> meat<\/a> and dairy<\/a> \u2014 as they attempt to follow a totally vegan diet for six weeks. So did they graduate to the \u201chigh\u201d life? You\u2019ll have to see to find out.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong>\u00a0Two college friends decide to move from Boston to Iowa to grow and farm an acre of corn. Think it sounds boring? Corn is a big-time staple of\u00a0fast-food meals<\/a> and packaged foods<\/a>. The duo discovers firsthand the government\u2019s role in the mass industrialization of the corn farming industry. And if high fructose corn syrup is on the ingredient list of your 3 p.m. snack<\/a> \u2014 which it probably is \u2014 you may want to take notes (and trade that snack for something less, well, corn syrupy).<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/strong>6 Easy Tips for Clean Eating on a Small Budget<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n13 Food Documentaries That Will Change the Way You Eat<\/h2>\n
1.\u00a0Forks Over Knives<\/a> (2011)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2.\u00a0Sugar Coated<\/a> (2015)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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3.\u00a0Food, Inc.<\/a> (2008)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4.\u00a0Cooked<\/a> (2016)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
5.\u00a0Fed Up<\/a> (2014)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n6.\u00a0Hungry For Change<\/a> (2012)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
7.\u00a0That Sugar Film<\/a> (2014)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
8.\u00a0Super Size Me<\/a> (2004)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n9.\u00a0Food Matters<\/a><\/strong> (2008)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
10.\u00a0Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead<\/a> (2010)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
11.\u00a0Vegucated<\/a> (2011)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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12.\u00a0<\/strong>King Corn<\/a> (2007)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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13.\u00a0GMO OMG<\/a> (2013)<\/strong><\/h3>\n