This film wanted to casually turn me into a vegan
Athletes need a balanced diet and animal protein in order to perform at their best. The documentary film "The Game Changers" attempts to disprove this popular opinion. It almost succeeds in doing so.
Three football players sit in a row and are stunned. A doctor shows them their blood samples in small glass tubes, with the blood plasma floating on top. In one tube the plasma is cloudy, in the other tube it is transparent. Before the blood test, the athletes had eaten a burrito with meat once, and a purely vegetable burrito the second time. The meat had deposited fat in the blood, says the doctor. The blood plasma was therefore cloudy. An impressive experiment designed to demonstrate the effect of a purely plant-based diet. Scenes like this work: The hype surrounding the vegan documentary is huge on social media and the discussion is heated.
From Saul to Paul
The film follows MMA fighter James Wilks. After a serious injury, Wilks wants to recover as quickly as possible. During his research, he comes across evidence that Roman gladiators are said to have eaten a mainly plant-based diet. Does it really work? Wilks wants to find out and accompanies top athletes who follow a vegan diet. He quotes dozens of studies and realises for himself that he is much more efficient as a vegan. His conclusion: vegans live much healthier lives than meat eaters or vegetarians.
At the same time, the film spasmodically avoids thematising stereotypical vegans. Instead of hippies in linen shirts, there are muscle-bound football players. Instead of a long-haired tree-hugger, the film features an animal-protecting, armed ex-soldier. Their success stories take centre stage. A cyclist experiences her second spring after switching to a vegan diet. Career boost instead of career end, and all thanks to a vegan diet.
The word "vegan" is rarely used. "Plant-based" replaces the V-word. At the beginning, I didn't realise that "plant-based" also meant avoiding eggs, milk, cheese and butter. As a sceptical viewer, director Louie Psihoyos has me in the bag. The arguments in favour of a plant-based diet are convincing and by the time Arnold Schwarzenegger raves about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle, I'm a convert.
The broccoli in sheep's clothing
"The Game Changers" is well made. The film seamlessly joins the ranks of similar productions such as "Bowling for Columbine", "An Inconvenient Truth" or "Supersize Me". He manages to praise veganism to the skies without the "poor suffering animals" lyre. Instead of moralising, "The Game Changers" conveys a positive message: a vegan diet makes you fitter and healthier. The lurid theses only come as the film progresses. The meat industry is compared to the tobacco industry because meat consumption leads to cancer and heart attacks. The meat producers know about this and actively ensure that these facts are covered up. That sounds shocking and plausible. But it is not the whole truth.
The magazine "Men's Health" has checked the facts presented in the film and found various errors or half-truths. This starts with the film's hook, because it was not proven that Roman gladiators were actually vegans. The film also uses studies commissioned by vegetable producers. Such studies will never hype up meat consumption.
It is a fact that it makes sense to eat less meat for ecological, health and moral reasons. It is obvious that athletes on a purely plant-based diet do not have to accept any loss of performance. However, "The Game Changers" does not make me give up meat, fish, dairy products and eggs. I think about my meat consumption and am very conscious about what meat I eat and why. Even a documentary on Netflix can't change that. But the film was definitely good entertainment.
"The Game Changers" is available to watch on Netflix.
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Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
