Continuing our conversation from our last post about the most popular Foodie Movies, this post is all about the most popular foodie documentaries.
I actually love documentaries about food. Don’t get me started about how I feel about the Standard American Diet and how the FDA has really just become a large marketing firm at our expense for big Ag and big Pharma companies.
There’s a few kinds of foodie documentaries here – the political ones, the biographical ones, and the ones with a wonderful story, so I’ll list the political ones separately as that’s not everyone’s cup of tea 🙂
Each category is in no particular order:
BIOGRAPHICAL FOODIE DOCUMENTARIES
Jiro dreams of sushi 2011
Jiro Dreams Of Sushi on IMDB. Jiro has turned sushi into an art form, and even though he was the first sushi chef to receive three Michelin Stars, he feels that he still hasn’t reached perfection yet.
SOMm 2012
Somm on IMDB. Love wine and think you know a lot about it? You need to watch Somm. Ok, so it’s not a biographical documentary about one person, but it is about what it takes to become a sommelier. I found this fascinating. I thought I knew a little bit about wine, but after watching this, I know nothing, but I’m totally in awe of this special art form. And yes, wine is a food group, at least in my book 🙂
CHEF’S TABLE (SERIES) STARTING 2015
Chef’s Table on IMDB. Ok, not a movie but several beautifully filmed documentaries featuring some of the most famous chefs around the globe right now. Now in its third season, each episode gets up close, and very personal with each chef so you really get a sense of why they have become who they are today.
FAT SICK AND NEARLY DEAD 2010
Fat Sick And Nearly Dead on IMBD. Shows the journey of Jon Cross as he went from a walking heart attack waiting to happen, to a man who reversed several of his health issues by simply drinking only green juices for 60 days. He then decided to show others how he did it. There is now a part 2.
SUPERSIZE ME 2004
Supersize Me on IMDB. The opposite of the previous film above, this film shows Morgan Spurlock who wrote, directed, and stars in this documentary about his experiment. He chose to eat McDonalds food every day for 30 days and document how it affected his health. And boy, did it! Please note, I’m disappointed to say he just confessed to sexual misconduct a few days ago, so I just wanted you to know that in case that affects your decision to watch this film. I’m still mentioning it here because the message about fast food is so important.
Documentaries with wonderful stories
Cooked with michael Pollan 2016
Cooked on IMDB. Most known for his best selling books (The Omnivore’s Dilemma is my fav), Michael Pollan created this 4 part mini series on Netflix, with each one being about a vital element; fire, water, air and earth. Its cinematic filming brings you right in.
INGREDIENTS 2009
Ingredients on IMDB. Ok, technically this would probably be considered a political movie, but hear me out. Ingredients is all about celebrating your local farmer, and inspiring you to see what fresh foods you have in your own back yard – I mean figuratively – and cooking them yourself. After watching this, you’ll just want to run down to your local farmer’s market and shake the hands of all the farmers there.
HOW BEER SAVED THE WORLD 2011
How Beer Saved The World on IMDB. A fun documentary that will tell you all kinds of things you didn’t know about beer, and how it really did help people in the time before Louis Pasteur figured out that boiling liquids kills germs. People had to drink beer instead.
Soul Food Junkies 2012
Soul Food on IMDB. Probably considered another political documentary, but really worth seeing even if that’s not your thing. This talks about the history of soul food, the warm fuzzy home cooked meal feeling, and the health ramifications it has on the southern African American population in the US.
Political Foodie Documentaries
I don’t know why, but I am a total political foodie documentary addict. Probably because I went through my own health issues (IBS), and completely reversed my symptoms just from eating clean healthy food.
I’m sure many of you have seen these. They are in no particular order.
SUGAR COATED 2015
Sugar Coated on IMDB. An awesome comparison between what the sugar industry is doing now, and the tobacco industry did to us in the 60’s. Pretending there is nothing wrong with processed sugars.
KING CORN 2007
King Corn on IMDB. Most processed foods in the US contain some version of corn. Two young college friends decide to study the American corn industry by planting one acre of corn in the Midwest, and try to follow it through the entire process. What they find is pretty shocking.
Food Inc. 2008
Food Inc. on IMDB. A scary look into big agriculture and how the focus has turned to making as much money as possible for the few large food corporations, and completely ignoring the nutritional content that is in our food.
FOOD FIGHT 2009
At look into the growing debate between conventionally grown food, and organic food, and what that means for us and our health.
GMO OMG 2013
GMO OMG on IMDB. Why is it that so many countries have outlawed GMO foods, yet the US government is still totally fine with mass producing more and more GMO’d products every year? The answer; money, big Ag, and Monsanto.
FORK OVER KNIVES 2011
Fork Over Knives on IMDB. Now, I’m not a vegan, but I very strongly believe in the natural healing powers of plant foods. That’s what Fork Over Knives is all about. The healing powers of a plant based diet.
FOOD CHAINS 2014
Food Chains on IMDB. Showing the illegal and abusive working conditions that our farm laborers go through on a daily basis just to save a few bucks on the bottom line.
Dirt! The movie 2009
Dirt! The Movie on IMDB. Dirt, the foundation that supports us, and really where life begins is being destroyed by big Ag all over the world. But there is hope…
What’s with wheat 2016
What’s With Wheat on IMDB. For everyone out there that still thinks that eating gluten free is just a fad, PLEASE WATCH THIS FILM. You will learn how toxic our American wheat has become.
HUNGRY FOR CHANGE 2012
Hungry For Change on IMDB. Calling out the diet food industry for its nefarious practices, and the lies that we are fed by the advertising industry that goes along with it.
COWSPIRACY 2014
Cowspiracy on IMDB. Addressing the devastating effects of the meat industry, and the huge coverup that is happening all around the globe.
MORE THAN HONEY 2012
More Than Honey on IMDB. The world’s bee population is dying off, and this documentary looks at why that is, and the causes. The photography is also just amazing. You’ll see bees in ways you never have before.
Farmageddon 2011
Farmageddon on IMDB. Showing the disgusting practice in the US, where the government is treating our raw food farmers like drug lords by raiding their farms, and putting them in jail for making raw food products.
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