Making the Connection
8.29
Ratings: 8.29/10 from 59
users.
Do you have to choose between a healthy, fun, modern lifestyle and a fair, sustainable, compassionate lifestyle?
No, you can have it all! Watch Making the Connection and decide for yourself.
Making the Connection is a new film which invites you on a journey - together with a chef, a farmer, an MP, an athlete, a dietitian, a poet.
Explores an exciting lifestyle which combines delicious, healthy food with tackling many of the global challenges facing us today.
Will you make the connection and become part of the solution?
I'm retired, divorced, and vegan. I avoid sugar also.
The health benefits for me have been substantial
I think the argument that to be vegan is more expensive than being omnivore is a bit unlikely.
It may depend on where you live.
City or countryside
I live just outside a small village.
I grow peaches, apricots, pomegranates, and blackberries
Green beans, sweet potatoes, and squash.
From local farmers I buy dried beans, and potatoes.
Nowadays the supermarkets sell vegetables that don't make the grade. They're the wrong shape or size. They taste the same.
That's potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, sweet peppers.
I get a B12 injection once a month.
I have my blood tested every 6 months.
I keep chickens. They are not caged. I give away the eggs.
I sell chickens but have a rule. If you buy a chicken, you must catch it. If you want to eat it then you must kill it, pluck it, and butcher it.
As a vegan the one thing I do miss is cheese, in all its variety. But I value my health more.
We learned to eat meat but that doesn't make us omnivores anymore than feeding a bunny cooked meat would make it one. Nature adapts it's creations to be ideally suited to obtain it's food. If you think you are an omnivore, than I challenge you to go out into nature and catch yourself some living creature with no assistance, run it down and kill it with your native apparatus, rip it's flesh from it's bones with your flat teeth and flat face and gobble it down raw. THAT is what all omnivores do. Using tools is a workaround trick, not an adaptation. If we were designed to eat meat, we would have adapted biologically. An omnivore is a carnivore that evolved adaptations to be able to eat plants, but it's physiology is very similar to a carnivore. Humans are starch adapted herbivores who can get away with eating other things in survival situations, but those other things are not healthy long term. Developing a taste for cooked meat is learned, and unlearning it will prolong your life. Like it or not, fact.
Walterbyrd got it. Legumes are one of the healthiest choices available for people or their land, and they're far from the only alternative [um... good luck if you're on a FODMAP diet]. If there's a crisis waiting in the mythical mostly-vegan future -- after the Carbpocalypse Cornspiracy and resulting diseases -- it's the cost of revising so much grain and animal monoculture into synergistic production. Cattle could play a positive role: see agroforestry/silvopasture, permaculture, and maybe The Savory Institute.
Vegetables are more expensive than processed meat. 1 000 000 000 but to buy that crap in order to just survive. Healthy diet is not a choice for all but 5-6% of the people of this planet.
Very interesting. I've tried being a vegetarian, lasted for about 2 years but can't seem to keep on it. Temptation is always there. I'm thinking it's more of a lifestyle that needs to be changed. Anyone have experience with these struggles?
Hello everybody !
I feel so joyous after watching this !
I decided to go vegan only two days ago after being vegetarian for two years and not being able to make this decision. But after seeing 'Earthlings' there was no question.
And when you are shown what a good contribution you are making by going vegan it really makes you feel happy about yoursef and your life.
Thank you all who made this decision. :)
So instead of having a horse to do some work, you would rather have a gas motor that is 1000 times more environmentally devastating. Just with anything, if you take it to extremes, you are creating a problem as bad as the one you are battling against. Try some balance vegans. Eat some bacon and get over yourselves.
If being vegan is so healthy, then why do all vegans look thin, tired and weak. The chemicals must be doing something good for us. Just have a BALANCED diet and exercise. You can do and eat anything that way. Live life and stop worrying about this and that. That's no way to live. If these animal rights people are so concerned with civil rights, they should all move to MEXICO where there are NO civil rights of any kind. Or South America. PeTA is doing enough for Europe. I dare all of you to move there. I was a PeTA member, and when I moved to those countries I asked PeTA for help, and you what they said, "We don't mess with countries whose governments don't support our cause." YEAH. Dissapointment.
I can't stand Vegans.. they think they know everything-- but you don't. I was a lacto-frugetarian for THREE YEARS and my skin started turning gray, and I was loosing hair; I also fainted all the time. It was ridiculous. Then I moved to Ecuador after college, and I almost died. Because THAT fricking diet of no meats and no plants was actually killing me. Then I tried eating just vegetables everyday, and I got salmonella. Then I moved to Mexico, and tried eating organic foods, and I got a stomach virus. When I moved to Canada, I started eating FISH and CHICKEN and guess what? I'm healthy. Yeah, so now back in the U.S. I can say I'm a proud omnivore because that is the healthiest diet for humans. Yes, I can say that because I traveled all over the American continent. So you vegans should all do what I did, and SEE THE LIGHT. T______T"
There's certainly some odd and ludicrous arguements going on here. But I have give the gold medal to Sam who can somehow justify the insipid and cruel practices of factory farming by declaring we say nothing about lions eating antelopes. Perhaps we'd have a lot say about lions eating antelopes if the lions kept the antelopes in tiny cages , pumped them full of growth hormone and antibiotics , feed them on an unnatural diet , made them spend their days standing in their own **** ..... I'm sure then many people would protest and call the lions brutal savages and there'd be many a "Save the Antelope " campaigns.
Oh well , I've had my small say and I think I'll go and a nice vegetarian drink....what'll it be ? Beer ? Scotch ? Wine ? They're all vegetarian drinks so it doesn't matter!!
Ah man, with all these germs collapsing and breaking through the barriers of your body like a gun one should be extremely careful about what. Their putting in their mouth.
Kale has double of calcium then milk
Balance is the key to almost every aspect of life. We have known for years that a balanced diet with meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts, dairy etc is the best. Back in the "hunter/gatherer" days they even had somewhat of a balance between meat, berries nuts etc - not just meat as some say, hence the "gatherer" part.
Most people do eat far too much meat and processed foods and not nearly enough vegetables, fruits and nuts. If people were to cut back on animal products for food and other uses we would not need to use the disgusting, disease ridden practices that they use today. Nor would we need to use all the antibiotics and other additives that are killing us all. All food can be good for you if it is "farmed" properly but these days with drugging animals, herbicides, pesticides, GMO crops etc almost no food is entirely good. That includes meat, fruits, vegetables, grains, etc
Most of these bad crops are subsidized by the government (aka our tax dollars) and most farmers feel forced to use this bad practices because they think that is the only way they can compete. This is because the big companies like the evil Monsanto want to have full control over all food production and have paid off the government to allow them to do this. The number of ways that most of the food system is corrupted and made bad for us is so staggering that many books could be written just to list all the problems. Organic farming, crop rotation, ethical treatment of animals etc does produce the healthiest animal and plant products but does cost more initially. In the long run it would save us way more but most people don't and cannot worry about long term. They need to concern themselves with surviving today and tomorrow. It is a very sad state of affairs that we live in these days and without the majority of the population waking up and realizing what is really going on, it is not going to change for the better until we hit rock bottom. This can come in the next 5-20years and will consist of massive starvation, death, disease etc if people do not wake up before this happens.
For those that do not believe we can survive on organic farming methods, responsible farming practices and eliminating drugs and oil based products. Just take a look at some documentaries of how Cuba survived peak oil. Cuba stands as an example to the rest of the world as to how things can work and will have to work in the future for people to survive.
Bottom line is that we all need balance in all parts of our lives including our food. We need to become more self sufficient and sustainable. This is very possible to do. The hardest part is fighting the big companies, banks, government and other people that are in the 1% that are trying to kill us off, steal all our money and usurp all the power in the world to control things the way they want. No matter what way we work towards this, it is not going to be easy, it is not going to be fun and it is going to get far worse before it can get better. However, with that said, if we do not start drastic change now, it is going to get even worse. We will end up as controlled as china and as poor as ethiopia. And then it will get worse. The time to act is now, if we do not, we might as well just give up, lay down and die, like so many have already.
People need to wake up and see what really is happening in the world and not just blindly believe all the crap we are being sold by the mainstream news and other media. A lot of the truth tellers are slammed as being conspiracy nuts but as more information is found and released it is being proven all the time that they are not nuts just because they say "the earth is round, not flat". There are definitely some nuts on both sides of all issues though. One example of this is that a few years back people would call anyone that mentioned the Bildebergers conspiracy nuts and say that they didn't exist. Now we know for 100% fact that they do. I could go on and on for days but I am sure I have said more than enough for now.
Peace, good fortune, good health and good luck on the future ahead as dim as it seems at this time.
The bigger solution to a sustainable world is controlling the population overgrowth. It isn't cow farts that is killing the planet people.
SANDRA HOOD NEEDs to go back to school.
Or find the right one.
Saying saturated fats are bad.
She looks old, so I guess she hasnt updated
her knowledge since she learnt that wrong info.
Too bad people like that actually are seen in documentaries
saying bullsh*t like that.
That woman made me stop watching this doc right away.
Annoying as hell
Listen, if you get nothing else from watching this than finally making the connection between human activities and the suffering of other species in order to feed people... then you at least are a thinking being. Maybe sometime in the future your thinking, feeling soul guides you to making choices that benefit the peaceful developments on Earth.
How can anybody claim to be peaceful when they have to rod animals in order to survive. This is a very primitive attitude. It assumes survival of the fittest to justify the constant war against animals. In WW2 this happened with humans too. Abused, shut into ghettos and camps deprived of dignity and finally murdered by the millions.
A cattle prod is like a taser gun you know...
Would you allow aliens to take your wife's baby away, then milk her breasts until they're dry just to make you inseminate her so she becomes pregnant to yield more profitable milk?
So, hey... why would anyone eat animals and consume their excrements as food when plants are a) more suited to human health and b) less animals are better for the planet?
Think about it. Actually, think about the delicious enjoyment of plant-based foods :-)
namaste
D
Just found out I am type 2 diabetic and wanted to research good diet. I had no idea what I was about to watch. I also had no idea that eating meat had such an impact on our planet.
I love meat, leather, eggs and lots of other animal products but this really is an eye opener. Given the fact that I now have to change my diet this looks like a good place to start and heck... might even be doing my part to reverse some environmental issues as well.
This doc is a good watch.
@ Robert: "It’s about respecting the planet and it’s inhabitants by not ruining it all, that shouldn’t be to hard see?"
Humans are ruining their own prospects of survival in more ways than this one. People are not going to change; they will continue to watch E! News, MTV, etc. and believe the shit the newscasters tell them. I HATE what happens to animals in these slaughter houses, etc. I HATE what we allow in the U.S. as food, with the influence of Monsanto, etc. However, it's NOT going to change. The majority of people are f--king morons. You can prove this every time you speak with someone who knows more about Kim Kardashian's life than they do about what "vegan" even is. The worst part is that that's EXACTLY the way that person is happy to live...as an empty vacuum--consuming machine--devoid of original thought. Our kind does not deserve to live, and we won't. When we die, the earth gets its serenity back. We don't deserve Earth.
"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so." - Bertrand Russell.
Ha ha ha! - Ohhh, well, that was delightful !!
Reading the meat eaters blogging was very entertaining.
I'm 31 years age. Vegan for the majority of my life and have NEVER been sick. I am 100% certain this isn't the case with ANY meat eater.
The comments seem to run away from the film itself.
To dumb it down for the red neck neanderthals that continue to blindly believe that eating another living animal is natural... you are missing the point entirely.
This film is intended to educate from all different walks of life - that the symbiotic relationship that connects all human beings to plant and animal life is one to be respected.
Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, carbon emissions, are all eliminated on a Vegan diet.
And not to dismiss the cruelty of factory farming, the mental abuse all life sustains before it is slaughtered is barbaric.
A vegan diet is not a 'trend' - It is about living in harmony with every living creature.
@Wayne - Are you a "reality consumer?" Haaa! No, no, no... you are the lazy sap I expect you to be... shopping in the supermarket (which is a heaven for advertising) and throwing in tinned food and pre packaged shit into you're trolley...
Do the research... Vegans are naturally happier, healthier and more active human beings that have an insatiable craving for life. Also... we are incredibly attractive.
BigBlueBalloon-
I'm sorry, but there are most definitely no 'proteins' (I assume you mean essential amino acids) that the human body needs in order to survive that cannot be found in (numerous) plant sources. Go on, check it out if you don't believe me.
It really shocks me the level of general ignorance in these replies. All the people touting conventional farming as having less impact on the environment than organic farming couldn't be further from the truth.
I could go on for ages, but I won't, cause those with a little intelligence and desire to know won't learn anything, and those stuck in their ways will not care anyway.
When it comes to eating to get nutrition out of your food. IMO, Organic and Fresh is the best way to go, but not always affordable or available so be your own doctor and decide what's best for you and your budget.
Minimise the chemicals, additives, hormones, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, antibiotics, GMOs, factory farming, caged animals, and unnatural processing, packaging, long storage, unsustainable farming methods, etc. All of these deplete nutrients and/or add harmful toxins.
Vegetarian or veganism is not for everyone but I see where they are coming from. A huge meat lobby makes me think I probably don't need to eat so much meat and support the corporate beef industry and huge agribusiness (e.g. Monsanto)! Just like being over-saturated by McDonalds and fast food advertising and their genius marketing methods hints that I don't really need that either.
PLUS, homegrown veggies always taste better than store bought!
And sometimes, what tastes good isn't good for you (e.g. MSG makes things taste great! So does sugar!). So you have to use your brain as well as your senses when choosing good (real) food in modern life.
Woah, I was not expecting this at all, No Hard Feelings against Vegans however, it's your choice...
IMHO,I still think eating Meat is important, there are proteins the body needs that can only be obtained from Animals.
You can always just eat 'Vegan Animals' instead or Herbivorous Animals. They are healthy, clean and fit Animals to eat.
to sober42long;
i dont know if you have actually done any research on the subject of humans eating meat. it seems you havent. if you research the subject you would know that the human body has enzymes in the stomach. these aid, obviously, in the digestion of food. in carnivores, there is a particular type of enzyme that aids in the digestion of meat. in humans however, there is almost none of this enzyme, suggesting that we are not designed to digest meat. not only that, but the intestines of carnivores are a hell of a lot shorter than humans. the reason for this, again, is to aid in the quick digestion of meat.
humans have a much longer intestine, meaning that it takes so much longer to digest meat that in fact a lot of the meat ends up in our intestines for a long time, just rotting away in there. nice eh? now in the days where we did used to hunt, maybe things were different in terms of the above factors. maybe we have changed these features due to evolution. that i dont know. however you raise an interesting point. back in the day, yes, we did used to hunt and eat meat. that is because it was necessary to survive. now, thanks to evolution, this is no longer necessary.
there is so much food, for example soy, and green leafy veg, that provide us with more than enough iron and protein. i say this before you raise the whole "we need meat" argument. everything that is found in meat, which our bodies need, can be found in a lot of other foods. hence, we no longer need meat. not only that, but you make out like it is in our genetic make up to hunt.
maybe if we went back to the hunter gatherer days, yes. but this argument no longer stands. in fact it is the opposite- is it natural to breed animals for thier meat, use every part of thier carcass for other things such as additives, keep them packed in so they can barely move, and have slaughter houses?
is it natural to have killing animals so utterly manufactured, that when they go to the slaughterhouse so many have to be killed per hour, meaning that not all animals who are meant to be stunned (so called ethical practice) a lot of the time dont, due to them being missed because they go through so fast, meaning that they are stabbed in the throat, hung up by thier back legs, and skinned alive whilst they are conscious?
is it natural to pump so many chemicals (including antibiotics) into these animals that they in turn have an effect on us, just to get chickens to lay more eggs, cows to grow bigger etc? is it natural to cut the beaks right off the chickens faces while they are conscious, just to stop them pecking at farmers? is it natural that the feet of these chickens end up growing around the mesh wire because they are cooped up so tightly and never set free?
i think not. so, to cut it short, we are NOT playing along with mother nature. we are F@#$%^& with it. (p.s- im not even going to go into the evil acts of torture many slaughterhouse staff committ onto the animals just for a laugh)anyway, i just wanted to make you a little more informed, so that when you pick arguments or make statements, you may actually know a few facts first.
Pie in the sky optimism, protest, and feel-good speeches are ok, but it's avoiding reality. Unless you can make vegan fast, cheap, convienient, and competitive, it will never sell in the world market. You have to appeal to the common consumer.
3 video tonight i wanted to watch and was unable to.