loopyka Review of Vegucated

Vegucated (2011)

Good documentary on why veganism is the way to go.

[8/10 · 13 December 2016]

Vegucated (2011) Cast: Tesla Fobo, Brian Flegel, Ellen Masuner, and Marisa Wolfson Director: Marisa Wolfson Summary: Vegucated follows three meat eaters as they try to convert to a vegan diet for six weeks. The movie explores the many challenges that goes along with a vegan diet and how they aren't all that difficult to overcome. The documentary addresses the poor conditions and inhumane treatment of animals in slaughterhouses and farms. Review: Vegetarianism and veganism is a lifestyle choice that is becoming more and more popular. The transition is difficult however and Marisa Wolfson challenged three meat eaters to attempt to maintain a vegan diet for six weeks. To clarify: Vegan is not eating any meat or any products that come from animals (dairy, eggs, etc.) They did a good job (and was sure to let you know that they did) in choosing three people from different backgrounds and lifestyles. Tesla was a Hispanic woman who ate a lot of traditional meat dishes, Brian is a white man who loved his breakfast meats and ate out a lot, and Ellen was a busy single mother who frequently made frozen meals for her family. The documentary shifted from showing the three participants eating vegan dishes and adjusting to the new lifestyle, to facts and stories regarding veganism and why that is the "right" choice. Vegucated did a very good job at getting the pros of veganism across. There were plenty of statistics proving the health benefits associated with the vegan diet. It's hard to ignore the fact that in countries like China where significantly less meat is eaten, the rate of diabetes and heart disease is much lower. The second main point was the deplorable treatment of livestock while in the slaughterhouse, or in the industrial sized farms where they are raised. A multitude of things done to them like being castrated with no anesthesia and being thrown into a grinder alive are meant to tug at the heart strings, and are very effective. Their last argument was the effect it has on the environment and these points were not explained very well. The narrator mentions that cows and pigs release methane when they breathe or pass gas. An issue with that is that Vegucated doesn't say that the increase in meat consumption has increased the number of those animals. I'm assuming it is implied but that fact would have backed up one of the main bullet points, so leaving that out did them no favors. Vegucated was made to sway you towards veganism and it did a great job of it. It made me question eating meat, which means it succeeded. Health benefits and moral conflicts are powerful tools and Vegucated utilizes them both well, with facts to back it up (for the most part.) This is very educational and well worth an hour of someone's time.