Course: Public Health - Analysis of 'What the Health' Documentary

This report analyzes the documentary 'What the Health,' which explores the relationship between the consumption of animal products and various diseases, advocating for a plant-based diet. The analysis examines the decision-making process viewers undergo after watching the film, considering the presented information and alternative viewpoints. The report discusses the author's interest in the documentary, focusing on its claims regarding the impact of meat and dairy on health, including cancer and diabetes. The analysis also questions the documentary's arguments in light of previous research and highlights the importance of critically evaluating the evidence presented. The report references studies by Johnson, Marchiori, Thøgersen, and Ta to support and contextualize the arguments. Overall, the report provides a critical assessment of the documentary's claims and its potential impact on viewers' perceptions of diet and health.

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Documentary What the Health
What the Health is a documentary film which explores the relationship between
the consumption of animal products and certain diseases. This documentary criticizes
the health impacts of consuming meat and dairy products by advocating for the
consumption of diets that are plant-based.
Decision making process
What the health documentary presents its findings and leaves the human to
make decisions on their own. By presenting the findings, ideas and opinions, the
documentary leaves the consumers of meat and dairy products with the urge of making
decisions that favor their health and well-being. From this documentary, human being
can gather relevant information in regards to their health. This information can be
gathered through self-assessments as well as comparing the arguments in the
documentary with previous literatures on the consumption of such food types. Before
making decisions based on this documentary, people can also identify alternatives so
as to enable them come up with the best decisions in regards to what to consume.
According to Thøgersen, Jørgensen, and Sandager (n.p), people should evaluate the
available evidence so as to identify their exact health needs and how it may impact their

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lives. Although strategies for consuming healthy food varies, using the information on
what the health documentary is capable of changing one’s perception towards meat and
dairy products. Consumers can use what the health documentary to review their healthy
food consumption strategies so as to be able to determine the ones that their needs.
Some of the strategies that consumer can consider include the portion size effect
(Marchiori, Esther, and Olivier n.p). it is important for the consumers to confirm if their
food consumption decisions adheres to what the health documentary or previous
research.
Reason for analysis
What the health is of interest to me because it makes claims on what is affecting
the health population of Americans at large. Despite the critics that have followed its
release, it is interesting to learn that some of their claims may be true. This
documentary highlights how what we eat has a great impact on our health and the
environment. According to this documentary, the primary cause of cancer, obesity, heart
disease is meat and other dairy products. This leaves me questioning the previous
researches that have been previously conducted, and which describes these diseases
as complex with multiple factors including diet. One of my main interest is on the claim
that meat consumption causes cancer. According to Johnson (n.p), too much
consumption of processed meat increases high risk of cancer and other diseases. This
is because the method of processing interferes with chemical composition as well as the
nutrients value. Another interesting claim is that diabetes is caused by fats and not
sugar. For a long time, diabetes has been linked to defects in insulin secretion or action
(Ta n.p). insulin injection has also been proved to be effective in managing diabetes.

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This makes me question if at all the previous researchers do not want to share their
innovations. It is important to note that this documentary argues that meat and dairy
products are carcinogenic while advocating for plant-based diets, however, they do not
reveal that even fruits are carcinogenic.

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Works cited
Johnson, Ian T. "The cancer risk related to meat and meat products." British medical
bulletin 121.1 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldw051
Marchiori, David, Esther K. Papies, and Olivier Klein. "The portion size effect on food
intake. An anchoring and adjustment process?." Appetite 81 (2014): 108-115.
Ta, S. "Diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus." Diabetes care 37 (2014): S81.
Thøgersen, John, Anne‐Katrine Jørgensen, and Sara Sandager. "Consumer decision
making regarding a “green” everyday product." Psychology & Marketing 29.4 (2012):
187-197.