I am what I eat? Really?

I watched the Netflix documentary, "You Are What You Eat: A Twin Study", so you don't have to.

I must admit I had been putting off watching this because I knew what it would entail. Lots of fear-mongering and generalizations, with a dash of elitism and fatphobia intertwined. I was not wrong, but when I say that “it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” that’s not the best compliment either, I suppose. Netflix, in general, doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to food documentaries. It makes sense when you think about it. Someone has to fund this, and that someone usually has a specific agenda that they’re trying to reinforce. Now, I want to make it clear that I have NO problem with the vegan diet or vegans themselves. None. I also want to make it clear that you can indeed consume the necessary vitamins, minerals, and macro and micronutrients the body needs on a vegan diet. What I do have an issue with are extremists on either side of the spectrum who chastise the way others eat and the lifestyle that they decide to partake in. What works for one individual will not always work for another.

Media image for the Netflix documentary “You Are What You Eat: A Twin Study”.

So yes, I sat down and watched all four episodes in one night and took notes. I will only share what we, the viewers, watched and the information shared in the documentary. I’m not getting into how certain producers and certain researchers had an agenda because of previous work. Yes, they did, and it's clear what that agenda was, but again, that’s the purpose of a documentary. So sit back, relax, and read because I binge-watched, so you don’t have to. I mean, you can watch it, obviously, but if you'd rather the CliffsNotes, here you go. You’re welcome.

The Study

The researchers and food scientists wanted to do an experiment and see which diet had better outcomes for the body: the omnivore diet or the vegan diet. They based the need for the study on the fact that Americans have a “crappy unhealthy diet” (their words, not mine) and are eager to try to remedy this. Their reasoning for using twins was the fact that these individuals have the same genetic codes, so it would be easy to see how these different diets affected the same genetics more or less. The documentary focused on four sets of twins even though 22 pairs participated in total: two female sets and two male sets. One male set was Caucasian in their 40s, one male set was African American in their 20s, one female set was Asian in their 40s, and one female set was South African Black in their 40s. One twin from each set would get the omnivore diet, and one twin would get the vegan diet. Also important to note is that all the individuals participating were already omnivores. The study was conducted over eight weeks - in the first four weeks, food would be delivered to the homes, and they would also be getting personal training from a vegan bodybuilder. For the last four weeks, they would be off on their own to cook and exercise themselves. To measure outcomes, weight, various lab values, and body measurements were all taken before and after.

Okay, fine, not bad. Not perfect by any means, but not totally bad, and yes, I’m curious to see the outcomes myself.

Vegan versus omnivore

4 twin sets - 2 male and 2 female

First 4 weeks - food delivery and personal trainer

Last 4 weeks - cook and exercise on their own

Blue Zones

The researchers mentioned the fascination with the blue zones as one important motivator for this experiment. What are the blue zones? In 2004, a Danish study (teamed with National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging) discovered that there were areas in the world where people lived longer than average, more than or close to 100 years. These places are Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Okinawa, Japan; and Sardinia, Italy. These locations were studied to determine why people had such remarkable longevity, and these areas were dubbed “blue zones.” The intent of the blue zones study was to identify lessons or principles that could be applied to build healthier communities and help people live longer and better lives. 

One aspect of the blue zones that was studied was, of course, diet. Many people in these zones were found to be plant-based. Here’s the thing, however: plant-based means different things to different people. As a dietitian, when we say plant-based we don’t mean vegan. Plant-based to us means that you eat a ton of vegetables and a ton of fruit, and this is how many in the blue zones would also define it. AKA, fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables that you see many of us saying on the interwebs. This isn’t new information, but I also found it interesting that the other extremely important factors of the Blue Zones were glossed over. Moving naturally (AKA joyful movement), managing stress, living with a purpose, moderate alcohol consumption, a strong sense of community, and a feeling of belonging are all equally mentioned principles of these zones. So, the researchers of the twins experiment solely choosing to concentrate on food and exercise (that wasn’t moving naturally) was certainly a choice.

Saying the dirty word - Processed foods

Americans eat a ton of processed foods. This feels like every headline that is out there, and this rhetoric was regurgitated in this documentary. “What we put in our mouths is more important than anything else,” author and physician Michael Greger, who opposes consuming animal-derived products, said in this documentary. Hard disagree with him on this one, and the researchers who studied the blue zones for which this film was partly attributed would disagree as well, I’m assuming.

Remember, for the first four weeks, the twins had food delivery for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I found it interesting that food scientist Christopher Gardner decided to say that both the omnivore and vegan diet would be “healthy food.” We’re not going to give the omnivores “a whole bunch of crap to eat, so this will be a fair experiment”, he said. Red flag waving high in the air with this one. I cannot stress enough how incredibly important it is how we talk about food. There is no need to imply that the food omnivores eat is “crap” and the food vegans eat as “wholesome”. Oreos, potato chips, and many other packaged foods are vegan. Meat and dairy alternatives made from soy, nuts and green peas are all incredibly processed. Ultra-processed at that. So how about we not demonize and fearmonger and not put food on a hierarchy?