The Game Changers is a 2018 an-hour-and-a-half Netflix documentary film that promotes plant-based eating. The movie’s narrator, James Wilks, a fighting techniques teacher, tells his audience about the effects that going vegan can have on the quality of one’s athletic performance and their general state of health. According to The Game Changers, carbohydrates contained in plants provide people with glucose, which is one’s body preferred fuel; as a result, an individual receives more energy for any type of activity. Moreover, plant-based meals facilitate an accelerated blood flow, as opposed to meals containing animal products, allowing oxygen and nutrients to enrich body cells and eliminate waste. In its turn, all that results in reduced risks of various diseases and a person’s improved well-being. Additionally, people who decided to go vegan – among which there is a plethora of famous and accomplished athletes – reported that upon doing that, they started to look better and show stronger athletic performances.
As has been mentioned above, carbohydrates operate as one’s body’s preferred fuel, which might seem surprising since the general consensus has always been that it is protein that serves as such. However, this is not true: the film provides information on how uptake of protein in larger quantities than carbohydrates results in the development of glycogen depletion. In turn, it results in the loss of stamina and fatigue; therefore, the claim that protein is necessary to successfully perform endurance exercises is false.
In terms of the strategies for athletes with light physique, safe weight loss is also achieved by going vegan. The Game Changers states that plant foods’ low caloric density makes it possible for people to eat them and lose weight simultaneously. Moreover, one does not starve or lose energy while in the process of dieting, which is often the case with simply limiting foods that are higher-calorie, animal-based products included. This is one strategy that I will use if I ever find myself in the position of needing to lose weight. In general, this film changed my perspective on how beneficial it is for us to eat meat and made me think about changing my nutritional patterns. I believe that as many people as possible need to watch it and reconsider the way they think about plant-based diets.
Work Cited
The Game Changers. Directed by Louie Psihoyos, Netflix, 2018.