Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is a 2010 American documentary that follows the 60-day journey of Australian Joe Cross across the United States as he follows a juice fast to regain his health under the care of Dr. Joel Fuhrman. The sequel was released in 2014 and is focused on the reality of trying to maintain the weight loss and continue to eat healthy despite living in an unhealthy world.

Although perhaps a bit extreme in his approach, the message is very clear. The standard western diet is starving your cells of the nutrients they need and your health is suffering from it. As soon as you start putting the right stuff back in your body, your cells immediately respond, and your health benefits. That is a message I can get behind!

Watch The Trailers

Take Home Message

The most important message from both of these films really lies behind the power of plants; specifically veggies!! As we start adding in more fresh veggies and fruits the effects are immediate.

Juice in particular acts as a liquid supplement in your body. It takes all the work from digestion out of the equation and absorbs into the blood stream very quickly. This results in nutrients flooding into your cells very easily, even if you’re dealing with digestive issues.

Fasting has also been used for thousands of years in many cultures around the world to improve health and heal from disease. I definitely believe in the power of fasting to boost the immune system and repair the body and can support the idea of combining fasting with fresh produce to jump start the healing process.

Even just one single green juice or smoothie per day can make a huge difference in your energy, weight, and motivation to make more healthy choices. So if you’re not ready to make the leap into a fast or juice cleanse, you can certainly start with the goal of simply getting more fresh veggies and fruits into your diet.