Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.
Nina Messinger,
T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies
June 2018
"HOPE What You Eat Matters" is an award-winning plant-based documentary uncovering and revealing the effects of our typical Western diet on our health, the environment, and animals. H.O.P.E. stands for Healing Of Planet Earth. At their website, you can watch the film for free.
HOPE director and producer Nina Messinger and friends...
HOPE What You Eat Matters is an award-winning plant-based documentary
uncovering and revealing the effects of our typical Western diet on our
health, the environment, and animals. Featuring Dr. Jane Goodall, Dr. T.
Colin Campbell, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. Melanie
Joy and many other experts, the film is now free to watch all over the
world. The following is an interview with the film’s director and producer
Nina Messinger.
How did you become interested in Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s work?
I became interested in Dr. T. Colin Campbell and his work through his book
The China Study in 2010. A year later, I watched the movie Forks Over Knives
with its plea for a whole food, plant-based diet. My curiosity and desire to
interview Dr. T. Colin Campbell grew and I knew that his insights and
expertise would be an important component of my film. I am particularly
impressed by his immense knowledge of the nutrition-related causes of the
epidemic spread of civilization diseases and his unflinching and
incorruptible search for truth in the service of humanity.
What inspired you to make this film?
I found it fascinating to see how much we humans can achieve by changing our
diet – for our health, as well as for all beings and the environment. There
have already been many important films made about the destruction of the
environment by the agricultural industry and about the harmful health
effects of an animal-based diet. However, a key component, that I felt was
missing, was the perspective of the animal abuse by the agricultural
industry due to greed. So I decided to make a comprehensive film to show
both the power of the individual as a consumer and the far-reaching
consequences of consuming such products. I wanted to make it obvious that an
animal-based diet harms everyone – that it endangers our health, creates
incomprehensible suffering for animals, destroys our environment, promotes
global hunger and forced migration. I believe that recognizing these
relationships is crucial for the psychological as well as the physical
survival of humanity. These challenges have motivated and inspired me to
make my film.
Too many people are unaware of these important connections. My
goal is to help people realise that each one of us can have a tremendous
impact through our daily actions of shopping as a conscious consumer,
choosing organic products, and eating a whole food, plant-based diet. These
daily actions have the ability to create positive change on a global scale
and make this world a better place for all.
What was the most rewarding aspect from producing this film?
Producing this film has had many rewarding aspects! I am very grateful for
all of the stimulating and informative conversations that I was able to have
– with internationally renowned experts such as Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr.
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Dr. Jane Goodall, Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. Melanie Joy
or Dr. Marc Bekoff. Just as rewarding have been the conversations with
farmers and people from all walks of life, who have recovered from severe
illnesses, simply by changing their eating habits.
These encounters and
conversations have led me, my family, my team and those people who have
watched my film to become more conscious of what they eat. I was also able
to experience the blessing of seeing my own father’s health improvement
through switching to an organic, whole food, plant-based diet. He radically
changed his diet during the making of my film in 2012 after a cancer
diagnosis. His condition improved and he is fine today despite the negative
prognosis of doctors and his refusal of conventional cancer treatment.
What is the greatest surprise or challenge you faced producing this film?
Probably the greatest challenge I faced producing this film was the extreme
difficulty of obtaining filming permits for factory farm facilities. This
problem did not occur with vegetable or fruit farmers. I found that
questionable and surprising at the same time. Should we not all have the
right to see how and where our food is being produced? If we are not allowed
to see how our food is made, do we really want to eat it?
What made you decide to release the film to the public for free of charge?
I decided to release the film to the public for free because of my original
intention of making this film and its message accessible to as many people
as possible. I want to save the lives of innumerable people, animals and
contribute to the protection and preservation of the basis of our existence,
which is nature. Now everyone has the opportunity to watch the film on the
Internet anytime, anywhere, to embed it on his/her website, to share it on
social media sites or to organize free screenings.
What do you find most inspiring about the plant-based movement?
The plant-based movement has inspired me because it takes a significant step
beyond the environmental movement and towards the whole of creation. While
the environmental movement was still primarily focused on the limited and
often shortsighted interests of humans, the whole food, plant-based movement
has recognized the complex interactions between all areas of our being. It
no longer defines man as the pinnacle of evolution, but as part of creation.
For me, this is an essential building block for a truly sustainable future.
What is your goal or dream for the plant-based movement?
My dream is that the plant-based movement will become mainstream and arrive
in the middle of our society soon. I hope that each day more people will
come to realize that a whole food, plant-based diet is a gift for humans,
animals and the whole world. It helps us to age healthier, drastically
reduces the skyrocketing health care costs, sustains our basis of existence
and prevents animal cruelty.
What is the main message you would like the world to hear?
My message to the world: The greatest danger to us and our future is
indifference. It is up to us as a consumer to use our power consciously for
our health, our environment and the animals – using our fork and knife.
If you could have one hope for both the agriculture and pharmaceutical
industry what would it be?
The agricultural industry dominates and controls what is sprayed and grown
in the fields, the protocols of farms and the farmers and ultimately, the
food in supermarkets. The pharmaceutical industry is primarily focused on
medicines for treating symptoms rather than curing the root cause of the
sickness and disease, thereby triggering innumerable health side effects. We
need a turnaround in both areas. The agricultural and pharmaceutical
industry needs to change their strategy to a health-focused system that
contributes to the health of all people, animals and the environment. I hope
that the plant-based movement will help foster an agricultural and a
pharmaceutical industry that will protect our livelihoods, conserve
biodiversity, preserve our health and eliminate animal cruelty.
H.O.P.E. stands for Healing Of Planet Earth. More information about Nina Messinger and her award-winning, plant-based documentary can be found on www.hope-theproject.com where you can watch the film for free.
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