The Game Changers 1

Rylie Greenwood

HLTH 1020

12/1/2023

For this essay, I picked the documentary The Game Changers by Mark Monroe and

Joseph Pace to watch and write about. I have never been the healthiest person and have often

neglected food groups when eating meals. This I have learned, or rather not learned, through

family and friends. Though my mother is an excellent cook, her recipes often contain fats,

sugars, and carbs and lack groups such as veggies and protein. I have also found that the

convenience of fast food makes cooking and meal planning much harder. This is something I

have wanted to work on for myself for some time now and learning about how to better my

meals and what is vital for the body throughout this course has proven to be very helpful. Before

watching this documentary I had no idea what it was about. After watching the film I was

extremely surprised and felt better educated on the topic of plant-based diets.

"The Game Changers" is a documentary film directed by Louie Psihoyos that explores

the advantages of plant-based eating for athletes. The film follows James Wilks, a former UFC

fighter, as he embarks on a quest to find the truth about meat, protein, and strength. The

documentary features interviews with various athletes, doctors, and nutritionists who share their

insights on plant-based diets and their benefits. I chose this documentary because I am interested

in fitness and nutrition, and I have heard a lot about the benefits of plant-based eating for
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athletes. As I am an athlete and have been since the age of 10, I have questioned my diet many

times over the years. Swimming is a very draining sport, both mentally and physically and

requires a lot of carbs to stay active. Endurance has always been a weak point for me, as I have

struggled to keep up with the necessary intake for my energy. Learning that a plant-based diet

can help immensely with that has me very intrigued and wanting to experiment. I wanted to learn

more about this topic and see how plant-based diets can impact athletic performance. The film

was produced in 2018, and I believe the themes are still applicable today. The documentary

provides compelling evidence and scientific research to support the benefits of plant-based diets

for athletes, and this information is still relevant and valuable to anyone interested in health and

nutrition. After watching The Game Changers, I found that several topics were covered in the

documentary that were also discussed in my nutrition textbook. For example, both the

documentary and the textbook emphasized the importance of getting enough protein in our diets,

and the documentary also discussed the importance of getting enough fiber from plant-based

sources. After learning about the importance of all of the food groups and the role they each play

in being a healthy individual I found it surprising that you can meet all the requirements through

a plant-based diet. Though after watching the film I was able to connect the dots and see how a

plant based diet can be achieved if done correctly. Overall, I learned a lot about the potential

benefits of a plant-based diet, especially for athletes. I was also impressed by the scientific

evidence presented in the documentary, which suggests that a plant-based diet can have a

positive impact on athletic performance and overall health. One new idea that I learned from the

documentary was the concept of "bioavailability," which refers to the extent to which the body

can absorb and utilize nutrients from different foods. The documentary explained how
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plant-based sources of nutrients can be more bioavailable than animal-based sources, which was

a new concept for me.

I am definitely interested in incorporating more plant-based foods into my own diet, and I

think that the themes and ideas presented in The Game Changers have given me a lot to think

about. I am a meat lover myself and would find it very hard to give that up, though I’m sure the

alternatives can be just as delicious. I found it very interesting that I have been a swimmer since

the age of ten and have never considered using a plant-based diet to boost my performance.

Overall, I thought the documentary was well-produced and informative, and I would recommend

it to anyone who is interested in exploring the potential benefits of a plant-based diet.