If you’re diving into a plant-based lifestyle, but are not sure how to start (or are questioning why someone would want to ditch animal products in the first place), we’ve compiled a masterlist of our favorite documentaries and books that will help guide the way.

When going plant-based, It takes time to understand the impact it will have on your health, wellness and the world around you. That’s why we’ve selected our absolute favorite resources on the topic. These resources had an incredible impact on my own personal journey, and I believe they are the perfect gateway into starting a sustainable plant-based lifestyle.

Documentaries That Will Help You Go Plant-Based:

Forks Over Knives

Forks Over Knives follows the lives of average Americans diagnosed with chronic diseases, such as Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease. Guided by two doctors, they put the idea of “food is medicine” to the test. They switched their diets to whole-foods, plant-based, and saw amazing results in their health and wellness. 

Cowspiracy

Do you ever wonder the impact that large scale animal farming has had on our planet? Cowspiracy is an in-depth documentary that explores the environmental deprivation of large scale animal farming. From deforestation, water pollution, and greenhouse gases, the animal farming industry is trying to hide the extent of the harm that they have done to make a profit.

Food Choices

This documentary is a nice mix of Cowspiracy, and Forks Over Knives. Following a filmmaker on his three-year journey to uncover the impact our food choices have had on our health. Also, features 28 interviews with health experts. It is a deep dive into how and why our food choices matter, and you will not look at your plate ever the same again, after watching Food Choices.

Game Changers

This documentary follows the elite athlete’s journey, James Wilks, as he attempts to uncover the optimal diet for his performance. No surprise here, he goes on a plant-based diet and never goes back! He discovers how a plant-based diet maximizes performance, optimizes health, and protects the bigger picture – our planet! Follow his journey as he permanently changes his perspective on both food and health. This is the perfect documentary for any athlete to watch. 

The Invisible Vegan

In the Invisible Vegan, you will learn more about the dietary problems amongst African American Communities. The actress and filmmaker, Jasmine Leyva, shares her story of growing up in an unhealthy household. Follow her journey of how she switched to a full-on vegan lifestyle seven years ago. She is exceptionally committed to exploring how she can help communities make better health choices through research and education. 

What The Health 

What The Health is a follow-up film to the documentary Cowspriacy. The film centers around how big businesses and the government is benefitting from the rising number of chronic diseases. It uncovers the role that pharmaceutical companies, agri-business, and processed animal food companies play in our nation’s health – and, it’s not pretty. What The Health is an eye-opener for anyone who is already concerned about how big business is influencing us all.

Vegucated 

Vegucated is a social experiment that involves three meat and cheese lovers going vegan for six weeks to see if the health benefits live up to all the hype. As their bodies begin to transform, they experience way more benefits than they were expecting! The more they learn about being vegan, the more they start questioning the animal farming industry as a whole. Even though the tough times, like family gatherings and annoying step-dads, these three carnivores change their lives and their diets, all for the better. 

Eating You Alive

As more new drugs and technology are invented to keep us living longer, we are still dying from heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and obesity at an alarming rate. Eating You Alive takes a deep dive into the science of why so many Americans are suffering from chronic disease. Uncover who is feeding us this unhealthy information and how a plant-based diet can stop and reverse it. 

Food Matters

Food Matters sets out to prove how much food really does matter. Uncovering the trillion-dollar wellness industry is the first step in this filmmaker couple’s quest for answers. They interview nutrition experts to precisely determine what is at the root of chronic illness and then, they explore how the chemicals added to our everyday food are slowly killing us. The focus of this film is to basically re-think our existing beliefs about health and wellness and to start noticing how much nutrition and the quality of our daily intake of food really does matter. 

Hungry For Change 

Hungry For Change is the follow-up documentary to Food Matters. The film exposes what the diet industry has been hiding all these  years – How they use targeted and elusive strategies that will never leave you satisfied with your body; including interviews from health writers, expert doctors, and transformational stories of previously overweight and ill people, this documentary will motivate you to escape the diet industry entirely. 

PlanEat 

PlanEat is a British documentary that explores the benefits of a whole foods plant-based diet. It mainly focuses on the health and environmental factors of switching, and how our health issues are rising year after year unfortunately, with no end in sight. 

Books That Will Help You Go Plant-Based:

“How Not To Die” by Dr. Michael Greger. 

This top-renowned physical and nutrition expert explores the top 15 causes of premature death in America and how the majority of these causes may result from a poor diet. He explains how we can put down the prescription pills and pick up a salad, and how food is frequently a better and long-lasting cure to our chronic illnesses. “How Not To Die” is full of actionable and practical advice for anyone interested in living a healthier life.

“The China Study” by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell.


“The China Study” is an in-depth dive into one of the longest and most comprehensive studies done about nutrition. This study’s primary focus is the relationship between diet and risk of chronic disease, and what they have found is eye-opening. It proves the power of a plant-based diet and how many patients can benefit from the switch.

“Fiber Fueled” by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz. 

Written by a gastroenterologist, “Fiber Fueled” challenges the keto and paleo diets with a plant-based alternative. Studies show that gut health is the key to boosting our immune system, losing weight, and battling chronic disease. He preaches that fad diets are ruining our health and that the key to fixing this is a plant-based diet. “Fiber Fueled” also comes with a 28-day jumpstart program!

“Eat To Live” by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.


“Eat To Live” is a nutritious plant-based 6-week plan that revolutionizes your health. It also includes scientific research on hunger and cravings that will change the way you view those late-night snacks. Dr. Fuhram promises that his book will help you live longer, reduce the need for mediation, and help you lose weight quickly. All thanks to a comprehensive plant-based diet!

“Mastering Diabetes” by Robby Barbaro, MPH & Cyrus Khambatta, PHD 


While most doctors recommend a low carb, high-fat diet for managing diabetes, “Mastering Diabetes” takes a different perspective on what diet is best. The solution is a diet that is essential for maintaining health and reducing insulin resistance in all types of diabetes. This revolutionary solution is a low fat, whole foods plant-based diet. In “Mastering Diabetes”, you will get in-depth scientific explanations on why your body is not functioning correctly, and how a whole food plant-based diet can ultimately fix that. It also includes an entire lifestyle plan, plus 30 delicious recipes, for living your best life.

“Whole: Rethinking The Science of Nutrition” by T. Colin Campbell. 


From the author of “The China Study”, T. Colin Campbell explains the science behind the evidence presented. He describes how the current nutrition information is not looking at the bigger picture, and why, if we know that our food is killing us, it is hard to change. ‘Whole‘ looks at how food impacts our entire body, not just how an individual chemical might be harmful. 

“The Cheese Trap” by Dr. Neal D Barnard.


“The Cheese Trap” questions the statement we all grew up hearing: “Milk is good for you!” 

Dr. Barnard uncovers the truth about dairy, that it is loaded with calories and cholesterol, and is slightly addictive. He presents a comprehensive program that can help anyone break free of the cheese cravings while losing weight and transforming their health, all at the same time. 

“The Starch Solution” by John McDougall. 


Are carbs really the enemy? “The Starch Solution” says not! The current trend in the diet industry is no carb. From Atkins to Keto, eating any starch is out of the question. McDougall proves that starch is not the enemy, and it can actually help you lose weight, prevent illness, and cure disease. Eating a plant-based diet has never been easier with this 7 day-start-plan, weekly meal planner, and over 100 delicious starchy recipes. 

“Proteinaholic” by Dr. Garth Davis. 


Written by an expert weight loss surgeon, “Proteinaholic” explores how our obsession with meat is actually killing us. He recounts patients’ battles with obesity and his own health scare that forced him to wake up and put down the protein shake. He proves that there is no such thing as a protein deficiency when eating a plant-based diet and that too much protein is actually making us sicker by the minute. 

“Eating Animals” by Jonathon Foer.


“Eating Animals” is part investigative journalism, part memoir, and has recently been turned into a documentary. Continually switching between eating meat and vegetarianism, Jonathon Foer questions why we started eating animals in the first place. He raises concerns about the types of animals we’re eating now. He finds answers in the origins of many eating traditions and the fictions that we have created around them. 

Educating yourself on the food that impacts your health is just the first step to a healthy life. The next step is committing to making the change in your diet so you can live longer, feel better, and prevent chronic illness. 

If you’re ready to commit to yourself, I recommend my meal plan program, Plant Ahead, to make the switch to a plant-based lifestyle easy and delicious. This program offers a weekly meal plan + grocery list and access to all the past meal plans, which contain over 350 recipes! 

Get started on your own plant-based journey today by joining us here.

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