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H.O.P.E. What You Eat Matters

by Jennie Richards · Published March 23, 2018 · Updated September 23, 2021

“This entire meat industry has today become a scandal on the planet. To force everyone into destroying the earth’s resources is a crime against the Earth, and a crime against our bodies. Our bodies weren’t designed for this kind of diet. Altogether, this is a recipe for a biological disaster, biodiversity disaster, water disaster, planetary disaster and health disaster.” ~ Dr. Vandana Shiva, Physicist, Alternative Nobel Laureate, India

H.O.P.E. is an eye-opening and moving documentary about the hugely consequential impact our Western diet, heavy in animal foods, is having on our health, the animals, and the planet. H.O.P.E. is an urgent call to action to all of us that a seismic revolution is needed in the foods we eat, in order to support and sustain life on Earth, and reduce the destruction that our current diet and agricultural system is wreaking.

The film exposes how our meat consumption has quintupled over the past 50 years, and how today 65 billion land animals are being slaughtered every year for food consumption. One third of the global grain production is fed to animals for fattening while 1.8 billion people world-wide suffer from hunger, malnutrition and starvation. Our growing consumption of meat and dairy is accelerating climate change, fast-tracking species extinction, promoting the destruction of rainforests and land, polluting our environment, poisoning our water and air, causing horrific cruelty and brutality to animals, and producing an epidemic of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and multiple cancers. And the meat, dairy, egg and animal agriculture industries and lobbies have infiltrated the government and the academic community and are literally controlling our diet.

Can there really be a solution to all these problems? It was the search for an answer to this question that led Austrian author and filmmaker Nina Messinger on a mission through Europe, India and the U.S. to investigate the consequences of our diet and to meet with leading experts in nutrition, medicine, and agriculture, among others, as well as with farmers and people who have recovered from severe illnesses by simply changing their diet. The film´s deeply distressing images and moving stories make a clear case for a plant-based diet that is not so just a short-lived life-style trend but rather for preserving our entire world. The movie serves up a stunningly simply, yet comprehensive solution – right in front of our plates. Changing our eating habits will rebalance not just our health but the planet itself. A diet high in animal-based foods is a problem. The only solution is a whole-foods, plant-based diet to cure both our health and our planet.

After seeing the film, Paul McCartney reacted, “This important film highlights the choices we must make to help protect this planet and all its inhabitants,” and Jane Goodall wisely summons, “The most important thing to remember is you, you as an individual, does make a difference. You matter, your life matters, use your life wisely.”

Film Length: 92 minutes

Film Launch: March 2018 (English language version) Original launch in Austria, 2016

H.O.P.E. The Project has just released their latest episode of ‘Plant Power Stories’ featuring Paul Chatlin. Paul cured his life-threatening heart disease by changing his diet and went on to launch the Plant-Based Nutrition Support Group. Please consider sharing it. You can watch the episode by clicking any of the links below:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/zUAvYj4iGEM

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealingOfPlanetEarth/videos/397274041052565

Website: https://www.hope-theproject.com/paul-chatlin

More About The Film

Watch the Film. Watch in these languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese (Traditional & Simplified), English, Arabic, Indonesian and Dutch subtitles.

Visit the Website

Like the Facebook page

Subscribe to the You Tube channel

Host A Screening – You can host a screening free of charge at a movie theater, a festival, on a TV channel, in universities, schools, restaurants, cafés, leisure centers, yoga centers, health centers or in your home. See comprehensive information here.

Watch the Interview with Film Director Nina Messinger

Read the interview with T. Colin Campbell and Nina Messigner

Film Awards

Official Selection – Sedona International Film Festival
Official Selection – Toronto World International Film Festival 2016
Winner World Award of Merit – World Film Awards 2016
Official Selection – South African Eco Film Festival 2016
Award of Excellence – IndieFEST Film Awards 2016
Humanitarian Award – IndieFEST Film Awards 2016
Food Award – Cinema Verde Film Festival 2016

Quotes From The Film

“Every act of conscious eating is an act of changing the world.“ ~ Dr. Vandana Shiva, environmental activist, physicist and Alternative Nobel Laureate

“The highest form of living, the highest value – is compassion. And when there is compassion we maximize well-being. Well-being does not mean money in the hands of a few, it means being shared across life’s spectrum.” ~ Dr. Vandana Shiva

“Once we realize that we are part of the animal kingdom, then it becomes important about how we treat all animals – as how we treat each other. Only when we show respect, consideration and concern for all living beings, can we see a world that is more peaceful than the one we see today.” ~ Dr. Jane Goodall

“We are seeking the liberation of life from the stranglehold of “objectification.” No life is less important than any other life. Human beings are definitely not the emperors over the rest of life. We are only one strand in that web of life.” ~ Dr. Vandana Shiva

“More and more people are coming to understand the problems, and what they ought to be doing.” ~ Dr. Jane Goodall

“Every act of conscious eating, of knowing what the consequences of what you’re eating, knowing what you’re eating—is an act of changing the world.” ~ Dr. Vandana Shiva, Physicist

“Carnism teaches us to place animals in categories, some animals are “pets” and other animals we eat. It teaches us to see the animals as objects – to see the turkey as some “thing” rather than some “one.” Carnism teaches us to see animals as abstractions, as lacking in any personality, and not to see the animals as the individuals they are. Carnism is a belief system to prevent us in recognizing the violence and cruelty of eating animals and eating meat. We suppress and deny, ignore our head and heart, in order to eat animals.” ~ Dr. Melanie Joy

“The most important thing to remember is you, you as an individual, does make a difference. You matter, your life matters, use your life wisely.” ~ Dr. Jane Goodall

Quotes – Health Impacts

“The Western diet unfortunately is associated with the development of some very serious diseases.”

“There is a strong association between animal foods and diseases. People must know that this is true.”

“Heart disease is a food borne illness. Heart disease starts with progressive damage to the endothelial cells. Eating animal foods like meat and cheese damages these endothelial cells. It leads to inflammation, and the hardening and narrowing of arteries.”

“A plant-based diet can not only prevent heart disease, it can reverse heart disease.”

“The seismic revolution in health will come from plant-based nutrition reducing diseases and keeping people healthy.”

Quotes – Environmental Impacts

“The growing consumption of meat accelerates climate change and species extinction; it damages the soil, water and air; and spurs starvation.”

“Most of the green growing on the planet is not grown for food for human beings, it’s going to farm animals. 70 percent goes to animals. It’s meeting the ‘hunger of profits,’ not the hunger of people. While people are starving. Worldwide, 1.8 billion people are starving. 15,000 children a day are dying from malnutrition. A sign of poverty, not for the poor—but because of the rich.”

“Animals don’t want to be fed with grain, it does not suit their digestive system. They are tortured animals.”

“Whole forests are being cleared to graze livestock. It’s having a shocking effect on the environment. Because of this practice of clearing forests for animal feed over the past two decades, 20 percent of the Amazon basin rainforest has been destroyed forever.”

“Methane gas produced by cattle is 25 times more detrimental to the climate than CO2. Worse, is Nitrous Oxide released in the use of synthetic fertilizers, which is 300 times more harmful to the climate than CO2. These cause the worsening of climate change – worsening storms, glacial melting, the warming of our climate.”

“The manure produced by farm animals threaten our drinking water, land, waterways, oceans, and air.”

For 1 kilogram of eggs, 3,300 liters of water are needed.
For 1 kilogram of chicken meat, 3,900 liters of water are needed.
For 1 kilogram of pork, 4,800 liters of water are needed.
For 1 kilogram of cheese, a whopping 5000 liters of water are needed.
For 1 kilogram of beef, an incredible 15,500 liters of water are needed.

Versus

For 1 kilogram of apples, only 700 liters of water are needed.
For 1 kilogram of potatoes, only 900 liters of water are needed.

“If you want to eat in an eco-friendly way, you need to eat a plant-based diet.”

Quotes – The Impacts to Animals

Factory Farming

“It’s unbelievable to me that people can treat animals as ‘things.’”

“Factory farming is the absolute worst in animal cruelty and abuse, if you summed up all the pain and suffering that we cause animals – industrial food preparation is far greater than all of the other pain animals receive in all industries—combined. It not only makes the animals suffer but they see and smell the suffering of animals around them. They are surrounded by suffering. It is the worst, and it brings out the worst in human beings at these horrible factory farms.”

“There is no longer a connection to the animals, the animals are treated like a commodity. The meat, dairy and egg industries show a deep contempt for life, animal life – today when you see factory farms.”

“Animals are no longer seen as individuals, but like spare car parts that can be used – the aim is achieving the highest economic profit possible.”

Treatment of Chickens

“Chickens are raised in merciless factory farms where their lives are reduced to short, joyless agony. In these animal prisons they reach slaughter weight in record time, never seeing daylight, and all in extremely crowded conditions.”

“The normal life expectancy of a chicken is 20 years, but ‘broiler’ chickens live only 22 days. The birds gain weight so quickly their skeletons cannot catch up, they end up lying on their breasts, they can’t even support their weight. They can’t even drag themselves to the feed and water troughs, they starve to death. They fall victim to cannibalism. They die of heart attacks. The meat lobby is glad to hide this from you.”

Treatment of Pigs

“Mother sows are highly intelligent and extremely sensitive, but they are forced to lie on bare concrete instead of straw. They can’t turn around and are completely immobilized by cold metal gestation crates that force them to not move for hours, days, weeks, months. This is modern intensive pig farming. In nature, mother sows build big strong nests for their offspring. But in intensive farming, they cannot care for or even protect their young, they live on cold hard concrete floors, and she is completely prevented from moving.”

“Baby male pigs are castrated without pain relief, and the pigs’ tails are amputated without any pain relief. Many animals are born weak and sick, and they are left to die alone. They receive no medical or veterinary support.”

“At the age of three weeks, the piglets are separated from their mothers, then they are slaughtered at 6 months old, even though their normal lifespan is 25 years, they are slaughtered as teenagers. They spend their brief cruel lives in cramped quarters. As many as 10 percent die–they can’t survive these conditions.”

Treatment of Dairy and Meat Cows

“Three out of four calves go to slaughter – for your milk.”

“Harming mothers who are just giving birth to babies, nursing babies, then we steal their babies and transport them to slaughter – this is your milk. What animals go through, people can’t even imagine the suffering you put the goat or cow through.”

“Cows have community, they mourn, they love—they just look different from us. Chickens love to be around friends, they’re very smart – who we eat are very smart and emotional. It’s ‘who’ is for dinner, not ‘what’ is for dinner. Every animal you eat has a very strong subjective life.”

“Cows can spend their entire lives in narrow stalls, tethered stalls where they have one step forward, one step backward. Normally they live to 30 years, but on farms today meat cows are killed as babies.”

“Not only meat consumption promotes animal suffering, but milk production has been increased significantly to cause terrible suffering for dairy cows. Cows are forced to be constantly pregnant, then within 24 hours you take the calf away from the mother cow, because the milk has to go to humans. It’s a terrible cruel business. There is more suffering in a glass of milk than you can find in anything. The calves will cry and cry, their mothers will look for them. Cows will mourn their children for days and weeks. Mothers miss their calves and calves miss their mothers. It’s heartbreaking to watch.”

Quotes – Milk and Dairy Impacts

“Dairy products contain no complex carbohydrates and very few vitamins, instead they are full of saturated fat and cholesterol and animal protein. Three quarters of all antibiotics end up in factory farms. The whole system in itself is completely sick.”

“There is ample evidence that shows casein in milk is one of the strongest promoters of cancer Casein in animal milk promotes all cancers. With a 20 percent casein-rich diet (any dairy products) in the diet, promotes cancer. You can turn on and turn off cancer cells by eating dairy, or not eating dairy. Dairy also accelerates and promotes heart disease. Also, dairy increases bone fractures. Dairy should be out.”

“There is good evidence that dairy is directly associated with allergies. Teenage boys get acne, due to their consumption of dairy. Dairy is associated with migraine headaches, once you stop consuming dairy, the headaches will go away fast. This is what the medical and scientific evidence shows.”

“Too much animal protein in ones diet causes illness. As we put more and more protein and meat in our diet, we see higher and higher rates of cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic disease.”

“Plant-based foods give us sufficient protein and healthy fats, they are rich in complex carbohydrates and antioxidants as well as certain vitamins and enzymes. Plant-based foods contain all that humans need as well as a healthy diet.”

“There are no interest groups to keep people healthy, but there is the enormous animal agriculture / meat lobby / beef lobby / dairy lobby / pork lobby / egg lobby – who have infiltrated the government and the academic community, they have the money, power, and lawyers. The industry is so powerful that they control who is going to be on health and food committees in the federal government.”

Quotes – What Happens in the Slaughterhouse

“Slaughterhouses are so brutal. It’s just plain violence.”

“No animal gets on a slaughter truck voluntarily. In the entire time I was a butcher that never happened, today the animals are crammed in causing severe stress and fear. The animals all start to tremble and their eyes look so frightened. Bulls are kicked in the balls to go in the truck, cows are kicked in the udders, animals are prodded with electricity, they are clubbed, pigs are dragged away by their legs – it’s horrible. All involves terrible pain—intense pain for them. It’s always brutal. Always brutal!”

“Pig slaughtering is very hard to do because the animals scream. They scream interminably. The animals are scared.”

“The disadvantage of CO2 stunning is that animals experience a long suffocation, over 15-20 seconds. They have a very clear sense of not being able to breathe. They extend their necks and you can hear them screaming.”

“Often animals are not stunned properly or correctly, pigs are fleeing the vat of boiling water or jumping, trying to get out. The slaughter worker will then club the pig to death. That is actually standard. It is routine, normal.”

“The slaughter of cattle is done with a captive bolt stunner. They are driven along a shoot, a bolt penetrates the skull, partially destroying the brain. But there are many missed shots, which means the second stunner shot will be missed as well.