Do you know what you have in your plate? Are you one of those people who try to see behind the tasty looking meal staring back at them from their plate?

And even though you try to look behind your plate, your habits, your condition or your entire lifestyle, how can you be entirely sure that what you’re doing is right? It’s hard to know what’s right with today’s specialists, headlines and tips often coming in great contradiction.

Food documentaries could be a good place to start understanding better what’s hiding in the food from your plate. Either you’re looking to broaden your knowledge about food, become more food aware, or on the contrary, you’re interested to start your food education, and you couldn’t care less about food, I bet there is a tiny piece of information in every documentary that will be of help at some moment in your life.

Here are 6 documentaries about food that could change the way you envision food and your habits regarding it:

1. Got the Facts on Milk – The Milk Documentary

The Milk Documentary intends to turn upside down the common myth that milk is good for your health. Ever since you were a kid, you knew that milk is essential for your bones, for calcium, and for proteins. At an early age, milk is a common breakfast, especially for children, who also receive it at school.

Fact is that research has shown that everything you know about milk is wrong and that milk is responsible for diseases like diabetes, arthritis, asthma and even weight gain and acne. According to the movie, the misconceptions about milk are due to the milk industry, who promote dairy because of its “huge health benefits”.

As a person with dairy allergy, creator of the movie Shira Lane discovered the link between several diseases and milk. Research on the effects of dairy on health evolved and on her journey of finding the answers to her questions she traveled a 4600 mile road. During this road she exposes the opinions and arguments of both nutritionists, dietitians, doctors, and also average Americans who believed, like most of you, that milk is good.

Another interesting fact is the controversy that the movie has caused while being promoted at festivals and to audiences. And honestly, it’s perfectly natural to stir up people, because it’s difficult to accept that something you knew all your life is wrong. The film is available on DVD, but watching the trailer is enough to get you convinced.

2. The Truth about Food

The Truth about Food is a six episode documentary covering all the aspects that food has on your body, effects tested and monitored on 500 volunteers.

Divided in six episodes: How to be healthy, How to be sexy, How to feed your kids, How to be slim, How to stay young and beautiful, How to be the best, the movie is highly educational and revealing for viewers of all ages.

If you’re not sure on certain aspects regarding food, its influence on health and beauty, then this documentary could be the thing for you. Surprisingly, you’ll find some busted myths and learn some healthy eating tips, because the movie also gives solutions on what you can do to improve or completely change your lifestyle.

And it’s not just headlines and talks from specialists. It’s facts, facts proven on normal people just like you.

3. Food, Inc

How much do you know about the food you’re buying? How it’s made, where does it come from, but more important, are you aware about the effects it has on your health?

Food, Inc is a revealing documentary that analyzes the American food industry, showing not only the process of making the food, but also its effects on your body, on the environment and the economy.

The way in which it exposes the industry is not at all beneficial, so it might shock you, if you weren’t interested in food at all, or you might just find some new information, if you were more or less into becoming aware of your food choices. Personally, I believe the truth is somewhere in the middle. Don’t expect for the documentary to bring forward some ground breaking theories, but do expect to be more conscious about what you’re buying after watching the movie.

Its extensive view, the different aspects in which food is analyzed and its educational nature makes the movie worthwhile of beginning your food education with, either you’re a person working on improving your lifestyle or an adult living a unhealthy life but ready to make a change.

4. Food Matters

The fact that you are what you eat is no secret. Exploring the effects and the benefits of the food on the human body, this movie abounds in educational ideas that everyone should at least be aware of.

While uncovering some myths on nutrition and healing, the doctors and specialists from Food Matters reveal alternatives of healing diseases, alternatives that are basically found in your plate.

The popular belief that there is a pill for everything is highly contradicted, the solution proposed instead being a lifestyle change that can reduce diseases.

And even though not all of you believe in taking supplements and eating plants, the movie is worth watching at least for checking the other side of the story and find out some bad eating habits that you’re unconsciously doing on a daily basis.

5. Food Stamped

Sooner or later, some people decide they want to eat and live healthy. Unfortunately not all of those people can afford to buy anything that is thought to be healthy, because as you know, the organic or bio label means more cash. Can you eat well on a tight budget?

That’s the question that Shira, nutrition educator, and her husband Yoav Potash try to answer in the inspirational documentary Food Stamped. The couple reveals their journey on trying to eat healthy on a food stamped budget, journey involving meeting people facing the same problem and sharing the same views.

Struggling with the problem of quitting different ingredients from food because of money but discovering different recipes, they face the situation with humor and realism.

None of you will believe a scientist telling you what or what not to eat, but the sight of normal people trying to dwell and make the best choices concerning food is enough to just make you want to have a look. At least you can find out what dishes you can cook for 1$, right?

6. Processed People

Leading health and nutrition experts analyze what’s wrong with what we eat and and just like in Food Matters, they try to give solutions to the unhealthy lifestyle of the modern American.

Divided into 8 chapters, Processed People goes beneath the propaganda and the lies in the food system, with hard-hitting discussions on why are we so fat, what happens if we don’t de-process ourselves and what is health.

If you’re into interviews with health experts, than the movie could be the thing for you.

Have you seen these movies? What other notable food documentaries would you add?

Featured poster credit: Got the Facts on Milk.