Looking for vegan documentaries on Netflix?
If you want to uncover the truth behind animal agriculture and the effect on the environment, the animals and on our health, this is a great place to start,
These groundbreaking documentaries showcase the importance of consuming more vegetables and fruits and less-to-no meat and dairy.
Some will have your jaw on the floor in disbelief, others tears in your eyes, and all will definitely make you think deeply about the food choices you make.
*All documentaries were available at the time of writing but Netflix may have removed some by the time you read this.
1. The Game Changers
Think you can't build muscle on a plant-based diet? Think you can't perform as an athlete at the top level eating only plant proteins?
What if I told you all protein comes from plants, and actually it is better for your health to cut out the middle man (animal): less inflammation, lower risk of heart disease, lower risk of T2D, even stronger sexual performance.
In this compelling documentary, ex UFC fighter and martial arts expert James Wilks travels the world on a quest for the truth about meat, protein, and strength.
Featuring elite athletes, special ops soldiers, and visionary scientists, Wilks unveils the power of a plant-based diet.
2. What The Health
Critically acclaimed as “the health film that health organizations don’t want you to see”, What The Health follows the journey of filmmaker Kip Andersen as he uncovers the unhealthy relationships between the state, the animal agriculture industry and big pharma.
The film examines and exposes the health consequences of meat and dairy consumption, as well as the existing efforts to cover them up.
What The Health is an investigative documentary that creates awareness of the foods responsible for a global health crisis, while at the same time making millions of dollars for those with vested interests.
3. Cowspiracy
Before What The Health was born, there was Cowspiracy.
Created by the same filmmaker duo, Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn, Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret is an environmental documentary that reveals the most destructive industry today.
As implied by the title, the industry is surprisingly not transportation nor electricity, but animal agriculture!
Animal agriculture is scientifically proven to be the leading cause of various problems our planet faces today. There’s water pollution, deforestation, species extinction, and topsoil erosion; the list goes on.
Despite all these, leading environmental organizations continue to operate blindly, and this is where Cowspiracy comes in.
Follow Andersen as he attempts to talk with representatives of these environmental organizations and uncovers the real reason for the refusal to discuss the issue.
4. Earthlings
If you’re an animal lover, ready your tissue before watching Earthlings.
This documentary touches on our use of animals as food, clothing, pets and entertainment, as well as for scientific purposes.
Featuring Joaquin Phoenix, this 95-minute long film peeks inside pet stores, animal shelters, puppy mills, and other similar organizations, unveiling their day-to-day practices through graphic footages.
5. Forks Over Knives
Advocating the consumption of a whole-food, plant-based diet to reverse or prevent various chronic diseases, Fork Over Knives is a documentary film that stresses the effects of processed foods and oil to our body.
The whole-food, plant-based diet encourages eating whole, plant-based food, such as legumes, whole grains, and fruits.
This film examines the work of physician Caldwell Esselstyn and nutritional biochemistry professor T. Colin Campbell, stating that certain diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease can be prevented by consuming a plant-based diet and avoiding processed and animal-based food.
6. Blackfish
Blackfish follows the story of Tilikum, the infamous orca responsible for the death of three humans, including two orca trainers.
Captured in 1983 in Iceland coast, Tilikum was held captive by SeaWorld.
The film focuses on the consequences of keeping orcas in captivity and claims that SeaWorld’s statement that “the lifespan of killer whales in captive is relatively comparable to those in the wild” is false.
The documentary also features interviews with Non-human Rights Project’s director of science Lori Marino, and former killer whale trainers.
Blackfish shows how being captured and separated from their species brings serious stress to the whales and causes ill health.
Footage of Tilikum’s attack on the trainers is also included in the film. This documentary is not for the light-hearted, but you must watch it.
7. Okja
Okja as a film rather than a documentary, but the heart is a vegan message.
It tells the tale of Mija, a heart-warming South Korean girl, and her massive super pig friend, Okja.
A multinational business owned by a family in New York, managed by the evil CEO Lucy Mirando, takes Okja and puts her in a laboratory in New Jersey where she is violently treated and forcibly bred with another pig.
Without any plan, Mija goes on an adventure with one mission in mind: to rescue and bring Mija home to the mountains where they happily belong.
As Mija embarks on her journey, she meets various people of different backgrounds, all out to prevent her from completing her mission.
This Netflix film touches on the delicate bond between a human and an animal. It uses drama and humor to create a distinct yet clear picture of a world that addresses the animal within us all.
8. Peaceable Kingdom
First produced in 2004, Peaceable Kingdom is a documentary featuring several farmers who said no to killing animals and their journey towards converting to veganism.
A newer version with the title Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home, which premiered in 2009, explores the experiences of people with traditional farming backgrounds on their moral struggle with their way of life.
This film touches on healing and transformation, showing the relationship and connection of the farmers to the animals under their care, while at the same time offering insight into the complicated network of social and economic forces creating their inner conflict.
Aside from the farmers’ stories, another striking scenario is the humane act of rescuing animals by a newly-trained police officer.
Peaceable Kingdom displays the emotional lives of animals and destroys the conventional image of farmers and farm life.
9. Vegucated
Vegucated documents the challenges of converting to veganism.
This documentary film features three New Yorkers who love meat and dairy products, without realizing that their food choices impact not just their bodies but Earth in general.
They agree to learn about and adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. In their journey toward being vegan, they experience and overcome challenges as they unveil the horrible secrets of the animal agriculture and dairy industries.
Furthermore, this film demonstrates the resistance many may feel towards veganism/vegetarianism and the implications this way of life has on health and the environment.
Follow the three participants as they visit an abandoned slaughterhouse and an animal farm, and slowly lean towards their new-found lifestyle.
10. Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead 1
Following the story of Joe Cross, a 100-pound overweight person suffering from an autoimmune disease, this inspiring documentary film talks about finding the answer to being and staying healthy: your own self.
Joe, being overweight and sick, had gone to doctors and tried unconventional medicine to find health, only to be disappointed.
He realized that the only option left was to rely on the body’s ability to heal. So he traded junk foods and started to consume juice from fresh fruits and vegetables.
Along the way of he meets hundreds of Americans and talks with them about food and health. In particular, he meets Phil Staples, a truck driver in Arizona who has the same condition he does. What happens is truly amazing.
This documentary is not just about health, but also holistic healing and human connection.
11. Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead 2
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead 2 is obviously a sequel to the first film and still follows the journey of Joe Cross, as he juggles the ups and downs to weight management and becoming and staying healthy in this unhealthy world.
Joe follows up on individuals from the first film and meets new people too, each one teaching him a new lesson. He soon learns that healthy eating is just one aspect of healthy living.
Joe also catches up with Phil Staples, the truck driver from the first film.
With Phil’s personal journey towards health, Joe realizes how significant the impact of community is in shaping the health of a person.
This film demonstrates that even if we think it’s impossible, we have the control over our health and therefore have the power to change it.
12. Food Inc.
Food Inc. is a documentary film that investigates the industries that produce meat and vegetables in the US, highlighting the environmental and human cost of their unethical practices.
The film bravely criticizes the various industrial food producers and manufacturers, leaving no stone unturned.
The film is divided into three segments, with the first and second segments dedicated to the production of meat, grains and vegetables, respectively.
And the final segment reveals the economic and legal power of the leading food companies, the excessive use of chemicals in production, and the promotion of destructive food consumption habits to the public.
13. Vegan Everyday Stories
Okay, so this one is not on Netflix, but is free to watch and really interesting, so I wanted to include this one in the list.
Following the lives of four individuals from very different backgrounds, but who share one thing – a vegan diet, this spectacular documentary follows the personal journeys of ordinary people, each walking on their own path while following a vegan lifestyle.
The participants include an ultra-marathon runner, the wife of a cattle rancher, a food truck owner and an 8-year old vegan girl.
This touching film is sure to poke your emotions, so be prepared to sniff while watching.
Go here to visit the website and watch the documentary.
14. Hungry For Change
Initially released in 2012, Hungry for Change is a documentary film that emphasizes detoxification as the key to losing weight.
The documentary talks about the problems and challenges associated with diet, toxic foods and food addictions.
It features interviews with various experts and speakers, including Jon Gabriel who lost over 200 pounds.
He reveals his secret to weight loss: detoxifying the body and not dieting or burning calories. Further, t
15. In Defense Of Food
Based on the best-selling book of Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food is a movie that attempts to answer the question many people around the world ask – what should I consume to be healthy?
The film explores the relationship between the Western diet and nutrition and claims that the modern diet is making people sick.
Pollan advises not to focus on nutrients but on eating real food, because many foods today are just imitations.
He further recommends to purchase food locally and to spend more time and money on them.
Vegans should know that this documentary does not exclude advising the consumption of some meat. It is interesting all the same.
You are what you eat. Twins study
Nov 17, 2024 at 11:23 am
Indeed, Brenda.
Nov 17, 2024 at 6:34 pm
I love vegan documentaries! These are some of my favorites:
1. Forks Over Knives
2. Cowspiracy
3. The China Study
4. What the Health
5. Earthlings
Aug 28, 2023 at 5:48 pm