Event Spotlight: Whole Foods to Screen "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead"

Whole Foods in Lake Grove is hosting a film screening Wednesday that encourages residents to think twice about what they are eating, or better yet, what they aren't drinking.

Whole Foods will be showing the food documentary "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" produced by Joe Cross, who is also the film's main star on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. The screening will benefit the Long Island Chapter of Slow Food.

"Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" is a part road-trip, part self-help manifesto produced by Joe Cross that chronicles two men embarking on a 60-day juice fast in effort to regain their physical fitness and health.

The documentary has won the audience choice award in the documentary category at the Sonoma International Film Festival in 2010 and was winner of the best documentary feature at the Iowa Independent Film Festival in 2010.

Timothy Williams, the Healthy Eating Specialist and  Forager for Whole Foods in Lake Grove, said the event is one of the first film screenings the store has hosted that introduces more food awareness to their customers.

"We haven't done it that often, but we're hoping to do it more with the surge in documentaries that are food related," Williams said.

In "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead," Joe Cross consults Dr. Joe Fuhrman of New Jersey, who is also serves as one of Whole Food's medical advisors, to begin a diet to as he is 100 lbs overweight and has a rare autoimmune disease. Fuhrman works with other medical experts  to oversee Whole Food's Healthy Eating program called "Health Starts Here" in Lake Grove.

"[Cross] met with Dr. Fuhrman during the film to decided a course of action. We always advise people seek medical advice when making a major change of lifestyle," Williams said.

Cross travels more than 3,000 miles across the United States while on his diet, speaking with 500 Americans about their food, health and longevity. At a truck stop in Arizona, he meet truck driver Phil Staples who weighs 429 lbs and has the same autoimmune disease. Staples quickly joins Cross on his attempt to lose weight and develop a healthier life style.

There is a suggested donation of $5 per person for those looking to attend. All donations will benefit the Long Island chapter of Slow Food, a grassroots movement that encourages its members to make nutritional food choices that are made locally and sustainably with low-impact on the environment. 

Cross will be attending the Lake Grove screening and will be available for a question-and-answer session after the film.