New Vegan Documentary Helps the World Get Vegucated

By Michael d’Estries, ecorazzi

By now, many have learned that switching to a plant-based diet is ideal for the health of our planet, but making that transition from a Standard American Diet isn’t always easy. A new feature-length documentary film “Vegucated” digs deeper into that transition and examines the shift that occurs when one fully commits to eating a vegan diet.

Part sociological experiment and part adventure comedy, “Vegucated“ follows three meat and cheese lovers from different backgrounds who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. Lured by tales of weight lost and health regained, they begin to uncover the hidden sides of animal agriculture that make them wonder whether solutions offered in films like “Food, Inc.” go far enough.

The film was made by longtime activist Marisa Miller Wolfson who hopes it will “further the conversation about our culture and our relationship to animals, our planet, and our bodies through our food.”

With the goal of witnessing the shift in perspective, the physical changes, as well as the logistical, social, and emotional challenges and rewards that people experience when they adopt a vegan diet, Marisa has made a film that promises to both entertain and educate.

Moby, a long-time vegan and a favorite of Ecorazzi, has said about the film, “Vegucated is one of the most effective films I’ve seen about the myriad reasons everyone should consider a vegan diet.”

Vegucated launched a Kickstarter page last week with the goal of raising $20,000 in one month to help fund a successful theatrical, DVD, and digital release this fall. [Update: Vegucated reached their goal of $20,000 in less than a week and has now set a new goal for an even wider release of the film.]

For those interested in helping support the film, the “Vegucated” Kickstarter page is offering a series of gifts, including a signed copy of the DVD, a GetVegucated.com fashion tee designed by Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart from Vaute Couture and made with recycled soda bottle polyester, and organic cotton, and even a private tour of the Peter Max art studio led by the artist himself.

To find out more about the film and to learn how you can get involved in the Kickstarter campaign, visit Kickstarter.com. Check out a trailer for the film below.

Image credit: Jessica Mahady via getvegucated.com

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

KS G.

4:11AM PST on Jan 25, 2012

Thanks for the article.

send a green star

Katherine H.

10:14AM PST on Jan 7, 2012

Hurray! I hope this gets widely distributed and shown!

Vaiva G.

12:41PM PST on Nov 7, 2011

Everyone deserves a vegucation! Even if they cut meat out completely, even small steps help us all.

Mandi A.

5:01PM PST on Nov 6, 2011

Good news!

Eternal G.

7:10PM PDT on Sep 5, 2011

YES to vegucation!

Kathryn B.

11:38AM PDT on Aug 22, 2011

We have to STOP turning our heads away from all the war-mongering, cruelty, GREED and LACK of accountability from the top to the bottom of the human spectrum. WE are the major source of ALL of the needless suffering of other humans, helpless animals and the irreparable DEVASTATION we cause to Mother Earth with our avaricious consumption of resources that CAN'T be replaced.

Human overpopulation is our biggest problem by far. CONTROLLING human overpopulation should be our number ONE priority as ALL other problems we have are a direct result of too much demand for too scarce resources and our relentless encroachment and MURDER of beings who deserve as much of a chance to survive as we do.

Margriet M.

2:20AM PDT on Aug 19, 2011

Never ever liked meath(even as a little child, my mom admitted) and since I was 12-13 years old, they let me eat completely vegetarian. Instead I eat beans, nuts, ... all kind of stuff that gives you the same benefits. I always loved animals and can't stand cruelty against them, all my animals are saved animals from bad situations. All the people who lived near me or with me, became aware of their 'eating to much meat' and are now not completely, but a more veggie. I can't make the choice for them to be completely vegetarian, but I'm glad they already saw they didn't need to have that much animals on their plates.

Past Member .

7:18PM PDT on Aug 15, 2011

Someone needs to explain to the anti-vegans that people who choose to be vegan are not "sticking their heads in the sand", we are quite aware, and that is why we choose to do our best to greatly minimize or completely eliminate animal suffering and needless deaths . That is why we are vegan, because we do not believe in causing the suffering and deaths of animals.

It's amazing how some people think that using the word "ethical" is supposed to magically justify their choices to exploit, use and consume the corpses of defenseless, living breathing, feeling sentient beings who are forced to endure the atrocities just to be brutally slaughtered for the sake of ending up on their plates. There is NOTHING "ethical" or "humane" about killing animals who do not want to die, and that is why more and more people are becoming better informed and omitting animals from their diets. I realize that anti-vegans despise such reality, but they better get used to it because not only are vegans never going away, but there are more of us every day, and vegans will continue to increase whether you like it or not.

Being vegan is better for human health, it is gentler to the environment, and it is the ultimate way to show genuine compassion, empathy and respect for animals.

Pego R.

3:32PM PDT on Aug 15, 2011

In Buddhist thinking, the Ahimsa is loosened around the monks and nuns walking out for food and they take what they are given. The thinking is that the fact of someone else committing the act removes them from the karmic debt.

This, of course, does not remove pesticides or GMOs, nor does it save lives of pain. I think that our entire mess, and the deadly and cruel effects of it on animals is dangling on the linchpin of our willingness not to be responsible

1:55PM PDT on Aug 15, 2011

So, Belinda, MY point is that I eat locally and know where and how my food is harvested. If you KNOW animals are killed by a combine, then you are still involved in their deaths if you eat grain. I think a humanely killed animal is more ethical than a rabbit that is torn up and left to bleed out. Harvesting grain always kills critters. It is inevitable. Being an omnivore, as I am, kills animals, but I am not sticking my head in the sand about it.