From the Ground Up

As an artist I was blown away by the beauty and the craft of this visually mesmerizing film.

As a personal trainer I was inspired to think about the food options that are available to me and to my clients in the pursuit of muscle development and general health.

As an animal lover I was non-judgingly nudged in the direction where my heart was always telling me to go.

"From the Ground Up" doesn't guilt or shame you into wanting to make a different choice. It illustrates the effectiveness of a plant-based diet. It does so as it eloquently tells the stories of successful athletes who are not only passionate about their sport, but who are also passionate about making a difference in this world.

I had the opportunity to see this film at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills last month. This film does a great job dispelling the myth that elite athletes (and non-athletes alike) need animal protein to fuel their bodies and participate at high levels. From the Ground Up utilizes interviews from extreme endurance athletes, to explosive combat athletes, such as football players and boxers/MMA fighters to outline their journey following a plant-based lifestyle. A must watch!

From the Ground Up is an amazing film. The director Santino focused his attention to athletes who are vegan/vegetarian, while at the same time telling his own story of going through the journey. This film is not only inspiring but very educational as well. This is nothing less than a ground breaking film that cuts down stereotypes of needing meat to gain muscle mass/strength. I'd recommend this film for anyone thinking of making the change, athlete or not.

I loved following the director Santino's journey from meat eating athlete to a plant based athlete. This movie does not hit you over the head with the vegan sledgehammer but makes you aware you have choices in what you eat. It also makes the connection between being a being an elite athlete and a vegan and a animal lover. The added underlining story of sustainability and the environment is something we all need to be aware of.

I am vegetarian and am one of the converted. I did not anticipate this being an overly great film because it was made by a nobody and James Cameron is coming out with a big film about the same topic. Interesting thought though. From The Ground Up came out in December of 2017 but is not getting much love from the "plantbased" community because of the bigger film it appears. Too bad. Because it's good. I was very surprised by how well this movie turned out to be...especially considering this filmmaker made it with a low budget and never made a film before? Cannot tell one bit. Kudos. Filmmaking is a tough gig. In a nutshell, the movie is very informative and inspiring. I think a lot of people who are not vegetarian or vegan will actually like this movie. It does not show a dead animal nor is it as other reviews say "pushy." You can tell someone took great care with this project. I definitely recommend to the converted, the curious, the athlete, the couch potato, and anyone that really gives a damn. You will not be disappointed.