A new Netflix documentary is shaking up the dinner table and South African twins are stars in the study!
Global (24 January 2024) — A new Netflix documentary is shaking up the dinner table as it seeks to show viewers how much power we have simply through the decisions we make when loading our plates. And, South African twins are stars of the study!
If you haven’t watched ‘You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment’, and you care about your body, this is definitely some food for thought.
The docuseries puts a Standford University Study into the spotlight as it seeks to compare two ways of eating (omnivore versus vegan) to chalk down what the impacts of both are. Because every person is so incredibly different in their genetic makeup, it’s often difficult to get accurate results for these kinds of studies as the researchers indicate. So, in a first for this kind of diet comparison, the study cleverly called on the most genetically similar individuals—twins.
Now if you’re thinking this is one long dissertation disguised as a TV show, you’d be mistaken. Not only does the show take us on the journey of the experiment’s stars, it also explores so many different avenues of food. From tracing why we’re predisposed to eating what many of us eat in our daily lives to exposing lesser-known truths in the agricultural industry and guiding us on how both of these impact the Earth—the show leaves few stones of curiosity unturned.
Needless to say, it’s about a lot more than which diet is healthier.
Each twin is given one of the diets to follow for eight weeks. Despite being set in the USA, subjects came from different backgrounds—including the twins from South Africa!
Beyond the information-rich content of the show, Pam and Wendy Michelson bring fun, warm and playful flavours to You Are What You Eat.
The two live, work and laugh together (as well as the obvious on-screen teasing) and proudly represent their home city of Durban. As chefs who have their own catering business—’ Amawele’, they’re also committing to showing South Africa off proudly through a deep love for our food culture.
Of course, being part of the study meant that one of the twins (we won’t reveal who) has to give up meat— a base of many South Africans favourite dishes. However, the creation of vegan biltong had us feeling a lot of respect for these two who wore their unofficial Rainbow Nation badges so proudly.
You can catch ‘You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment, and get ready to go down a rabbit hole that might lead you to some of the most important decisions of your health.
Sources: GTG; Netflix
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