‘Tell me what you eat and I’ll tell you who you are’ is what the Netflix documentary proposes with an experiment with twins

Two identical twins comb their hair in front of a mirror. They have similar gestures that they perform in an almost choreographic way. and they have the same breakfast. In the first minutes of We are what we eat: an experiment with twins (Netflix), a nutrition specialist sets the axis of the series: what happens if Do we investigate the metabolism of genetically identical people following different diets?

The documentary series, which has four episodes of one hour eachbrings together four pairs of twins to show the power that what we eat every day has on our body. One of the brothers received a plant-based diet and the other an omnivorous diet; In both cases they involved balanced diets accompanied by physical activity.

In the episodes, the twins’ lives are followed over eight weeks to get to the heart of the matter: a comprehensive analysis of cardiovascular health, metabolic status and the gut microbiome.

The structure of the series is classic, with the step-by-step experiment and the protagonists looking at the camera to close a story or open the viewer’s imagination. The most interesting point is not the docureality aspect of following a diet or the pros and cons of meat and dairy, but detailed focus on historical and cultural reasons of American eating habits.

In much of the series, the twins are just an excuse to talk about the industrialization of food, which has reached a critical state. Just one piece of data that demonstrates how alarming the situation is: 20% of children in that country are obese..

we are what we eat expertly shows the plague of industrialization, but also the diseases associated with it and the destruction of the planet. Moreover, tries to explain that DNA is not destiny, based on interviews with nutritionists, doctors and other experts. It also focuses on alternative meat labs, which try to make products just as tasty a steak “without cows”which require an inefficient production system”.

Through the stories of food producers, specialists and twins, The series carries the over three hours of story well. However, There is a weak point, which does not do justice to the depth with which it addresses medical and historical questions and does not take into account: the economic factor to access quality food.

Throughout the series, “food deserts” in the United States are barely mentioned. That is, large cities with high poverty rates – Detroit is one of the examples – where It is difficult and expensive to access fresh, healthy food.

In those places, of course, processed meats, low-quality fats and oils are even more abundant. Over there McDonald’s $1 menu items are a staple diet for thousands of people.

The documentary focuses on how healthy, ethical and convenient it is to eat a plant-based diet. “It all depends on what you eat and not on your genes”, he says in one episode. But sometimes that doesn’t make the problem complex enough. Perhaps not everyone can afford to choose. Maybe -and they can’t see it- many times eating well usually means eating expensively.

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Qualification: Well.

Documentary Protagonists: Charlie and Michael Kalish; John and Jevon Whittington and other sets of twins Creator: Cassandra Jabola and Kate Logan Problem: Netflix Duration: Four episodes of one hour each.