Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut

Honestly surprisingly interesting and a very enjoyable watch for me. I mean I'm not going to go out of my way to say it was amazing or anything but this might just be the most actually informative documentary I have ever watched in my lifetime, and definitely the best documentary I have watched so far this year. Before seeing this on Netflix's top ten movies list I had never even heard of it, or really any single thing that was talked about in it, but I am supremely glad that I took the time to sit down and watch it because it was filled with a ton of intriguing science stuff about the body I have never before known, most especially the 'microbiome' which is something I think I might've heard about once or twice before but never in depth, so getting insight from those experienced in the field was incredibly insightful.

The large majority of this documentary is narrated by a woman named Giulia Enders, who is a German practitioner specialized in this field, and the amount of insight she gives into the subject of the microbiome and just the way the human body works in general is super interesting and very impressive. This topic is just a very different way to talk about eating as a whole, and the different ways it can affect different people, and the ways each individual responds to it. This is demonstrated with a group of different people, one being a Japanese competitive eater who no longer has the feeling of being full or hunger, a Michelin star chef who finds it hard to eat without beating herself up for it, a girl who has tried everything to lose weight but nothing seems to work, and a girl who can barely eat anything. All of these different people are so engaging to watch and to understand how and why their bodies react to food in different ways is so enticing, and I really enjoyed learning about both them, and the way they interact with what they eat. The human body is such a strange thing and the fact we all react differently to things makes it even more compelling yet complicated to understand.

However; even though I think the actual human aspect of this documentary and just getting the ability to hear about all these different people's experiences and the understanding of their own personal microbiome and what they can do to help make the changes they desire - I would have to say that the best part about this short documentary is not any of that, but instead the really fun way it's portrayed nearly half of the time. This thing has some of the most visually appealing sequences I have ever laid eyes upon. It's done in such an endearing way that I was genuinely glued to the screen nearly the entire time, a large majority of it is done in differing art forms, my favorite of all of course being the adorable stop motion that appears at times - although; there is also 3D animation and 2D animation in here as well. It all really blended together well and made for such a visually engaging watch that I liked it more than enough just for that, and I am so very tempted to give it a four star rating.

This isn't a masterpiece by any means but it is a very good educational time, and that's really all I can ask for when it comes to a documentary, plus it's just overall a pretty enjoyable watch that never feels dull or like it drags on. With a brisk run time that only lasts about over an hour, and a whole lot of enlightening information that I am very glad to have learned about, I am more than pleased to have sat down to watch this and I obviously recommend everyone else does the same. It's a very standard documentary a lot of the time but it also has a lot of new and unique elements to it that make it an immensely entertaining watch, and it also just provides a whole lot of interesting information that I don't think a lot of people know. Watch it if you have Netflix, it's definitely worth it.

I think this documentary is easy to follow and makes talking about digestion and poop fun! It also offers a different perspective on what "healthy" eating looks like. Instead of focusing on the nutrients of certain food, it focuses on how our food contributes to the gut microbiome that then affects our overall physical health and mental well-being. It's a good way to restore relationships with food and offer valid reasons to focus on lifestyle changes rather than diet fads that are often restrictive. It does a decent job of following individuals with different lifestyle and eating habits, so the average viewer may resonate with one of them. It could be more diverse from that standpoint, but overall a quick and "digestible" film!

I'm a sucker for just about any health-related documentary and this one was no different. The talking heads are knowledgeable and the host, Giulia Enders, is positively delightful. The heavy use of animations was (mostly) cute and effective. I've been kinda obsessed with gut health for a while, so it was nice to know I'm on the right track. We eat lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts and usually have stuff like yogurt, kimchi, natto, kefir, and a few other fantastic fermented foods in our fridge.

The title is probably too cutesy as there's nothing really to "hack" about gut health. The knowledge is out there: plentiful water and sleep; less sugar in your diet and no sugary sodas; eat less fast food; and reduce intake of highly-processed foods and anything that comes from a box with a list of unpronounceable ingredients. We'd all do better if we heed Michael Pollan and not "eat anything your grandmother wouldn't recognize" and to "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I know that proscription sounds easy, but at least have some sauerkraut!

There's some good information in here, but it's buried with a lot of unnecessary content and storytelling. The real life cases are useful but they waste a lot of time on presentation. The runtime is over an hour, but it feels like they could've had a better program if they cut it down to 40 or 50 minutes.

The parts with the little felt characters were easily the best. It's hard not to appreciate the amount of work that went into creating those, and those moments were definitely the most informative as they explain in layman's terms what's happening inside your gut, and how it all works. Just watching those scenes can give you a basic understanding of what's going on in there.

There's just so much pointless stuff in between the useful parts. I really felt for that lady that was having a hard time losing weight as a single mother of 3 and also had to care for her mom, but what was up with the motorcycle scenes? And that guy just laying on the floor staring up and smiling at an inflatable uvula? So pointless. Fair to say that some strange choices were made when making this.

The film was very educational. It was easy to understand, and it was interesting to learn about the microbiome, how the gut works with bacteria, and how it communicates with the brain. The film steered away from all the new fads and BS supplements, including the latest craze. Hack Your Health, kept it simple: don't forget to eat your greens and fruit to maintain a healthy gut. I enjoyed the animation Bacteria/Microbiomes and stuffed animals, which made it more enjoyable and relatable. We are talking about poop here, so loosen up a little. This is where science and medicine are headed in the future.