Joe Cross was a mess. There isn't a nicer way to put it. At 310 pounds, loaded up on steroids for a rare autoimmune disease called chronic urticaria, and basically eating himself into an early grave, the Australian businessman was the walking definition of "hitting a wall." He didn't just decide to diet. He decided to disappear into the United States with a Breville juicer in the back of his car.
It's been over a decade since Fat Sick & Nearly Dead first hit screens, and honestly, the health world has changed a lot since then. We’ve seen keto, carnivore, and intermittent fasting take over the headlines. But if you look at Google trends or talk to anyone starting a "reset," this documentary still carries a weird amount of weight. It isn't just a movie about juice. It’s a story about a guy who was literally dying and decided to see if plants could fix him.
The 60-Day Juice Fast That Started It All
So, Joe's plan was kind of insane. He committed to drinking nothing but green juice for 60 days. No solid food. No coffee. No steak. Just micronutrients.
People often forget that the first 30 days were spent traveling across America, talking to random people at truck stops while he sipped on kale and cucumber. It was awkward. It was funny. But it was also deeply depressing because he kept meeting people who were just as sick as he was.
He didn't just lose weight. By the end of the film, Joe was off his medication. The "red spots" from his autoimmune condition disappeared. His skin cleared up. He looked like a different person. But the real heart of Fat Sick & Nearly Dead wasn't even Joe. It was Phil Staples.
Phil was a truck driver Joe met at a rest stop. Phil weighed 429 pounds. He had the same rare condition Joe had. He was, quite literally, "nearly dead." When Phil finally called Joe and said, "I'm ready," the movie shifted from a personal experiment to a rescue mission. Watching Phil lose over 200 pounds and reconnect with his kids is still one of the most emotional arcs in any health documentary ever made. It showed that it wasn't just about a rich guy from Australia buying expensive produce; it was about a regular guy in Iowa fighting for his life.
Is Juicing Actually Scientific or Just a Fad?
This is where things get sticky. If you ask a registered dietitian about Fat Sick & Nearly Dead, they’ll probably give you a look.
The biggest criticism is the lack of fiber. When you juice, you strip away the insoluble fiber. You're left with a concentrated hit of vitamins, minerals, and sugar (if you use too much fruit). Critics argue that humans have teeth for a reason. We should chew our food. They also worry about the "detox" narrative. Your liver and kidneys already detox your body. You don't need a $400 machine to do it for you.
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However, Joe’s argument was never that you should juice forever. He called it a "reboot."
Think of it like this: if your computer is glitching out, you don't just keep closing windows. You restart the whole thing. For someone like Phil or Joe, who had been eating processed junk for decades, their "internal computer" was fried. A 60-day juice fast is an extreme intervention for an extreme situation.
Most people shouldn't do 60 days. Honestly, most people shouldn't even do 10 days without talking to a doctor first. But the core philosophy of Fat Sick & Nearly Dead—that we are chronically under-nourished even while we are over-fed—is backed by real data. Most Americans don't hit their daily intake of leafy greens. If juicing is the delivery mechanism that gets a truck driver to consume five pounds of spinach, is that really a bad thing?
The "Mean Green" Recipe That Went Viral
You can’t talk about this film without talking about the juice itself. Joe's signature "Mean Green" became a staple in kitchens worldwide.
It’s pretty basic:
- 1 bunch of kale
- 2 green apples
- 4 stalks of celery
- 1 cucumber
- Half a lemon
- A thumb-sized piece of ginger
The ginger is the secret. It cuts through the "swamp water" taste of the kale. If you’ve ever tried it, you know it’s surprisingly refreshing. But if you're doing this at home, remember that Joe was under medical supervision. Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a famous advocate of nutrient-dense eating, was involved in the process. You can't just stop eating food and hope for the best if you're on blood thinners or have kidney issues.
Why the Message Still Resonates in 2026
We live in a world of "biohacking" and Ozempic. Everyone is looking for a shortcut. Joe Cross offered a shortcut that was actually incredibly hard work. It involved hauling a juicer into hotel rooms and scrubbing pulp out of a mesh filter three times a day.
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The longevity of Fat Sick & Nearly Dead comes from its honesty. Joe didn't pretend it was easy. He showed the headaches. He showed the cravings. He showed himself staring longingly at people eating burgers.
It also touched on the social aspect of health. When Joe traveled, he realized that eating poorly is often a result of our environment. It's cheaper to buy a fast-food meal than it is to buy the ingredients for a Mean Green. That's a systemic issue that a documentary can't fix, but Joe at least pointed it out.
There was a sequel, too. Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead 2 focused more on how to maintain the weight loss once the "reboot" is over. Because that’s the real challenge. Anyone can starve themselves for a week. Very few people can change their relationship with food for a decade. Phil Staples, unfortunately, struggled with this. He regained a significant amount of weight years later, which he spoke openly about. It was a sobering reminder that there is no "permanent fix." Health is a daily choice.
Practical Steps If You Want to "Reboot"
If you're feeling a bit "fat, sick, or nearly dead" yourself, you don't have to go to the extremes Joe did. You don't need to quit your job and drive a car across the country.
Start by adding, not subtracting.
Instead of saying "I'm never eating pizza again," try saying "I'm going to drink 16 ounces of green juice before I eat anything else today." Usually, if you flood your body with nutrients first, you'll naturally want less of the junk. It’s about crowding out the bad habits with good ones.
Watch the documentary again. It’s available on various streaming platforms. Look past the 2010s camera quality and focus on the conversations. Notice how Joe listens to people. Notice how Phil's face changes when he starts to feel better.
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If you decide to try a juice fast, keep it short. Three days is plenty for most people to see a shift in their taste buds. After three days of kale and lemon, a plain almond or a piece of broccoli starts to taste like candy. That’s the real "reboot"—recalibrating your brain to appreciate real food again.
Invest in a decent masticating juicer if you're serious. The centrifugal ones Joe used are fine, but they're loud and heat up the juice, which can degrade some of those precious enzymes. But honestly? The best juicer is the one you’ll actually use. If a $50 thrift store find gets you to drink some spinach, use that.
Moving Beyond the Juice
The legacy of Joe Cross isn't that everyone should live on liquid. It's that our bodies have an incredible ability to heal if we just stop getting in our own way. We are built to consume plants. We are built to move. We are not built for the sedentary, processed-food lifestyle that has become the global norm.
Whether you love juicing or think it's a bunch of expensive nonsense, you can't deny the impact this story had. It moved the needle. It got people talking about micronutrients instead of just calories. It showed that "nearly dead" doesn't have to be the end of the story.
If you're looking to change your life, start by drinking something green. Then, maybe go for a walk. Don't worry about being perfect. Just worry about being a little less "sick" than you were yesterday. That’s the Joe Cross way. It’s not about the 60 days; it’s about what you do on day 61.
Check your local farmers market this weekend. Buy something you can't pronounce. Put it in a blender or a juicer. See what happens. Your body might surprise you.