How Not to Die examines whether a whole-food plant-based diet can prevent and reverse chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. Shaun Monson, an advocate for animal rights, leverages interviews with nutrition experts such as Michael Greger and T. Colin Campbell to challenge dietary norms tied to the food and pharmaceutical industries, posing a critique aligned with progressive environmental and social health values.

The documentary incorporates visible diversity by featuring African American cardiologist Columbus Batiste among its expert interviewees. It explores diet-related health issues affecting minority communities, including Hispanic and African American patients, while emphasizing nutritional strategies for disease prevention across populations.