Evaluation of Super Size Me

Evaluation of Super Size Me

Americans are fat and growing fatter with each passing day. One does not have to do look far to see how fat we are. Take a stroll to the supermarket, college campuses, offices, playgrounds, fast food restaurants, or malls and see the evidence of fat America. What is causing this epidemic of obesity? There are a plethora of reasons including overeating, lack of exercise, fast food, processed food, dieting, and sedentary lifestyles. Morgan Spurlock of New York City decided to tackle one aspect of this problem with his idea of studying the McDonald's way by limiting his intake of food for one month to only McDonald's and filming this adventure. The result is the movie Super Size Me. Spurlock finds that the McDonald's way is a super highway to fat city.

Mr. Spurlock followed three rules as during this journey; he could only eat what was available over the counter, including water, no super sizing unless it was offered, and he had to eat and try every item at least once. But before Spurlock hit the roads throughout the United States interviewing Surgeon Generals to gym teachers, cooks to kids, and lawmakers to legislators, all in 20 cities (including Houston which is known as the "fattest city" in America) he went to numerous doctors and nutritionists and every one told him that he was in shape and in good health. While making the film, Spurlock consumed in 30 days as much McDonald's as most nutritionists would advise to have in 8 years. He revealed to the American public the truth about fast food. Something many already knew, but found it easier to avoid the fattening truth.

Today 1 in 4 Americans visit a fast food restaurant on a daily basis. About 95% of the commercials that children see are for foods filled with sugars and fats. Children are bombarded with images of fast food by media advertising. Most Americans understand the marketing strategy of McDonald's -- appealing to the young. From an early age children are lured into McDonald's by promotions of toys, actions figures, yummy food packaged into Happy Meals, and small on site playgrounds. The food is fast, comparatively cheap, and hot. In the film Spurlock interviewed a family in front of the White House and asked them to recite the Pledge of the Allegiance. After they wearily recited it, the family was asked about their memories of McDonald's. Their faces lit up as they reminisced about happy times eating French fries and burgers. Spurlock effectively captured the importance of McDonald's to families all over America. It has a wide appeal literally speaking!

At first Spurlock had to get used to the fast food of McDonald's and bat the end of Day 2 of his experiment, Spurlock was vomiting his super sized big Mac, fries, and giant coke out the window of his car. But after a few days he began to actually enjoy the burgers, fries, and cokes. Spurlock gained weight immediately as he stuffed each super-sized portion into his mouth. After 12 days he went back to his nutritionist, and he had gained an almost astonishing 17 pounds!! He was eating over 200% of what his nutritional needs were. As he gorged himself, he started to suffer from headaches, depression, mood swings, asthma, chest pains and heart palpitations. His doctors noticed significant increases in body fat, cholesterol and blood pressure. Spurlock's doctors said he was in danger of damaging his livers, and his sex drive was diminished. By the end of the month he gained almost 25 pound, had massive head aches and mood swings, feelings of depression, fatigue, his cholesterol shot up 65 points, his body fat went from 11% to 18%, doubled the risk of heart disease, was twice as likely to have heart failure, and his sex life went down to the dumps. He consumed over 31 pounds of sugar from their food over the course of the month which is a pound a day. The doctors said that if he had kept on eating it he would