Great Food Fight Research Paper

Super-Size me is a movie based on the effects of fast food on individuals and public health, in particular McDonalds. The movie is very informative and educates the audience specifically Americans, young generation and generally fast food eaters about certain health issues such as obesity and its negative effects towards the human body. Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker, followed a 30-day period during which he ate only food from McDonalds. He wanted to see how fast food could really affect an individual’s life. Before going on this challenge, Morgan’s health was impeccable and his height and weight was perfect according to his age and size. On average, a person should consume 2,500 calories per day but due to the challenge, he was eating around

As a culture and as individuals, we no longer seem to know what we should and should not eat. When the old guides of culture and national cuisine and our mothers’ advice no longer seem to operate, the omnivore’s dilemma returns and you find yourself where we do today—utterly bewildered and conflicted about one of the most basic questions of human life: What should I eat? We’re buffeted by contradictory dietary advice: cut down on fats one decade, cut down on carbs the next. Every day’s newspaper brings news of another ideal diet, wonder-nutrient, or poison in the food chain. Hydrogenated vegetable oils go from being the modern alternatives to butter to a public health threat, just like that. Food marketers bombard us with messages that this or that food is “heart healthy” or is “part of a nutritious meal”. Without a stable culture of food to guide us, the omnivore’s dilemma has returned with a vengeance. We listen to scientists, to government guidelines, to package labels—to anything but our common sense and traditions. The most pleasurable of activities—eating—has become heavy with anxiety. The irony is, the more we worry about what we eat, the less healthy and fatter we seem to become.

Understanding the effects of poor and efficient eating habits and how to manage your health is crucial to the existence of a healthy population in the America. To understand these approaches, one has to understand some of the poor eating habits witnessed on most people in the United States. Paula (2015) states that only ten percent of the entire American population follow a daily diet consistent with the federal nutrient recommendations. Other than following the required nutrition, most people prefer meals rich in trans-fats, salt, saturated fat, and sugar and ignore fruits, vegetables, and fiber. The increased preference of poor nutrition contributes a total of four out of six in

from McDonalds than a home cooked meal of baked fish with a Caesar salad on the side. A Big Mac cheeseburger alone is 550 calories and with French fries, that’s an extra 365 calories, compared to the baked fish and a salad which is only 324 calories combined. Mostly because they are too lazy to actually take out the time to prepare the meal for themselves. When cooking you have to keep checking to see if the foods done, take out certain supplies, and you have to stand up to cook, while at the drive-through you come in hungry and leave out full in less than ten minutes. After a long day of work, most people want to take the easy way out by going through the drive thru and ordering a combo. Take the easy road one night then slowly but surely it starts to become a habit, and that’s when lots of Americans find themselves in a fast food restaurant line almost every day. For example, my cousin works long hours as a nurse and when she gets off from work, she’s usually exhausted. She has a ten year old son who’s never had a home cooked meal from his mother. Nutrition experts have long identified the lack of home cooking as one of the factors contributing to the ongoing obesity crisis, including childhood obesity. My family always question my cousin about why she doesn’t cook and she always give us the same answer.

Fast foods are one of the biggest contributors. The documentary, “Super-Size Me”, shows a very detailed journey that Morgan Spurlock takes to investigate the real effects of consumption of McDonalds. Morgan Spurlocks deal is to eat McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for thirty days. During this time his health would be tracked by a gastroenterologist, cardiologist, and a general practitioner in order to receive accurate medical attention and tracking. Within Mr. Spurlocks first two to four days he had vomited and started his days just not feeling well for no clear reason.

Today, as many Americans suffer from weight-attributed ailments, society continues to look for a solution to the age-old question: What should we be eating? As a result, many new complex and often complicated diets with millions of scientific explanations of how it works arise and are taken up blindly by the public. Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food, also attempted to give his point of view on the subject of eating. He makes it quite simple for his readers to follow, he simply states people should eat food, not too much, and mostly plants. He claims that most food on the market today is not actually food, it is heavily processed food products. Because of this, he tells his readers to eat “real food” and to generally eat less at the same time, while eating mostly plants as plants are generally the least processed foods and are the healthiest options for us. Pollan also criticized the public and its motion of what he called nutritionism, which is when people are overly obsessed with nutritional values of food and being healthy and

Michael Pollan talks about how the food industry on one side and nutritional science on the other side, but both stand to gain much from widespread confusion about what to eat. Pollan, said, "Yet the professionalization of eating has failed to make

They consistently advertise products that are appealing to certain age groups because of their sweetness, tang or whatever, and evidence suggests that children exposed to junk food advertising express greater preference for these types of food (Khullar 127). It’s no wonder that people struggle to think for themselves when it comes to eating. They have no room left for thought when they are constantly exposed to what the media and food companies want them to buy. Plus, when the food tastes good as advertised, there’s no need to try and bite the hand that feeds them. Unfortunately, by killing the need to decide their own diets, they are contributing to a country overrun by obesity. The processed foods being marketed are filled with ingredients the body isn’t meant to digest and as such the body barely can. And it’s not just that, but the large volume of foodstuffs available has given people the opportunity to over-consume. They no longer eat to sate hunger, but to continue gratifying their taste

The food market nowadays has become a whirlwind of misleading claims and food packed with as many vitamins and nutrients as possible. In Michael Pollan's “In Defense of Food”, he argues that people are too obsessed with diets and focus too much on nutrients that they end up ignoring the fact that the “health food” they are eating is made up of many different chemicals and byproducts that can cause more harm than good. Pollan uses solid evidence to back up his claims by giving examples of the different ways cultures view food, explaining different studies that have been done relating to nutrition, and exposing the real meaning behind the labels that have been put on food.

Throughout our entire lives, we have been convinced to eat “healthy” so that we can live a longer and happier life with low risks of diseases and cancers. However, what does it really mean to eat “healthy” since there are many health claims that are confusing us about what we should or shouldn’t eat. With the cloud of confusion revolving a “healthy” diet, Michael Pollan, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, writes “Unhappy Meals” detailing what it means to eat healthy. Although eating healthy is essential, there are factors that play a role into a person’s diet. For instance, in what ways does income affect an adult’s decision to eating “healthy?” Many people assume that a person’s ability to eat healthy is based on their

The majority of the nation is on the go, always heading to a different destination. This makes in immensely easy for a person not to forget to eat. However, McDonald’s has gained negative feedback on their products due to what they choose to make them out of. Many people avoid this establishment due to this reason. Positive values of fast food restaurants are the ability to consume ready-to-eat, fresh, portion-controlled foods. However, the “potion-controlled” foods can easily be over looked by a person’s mind being bigger than their stomach. I do not think that children gain anything from eating at fast food restaurants like McDonald’s. However, they lose a slight part of their health due to if consumed too often, can cause some health and weight related issues in the long

There are a lot of things that people should consider when they are purchasing food. These items go into our body. They are often times a deciding factor on how long our body will stay working and healthy. Food is one of the most important things in our lives. We should pay attention to what kind it when since our bodies are something we can never get rid of.

Eating out and eating at home are similar in variety of delicious foods offered. Eating out has large selection of diverse delicious food offered from all over the world.

Common sense might dictate that eating foods in small portions or controlling the calorie intake of each food will help stabilize weight gain, but most food found in these establishments push past the limit of daily calorie intake per day in just a single meal. “According to Consumer Reports and the Nutrition Action Health Letter, Burger King 's Triple Whopper contains 1,160 calories, 75 grams of fat, and 1050 mgs of sodium; McDonald 's Crispy Chicken Bacon Clubhouse Sandwich has 750 calories, 38 grams of fat, and 1,720 mg of sodium; Hardee 's 2/3 Pound Monster Thickburger hefts 1,330 calories, 66 grams of fat, and an astounding 1,990 mg of sodium; Taco Bell 's Cantina Burrito-Steak carries 750 calories, 28 grams of fat, and 1,940 mg of sodium.” (Ansello) From the data above, one could suggest that regularly eating these in the standard three course fashion would surpass the daily average calorie limit (2000 calories for both men and women.) The average person eats not only the sandwich alone, but consumed along with a side dish and a carbonated beverage. These meals also play a part in the lives of our children, and are the main reasons for underage obesity. To contrast the high saturated fat diets with a leafier or organic substitute, the average American has to drive further to obtain, and also pay a higher dollar cost for the diet. For example, the cost of a “Crispy Chicken Sandwich” at Wendy’s establishment is approximately one dollar, while the

Obesity is probably the most significant issue facing the McDonald’s Company today. The corporation has been severally blamed for the menace due to its wide range of junk foods. As the world’s largest fast food company, it has become a target of most health related films such as Super Size Me. This is because the public blames the company for failing to give nutritional information concerning the items on its menu (Baron, 2010).