Super Size Me Numerous individuals around the world are familiar with McDonald’s and its unhealthy menu; however, that does not stop many from visiting the fast food giant. Super Size Me is an in-depth film by Morgan Spurlock, which shows viewers his journey from healthy eating to becoming a fast food junkie. Viewers are able to see the damage that the unhealthy food from McDonald’s causes while Spurlock eats three meals a day from the fast food chain. Spurlock visits three schools, each with different meal programs. The differences in the healthy and unhealthy choices made by the schools are abundantly clear. Audiences also become aware of how effective advertisers are in securing business for unhealthy food products. Spurlock’s …show more content…
Watching him wake up early in the morning having a hard time breathing and complaining of heart palpitations makes even the most avid McDonald’s patron want to stop eating their harmful food. During a checkup after experiencing the heart palpitations, Dr. Isaacs tells Spurlock “Your cholesterol is now 225 and your liver is inflamed.” The doctor advises him to stop eating McDonald’s’ food. It is shocking to see that after only two weeks on a McDonald’s diet an individual can become severely ill. Dr. Isaacs tells Spurlock “You are pickling your liver much like an alcoholic does when drinking. My advice is to stop. Stop this fatty diet.” Two weeks later Spurlock’s final weigh-in indicates that he has gone from 185.5 lbs. to 210 lbs. He has gained a total of 24.5 lbs., which has increased his total body fat from 11% to 18%. It is astonishing to see that thirty days of a fast food diet can cause so much damage to an individual’s body. The unhealthy effect fast food has on the body is no longer deniable to individuals who have seen the film. Schools play a vital role in the health and well-being of their students. Spurlock gives viewers a look into three different schools and the nutrition they supply their students. Madison Jr. High in Naperville, Illinois outsources their food services to Sodexho Alliance. Sodexho Alliance provides students with many unhealthy lunch choices. Among their food choices are french fries,
Fast food is unhealthy and does not provide the necessary nutrients needed for a daily diet, however Mcdonald's, a fast food empire claimed in a 2004 lawsuit against them that fast food can be a part of a healthy diet. The court ruled that the plaintiffs would have a serious claim if they could prove that eating fast food for every meal is dangerous for the person and their health. Morgan Spurlock, writer, director, producer, and star of 2004 documentary Supersize Me set out to prove that fast food is dangerous for a person's health. The documentary follows Morgan on his 30 day challenge of only eating fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Through Morgan's challenge his weight skyrockets, his health declines and feels terrible all the time. Many people believe that fast food companies are to blame for America's obesity but the individual must take responsibility for what they put into their bodies instead of blaming fast food companies for their unhealthy eating habits .The documentary explores the idea that people should avoid eating fast food because Fast food, although more convenient and easier is worse for you than making your own meals. Fast food leads to many health risks and is not a good substitution for traditional meals. People should avoid eating
Did you know that “every day 1 in 4 Americans visit a fast food restaurant? If that’s not alarming to you, then consider this, left unabated, obesity will surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in America.” (Clark, Charles) Fast food has become a part of American culture. With the way the world is today who wouldn’t want to eat somewhere that can have you in and out in five minutes for fewer than five dollars? It has been made very clear that Americans love to eat as we rank number one most years as the world’s most obese nation, but it’s not just America. In his documentary, Morgan Spurlock notes that, “Popular fast food chains like McDonalds, now operate in more than 126 countries in six continents having more than 31,000 restaurants globally.” (Spurlock 2004) The most alarming part about all of these statistics is the groups they most affect. The catchy advertisements and addictive qualities of the food is what has everyone coming back for more. Fast food companies advertisements targeting the young and lower classes are the cause for the obesity epidemic in America.
The movie "Super Size Me" is a documentary on a man who has decided to consume only McDonald's food for a period of thirty days. This man, Mr. Spurlock, has embarked on this adventure to assess the health issue of McDonald's food. Of course, there are a couple of rules. He has to eat McDonalds for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He also has to devour everything on the menu at least once. If he is asked to super size his meal, he must submit. His experiences during this thirty day trial period are astonishing. Even more startling is what happens to his physical wellness during this McDonalds rampage.
An analysis of the film Super Size Me, which is a 2004 documentary over Morgan Spurlock who documents the obesity problem we have in this country and how McDonald’s and other fast food chains are the ones that mainly contribute to the increasing problem, and exploring the realist aesthetics of the film goes over the elements of direct address to the camera, handheld camera, on-camera interview and also real people (non actors). This documentary was made to study the influence that the fast food industry, such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, KFC and others have over the obesity problem in America. Morgan Spurlock makes himself a guinea pig and explores the consequences to his body when only eating McDonald’s three times a day for one whole month and he can only super size it if the cashier asks him. Spurlock consults with a practitioner, cardiologist, gastroenterologist, nutritionist, and trainers to help and track the change in his body during the whole experiment.
There has been a strong concern, however, that unhealthy fast-food has been served and advertised at cafeteria in public schools nationwide and legislation against serving and promoting these foods may be necessary to solve the problem. Schlosser revealed in his book ten years ago that “nation’s food chains are marketing their products in public schools” (Schlosser 52) and points out that “about 30 percent of the public high schools in the United States offer branded fast food” (Schlosser 56). In Super Size Me, the director and performer Morgan Spurlock also shows that many public schools serve innutritious fast food at cafeteria (Super Size Me). In 2005, the Institute of Medicine recommends
Contrary to the popular belief of the time, Morgan Spurlock’s amateur documentary “Supersize Me” pushed reform in both fast food culture, and eating habits of citizens, being one of the first catalysts in a new movement in America. This 2004 film, being the first of his works to establish Spurlock as a filmmaker, focuses on Spurlock’s 30 day journey in which he vowed to eat solely McDonalds for three meals a day, and track his overall mental, physical, and social changes over this span of time. Throughout the film, Spurlock consults three doctors (a gastroenterologist, a cardiologist, and a general practitioner) as well as a nutritionist to monitor physical change and gather quantitative data supporting his claim. The film often exhibited
McDonald’s is killing Americans, at least that is what Morgan Spurlock believes. In his documentary Super Size Me he embarks on a quest to not only describe and use himself as an example of the growing obesity trend, but to offer the viewers with base-line nutritional knowledge that will allow them to draw their own informed conclusions. Spurlock's primary intention is to prove through self-experimentation that eating solely McDonald's food is dangerous. His secondary intention is to denounce the rising obesity rate in American by using statistics, his own research, and the opinions of experts. His broader message is for a general audience while he tailors select chapters towards more specific demographics such as parents or McDonald's
Obesity has become increasingly more prominent in American society. It is also a major health issue affecting many adults and children in the US every year. In his article "Don't Blame the Eater," David Zinczenko sympathizes with children who are suing McDonald’s making them fat. In his own experience as a “latchkey kid”, he knows how easily fast food makes teenagers put on weight with a steady diet of fast food meals. Zinczenko argues that both lack of fast food alternative companies and lack of providing nutrition information contribute to childhood obesity.
Obesity is only second to tobacco smoking as the most preventable death in the United States today. In order to publicize the obesity epidemic, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock embarks on a thirty day experiment documented in his film, Super Size Me. Nutritionists, healthy eaters, and unhealthy eaters alike are shown the harmful effects of fast food. In order to emphasize the scale of the epidemic and address a large audience, Spurlock appeals to logos through his use of expert testimony, statistics, anticipating counterarguments, and piling.
Morgan Spurlock's argument in Super Size Me is that eating McDonald's everyday is bad and hazardous for people and their health. However, even though Spurlock specifically focuses on McDonald's because he is eating his daily meals from there, he points out not just that fast-food chain, but other fast-food chains and even the meals served in school cafeterias. A more broad thesis that is not entirely stated outward in the film would be that eating a lot of food that is unhealthy for people everyday contributes to obesity, but specifically, Spurlock is focusing on the fast-food chains.
Section 2: Key points. The McDonald's story begins with Morgan Spurlock. Morgan is an independent filmmaker, who conducted an experiment where he consumed nothing but McDonald's for 30 days. He traveled across the United States, speaking with various community groups about the hazards of eating fast food, all while setting himself up as a human guinea pig. He submitted himself to a full medical examination and was determined to be physically fit. After 30 days of nothing but McDonald's, he gained 25 pounds, his liver rivaled that of an alcoholic and his cholesterol level had risen from 168 to 230. He documented his personal journey,
In a society that is facing numerous problems, such as economic devastation, one major problem is often disregarded, growing obesity. As the American society keeps growing, so does growth of the fast food industry and the epidemic of obesity. In order to further investigate the main cause of obesity, Morgan Spurlock, the film director and main character, decides to criticize the fast food industry for its connection with obesity in America. In his documentary Spurlock performs a radical experiment that drives him to eat only from McDonald's and order a super-sized meal whenever he is asked. By including visual and textual techniques, rhetorical appeals, and argumentative evidences, Morgan Spurlock was able
Every day while sitting on the couch eat a burger, and soon many people learn what the obesity hype is all about. Fast food companies are advertising more food for less money with fast service. The media tends to change images for their target customers, to make the food more appealing to those that are watching. Laziness is one of the main causes of obesity in our country. Obesity in the United States is at a high due to the increasing fast food chains, media influence, and a lack of exercise. The idea of having a meal made for them in less than five minutes is somewhat exciting to the view of many individuals.” fast food firms introduced these alternative meals in response to changing consumer tastes”(Buchholz). Many fast food stores offer the customer fast service, and a great tasting meal. They provide their service with a smile and a meal that can cost less than 10 dollars. When people mix poor diet with poor
In 2003 Morgan Spurlock launched on an experiment of sorts to fully understand the effects that fast food, in this case specifically McDonald’s food can have on one’s physiological and mental health by eating nothing but McDonald’s food for thirty days. Before embarking on this quest, Spurlock visited a general practitioner, a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, a dietician, and an exercise specialist. He began his McDonald’s journey with exceptional health, by the end of the thirty days he had suffered serious health consequences both physically and mentally. From an addiction to McDonald’s food to a major increase in cholesterol levels there is no doubt that Spurlock’s health greatly declined in the month long period. Spurlock documented his journey in a film entitled Supersize Me, which has served as a call to action for the years since its release.
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).