Super Size Me

The very first time I viewed Super-Size Me, a direct address expository documentary created by Morgan Spurlock, it admittedly wasn’t by choice. I entered my sixth-grade health class, and was told that today we would be watching a movie. My 12-year-old mind immediately started to shout “Oh god no. Not THE movie!” When I learned that we were actually going to watch Super-Size Me and not the dreaded video on puberty, I was so full of relief that I fell in love with the film before it even began. And today, several years later, I still do not regret my decision to love the film unconditionally, because it was and still is a fantastic film.

Over the last 10 years or so, it has become a tradition to show it in health classes across the country, but if you have been lucky enough to not have taken such a course recently, and simply never gotten around to seeing the film, I want to briefly summarize it. Morgan Spurlock, a very likable and humorous documentary filmmaker decided that he wanted to see what would happen if he ate only from McDonald's for an entire month, always accepting to ‘supersize' his meal when offered. Before beginning his unscientific experiment, Spurlock was examined by three doctors, a general practitioner, a cardiologist, and a gastroenterologist, who all agreed he was in extremely good health. Throughout the experiment, the doctors continue to monitor his health as it rapidly declines. Not only is he imposing major harm on his heart, liver, and blood, but he is also affecting his mental health, becoming less and less happy, and, more and more addicted to these unhealthy foods.
And if you didn't feel like reading the summary, I understand. Here's the trailer.

When Spurlock first set out, he had one clear goal in mind, to show the dangers of fast food, and he did just that. He created this widely seen and even more widely known film that specifically attacks the fast food industry and the incredibly unhealthy food that they produce. He ends the film with one line that speaks volumes, “Who do you want to see go first, you or them?” followed by a cartoon image of Ronald McDonald’s tombstone.

I know that after watching this film, I never want to eat fast food again. Spurlock is extremely convincing as he appeals to our emotions, like fear and disgust, our logic as he meets with his doctors, and even our ethics which tell us how morally wrong it is to sell other human beings food that is so unhealthy without any labels or warnings. In America, we have "an estimated 300,000 deaths per year are due to the obesity epidemic," and these dangerously unhealthy foods like McDonald's, never had shown calorie counts or fat percentages before this film was created. While Alcohol is clearly labeled and contains warnings and is strictly monitored by the government when “last year, 30,700 Americans died from alcohol-induced causes.” That is almost ten times more American deaths due to obesity than due to alcohol.

Thankfully Super-Size Me successfully showed the world the extreme health risks that unhealthy and fast food poses on the American people. Since this film, we have come a long way. Now all McDonalds, as well as other fast food and chain restaurants, are required to display information regarding the nutrition of the food, including calories, fat percentages and amounts of sodium, all things that are extremely important to consider in your daily diet. However, I still suggest checking out this chart before your next stop at Micky D's. McDonald's also quickly removed the option of "supersizing" your meal because of the bad connotation that is now associated with it.  They also now provide more (kind of) healthy options, such as salads, wraps, and fruit smoothies, all claimed to contain real fruits and/or veggies.

I believe we should all be thankful for Spurlock’s film, as it gave us a look at how unhealthy fast food really is for our bodies. It also incited rage in the public that led to our now stricter laws on food, that exist only to try to increase the health of American’s diets. The film has also helped many American’s consider more thoroughly what they are putting into their bodies for fuel which I believed has helped to spark a much-needed health-food trend. The societal impact that this one 2-hour film has had is immense, and I truly believe we should all be grateful for it.

You can watch the film for free here, it's never too late to get inspired to live a healthier life.