ipl-logo

Documentary Analysis: Supersize Me

1215 Words5 Pages

To get a different perspective regarding nutrition, I turned to the documentary entitled Supersize Me that was released in 2004. This documentary is about a man named Morgan Spurlock who takes on the McDonald’s diet. Morgan, who before this diet was above average on the physically fit scale, and at a normal BMI, had no nutrition training. He received this idea for a documentary while hearing about two teenagers who were suing McDonald’s for their obesity problem, and from there created the idea to experiment with this diet. While on this diet he must follow the following rules, 1. Eat McDonald’s for one month. 2. He must supersize his meal whenever asked to (making his meal bigger than the large option). 3. Try at least one of everything on …show more content…

Since 2004 the obesity rate in America has grown, along with the fast food industry. The obesity rate in 2001 was 61%, in 2010 it increased to higher than 68%. (Collene). According to Center for Science in the public interest, eating out is one-third of the calories in American’s diets (“Menu Labeling”). However, there has been some changes since Supersize Me was released that have changed in order to help the obesity epidemic. In 2010, congress passed a national requiring chain restaurants with twenty or more locations to list calories and other nutrition informations directly on menus and on menu boards (“Menu Labeling”). This has changed since Supersize Me. in that film, Morgan was struggling to find one McDonald’s that even carried the nutritional information for the food. With this information now on display in the restaurant along with it being available online, it helps individuals make informed healthy decisions. Another prevalent change since the film, is that McDonald’s no longer offers the Supersize option. Just six weeks after the film was released McDonald’s went away with it and saved many people’s hearts. Many other steps have recently been taken in order to make people more aware of the dangers of a high calorie, high sodium, and high fat …show more content…

This assignment really opened my eyes up to the idea that we should definitely change up our eating habits, try new things, and make sure to get a wide variety of all food groups, unlike what Morgan Sprulock had to do in his McDonald’s experiment. I would probably name myself as a regular fast food eater, but after watching this documentary, my idea and point of view of fast food has definitely changed, it might be a while until I even return to McDonald’s I will now certainly go out of my way to find healthier options to eat, and now incorporate this into my lifestyle. The academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says that “eating at a restaurant doesn’t not have to sabotage a healthy diet.” (Tips for Healthy Dining Out). The American Heart Association also gives “5 ways to navigate Fast Food Menus like a Pro” to keep your health, and heart, in check. It says to Avoid portion distortion, be sauce savvy, say no to “fried”, sip smart, and go in prepared.” (5 ways to navigate fast food menus like a pro). I will definitely consider these tips and things I learned from the documentary and incorporate them into my diet, and

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Supersize Me

    536 Words  | 3 Pages

    From Morgan Spurlock’s documentary “Supersize Me”, an inference can be made that fast food can and should be taken with certain precautions especially in america where obesity is at an all time high. A correlation can be made that there is a fast food restaurant on every corner and the vigorous ads and commercials that are displayed on billboards, televisions, radio and cell phones teasing the audience to go out and buy this new burger instead of them staying home and eating something that would actually be beneficial to their health. Americans are not safe from the alluring temptation of fast food. In the video documentary “supersize me” Morgan Spurlock admitted that his body had cravings after 3 days of eating McDonalds non stop.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Escape From The Western Diet

    677 Words  | 3 Pages

    “As a culture, we no longer discuss healthy eating without also discussing unhealthy weights…eating too much-often without any parallel warnings against eating too little…overeating constitutes ‘the greatest threat’ to our survival” (Maxfield 444). The main point in both of these articles that both authors agree with is the fact that people don’t add up all their calories they eat daily, which should be less than or equal to 3500 calories. When you go to a fast food restaurant, usually a normal “healthy” person would get a salad, large drink, and a side item like fries; this normally doesn’t seem like a lot of calories, but then you add the dressing and this healthy lunch turns out becoming an unhealthy 1700 calories already in one meal. Not only is fast food a lot of calories, but it is really cheap too, and most people spend their money on this instead of eating healthy and spending more money. “Americans spend less than 10 percent of their income on food; they also spend less than a half hour a day preparing meals and little more than an hour enjoying them” (Pollan 439).

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Don T Blame The Eater

    718 Words  | 3 Pages

    The life pursued by the average young person in America is fast paced and scheduled to the point of breaking. As time has progressed this time stretched life style has impacted the need for food that isn’t cooked at home or even at restaurants that cook with traditional methods. This coupled with the swelling number of households with either a single parent or two working parents has increased the reliance on the fast food industry and in turn increased the overweight and obesity rates in the country. In his article “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko addresses this topic and places the blame not on those partaking in these delectable dinners, but in the hands of the fast food industry and their lack of understandable labeling. Zinczenko’s argument is valid and strong due to his equal use of ethos, logos and pathos.

    Read More

  • Fast Food Nation Rhetorical Analysis

    461 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to recent polls, approximately 3% of Americans admit to consuming fast-food at least once per day. This number, although it may appear small, it accounts for 9.5 million citizens across the United States who are unashamed of chowing down on a quick meal. Unfortunately, due to this consumerization, obesity and other like-minded illnesses have risen in recent years. The effects are costly and capable of making people pay the ultimate price: their life.

    Read More

  • Chick-Fil-A Essay

    455 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nowadays fast food franchises offer poor nutritional value meals for its consumers which may lead to health problems in the long term. As a customer of Chick-Fil-A I enjoy buying myself a healthy meal because I know I’m getting my money's worth and getting the best quality possible. When customers realize they are getting quality food, it creates a stronger bond between the customer and the business which is incredibly important to reach

    Read More

  • Don T Blame The Eater Analysis

    720 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both Editors David Zinczenko and Radley Balko offer different perspectives on how fast food has increase obesity in the united states and who is to blame Zinczenko contents the need to provide nutritional chart in fast food restaurant (392) while Balko argues that consumers need to become personally responsible for what they are consuming (397). In Zinczenko’s writing “Don’t Blame the Eater”, and Balko “What You Eat Is Your Business” while both agreeing that something has to change to reduce obesity in the United States, but at the same time have different views on how to approach the problem. Zinczenko argues the need for fast food industries to convey calorie labels similar to grocery items, and make them simpler for the consumer to understand (392). Balko judges the

    Read More

  • David Freedman's Essay 'How Junk Food Can End Obesity'

    1218 Words  | 5 Pages

    In David Freedman’s essay How Junk food Can End Obesity, Freedman makes the claim to policy arguing that instead of demonizing processed foods, Americans should instead support the idea and production of healthier processed and junk foods. He calls on the public to recognize that while many products on the market these days are labeled as “wholesome” and “healthy”, consumers should learn to become aware of the fat and calorie content in these products because many times they have the same- if not more- fat and calorie contents as that of a typical Big Mac or Whopper. In his essay, Freedman primarily places blame on the media and the wholesome food movement for the condemnation of the fast and processed food industries saying, “An enormous amount of media space has been dedicated to promoting the notion that all processed food, and only processed food, us making us sickly and overweight” (Freedman), he further expresses that this portrayal of the

    Read More

  • Food Deserts

    1687 Words  | 7 Pages

    When the dinner bell rings in America, many families are not flocking to the table, but running to the car and the call of the “Golden Arches”. In today’s over-scheduled world, food has now become an afterthought and America is paying the price, literally. Obesity is now an epidemic and a crisis that is not slowing down. The nation is not only paying the price with sky-rocketing medical bills from the effects of the American diet, but also with the deteriorating health of its citizens and for the first time in history, a generation with a shorter life expectancy than the generation before. Food today looks nothing like the food of just 40 years ago, and now instead, is making people sick and obese.

    Read More

  • How Junk Food Can End Obesity By David Freedman Analysis

    132 Words  | 1 Pages

    In “How Junk Food Can End Obesity” David Freedman argues that ending processed food is not going to help solve obesity problems. He knows that “Junk food is bad for you because it’s full of fats and problems carb” (Freedman 515). Freedman believe that we should use technology to improve fast-food by taking out the unhealthy products in it, instead of getting rid of fast-food entirely. He also talks about his experiences with food between wholesome food and McDonald’s. He discusses how McDonald’s smoothies have the lowest calories and are cheapest out of all other smoothies he had.

    Read More

  • How Junk Food Can End Obesity By David Freedman

    1020 Words  | 5 Pages

    Junk food is responsible for the growing rate of obesity. This is outlined by David freedman in his article of “How junk food can end obesity.” David Freedman has credited the “health-food” motion, and followers of it along with Michel Pollan. Freedman claims that if the America desires to stop the obesity epidemic, or at least reduce its effects, they must shift to the fast meals and processed meals enterprise for assist, now not the “health-food” movement.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Childhood Obesity

    1339 Words  | 6 Pages

    Today life is on the fast track. People are always on the go and don’t have time to properly take care of themselves or their families. For most Americans, fast food and junk food are ready to grab for a snack or a quick dinner. They don’t slow down to think about how the foods they are eating effect their long term health. Fewer and fewer families take the time to prepare a nutritious meal and are passing down bad habits to their children.

    Read More

  • Nutrition Informative Speech Outline

    817 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nutrition Topic: Nutrition Organization: Topically Specific Purpose: To inform my audience the importance of proper nutrition I. INTRODUCTION A. Attention getter: Did you know that more than two thirds of adults are considered to be overweight or obese in the United States? If obesity rates stay consistent, about 51% of the population by the year 2030 will be obese.

    Read More

  • Film Summary And Film Analysis: Super Size Me

    912 Words  | 4 Pages

    Super-Size Me is a documentary film, created by Morgan Spurlock. This documentary emphasizes the message of the risks of consuming fast food and the outcomes that fast food has on people’s health. Spurlock came up with this idea from a lawsuit that involved two young girls suing McDonalds for their weight problems. The presiding judge over this case ruled that there was not sufficient evidence that their health issues were caused by consuming food from McDonalds. As an experiment to see if these girl’s claim had any merit, Spurlock was determined to only consume food from McDonalds for thirty days and see if there was any correlation between eating fast food and declining of health.

    Read More

  • Informative Speech On Fast Food

    434 Words  | 2 Pages

    While researching information on this project, the information I found included many things the fast food industry keeps from us that we often do even think about. For example, a food product can be labeled as “sugar free” but can be substituted with other things such as, agave which is often worse due to its high concentration in fructose syrup. Another example would be that, Gerber uses fruit pictures to claim its Gerber’s are made from real fruit when in reality they are filled with corn syrup, syrup and grape juice concentrate. These are known as “calorie distracters” and work really well on people who refuse to give up eating fast food. Whether they know that fast and processed foods are unhealthy or not, they are satisfied by knowing that a label says “sugar free” and therefore it is okay for them to consume it.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues In Fast Food

    982 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fast food companies have demolished competition throughout the last 30 years in the restaurant industry. The practices used to eliminate competition such as using unhealthy food to make a profit have been reported unethical by Americans, but it tends to be desired by the American society. According to the American Franchise Corporation, certified by TrustArc, fast food companies generate $570 billion annually in the United States ("Fast Food Industry Analysis"). These statistics continue to rise as more and more fast food companies become ubiquitous. As a result, fast food companies get richer, while people contract life-altering health effects.

    Read More

More about Documentary Analysis: Supersize Me

Open Document