Super Size Me: Obesity Epidemic

1448 Words3 Pages

Super Size Me is a 2004 documentary film when Morgan Spurlock engages a social health experiment to see the mass effect on a person who eats McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for one month. In the process, his weight, energy level plummets and experiences all sorts of unexpected and terrifying side effects. He also examines the corporate giant's growing role in the lives of American consumers and explores its methods of young people and its contribution to America's obesity epidemic. The condition of the experiment is that Morgan Spurlock can only eat food from the McDonald's corporation. The health issue that is presented during the “McDiet” was obesity epidemic. According to the most recent data, adult obesity rates now exceed 35 …show more content…

Children know the logo, even before they can talk and they consume it just as much as the adults, which starts the obesity epidemic early. In the movie, they offered Spurlock a total of nine super-sized meals. The conditions of the experiment are that he must order from the McDonald's menu, all three main meals and all food to be eaten must come from McDonald’s, every menu item at McDonald’s must be eaten at least once over the course of 30 days. Lastly, he must super size meals only when offered by McDonald’s staff. He must not engage in any exercise beyond that which the typical US citizen engages in, which is approximately 5,000 standardized distance steps per day. The supersized meals contained the choice of any McDonald’s sandwich, a 42-ounce soft drink, and a 7-ounce supersized french fries. In the film, Spurlock buys most of his food from Texas, where most of the supersized meals came from. The large or the supersized option was one of the contributors to the problem obesity because of how many calories that is being offered to the buyers. One drink and one supersize fries contain at least 1,000 …show more content…

An after-school program started off by Washington D.C trained SCORES staff members collected BMI and fitness data from participants during the 2004-2005 school year at nine San Francisco schools at baseline, in the fall and at follow-up, after the spring session. Fitness was assessed using the 20-meter shuttle test, which has been validated as a measure of aerobic capacity in children. This justifies the movie because, after the whole experiment, Spurlock gained 25 pounds and was the worst health if his life. His partner and doctor took precautions and he started a detox-recovery program and reports to it took Spurlock a total of 14 months to gradually lose the 25 lbs. that he had gained in one month. Basically, detoxification means cleansing the blood. This is done by removing impurities from the blood in the liver, where toxins are processed for elimination and weight loss programs does work, however, takes more time than gaining. Studies show that it helps with losing weight and helping regain some nutrients. Also, studies show eighty percent of weight loss programs

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis: Super Size Me

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fast food, while a quick alternative to cooking, has always been known to be less healthy than traditional preparations, but the extent of its health benefits or detriments was not known until a lawsuit came out which inspired documentarian Morgan Spurlock to engage in a 30 day experiment. The resultant documentary specifically targeted McDonald’s, the largest fast food chain in the world, which also happens to be a major recipient of lawsuits linking obesity and their food. Spurlock endeavored to spend a thirty day period eating nothing but food that came from the golden arches, with the rules that he would supersize only when asked, and every time he was asked, and that he would have everything from the menu at least once. In the 2004 film Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock explores the concept that McDonald’s contributes to the nation’s obesity problem through the utilization of statistics and scientific evidence as a logical appeal, comedy and repulsive qualities as an emotional appeal, and s...

    Read More

  • How Does Morgan Spurlock Use Ethos In Supersize Me

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though on his own he may have been able to get his point across of how fast food can destroy a body, he still consults with all types of doctors and specialists. Spurlock even goes out to schools and the streets to interview random people to help his belief in the subject matter. McDonald's is one of the multiple fast food restaurants that serve greasy and oversized meals that are harmful to the human body. Throughout a thirty day McDonald's only diet, Spurlock surrounds himself with logos, ethos, and pathos to impact the viewer's opinion on the true cost of eating fast food regularly.

    Read More

  • Naked Lunch: Comparisons of Documentaries Super Size Me and Forks Over Knives

    1402 Words  | 3 Pages

    Documentary films have become very popular in the last few years, with the success of Michael Moore’s films fueling interest in learning while being entertained. Two filmmakers have benefited from this new interest in the non-fiction film movement, including directors Morgan Spurlock and Lee Fulkerson. The two filmmakers both made documentaries regarding healthy eating, or the lack thereof, in North America. Spurlock’s film, Super Size Me, was about a healthy man who wanted to see what would happen to his body if he ate nothing but items from McDonalds for an entire month. On the other hand, Fulkerson’s Forks Over Knives is about a man on a quest to improve his health by consuming a plant and whole food based diet.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis Of Super Size Me

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    Super Size Me begins with Director and actor Morgan Spurlock being 32 years of age at the time of filming in 2003. Spurlock is recorded as being physically above average, which is attested to by several doctors as well as a nutritionist and a personal trainer. He asks these professional to track his health and wellness during the “McDiet”. Spurlock’s McDiet is a test where he will eat only food from McDonald’s for thirty days to see how it would affect his health. Throughout the filming of Super Size Me, Spurlock’s health g steadily degenerates until it eventually reaches a state of critical danger for himself, even before the experimental thirty days have concluded. While Spurlock is testing his McDiet, he also investigates further into particular

    Read More

  • Analysis of Super Size Me

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    Morgan Spurlock decided to make this documentary to investigate the fast food companies, and the effects of certain fast food chains products, particularly McDonalds, on the health of society. This Documentary explores the United States growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes as well. Morgan decides to eat nothing but McDonald's food for thirty days. He must eat one of everything on the menu at least once, and when asked to super size his meal he must do so. Another stipulation of Morgan's experiment is that he can only take 5,000 steps a day to replicate the exercise that most average Americans get on a daily basis. He must also eat three meals a day, no exceptions and if McDonalds doesn't serve it Morgan can't eat it.

    Read More

  • Super size me

    1270 Words  | 3 Pages

    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 themselves.

    Read More

  • Super Size Me, by Morgan Spurlock

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first step that Spurlock utilizes is documenting his daily life through this modified “McDiet. He include visual aspects in his documentary, like personal footage, to help support his claim. Throughout this documentary, Spurlock includes records of him eating out of only McDonald's every day for a month. He documents his every meal and the experiences he has after eating. He would record how he is feeling and his health condition at many points in the film. From day one to day thirty, he shows how much he had eaten and his final analysis of his experiment. The immoderate McDonald's diet that Spurlock consumed helps show the health risks, consequences, and dangers of fast food. By performing this experiment, Spurlock was able to prove that fast food is a major factor in rising health and obesity problems. Another analytical track that Spurlock incorporated is the uses of text to he...

    Read More

  • Mcdonalds' Golden Arches

    1282 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, the image displayed in the Time Magazine's September 30th 2002 issue, is an image that is hard to decipher and, most importantly, is an image that is hardly a likeness to the icons imprinted in the minds of fast food lovers across the nation. The catchy illustration invades an article tentatively titled, "Can McDonald's Shape Up?" The cartoon portrays an obscenely rotund Ronald McDonald pacing stressfully on a treadmill. The editorial cartoon is not for everyone to understand, yet it still seems to be generally humorous in its own context. At first glance, the cartoon seemingly pokes fun at the growing obesity in America. This observation is perhaps due to the rewarding conveniences of fast food.

    Read More

  • Supersize Me: The Rhetoric of French Fries

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States of America has long been considered a “big nation”, whether is has the biggest cities, houses, and on a negative note, biggest people. In 2003, Morgan Spurlock, a healthy-bodied film director, set on a quest to show America the detrimental effects of the fast food industry and raise awareness on the controversial issue. He produced the documentary “Supersize Me”, where McDonald’s meals were consumed for every meal of the day for thirty days. His film was released to movie theatres so that people could understand the devastating effects of McDonald’s on his body in a very short time span. At the end of his experiment, Morgan gained twenty-five pounds, developed a thirteen percent body mass increase, cholesterol skyrocketed immensely, and fat accumulation in his liver rose to. He became depressed and he only felt happy and in no pain when he was eating the fast food. By using ethos, logos, and pathos, “Supersize Me” became one of the most watched documentaries in the United States. Without these appeals, this documentary would not have developed the effect that it did.

    Read More

  • Ethos Pathos Logos In Super Size Me

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    America has always been about being the biggest nation: the biggest houses, the biggest cars, biggest cities and unfortunately the biggest bodies. There is no doubt that fast food is causing major health problems for many Americans today. In his documentary, Super Size Me, released in 2004 Morgan Spurlock decides to eat only food from McDonald’s for thirty days to see how it would affect his health. Spurlock starts out healthier than the average man for his age. Throughout the film, we can see that his health gradually degenerates and reaches a critical point, before his thirty days are over. Super Size Me is very persuasive in showing the negative effect in fast food restaurants by using logos, pathos, and ethos.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Supersize Me

    584 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the documentary “Supersize Me” by Morgan Spurlock, America’s obesity issue was exposed and pinpointed at one of the giant contributor and fast food marketer “McDonald's”. Throughout the documentary, many rhetorical devices were utilized to provide reasons as to how America’s obesity issue is dangerous and how Mcdonald's and major food companies contribute to this disaster in the American society. Drastic continuance of unhealthy eating habits on top of an increasingly growing population calls for an alarm to everyone. He then stresses the dangers of obesity and addresses the issue’s cause. Morgan creates a strong visual and effective argument that eating fast food is the key reason to America’s obesity issue.

    Read More

  • Comparing Fat Head And Super Size Me By Tom Naughton

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Super Size Me Morgan Spurlock says he is going to eat at McDonald’s 3 meals everyday for 30 days, he’s going to eat every meal on the menu at least once, and he’s going to only super size when he’s asked. What Morgan tries to prove is that fast food is unhealthy and super sizing is even unhealthier, however Tom Naughton proves fast food isn’t actually unhealthy and ever since super sizing ended in 2004 diabetes and obesity haven’t decreased. In Fat Head Tom ate at many different fast food restaurants not just McDonald’s, ate a reasonable amount of food that was under about 2000 calories, and took out carbohydrates from his meals unlike Morgan. Close to the end of the film Tom visits the doctor that has been evaluating him and the doctor is surprised to reveal that Tom actually lost weight and becomes healthier than he was previously was before the

    Read More

  • McDonalds and Their Impact On Society

    1158 Words  | 3 Pages

    McDonalds-The Impact on Us, Our Society and the Environment. " N.p., n.d. Web. "Super Size Me." Childhood Obesity 101. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis Of The Movie 'Super Size Me'

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    Director Morgan Spurlock was present all throughout the documentary Super Size Me (Morgan Spurlock, 2004.) Morgan Spurlock was the centerpiece to this puzzle of a documentary. Morgan Spurlock was included in almost every scene. The film focused on the body's reaction to consuming nothing but Mcdonald's for 30 days, and the director was involved in the whole experiment. There is no star bigger than the director in this mid 2000’s documentary, other recurring characters include his girlfriend (Alex Jamieson) and the doctors that helped him along the way. The way Morgan Spurlock conducts this documentary is very interesting, he was involved in mostly everything hands on. He interviewed people, asked doctors for questions,

    Read More

  • The Super-Size Me Documentary

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    McDonald’s, one of America’s fastest growing fast food restaurants, has made more than its share of money within the last twenty years serving more than 46 million people daily. They have twice as many restaurants as Burger King and more restaurants than KFC, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell Combined. Often children have the dream of eating fast food for every meal of every day. Well, Morgan Spurlock took the challenge to see how dangerous it would be to eat McDonalds for every meal. He also took the challenge in response to a lawsuit against McDonalds by a family whose children became obese by the contents of its meals. Directed and starring Morgan Spurlock, who is married to a vegan chef and a healthy man for his age, Super-Size Me is a film that followed Spurlock for 31 days as he follows certain rules set by a series of physicians. He was only allowed to meals off the McDonalds menu including water. Also, he couldn’t exercise but had to walk the same amount of steps as the average American. Filmed all over the United States, Super-Size Me was made to inform the public on the manufactured foods they consume daily. The film also raises awareness on the dangers of what manufactured foods do to the body. Super-Size Me showed how one of the most popular fast food restaurants around today may be leading future generations to severe health problems.

    Read More

More about Super Size Me: Obesity Epidemic

Open Document