“Each day 1 in 4 Americans visit a fast food restaurant.” (VivaVegie) Most people know how bad fast food is for you, but still eat it. Morgan Spurlock’s “Supersize Me” did a thirty day experiment, which involved eating McDonald’s for every meal. To begin with, America is the fattest nation in the world. When it comes down to it, the fact that there are so many fast food restaurants, you can never get away. I have heard many people say that you should not eat fast food, but just like many others, I did not listen. The results of Morgan Spurlock actually eating McDonalds for every meal thirty days straight and gaining twenty-four and a half pounds sickens me.
Morgan Spurlock was checked by three doctors before and after the thirty day experiment. I would have never guessed that McDonald’s would have that big of an effect on a person. For kids who do not know what they are getting themselves into, it could be very dangerous. Fifteen-year-old Gregory Rhymes weighs 400 pounds and has diabetes. (Guardian) If he or his mother knew that McDonald’s has that bad of food maybe they would not have eaten/bought it so often.
At the end of the thirty days, Morgan doubled his risk of heart disease, gained twenty-four and a half pounds and consumed thirty pounds of sugar and twelve pounds of fat. The food at McDonald’s is not valuable to our nutrition whatsoever. Who wants to eat hair out of their parfait? It makes sense as to why most nutritionists suggest that you do not eat fast food at all. Seeing how Morgan felt so sick after eating and threw up, disgusts me. I do not want to be putting such unhealthy food into my system. I usually get McDonald’s once or twice a month, but after seeing this movie, I probably will not get it for a while.
Not only are fast food restaurants hurting the children’s health, but the food that some schools are feeding the students also contributes to their weight gain. If all the schools would be like the one shown in this film from Appleton, Wisconsin, then the students would be willing to participate more and would have more energy throughout the day. The less access that kids have to non-nutritional food, the better.
Morgan Spurlock’s research is very convincing to me. He shows me the harm that fast food does to the body. The fact that he gained all that weight, felt so sick, and had terrible health results, is an eye opener. People always say, “Actions speak louder than words.” One main advantage to this type of research is backing your facts up. He did not sit there and only name facts, he verified them. Another advantage, is getting people’s attention. Morgan Spurlock caught people’s attention because they were interested in what McDonald’s would actually do to the body. A disadvantage would be the weight that Morgan gained, and the harm it did on his health. Also, everyone’s metabolism is different, so not everyone would gain the same amount that Morgan did. Another disadvantage is that Morgan did not tell us every single thing he ate throughout the thirty days.
Morgan definitely used propaganda in this film. One example, which is also a disadvantage to this type of research, is the fact that they did not show the healthier food choices he ate. (Storify) He makes it seem like McDonalds does not have any better choices than a big mac.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Fast food facts from the Super Size Me Web site." The VivaVegie Society, Inc.. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.
Vulliamy, Ed . " 'Super-sized ' teenagers sue McDonald 's | World news | The Observer ." Latest news, world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | theguardian.com | The Guardian . N.p., 24 Nov. 2002. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.
Tan, Marshall. "Supersize Me (Documentary): Presence of Propaganda · mellow_marshall · Storify ." Storify · Make the web tell a story. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2013.
Bibliography: "Fast food facts from the Super Size Me Web site." The VivaVegie Society, Inc.. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2013. Vulliamy, Ed . " 'Super-sized ' teenagers sue McDonald 's | World news | The Observer ." Latest news, world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | theguardian.com | The Guardian . N.p., 24 Nov. 2002. Web. 1 Oct. 2013. Tan, Marshall. "Supersize Me (Documentary): Presence of Propaganda · mellow_marshall · Storify ." Storify · Make the web tell a story. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2013.
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