Kristina Pututau

Professor Laura Kohl

Health 1020

July 31, 2019

Nutrition Perspectives

Supersize Me by Morgan Spurlock

Supersize Me is a well-known documentary that follows Director Morgan

Spurlock as he takes on the challenge of eating McDonald’s 3 times a day for 30 days.

This social experiment comes as a result of a more in depth look at the obesity

epidemic in the U.S. It was produced in 2004 yet all the information given is still

applicable today. It has been well over 10 years since it aired and during that time, a lot

of things have advanced. Especially in how we get our food. These days, we have very

popular food delivery companies such as Uber Eats, Postmates and Door Dash making

unhealthy foods even more accessible and consumers even more lazy.

To begin this experiment, Morgan Spurlock begins at a healthy weight for his

height. As we take a look at his nutritional background, we can see that he is seemingly

healthy. At home, his girlfriend cooks foods that looks to be full of nutrients. From what I

can tell, she is a vegan so I’m sure that most of what he usually eats outside of this

experiment is plant based although he is not vegan himself.

I chose this documentary because I had always heard about in my adolescence

but never actually got to watch. I only knew that it focused on obesity and fast food
chains that contribute to it which for this specifically, its focus is McDonalds. The

following are 3 of the main topics I want to focus on for this project.

Marketing and Advertising

As the textbook states, “marketing and advertising is a major media tool for

capturing the food interest of the consumer. Consumers have more choices than ever

and these choices are well advertised in newspapers and magazines, on billboards,

radio, television, and online.” (Smith 2018, p. 5) This is also well examined in this

documentary.

During the time it was produced, the option of super sizing at Mcdonalds was

highly advertised in many ways. You were also always asked if you wanted to super

size once you ordered or reached the register. When Morgan interviewed people on the

streets about their thoughts on fast food, one person was very enthusiastic about the

topic. He even went on to share a catchy phrase, “Make it bacon” as advertised by

McDonalds.

This type of advertising has led many children and even people in general to be

overweight and to develop certain relative diseases. They have spent millions to billions

of dollars to do so whereas nutritional advertisements spend barely into the millions. It is

obvious to me that the textbook and the documentary seem to be on the same page

with the effects of unhealthy food marketing.

Obesity

According to the textbook, obesity can be defined as “having an excessive

amount of body fat relative to lean tissue” (Wardlaw 2018, p. 19) It has become an

epidemic in the world today but more so in the U.S. Supersize Me shows us lots of

reasons why fast food franchises are a big contributor to this issue. Both the textbook

and the documentary also tell us what diseases this can lead to.

For example, obesity can lead to “chronic illness, including heart disease, stroke,

high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, arthritis, and certain cancers” (Smith

2018, p. 21) Though everyone is aware of this crisis, most still continue to eat more than

needed. As well, many are inactive when it comes to physical exercise which is only

needed in a minimum of 30 minutes daily.

Mindful Eating

“Principles of mindful eating include being aware of the entire eating experience

from food preparation to consumption, including recognizing and respecting the physical

hunger and satiety cues, and being wise in eating decisions.” (Smith 2018, p. 256) This

may not have been a huge part of the documentary, but it was an important one that

helped is health during this 30 day period.

Though Morgan didn’t have much room to be very “wise in eating decisions”, he

did have the help of a dietician. She was able to give him ways he could keep his weight
down and reduce caloric intake by eating smaller portions as well as the healthier

options on the McDonald's menu.

After watching this documentary, I learned just how much fast food can affect our

health. I always thought fast food at least once a week was okay but according to most

nutritionists interviewed, it really isn’t. I also learned that obesity, next to smoking, is the

leading preventable cause of death. So to me, it seems like staying away from fast food

all together might be the best option.

This research has definitely opened my eyes a little more to just how important

my health is as well as how it affects my quality of life. Looking back on the past couple

of years, I have noticed that my eating habits have only gotten worse. I’ve eaten out

more than ever and have exercised less and less. It’s had negative affects on my sleep

and my emotions so I am grateful that this class has introduced me to the changes I

need to implement into my life. As well, this documentary has shown what to keep away

from and look forward to a healthier and happier life.

References

Wardlaw’s Contemporary Nutrition: A Functional Approach, 5th Edition 2018