Are You Sure You Want Fries With That?

I may be about 9 years late, but yesterday I watched independent filmmaker Morgan Spurlock’s documentary “Super Size Me.”  In this film, Spurlock—who at the start of the film could be deemed by some the picture of health, decided to embark on a month long “McDonald’s binge” where he would eat McDonald’s food 3 times a day for 30 days.  He would order everything off the menu once over the course of that time span, and would only “supersize” things when asked by the drive-thru attendant or cashier.

Over the 30 days, Spurlock went and got checked by various doctors and in that span of time the results shocked doctors and the registered dietitian he was seeing.  He gained 24.5 pounds in 30 days, he his cholesterol went from a very healthy around 165 to an unhealthy 230.  His body fat increased from 11% to 18% and he basically had begun turning his liver into fat.  Around the 21 days mark, after experiencing chest pains the night before, one of the doctor’s even advised he should stop before something even more serious happened.

Spurlock’s actions may seem extreme, and I am sure to many of you reading this they are.  However there are people in this country who do rely on fast food establishments to make up the majority of their daily intake.  Spurlock was missing out on hitting the daily requirements for almost all his vitamins, and he was consuming almost twice the calories he was supposed to have per day.  He did it for 30 days and the damage done was almost unbelievable, even to physicians.  Think about the people who spend years or even a lifetime consuming mostly fast food.  If you correlate the increase in fast food establishments with the growing obesity crisis, it becomes pretty easy to know where to start pointing a finger.

Now to be fair, I am sure there are people who eat a fast food diet and are not looking serious health problems in the face.  There are likely people who also have learned to navigate fast food menus and maybe make it healthier than one would think.  But while there are exceptions to every rule it is important to remember that these exceptions are that and not the norm.

I am happy to have seen the film such a long time after it was released because it allowed me to see some of the progress that has been made.  McDonalds and many other chains have gotten rid of “Super size” type options.  They also have added options like apple slices, baked potatoes, carrot sticks, chili and even “light” menus to many establishments.  Progress is certainly being made, but the truth is, the majority of fast food is still going to be full of ingredients you couldn’t pronounce if you tried, and of more fat, sugar and cholesterol than you should be having in a regular meal or snack.  Try not to let convenience cause you healthy problems and learn to pack your own snacks and encourage your family to have meals at home.  Fast food on occasion as a part of a healthy diet is fine, but in truth it should be avoided.

The more you take the food you eat into your own hands, the less likely you are to be become “super sized!”