Movie Review - Super Size Me
I know I'm probably way behind the curve on this one but I finally saw Super Size Me. Sugar Daddy TiVo'd and watched it while I was off gallivanting somewhere and told me I had to see it. It made a huge impression on him, so much so that part way through the movie he signed up for Weight Watchers online. Good news for me since I've been trying to get him to join with me for a few months so he'll stop trying to tempt me with fast food and big pasta dinners.
For those who don't know the story, Morgan Spurlock decides to test just how healthy/unhealthy a fast food diet can be. He eats nothing but McDonald's for 30 days, has to try everything on the menu at least once and has to Super Size if they ask him.
Wow, what an incredibly interesting film. It was unbelievable how quickly his health deteriorated. He gained 24 1/2 pounds, his cholesterol and blood pressure shot up and his liver was experiencing the same damage that is caused by binge drinking. He also acquired an addiction to the food, lost a lot of his sex drive and performed not as well (according to his girlfriend), thought he was having a heart attack and became depressed.
Beyond focusing on just his diet, he interviewed experts in the food industry, healthy eating advocates and nutritionists and travelled to schools to check out what the kids are eating these days but never managed to get a McDonald's interview. No surprise on the latter.
What impressed/scared me the most was a survey he did of first graders. He showed them pictures of George Washington, Jesus, Wendy from Wendy's Hamburgers and Ronald McDonald. A few got Washington and Wendy, none got Jesus (OK, everyone's interpretation is different but it was a fairly common representation) but ALL of them recognized Ronald. If I were to start over with kids now, I would ban all fast food in their formative years. Don't know if it's practical in this day and age but, as someone who's struggled with weight issues my entire life, I think the effort would be well worth it.
For those who don't know the story, Morgan Spurlock decides to test just how healthy/unhealthy a fast food diet can be. He eats nothing but McDonald's for 30 days, has to try everything on the menu at least once and has to Super Size if they ask him.
Wow, what an incredibly interesting film. It was unbelievable how quickly his health deteriorated. He gained 24 1/2 pounds, his cholesterol and blood pressure shot up and his liver was experiencing the same damage that is caused by binge drinking. He also acquired an addiction to the food, lost a lot of his sex drive and performed not as well (according to his girlfriend), thought he was having a heart attack and became depressed.
Beyond focusing on just his diet, he interviewed experts in the food industry, healthy eating advocates and nutritionists and travelled to schools to check out what the kids are eating these days but never managed to get a McDonald's interview. No surprise on the latter.
What impressed/scared me the most was a survey he did of first graders. He showed them pictures of George Washington, Jesus, Wendy from Wendy's Hamburgers and Ronald McDonald. A few got Washington and Wendy, none got Jesus (OK, everyone's interpretation is different but it was a fairly common representation) but ALL of them recognized Ronald. If I were to start over with kids now, I would ban all fast food in their formative years. Don't know if it's practical in this day and age but, as someone who's struggled with weight issues my entire life, I think the effort would be well worth it.
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