Supersize Me Essays

Supersize Me is a 2004 American documentary film directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock. It follows Spurlock’s journey as he eats only McDonald’s for thirty days, documenting the physical and psychological effects on his health, while exploring the fast food industry’s corporate influence, including how it encourages poor nutrition for its own profit.The movie starts off with Spurlock introducing himself and explaining his plan to eat nothing but McDonald’s food for 30 days. He then sets out to visit three doctors: a physician, a cardiologist, and a gastroenterologist who will monitor his health throughout the experiment. With this in mind, he begins what he calls The McChallenge”a monthlong diet of exclusively eating McDonald’s three meals per day (and always supersizing when asked). After one week into The McChallenge, Spurlock has gained 9 pounds (4 kg) and all of his doctors are concerned about him; they had expected that he might gain 5″7 pounds (2″3 kg). As the project progresses further into its third week, Spurlock suffers severe depression due to mood swings caused by sugar withdrawal. Throughout this time though still consuming triple-sized portions of McDonald’s menu items at every mealtime”he experiences dramatic increases in cholesterol levels up to 230 mg/dL (normal range is typically under 200). By day 30 of The McChallenge, Spurlock has gained 24½ lbs (11 kg), leaving him feeling depressed and lethargic despite having consumed more than 10 times an adult male’s recommended daily allowance for fat intake. Overall Supersize Me shows us how our diets can negatively affect our health if we don’t pay attention to what we consume. It highlights just how important it is to make sure that everything you put into your body is good for you ” not only in terms of calories but also nutrients. This thought provoking documentary certainly leaves viewers with something to think about long after watching it.