Topic > Morgan Spurlock's Supersize Me: The Impact of Fast Food on Our Health

Morgan Spurlock's Supersize Me follows him on a journey to see what fast food like McDonald's would do to his body. In his documentary he shares statistics on obesity and indicates that it has doubled since 1988. Spurlock states that "obesity is now the second leading cause of death in America." He then tells us how two teenage girls sued McDonald's for selling unhealthy food and causing them to be overweight and have health problems. Spurlock then points out that Americans, despite knowing this, continue to say every day "1 in 4 Americans visits McDonalds." According to Spurlock, McDonald's lawyers argued that the girls cannot prove that McDonald's food had no effect on them and that it is widely known that eating this food is not as healthy. Spurlock then quoted the judge as informing the girls and the lawyers that the only way to assert a right was to eat McDonald's food every day, but that would be highly dangerous. Spurlock then wonders, what would happen if he ate McDonald's food for 30 days straight? He commits to understanding how this food will affect him over the course of 30 days. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Since the food Spurlock will eat is not considered healthy, he decides that he will need to be monitored by health professionals. Spurlock would be monitored by a cardiologist, a gastrologist and a general practitioner. Health workers reviewed his health history and had him perform physical and blood tests. The conclusion for all three was that he was above average on physical and blood tests. Spurlock then begins his 30-day journey into McDonald's food. His rules are that he will eat McDonald's for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If he's asked to oversize, he can't say no. on the first day of his trip he brought a gigantic lunch. Taking about 1 hour to finish the entire meal Spurlock describes his body as achy and spasming from all the sugar in the meal. Unable to digest what he has eaten, Spurlock vomits the rest of the meal. Spurlock also talks about how we have easy access to unhealthy food. Stating how we can buy some at the gas station or how we don't walk so far driving everywhere. Spurlock says that with these unhealthy food choices we become more predisposed to conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, just to name a few. As the weeks passed, Spurlock began to feel pressure in his chest and strange sensations in his body. At first his GP can't identify what it is but tells him to keep an eye on it. Spurlock also notes how he doesn't feel well mentally, stating "there's nothing wrong, but I don't feel well." On the second visit he is told to slow down his fast food consumption. Spurlock's doctor informs him that he has gained 17 pounds in 12 days. Spurlock also explains that fast food isn't the only problem in our overweight statistics. It claims that children are not offered healthy choices and that the food that is sent out to be prepared is simply pre-packaged and reheated. Spurlock's journey has not been easy for him. He noticed how his mental state was also affected. He started feeling constantly sad and only felt better when he ate McDonald's. His paramedic informed him that it could be addiction. At the end of his weigh-in he gained 24 pounds, his diet damaged his liver, his cholesterol rose to 235 and his body fat was 18%. Spurlock states that the girls mentioned at the beginning did not win the.