Super Size Me is a documentary film that explores the fast food industry’s corporate influence on our health and nutrition. Directed and starring Morgan Spurlock, the movie follows a 30-day period in which he lived exclusively off of McDonald’s food, eating meals three times a day and sampling every item on the menu at least once. Despite his high caloric intake, averaging 5,000 calories per day (the equivalent of 9.26 Big Macs) Spurlock stopped exercising regularly for the duration of the experiment.
Through this experiment, we are shown just how much unhealthy food can affect physical and mental wellbeing. The documentary follows Spurlock during his 30-day journey as he experiences an array of physical issues such as fatigue, headaches, bad breath and skin complexion changes. Additionally, his doctors monitored him throughout the study, noting several alarming health risks such as significant weight gain and liver damage.
This Academy Award nominated documentary highlights more than just Spurlock’s own experience; it dives deeper into how fast food chains have managed to infiltrate society in such a way that encourages poor nutrition for their own gain – making it harder for us to make healthy dietary choices without sacrificing convenience or affordability. Super Size Me is an eye opening look at the power of fast food marketing which raises awareness about our personal responsibility when it comes to choosing a balanced diet. It is definitely worth watching and serves as an important reminder for why we should all be conscious of what we put into our bodies.
