Nutrition Perspectives Research Paper – Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock
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SUPER SIZE ME – NUTRITION PERSPECTIVES 1 Nutrition Perspectives Research Paper – Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock Bryan Lee HLTH 1020 – Salt Lake Community College – Summer 2017 SUPER SIZE ME – NUTRITION PERSPECTIVES 2 Nutrition Perspectives Research Paper – Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock Super Size Me is a documentary about the fast food industry, nutrition and obesity in the United States of America, and the line between personal and corporate responsibility and ethics when it comes to how we eat and what is made available to the people, marketed to the people, and consumed by the people. It was produced by, directed by, and also stars Morgan Spurlock who released the documentary film in 2004. Throughout the film, Spurlock documents his personal health and psychological condition via video as he conducts an experiment consisting of eating McDonalds for three meals a day. The documentary is also full of well cited information, resources, and statistics about health in the US, across the world, and what people can do to me more conscientious about what they consume when they make that choice to go out to eat. Super Size Me was created and released over 13 years ago in 2004, but it still holds relevance in the world today. Perhaps even more than it did when it came out. This documentary was created to draw attention to the horrors of the fast food industry, the obesity epidemic, and other lifestyle attributes Americans are addicted to that cause the majority of it. It either did not draw enough attention to the issue or fell upon deaf ears because the problem only continues to progress. According to an article posted by the Harvard School of Public Health containing research by he Centers for Disease Control and Research, less than fifteen percent of the population of the United States was considered obese in 1990. Fast forward to same statistic from 2010 and 36 states had had an obesity rate of twenty-five percent or higher (12 of them with thirty percent or higher). The most recent information provided by the CDC shows that more than one third of the entire United States population today are considered obese. The profound impact that this increasing epidemic is and will continue to have on humanity and our environment is impossible for anyone to deny when faced with the simple facts, obvious trends, and their consequences. SUPER SIZE ME – NUTRITION PERSPECTIVES 3 Throughout the film you learn some disgusting truths regarding the fast food industry. However, there are also ample harsh and disgusting truths provided about human beings and the things we willingly do to ourselves and consume while blissfully ignoring the consequences. There is a choice being made and accepted to willingly experience those essentially universally known health consequences when you could just as easily make a mindful and healthy meal at home using ingredients that prolong life as opposed to sending you into an early grave. It takes a conscious effort to push yourself down the healthy and fit path instead of the convenient and sedentary path. There will always be people who are looking to profit from selling you something they know is bad for you and for anyone. It is basic common sense to question a deal that is too good to be true. It is a strange thing that it is not equally as common to avoid fast food because it is too “good” to be true (or to be considered food for that matter). One might argue that it is hard to truly want to resist the convenience, added salts and sugars, and all the processed and flavored things in fast food, but the truth is that they are put there in the first place to keep you coming back for more. Through a diet analysis I learned that I need about 3,000 calories per day. Out of that 3,000 calories a day, less than 25% is supposed to be fats. According to MyFitnessPal, one Big Mac Meal with fries and a Coca-Cola from McDonalds contains more than half of that daily amount of fat and not to mention over half of the daily recommended amount of salt; all contained within a single meal. It is not hard to want to resist someone or something that is trying to take advantage of you without any regard to your health or well-being. Not to mention heart and circulation, mobility, auto-immune, organ, and bone problems solely as a result of SUPER SIZE ME – NUTRITION PERSPECTIVES 4 neglecting health for the sake of convenience. The main takeaway from the documentary is that there are a lot of things that are bad for you out there, many of which aren’t even related to food, but as humans we still choose to do them because of the outcome, whatever that may be. We eat fast food because we want more time to get work done or to spend with the family instead of making a meal in the kitchen. Some humans smoke because of the “payoff” they receive from the resulting head rush or the “break from reality” that the act itself provides them. Are we being taken advantage of or are we willingly and slowly killing ourselves always as a sacrifice to gain something else? Being conscious about your health is something that takes a strong effort and a desire to take care of your body. The information is out there and you have a choice about what you put into your body. Anyone can take control of their health, but not until they have come to grips with and have thrown away their denial about their personal health and make conscious effort to do so. I chose to watch and write about this documentary for a quite a few reasons and they are all close to home. I live a very busy life and resort to eating fast food on a pretty regular basis. When I say regular basis, I mean anywhere between 4 and 10 times per week. I am a type 1 diabetic and even though I carry candy around with me to keep my blood sugar up in case it becomes too low, candy is not a good replacement for a full meal. In short, I put myself in positions where I end up eating fat food multiple times per week and somewhere in the back of my head I know it is bad for me. When I am in the moment, hungry, lacking energy, and can’t think about anything other than food, I am not searching in the back of my mind for that knowledge. I am hopping in my car and finding the closest Wendy’s where I can get a quick SUPER SIZE ME – NUTRITION PERSPECTIVES 5 burger to fill up the empty space. There are many other reasons why I chose to watch and write about this documentary in specific, but I will spare the reader any further explanation. Obesity and the fast food industry are topics that much of the first part of the film focuses on. The documentary cites many frightening statistics from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) including that “nearly 100 million Americans (60% of all U.S. adults) today are either overweight or obese” and also that “The number of obese Americans has doubled since 1980.” While these statistics are frightening, after taking this class and getting familiar with the textbook I feel well equipped to take on my primal urges with the knowledge that I can avoid the killer that is obesity through making healthy choices. While this movie is great at making certain points about the fast food industry and overall fast food culture across the world, the real win would be to educate people about the easy ways to be healthy and mindful about what you consume and/or support. The textbook that accompanies this class provides information on a scientific level but also on a very consumable level that familiarizes the reader with their own body while educating them on what is important to pay attention to and watch out for. Watching a documentary about fast food may scare some people into becoming vegetarians or to start cooking at home again, but the real change comes from mass education and adoption. The book also covers food marketing to a fairly large extent and refers back to it throughout the book as the reader learns more about what to watch for and what they may need to improve about their own diet. A documentary alone can’t accomplish the same lasting impact that health and nutrition education has. SUPER SIZE ME – NUTRITION PERSPECTIVES 6 Watching this documentary got me thinking about the ethics in the fast food industry relating to things other things in addition to the content of their food. In the course textbook, there are entire chapters devoted to explaining the labels required to be listed on every consumable item in the grocery store. There are also sections which talk about the laws and governing bodies that establish those kinds of regulations. The textbook does however lack in its content about ethics in the fast food industry which is an important part of the nutrition and health story that this documentary shines light on. It is valuable to learn and know about the nutritional content of foods, how to read nutrition labels, and how to take care of the body, but it is equally important to spend time on addressing the many of the human conditions and societal problems of the industry that is food and nutrition.