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Fast Food Nutrition Is Causing An American Obesity Epidemic
When director Morgan Spurlock first began his Academy Award nominated documentary regarding the dietary damage
caused by the lack of nutritional value in fast food, many were skeptical about the end result. For many Americans,
daily nutrition is derived from at least one fast food meal per day. An examination of the obesity rate in the
United States is direct proof that fast food nutrition is an oxymoron.
An Independent Film Maker Challenges The Nutritional Value Of Fast Food
Super Size Me, Spurlock’s documentary film that followed a thirty day time period in which Spurlock himself ate
only items purchased from the fast foot mogul, McDonalds. The purpose of this film was to document how Spurlock’s
life changed when he existed on a diet made entirely of fast food. The goal of this documentary was to examine by
example how the nutritional value of fast food was affecting America.
The requirements of the film were specific: Spurlock could only eat off of the McDonald’s menu, he had to eat three
meals a day and he had to sample every item on the menu at least once. Following these guidelines, he consumed an
average of 5,000 calories per day during the experiment.
The Results Of Thirty Days Challenged Years Of Fast Food Nutritional Arguments
Prior to beginning the creation of Super Size Me, Spurlock was a healthy 32-year-old male. He stood 6 feet, 2
inches tall and weighed 185.5 pounds. He ate a healthy well-rounded diet that included vegan evening meals. At the
end of the thirty days he had gained over 24 pounds and increased his body mass index (BMI) 13%. His BMI rose from
the healthy range of 23.2 to and overweight level of 27. The weight that he gained in thirty days took him over
fourteen months to lose.
America Watches In Horror, Then Goes To McDonalds For Dinner
In 2004 when Super Size Me, was released, America watched in horror with the realization of how much their weight
issues actually stemmed from their own ignorance and lack of concern. Suddenly America was aware of the danger that
existed in every fast food restaurants on every corner is every city; fast food equaled fast fat. Dinner parties,
weight loss meetings, parent groups and water coolers around the country were buzzing with the reality that had
been exposed in the fast food documentary. It appeared that America might change its practice of fast food
consumption and begin to actively battle against the obesity epidemic that was spreading across the nation.
However, sadly, while the 2004 scare brought about short-term results, the lasting impact was not what it was hoped
it would be. There are now many new menu items at McDonalds and other fast food chains that offer us healthy
choices, but Americans on a whole have not done well in their battle against obesity.
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