Morgan Spurlock’s documentary ‘SuperSize Me’ explores fast-food companies and their impact on McDonalds. The film discusses obesity and the diabetes epidemic that is sweeping the United States. Morgan decides that he will only eat McDonald’s food for 30 days. He will eat a minimum of one meal from every menu item, and if asked to increase the size of his meal then he should upgrade. Morgan found that to get the same amount of exercise as the average American, he could only do 5,000 steps each day. He must eat breakfast, dinner, and lunch three times a day. Morgan won’t be able eat either if McDonalds does not provide him with food.
Morgan goes to three doctors who will be his guides for the 30-day documentary. Morgan visits a cardiologist to have his vitals checked. They told him to expect changes all over his entire body when he visits each doctor. Morgan’s liver can metabolize fat, and he gains weight. This will cause his cholesterol levels to rise. Morgan visits doctors and also hires nutritionists and dieticians who track every food that he consumes.
Morgan feels sluggish and tired after eating McDonalds for 30 days. He can also experience headaches due to the sugar he consumes. After eating a large meal, he complained of stomach pain and constant vomiting. In the 30-day period that he ate constantly, he gained 24 lbs. His cholesterol also rose from 65 to 65. Morgan went to the doctor every month and they would tell him that his liver was being damaged. They also said that it was likely that Morgan had heart disease. Morgan was destroying his liver because he had metabolize all the fat.
In the United States, obesity is on the rise. Morgan is shown eating McDonald’s three times per day in this documentary, which isn’t realistic for the average American. The documentary did say that 22% were heavy McDonald’s users. This could mean they eat McDonald’s 3-4 times or more a week. McDonalds’ marketing strategy and the way they target children or families with lower incomes was the main influence on this documentary. Families with lower incomes can afford to feed their kids cheap, filling meals that last a long while. McDonalds’ marketing strategy is aimed at children. This can be seen in the playgrounds, the birthday parties, the toys for children, Ronald McDonald, the clown and other innovative tactics.
To keep people from eating such unhealthy foods, I think that the government must regulate some fast food practices. Though the government is likely to resist the temptation to encourage the American people to avoid fast food, the lobbying power of the fast food sector and its multi-millionaire lobbyists will make it difficult. McDonalds could sacrifice some of its profits to make healthier food, but Morgan in the movie stated that McDonalds was a company whose loyalty lies within their shareholders.
