Supersize Me!

Every time I eat at McDonalds, I feel sick afterwards. This is not to say that the food doesn't taste good (because it does), but there is something about that food which my body likes to reject. Because of its effect on me, I avoid eating at McDonalds at all costs. In the past 5 years, the only times that I've eaten at McDonalds were in China when either my wife or my visiting mother couldn't take eating any more Chinese food. So when I rented "Super Size Me" a couple of weeks ago, I knew that it likely couldn't increase my repulsion for the double arches; however, the documentary while not increasing my disgust, did give me some wonderful facts to throw around about what McDonalds' food will do to your body.

The director and star of this documentary, Morgan Spurlock, decided to eat nothing but McDonalds food for 30 days. He had to try everything on the menu at least once and had to super size his order every time that the cashier invited him to do so. Before he started this experiment, he was medically tested by 3 doctors and found to be in remarkable health. By the end of the month, he had gained nearly 25 pounds (17 of these pounds were gained in the first 12 days), consumed 5,000 calories a day, and ruined the health of his body. All 3 of his doctors warned him that if he continued on this diet, he would soon die. His cholesterol, triglyceride, and liver enzyme levels were off the charts.

After the experiment was over, it took about 15 months for Morgan's body to return to how it was before the experiment started. BAD NEWS.

Lesson learned? Fast food is not good for you, and it will kill you if you eat it all the time. I know that this food is really cheap and calorie dense, and because of that readily becomes a staple to those of lower socio-economic class. This shows that there is a need for policy to help people have the freedom to make better eating decisions.

There is, however, a matter of free will in the matter. Should people be allowed to eat whatever they want? Isn't it their life? Morgan did find that he was becoming dependent (addicted) to the food, though, and that is another thing to consider when weighing policy options.

In summary, go rent "Super Size Me" and let me know what you think about it. It will be a well-spent $1.99 at Blockbuster.