Watch "Super Size Me" to Really Understand Fast Food

[JPZenger]

Everyone, and their kids, should watch the movie Super Size Me, which is on DVD.

It is entertaining, humorous, frightening and educational. A filmmaker decided to find out what would happen if he ate nothing except McDonalds food for 30 straight days.

First he was checked out by 3 doctors, who did a battery of tests that found he was in perfect health. The doctors predicted that his experiment would result in higher colesterol and gaining a few pounds.

3 weeks into the experiment, his liver showed signs that it was about to fail, and the doctors tried to get him to stop. He gained 25 pounds in 4 weeks. All of his blood tests showed big problems. He suffered through mood swings, depression and loss of energy.

The movie also includes descriptions of the types of processing that is involved in fast food. For example, the average hamburger may include meat from 1,000 different cows. Do you want to take your chances that one out of 1,000 was not diseased?

The movie also talks about how fast food is marketed towards kids. He went into schools to see what kids were eating. In one school cafeteria run by Sodexo, he found that kids could spend their lunch money for ala carte items in any way they wanted. Kids were spending all of their money on Trix candy bars, Ring Dings and soda.

He also interviewed the son of the founder of Baskin Robbins. His father and uncle, founders of the company, both died at an early age of health problems related to their high fat diets. Ben of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream needed a quadruple heart bypass in his 40s.

[GumboYaYa]

1. The most disgusting part was the sugar.

The big bucket of sugar at the end was insane.

Even my 9 year old daughter won't eat at McDonalds after seeing that movie.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Yes, the dietitian calculated that he was eating the equivalent of

a pound of sugar a day.

Now even mainstream nutritionists are coming around to a version of what Adkins was saying, that white sugar and white bread aren't good for you. A pound of sugar a day. I had heard years ago that McDonald's fries were coated in sugar before frying.

[KurtNYC]

2. They used lots of Ron Englsih paintings in the film too

[idiosyncratic]

3. Also read "Fast Food Nation!" Very good, hard-to-put down book

There was so much information in that book about our society, suburbia, illegal aliens working in the meat packing industry, suicide of ranchers unable to make it in the Fast Food economy, among other aspects.

Very, very informative book!

[GumboYaYa]

4. and one that will ensure you never eat fast food again... n/t

[flygal]

10. The best part of that book - was the mention of In and Out Burger

and how progressive they are. I've eaten there a bit and it does not surprise me they treat their employess so well and use better ingredients. OMG what I wouldn't give for a double-double RIGHTNOW!!!

I couldn't put that book down and just ordered a book on Walt Disney I can't wait to dive into. OH - and I live in Germany and it was interesting how the meat packers liked to make the Euro-standard meats b/c they had to slow down production and had fewer accidents.

[bunkerbuster1]

6. Great "Kids say the darndest things" story about that film...

I explained the premise of the film to our 4-year-old (we'd watched it the night before, after putting her to bed). I told my little one that the movie "is about a man who eats nothing but McDonald's food for a whole month. And what do you think happens to him?" I asked.

She didn't have to think for more than a second before saying, "He gets sick?"

Interesting that a 4-year-old predicted what would happen with a great deal more accuracy than three doctors, huh?

[Oreo]

7. Make sure you watch the DVD Extras

Don't read this if you ever want to eat fast food again.

The guy that wrote Fast Food Nation said his book was wrong about there being parts of up to a hundred cows in each McDonald's burger. We was told by some government agency that each burger that you eat contains parts of thousands of different cows

There's also a cool part where they show how food decomposes over a 10 week period. McD's fries didn't change at all... absolutely disgusting.

[NYC]

8. Thank you for that detailed description.

It sounds fascinating.

Is this movie being widely distributed? Is it cheaply priced? This is the sort of information that really needs to get around.

Years ago, PBS had a documentary about fast food workers, their salaries, and their value to the employers. I don't remember the name of it, but it was excellent. That PBS documentary, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, and "Supersize Me" are enough to fully inform everyone what eating fast food means.

Thanks.

[Warpy]

9. It's out on DVD

and reasonably priced. The local Blockbuster (in a military area, so it's heavy on action films and light on everything else) had quite a few copies for rent, and it took several trips before one was in.

I haven't eaten that slop for over 30 years and still got a lot out of that flick. It's a funny flick, stands up well on its own merits, and doesn't resort to polemics.

[NYC]

11. Thanks. I hadn't thought about rentals.

I was thinking people would have to buy the DVD.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

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[Oreo]

13. Very funny....

I saw this post and thought... no way did this person see it.

Only to look at the profile and see the tombstone of a freeper.