Ronald McDonald - Anti-Christ?
We watched "Super Size Me" this weekend - a documentary by a filmmaker who ate nothing but McDonald's meals for 30 days. He ate every item on the menu at least once and if given the option to "super size," he had to say yes - which caused him to vomit three days into the experiment. Each day, he ate three meals. Suffice to say: This should be required viewing for every American. It's not just an indictment of McDonald's, but all fast food and the country's obesity culture in general.
And, without a doubt, it makes you think about what you're putting into your body. I feel like double cheeseburgers I ate at 30 are probably only now breaking down in my system - at 37. They're long gone, of course, but what about the preservatives?
Among some disturbing points:
1) In any given hamburger patty, there are bits of a thousand-odd cows. The slaughtered animals are essentially mixed into a heaping bovine stew and stamped into millions of patties. Ick.
2) An experiment shown on the DVD's extras revealed that several menu items grew mold after a few days under a glass case, but the french fries looked the same eight weeks later. An intern inadvertently tossed them out or they'd probably still be edible today. Mmmmm, chemicals and assorted artificial agents. Tasty. (That's the problem, of course, the fries and many other menu items are tasty - and addictive - and that really gives one pause. Why are they so addictive? Why does every single McDonald's burger taste exactly the same?)
3) The filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock, started the experiment at my height and weight - considered normal. At the end, he had gained 26 pounds, his cholesterol had shot up 40%, his moods and love life had apparently suffered and he managed to damage his liver. Three doctors tracked his "progress."
4) It was mentioned that because of widespread childhood obesity and soaring diabetes problems for this age group - as well as many other health problems - mean the youngest generation likely will become the first in centuries to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Unreal.
Thanks to Little Feisty, we eat pretty well day-to-day. We splurge at times on a weekend or a road trip, but we're mostly good. I won't say I'll never set foot in a McDonald's again - that would be unreasonable - but this film will have a lasting impact and could just be the best bad-food supressant around. Like I said, it should be required viewing - and perhaps most importantly for parents of little ones.
And, without a doubt, it makes you think about what you're putting into your body. I feel like double cheeseburgers I ate at 30 are probably only now breaking down in my system - at 37. They're long gone, of course, but what about the preservatives?
Among some disturbing points:
1) In any given hamburger patty, there are bits of a thousand-odd cows. The slaughtered animals are essentially mixed into a heaping bovine stew and stamped into millions of patties. Ick.
2) An experiment shown on the DVD's extras revealed that several menu items grew mold after a few days under a glass case, but the french fries looked the same eight weeks later. An intern inadvertently tossed them out or they'd probably still be edible today. Mmmmm, chemicals and assorted artificial agents. Tasty. (That's the problem, of course, the fries and many other menu items are tasty - and addictive - and that really gives one pause. Why are they so addictive? Why does every single McDonald's burger taste exactly the same?)
3) The filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock, started the experiment at my height and weight - considered normal. At the end, he had gained 26 pounds, his cholesterol had shot up 40%, his moods and love life had apparently suffered and he managed to damage his liver. Three doctors tracked his "progress."
4) It was mentioned that because of widespread childhood obesity and soaring diabetes problems for this age group - as well as many other health problems - mean the youngest generation likely will become the first in centuries to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Unreal.
Thanks to Little Feisty, we eat pretty well day-to-day. We splurge at times on a weekend or a road trip, but we're mostly good. I won't say I'll never set foot in a McDonald's again - that would be unreasonable - but this film will have a lasting impact and could just be the best bad-food supressant around. Like I said, it should be required viewing - and perhaps most importantly for parents of little ones.
posted by fringe at 11:03 PM
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