Super Size Me....

I have just watched the Documentry "Super Size Me" and am feeling very ill at the moment. I dont think i will be able to stomach fast foods again. It was a realy great eye opener. Has anyone else seen it? And what did you think?.

Let's put it this way....Even my seven year old son refuses to eat a Happy Meal now. For that movie to have an impact like that on a kid, you know it's a good movie. It really changed the way that I think about food.

Thats is great Tonya, that is one wise son you have there.

I had pretty much the same response as you ;) Now when I drive by McDonalds I get the urge to vomit. I have definitely decreased the amount of times I eat fast food.

The real "eye opener" for me was how baffled Morgan's doctors were :eek: Towards the beginning of his new diet most didn't seem to believe that one month of fast food would have a drastic impact on his body, but after a few weeks they were all urging him to stop :( The ending statistics were disturbing.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I want to. A friend sent me this in my e-mail this morning:

A South Korean environmental activist who tried to live for30 days on junk food has abandoned his diet SOUTH KOREAN ACTIVIST ENDS RISKY DIET OF JUNK FOOD
AFP November 11, 2004 SEOUL - A South Korean environmental activist who tried to live for 30 days on junk food has abandoned his diet after doctors said he was risking his life.
Yoon Kwang-Yong, 31, began his diet on October 16 in an attempt to re-enact "Super Size Me," an US documentary showing the effects of fast food on the human body But he stopped Wednesday on the 24th day after doctors said his health was deteriorating so rapidly that his life could be in danger.
"I learned through my diet that putting on weight is just part of the harmful effects caused by fast food," he told AFP.
The US film directed by Morgan Spurlock, who ate at McDonald's tree times a day for a month, will be screened in South Korea (news - web sites) this week.
"The toxic effect my eating had on my body was apparent, and doctors told me to abandon my experiment because it's too dangerous," Yoon said.
During the 24 days, Yoon put on 3.4 kilograms (7.5 pounds) despite daily exercise he said he took in order to ensure that the experiment was fair.
His body fat increased from 16.7 percent to 21.9 percent.
Doctors who have tracked Yoon's health said the experiment caused a variety of health problems associated with poor nutrition including a lack of minerals and vitamins.
"The most critical problem was a rapid decline in his liver," said Green Clinic doctor Yang Kil-Seung. "His liver was severely punished, plus were found signs of heart problems."
Psychiatrist Lee Jong-Hun said Yoon was also suffering from headaces, depression and a lack of energy.
"Just five days into my experiment, my liver went wrong, and I began suffering from headaches and fatigue as time passed by," Yoon said.
The activist from the Citizens' Movement for Environmental Justice in Seoul immediately started detoxifying his body with vegetable-oriented food.
He said he would make a documentary showing his experiment.
"I hope my experiment will scare people, especially children, off fast food or warn them of its dangers," Yoon said, pointing to the rapid growth of fast food outlets in South Korea.
"My group will step up a campaign against greedy business tactics which were only interested in getting people addicted to fast food," he said.
He urged television stations to restrict fast food advertising, which has a massive influence on children.
For his part, Yoon said he would go back to a traditional Korean diet based on rice and vegetables.
He said South Korea's economic development plus the booming fast food industry was prompting a change in dietary habits.
His group said about 15,000 South Koreans eat fast food three times a day and 300,000 people once a day.
Sonya PloS Medicine The open-access general medical journal from the Public Library of Science Inaugural issue: Autumn 2004 Share your discoveries with the world.

I haven't seen it, but obviously I need to as I have a serious addiction to fast food.
If it makes me give up fast food it'd be worth it to watch.

Yes, I have seen it and I thought about it constantly after. It really gave the inside facts on fast food.

yuck i hate McDonalds:eek: its always greasy and its always dirty,everywhere i go.and people are gaining weight and SUING b/c they eat it 7 times a week? please///:rolleyes:

I havent seen it,but i would really like to see it sometime.

I saw it and thought it was a great film. However it doesn't make me want to never eat fast food again. It just reminded me why I should only eat it rarely as opposed to eating it often.

I have not seen it yet, and besides I enjoy my occasional treat at Mcdonalds or a fast food takeaway, so I maybe should not watch it, if it seriously is that effective to make one want to never eat it again,then again maybe I should:confused: I only eat fast food maybe 4 times a year if that.

I saw the vhs version and the dvd one. I highly recommend the dvd version cause they left alot out on the vhs one. The thing that truely got to me was when they did the test with putting mcdonalds "food" and real homemade food into jars for couple weeks to see which goes faster. Just imagine... What the things mcdonalds sells is doing inside your body?

I hafta say I do like mcdonalds, but this movie did open my eyes and I try and eat fast food onle once a month now

I felt so bad for his girlfriend, the vegan chef! :o Although I guess, now that it is over, she is probably happy with the impact it has made.
Of course I felt bad for him too! For one thing, I imagine his caffeine/sugar withdrawal was a total nightmare! :o
I agree with Lindsay that probably the most powerful part of the film for me was how inaccurately the doctors predicted the consequences of the diet - they only predicted increased blood cholesterol and weight gain (if I remember correctly). While he did gain weight fairly fast, it seemed obvious to me that the significant damage was INTERNAL and thus out of sight. I don't think we realize what we do to our body when we eat highly processed, low quality food. If we're not gaining too much weight then we figure everything is okay and we're healthy.
What really bothers me is that is it CHEAPER to eat a crappy, processed and unhealthy diet in the United States than it is to eat healthful, varied diet. :mad: One way to indirectly improve our healthcare system would be to find some way to address this problem. I realize it is very complicated and is hard to address without taking away some freedoms, but I still wish I could be addressed somehow! :(

Actually, it's cheaper to buy unprocessed fruit/veggies etc. at the grocery store and cook meals. It just takes time, and you have to pay attention to what's on sale. The problem is that many people don't want to take the time to do it. I eat fast food when I have to, that's about it. You could make that movie with ANY restaurant chain, not just the fast food cains. If you do the same with Applebees, Outback, et al. you'd get the same results.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Lady's Human
Actually, it's cheaper to buy unprocessed fruit/veggies etc. at the grocery store and cook meals. It just takes time, and you have to pay attention to what's on sale. The problem is that many people don't want to take the time to do it.

---

I couldn't have said it better. It doesn't take THAT much longer to take the time to read the sales and go on an informed grocery shopping trip. The money I save and the time I save at doctors' offices by taking a little bit longer to ensure that I eat healthy is worth it to me. I want to live a long and healthy life.

I can see now that this can be argued either way. However, I was referring to people poorer than you two, who must think in terms of calorie per dollar. I was referring to people who may work two or three jobs and not have the time or energy to cook. But you're right, there is definitely an argument for either side in this case and my statement was too general. :)