In 2004, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock conducted an experiment to show the dangers of fast food addiction. In his documentary “Super Size Me” (Tremendous Dimension Me) He ate only McDonald’s food for 30 days, that too three times a day. Their documentation was done, the results of which were very shocking.
Spurlock followed the rules he made for himself. Eat everything on the McDonald’s menu at least once, don’t overeat unless the employee tells you to, and the average American’s activity level is 5,000 steps per day. By the 5th day of eating fast food, his weight had increased by 9.5 pounds, by the 21st day his weight had increased by 24.5 pounds. His cholesterol increased from 168 to 230 and his body fat percentage increased from 11% to 18%.
Doctors saw these results
The shooting of “Super Size Me” took one month. The cost of eating fast food for so many days was only $65,000. Spurlock experienced all kinds of negative health effects throughout the experiment. Headache, depression, mood fluctuations, decreased libido. His doctors were worried about his liver which was turning into fat. Spurlock also reported craving McDonald’s food and feeling lethargic without it, indicating addiction-like symptoms.
The documentary received much attention and criticism, with McDonald initially calling it a “super-sized distortion of the truth”. But soon after the film’s release, McDonald’s removed the supersize option.
Documentary reaches Oscar
The film grossed over $22 million and sparked a global discussion about fast food. Spurlock’s experiment showed the dangers of fast food addiction and changed the way people ate. “Super Size Me”, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.