Research Paper

Give a summary of the book/documentary

Super Size Me is a 2004 documentary film directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an
independent filmmaker (Wikipedia.org, Super Size Me, 2004). In the documentary, he follows
a McDonalds diet for a 30-day time frame. He can only what is on the McDonalds menu, if
McDonalds doesnt have it on their menu, Spurlock cant eat it. He ate McDonalds three times
a day. During his 30-day McDonalds diet he were to meet a nutritionist and doctor. They
recorded his weight, took his blood, and went over all nutritional intake through-out the 30-day
experiment. During his experiment, he gained 24 pounds. It took him over 12 months to lose
that weight after the experiment was over (Wikipedia.org, Super Size Me, 2004).

Which book/documentary did you choose? Why

I chose the documentary Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock. The reason I chose this
documentary is because I had previously seen this documentary when it originally came out.
Im embarrassed to say that I eat fast food more often than I should, and re-watching this
documentary as an adult was extremely eye opening for my own health.

Who is the author? What is their nutrition background?

Morgan Spurlock produced and stared in Super Size Me. During the time this documentary was
filmed he was dating now ex-girlfriend Alexandra Jamieson. She was a vegan during that time-
period. Spurlock was in physically above average shape according to his person trainer
(Wikipedia.org, Super Size Me, 2004). Based on the information on Wikipedia, Spurlock had a
good nutrition background. To lose the weight after this experiment Spurlock went on a vegan
diet supervised by his then girlfriend (Wikipedia.org, Super Size Me, 2004).

When was this book written/documentary produced? Do you think the themes are still
applicable today? Why or why not?

This documentary was produced in 2004. Yes, I do think that the theme of this documentary Is
still applicable today. I think now more than ever, obesity is on the rise. Although McDonalds
got rid of their Super Size option 6 weeks after the release date (Wikipedia.org, Super Size
Me, 2004), there are still over 14,000 McDonalds fast food restaurants through-out the U.S.
(Wikipedia.org, McDonalds 2016). That is just McDonalds alone, there are so many varieties
of fast food restaurants through-out the U.S. I personally am underweight, and I have a great
metabolism. I eat fast food 2-3 times a week. I dont do anything special to maintain my weight.
I walk and do yoga, I dont work out. I am not in great health and I am able to eat whatever I
want and not gain any weight. If I didnt have a good metabolism, I would be overweight, if not
obese.
Compare and contrast 3 topics in the book/documentary to your textbook.

1. A place to begin searching for hidden fat and learn more about the fat content of the
foods you eat is on the Nutritional Facts labels of foods you buy. (Wardlaw & Smith,
2017, pg. 169). During the documentary, Spurlock goes around to a few McDonalds
restaurants and asks for the Nutritional Facts labels for the items on their menu. Most
of the McDonalds Spurlock went to did not have the Nutritional Facts label. I believe
nowadays people are more into their health, but back in 2003 when this documentary
was filmed, I dont think people were into Nutritional Facts. Now it is easy to see the
Nutritional Facts label, most fast food restaurants have it inside the location, as well as
online and apps.
2. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for American recommendation and the Acceptable
Macronutrient Distribution Range is that total fat intake should be 20% to 35% of total
calories, which equates to 44 to 78 grams per day for a person who consumes 2000 kcal
daily (Wardlaw & Smith, 2017, pg. 183). Spurlock consumed an average of 5,00 kcal per
day during the experiment (Wikipedia.org, Super Size Me, 2004). That means he
consumed over double the recommended amount.
3. The potential benefits of regular physical activity include enhanced heart function, less
injury, better sleep habits, and improvement in body composition (Wardlaw & Smith,
2017, pg. 468). During the experiment, he would attempt to walk 5,000 steps per day,
which he was not able to do (Wikipedia.org, Super Size Me, 2004). His then girlfriend
also stated in the documentary, he had decreased sex drive, was tired as soon as hed
come home from work and had mood changes. Eating unhealthy fast food daily and not
having any regular physical activity can have a horrible impact on your daily life, but also
your long-term health.

What did you learn about nutrition from completing this assignment?
a. What new idea/point of view did you learn about?
I eat fast food often, and I do know it is bad for me. I think because I am thin,
and I dont work out but remain skinny. For years, I would think I can just eat
whatever I want with no consequences but watching this documentary, it is not
what you see on the outside appearance that is the main concern, but what
youre doing to the inside of your body.
b. Will you incorporate the themes/ideas you learned about in your own life? Why
or why not?
Yes, I will incorporate the ideas I learned about into my own life. I am only 24-
years-old. At the rate I am going now with consuming fast food, I know I will
have health problems in the future. The change starts now, I am in control of my
own life and diet.

MLA or APA format throughout paper & references

Wikipedia.org, Super Size Me, 2004.
Wikipedia.org, McDonalds 2016.
Gordon Wardlaw & Anne Smith, Contemporary Nutrition: A Functional Approach, 2017, pg. 169
Gordon Wardlaw & Anne Smith, Contemporary Nutrition: A Functional Approach, 2017, pg. 183
Gordon Wardlaw & Anne Smith, Contemporary Nutrition: A Functional Approach, 2017, pg. 468