With all of this talk about healthy living, has anyone seen the movie "Supersize Me"?

Walking Man

Walking Man

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I just saw this movie last night, and I was pretty much blown away by the facts and story of this movie. Although, if you see it, you have to keep in mind, that it is pretty much one sided, although McDonalds never really did call the writer/director back. It's amazing how bad that crap is for you.
 
There was a rebuttal, where someone ate McD salads and small meals for a month and lost weight- the movie is good to show you that eating too much junk food is bad, but was kind of silly and reckless for him to do. I still want to see it though, to see what a month of 3 big macs a day will do to a human body. :)
 
Mr. Bad Example,
I heard about that, but part of the point was to see how McDonalds would be contributing to the bad health of america. When a company calls a meal a meal, should it be reasonable caloric for a healthy adult? One question that was asked in the movie is "Who needs 44 oz. of sugary soda and a carton of fries bigger than your head?" Yes, they did call it supersized, but it's still called a meal. Maybe it should be have been call a "daily intake".
And I know that people should be responsible for what they eat, but what about kids, who are legally (and actually) more susceptable to advertising from McDs, Hersheys, Hostess, etc.
 
I haven't seen the flick yet, plan to though.

I know it's leaning hard one way. However, I think it sheds some light on just how bad that stuff can be for a person.
 
Supersized Big Mac Meal = 600 mac +610 fries + 410 drink. = 1610 cal.
I found that on an older site, since McDonald's doesn't have Supersized info on it's site anymore. Admittedly, I did get a bit "taken in", but a few things really hit home with me (and it probably will for you too). One of the founders of Baskin-Robbins weighed 250 lb and dies of a heart attack at 51. I now weigh 245, and I'm still sweating about it. I know it's a lot of things combined, but still. scary. I'd be very surprised if anyone who sees it isn't surprised or moved by something in the movie. Sorry if I spoiled it for anyone, but see it if you can, it might save your life.
 
I haven't seen it and so can't comment directly, so I'm going to quote verbatim what Alton Brown had to say about it. If you don't know, Alton has a Food TV show called Good Eats, and he has singlehandely saved me from more bad food than I want to think about. And he's hilarious to boot.

"I just saw the movie “Supersize Me” and I have to say that I liked it. It was fun, irreverent film making on a shoestring and it’s good to know that filmmakers can still pull that sort of thing off.

What shocked me about the movie wasn’t what it said, or. Heck I already new most of that stuff. What shocked me were the gasps I heard from the audience, most of whom seemed generally surprised that big business could be so…well…business like.

Here’s what it comes down to kids. Ronald McDonald doesn’t give a damn about you. Neither does that little minx Wendy or any of the other icons of drivethroughdom. And you know what, they’re not supposed to. They’re businesses doing what businesses do. They don’t love you. They are not going to laugh with you on your birthdays, or hold you when you’re sick and sad. They won’t be with you when you graduate, when your children are born or when you die. You will be with you and your family and friends will be with you. And, if you’re any kind of human being, you will be there for them. And you know what, you and your family and friends are supposed to provide you with nourishment too. That’s right folks, feeding someone is an act of caring. We will always be fed best by those that care, be it ourselves or the aforementioned friends and family.

We are fat and sick and dying because we have handed a basic, fundamental and intimate function of life over to corporations. We choose to value our nourishment so little that we entrust it to strangers. We hand our lives over to big companies and then drag them to court when the deal goes bad. This is insanity.

Feed yourselves.
Feed your loved ones.
And for God’s sake feed your children.

Don’t trust anyone else to do it…not anyone. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t go out to dinner every now and then…that is after all one of the great joys of life…but it isn’t life itself and that’s what I’m talking about.

Is MacDonalds food bad for you? What do you think? Does that mean you shouldn’t eat it? No, it just means you shouldn’t live on it or anything else made by someone you wouldn’t hug.

Burgers don’t kill people.
People kill people.
Don’t be one of them."
 
I think Alton put it perfectly.
I just ate at Wendy's, but I eat a homecooked breakfast, lunch and dinner 99% of the time. And it does matter. Most old-world cultures, especially mediterranean, put a high value on the family meal, and I think it is a very relaxing, important thing to do. Since we invented fire, we've gathered around it, told stories, and ate together. Hunkering in front of your PC monitor with a bag full of McDonald's toadburgers is defying centuries of human tradition :)
 
Walking Man said:
Supersized Big Mac Meal = 600 mac +610 fries + 410 drink. = 1610 cal.
I found that on an older site, since McDonald's doesn't have Supersized info on it's site anymore. Admittedly, I did get a bit "taken in", but a few things really hit home with me (and it probably will for you too). One of the founders of Baskin-Robbins weighed 250 lb and dies of a heart attack at 51. I now weigh 245, and I'm still sweating about it. I know it's a lot of things combined, but still. scary. I'd be very surprised if anyone who sees it isn't surprised or moved by something in the movie. Sorry if I spoiled it for anyone, but see it if you can, it might save your life.
Click to expand...

get a mac and a diet soda, and skip the fries. 600 cal... :D
 
I'll take a plate sized chicken fried steak with cream gravy from The Country Cupboard in Johnson City any day, and every day.
 
Complaining about Mc D's food not being healthy is ridiculous. If I am concerned about healthy food Mc D doesn't come to my mind.

It's like the Idiot that came up with low fat Hostess Cupcakes. I bought one by accident.. :barf: Should have been labeled bright orange Low Flavor.

Also I thought the guy didn't get the results he thought he would get.


Paul
 
Mr.BadExample said:
There was a rebuttal, where someone ate McD salads and small meals for a month and lost weight- the movie is good to show you that eating too much junk food is bad, but was kind of silly and reckless for him to do. I still want to see it though, to see what a month of 3 big macs a day will do to a human body. :)
Click to expand...

IIRC, there is also a guy somewhere in the US who has eaten two Big Macs every day since the 1970's, who isn't dead yet. Health is a lot more than just diet.

Jeremy
 
When it comes out on DVD I'm getting several copies and loaning them out to patients. Here are some additional factoids. If you like this movie, you have to read Fast Food Nation, then you'll really be put off this "food."

These companies are truly frightening. The marketing that is being done on kids is scary. There is a lot of psychology behind bigger sized items. People tend to eat 30-50% more of anything, tasty or not, based on the size of the container it come in. So, not only do people not "need" huge sodas and fries, they are psychologically compelled to eat more when they get that "food" in those sizes. This is all published research done at places like U of Illinois, so it's no secret. The FF industry (and the grocery industry, for that matter) knows this and utilizes it to sell more products. I'm not really sure why people are shocked by this. It is business, after all!

The sad fact it that this psychology works for good, too. For example, you'll eat more celery from a big bowl of celeray than you will from a small bowl of celery, yet none of these guys are selling bowls of celery, are they?

The scriest aspect of all of this is the federal funding of this obesity problem. The government puts enormous amounts of money into corn grower's pockets for them to manufacture corn for the abomination called "high fructose corn syrup." This stuff is singlehandedly responsible for obesity and the diabetes epidemic that will be here in 10-20 years and the government is buying it for us. Did you know if right now, every American started eating the government's "recommended" servings of fruits and veggies every day that 90% of us would have to go without? Only 10% of the fruits and veggies that we need per day are being grown, yet there are corn fields after corn fields growing fat juice for us. Thanks!
 
dang....y'all are makin' me hungry! :(
 
Chiro75 said:
The scriest aspect of all of this is the federal funding of this obesity problem. The government puts enormous amounts of money into corn grower's pockets for them to manufacture corn for the abomination called "high fructose corn syrup." This stuff is singlehandedly responsible for obesity and the diabetes epidemic that will be here in 10-20 years and the government is buying it for us.
Click to expand...

Personally, I think HFCS should be outlawed. So should hydrogenated oils.

The government should turn the corn that goes to HFCS into alcohol for fuel.
 
I saw Supersize Me. It's a good flick, interesting and fairly amusing. I have to tell you, though, that this new breed of Michael Moore knockoff documentaries is going to get old pretty fast. There's only so much hip, sarcastic information one can handle at one sitting.
 
I haven't seen any of M.M.'s movies yet, and maybe that's why I found it so entertaining, and really does give lots of real info from real professionals......
 
As a foodie , I subscribe to the Julia Child method ; enjoy it all, just don't get wild with it . Cripes , can't anybody be responsible for their own actions?
my 2c
Jorge
 
akjon said:
...this new breed of Michael Moore knockoff documentaries is going to get old pretty fast. There's only so much hip, sarcastic information one can handle at one sitting.
Click to expand...
well said, akjon.....
 
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