Super Size Roger

[Guest guest]

CHICAGO SUN TIMES

SUPER SIZE ME / *** (Not rated)

By Roger Ebert

May 7, 2004

 

Roadside Attractions/Samuel Goldwyn Films presents a documentary written

and directed by Morgan Spurlock. With Dr. Daryl Isaacs, Ronald McDonald

and Dr. Lisa Ganjhu. Running time: 96 minutes. No MPAA rating.

 

Of course it is possible to eat responsibly at McDonald's, as spokesmen

for the chain never tire of reminding us. Fast food is simply one element

of a balanced nutritional plan. Of course it's the unbalanced element,

unless you order the fish filet sandwich with no mayonnaise and one of

those little salads with the lo-cal dressing; then you'll be fine, except

for the refined white flour in the bun and the high intake of sodium.

Eating responsibly at McDonald's is like going to a strip club for the

iced tea.

 

I say this having eaten irresponsibly at McDonald's since I was in grade

school, and one of the very first McDonald's outlets in the nation opened

in Urbana. Hamburgers were 15 cents, fries were a dime. Make it two

burgers, and we considered that a meal. Today it is possible to ingest

thousands of calories at McDonald's, and zoom dangerously over your daily

recommended limits of fat, sugar and salt. I know because Morgan Spurlock

proves it in " Super Size Me. "

 

This is the documentary that caused a sensation at Sundance 2004 and

allegedly inspired McDonald's to discontinue its " super size " promotions

as a preemptive measure. In it, Spurlock vows to eat three meals a day at

McDonald's for one month. He is examined by three doctors at the beginning

of the month and found to be in good health. They check him again

regularly during the filming, as his weight balloons 30 pounds, his blood

pressure skyrockets, his cholesterol goes up 65 points, he has symptoms of

toxic shock to his liver, his skin begins to look unhealthy, his energy

drops, he has chest pains, and his girlfriend complains about their sex

life. At one point his doctors advise him to abandon McDonald's before he

does permanent damage. The doctors say they have seen similar side-effects

from binge drinkers, but never dreamed you could get that way just by

eating fast food.

 

It's amazing, what you find on the menu at McDonald's. Let's say you start

the day with a sausage and egg McMuffin. You'll get 10 grams of saturated

fat -- 50 percent of your daily recommendation, not to mention 39 percent

of your daily sodium intake. Add a Big Mac and medium fries for lunch, and

you're up to 123 percent of your daily sat fat recommendation, and 96

percent of your sodium. For dinner, choose a Quarter Pounder with cheese,

add another medium order of fries, and you're at 206 percent of daily sat.

fat and 160 percent of sodium. At some point add a strawberry shake to

take you to 247 percent of sat. fat and 166 percent of sodium. And then

remember that most nutritionists recommend less fat and salt than the

government guidelines.

 

There is a revisionist interpretation of the film, in which Spurlock is

identified as a self-promoter who on behalf of his film ate more than any

reasonable person could consume in a month at McDonald's. That is both

true and not true. He does have a policy that whenever he's asked if he

wants to " super size it, " he must reply " yes. " But what he orders for any

given meal is not uncommon, and we have all known (or been) customers who

ordered the same items. That anyone would do it three times a day is

unlikely. Occasionally you might want to go upscale at someplace like

Outback, where the Bloomin' Onion Rings all by themselves provide more

than a day's worth of fat and sodium, and 1,600 calories. Of course

they're supposed to be shared. For best results, share them with everyone

else in the restaurant.

 

Of course we bear responsibility for our own actions, so . . . is it

possible to go to McDonald's and order a healthy meal? This week a Chicago

nutritionist told a Sun-Times reporter that of course Spurlock put on

weight, because he was eating 5,000 calories a day. She suggested a

McDonald's three-meal menu that would not be fattening, but as I studied

it, I wondered: How many customers consider a small hamburger, small fries

and a Diet Coke as their dinner? When was the last time you even ordered a

small hamburger (that's not a Quarter Pounder) at McDonald's? Don't all

raise your hands at once.

 

Oh, I agree with the nutritionist that her recommended three meals would

not add weight; her daily caloric intake totaled 1,460 calories, which is

a little low for a child under 4, according to the USDA. But even her menu

would include 54 grams of fat (15 saturated), or about one third of

calories (for best heart health, fat should be down around 20 percent).

And her diet included an astonishing 3,385 mgs of sodium (daily

recommendation: 1,600 to 2,400 mgs). My conclusion: Even the nutritionist'

s bare-bones 1,460-calorie McDonald's menu is dangerous to your health.

 

I approached " Super Size Me " in a very particular frame of mind, because

in December 2002, after years of fooling around, I began seriously

following the Pritikin program of nutrition and exercise, and have lost

about 86 pounds. Full disclosure: Fifteen of those pounds were probably

lost as a side effect of surgery and radiation; the others can be

accounted for by Pritikin menus and exercise (the 10,000 Step-a-Day

Program plus weights two or three times a week). So of course that makes

me a True Believer.

 

You didn't ask, but what I Truly Believe is that unless you can find an

eating program you can stay on for the rest of your life, dieting is a

waste of time. The pounds come back. Instead of extreme high-protein or

low-carb diets with all their health risks, why not exercise more, avoid

refined foods and eat a balanced diet of fruits and veggies, whole grains,

fish and a little meat, beans, soy products, low-fat dairy, low fat, low

salt? Of course I agree with McDonald's that a visit to Mickey D's can be

part of a responsible nutritional approach. That's why I've dined there

twice in the last 17 months.

 

Originial URL: http://www.suntimes.com/output/ebert1/wkp-news-

super07f.html

 

 

The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can

think. -Edwin Schlossberg, designer (1945- )

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

When I briefly lived in Germany, I went into McDonalds for a coffee

and noticed that they were serving veggie mcnuggets which surprised

me. Also, since most Germans wouldnt work there, it was run by

immigrants [Turks,etc]. I was glad that they were getting away from

chicken, but I still avoid deep fried foods...

Actually, I don't understand why Americans love McDonalds so much. It

caught on in the 60's because they served burgers for 20 cents.

I do appreciate that they use post-consumer paper products and even

tryed their fries when they switched to veggie oil. More recently

they decided to add beef flavoring back to the formula since some

people complained.

I believe that the best meals are the one's we prepare at home,

rather than prepackaged. No amount of radiation and preservatives

compares to fresh, organic foods. Cheers, David

 

, The Stewarts <stews9@c...> wrote:

 

>

> Of course it is possible to eat responsibly at McDonald's, as

spokesmen

> for the chain never tire of reminding us.