HBB: Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me”

Super Size Me provides an intimate view of how diet and lifestyle affect health.

by Victoria Rotimi

Super Size Me is a 2004 documentary directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock that explores the effects of fast food on health. Spurlock chose to eat McDonald’s for every meal for 30 days while following specific rules, such as accepting the option to “super size” his meal whenever he was offered it. He also tried everything on the menu at least once and walked only about 5,000 steps a day, the average American’s activity level at the time. Throughout the experiment, he documents changes in his physical and mental health, including weight gain, mood swings, and a decline in his overall well-being.

What I appreciate about Super Size Me is how it makes the relationship between food and health easy to understand. Instead of only presenting statistics about nutrition and obesity, Spurlock uses himself as an example to show how eating habits affect health. What makes it convincing is that Spurlock is not a scientist lecturing the viewers. He is an ordinary person letting the audience watch his body change in real time, making the documentary more intimate. This intimacy makes the topic relatable while addressing a serious health issue. Spurlock’s use of humor and his personal experiment makes the information engaging and memorable. Since McDonald’s is familiar to many people, viewers have a tangible connection to the documentary.

In just 30 days of the experiment, Spurlock gained 24.5 pounds, his cholesterol jumped from 165 to 230 mg/dL, and his body fat percentage rose from 11% to 18%. His liver began to accumulate fat, and he experienced mood swings and depression.

The documentary made me think about how individual choices and larger social factors both influence health. People make their own decisions about what they eat, but factors such as convenience, advertising, cost, and the availability of healthy food can also influence those decisions. Spurlock shows that it is not simply a matter of willpower, but that the environment we live in shapes the choices we make.

This documentary made me think long and hard about what I put in my body. I now make sure to actively think about the effects of these foods, and I try to encourage other people to do the same. Super Size Me is a good way to open up the conversation about eating habits with everyone, and it shows how important it is to be aware of what we consume.

Super Size Me is available to watch on YouTube.