Putting his health at risk by eating nothing but McDonald's for one month finally paid off for Morgan Spurlock, writer of the documentary Super Size Me, as he was presented the Writers Guild Of America award for documentary screenplay.
The Writers Guild award, which was the first of its kind in that category, acknowledged Spurlock, who was also the leading star in the documentary. After conducting his McDonald's experiment, Spurlock experienced deteriorating health such as soaring cholesterol, depression, lack of attention and sexual dysfunction.
At an awards ceremony Spurlock admitted that he was taken aback at the amount of praise the movie received and stated the movie exceeded any expectations they ever anticipated.
When asked if he was surprised that the movie played a factor in the reduced number of items offered on super-size menus, Spurlock responded that the actions were a testament to the power or filmmaking and the growing impact of documentaries.
Super Size Me, which turned into an $11-million hit, is up for an Academy Award in the best documentary category. In addition to the Writers Guild award, Spurlock also took home the Sundance Film Festival's documentary-directing prize.
The Writers Guild award is designed to honor nonfiction writers who gather images from reality and mold them into a story. They not only document the human condition but also use them as an inspirational message for the world we live in.
USA Today February 16, 2005
I believe this movie should be required viewing for everybody! (An edited version was released this week, specifically tailored to school-age children.)
Prior to his experiment, Morgan Spurlock was highly fit and athletic, weighing 185 pounds. After going on a McDonald's "diet," Spurlock gained 25 pounds and looked absolutely terrible. In fact, he appeared to be suffering from many of the same health complaints I see in my patients: fatigue, headaches and indigestion. And, his cholesterol levels were high and he suffered from uric acid and mild chemical hepatitis.
It is truly amazing what massive amounts of trans fat and 31 pounds of sugar will do to you in only a month.
If you watch the film you will clearly see, with all the unhealthy ingredients used at fast food restaurants, the key to winning the battle against them is to simply to avoid them. You can only fool your body for so long. Thus, it is a virtual certainty that if you regularly use fast foods, you are speeding up the aging process and compromising your health.
I don't agree with many that blame McDonald's for making them fat. We all benefit from taking personal responsibility as it is our choice where we eat. No one is forcing us to purchase fast food. However, I believe there is some unquestionable corporate evil and greed present in the promotion of this fast food to our very vulnerable youth. To me, there is little difference between advertising fast food that will destroy a child's health and advertising for guns, alcohol or cigarettes. There is simply no way McDonald's should be allowed to get away with this.
Spurlock's DVD Super Size Me is now available to purchase--for 30% off. If you watch carefully, you will see that in one scene in the movie there are half a dozen of my NY Times bestselling book, The No Grain Diet, displayed as part of a scene of popular diet books.
I would have loved to work with Morgan on his video. If you have children, assume your responsibility as a parent and show them this movie. Trust me, you will be glad you did.