Supersizes Are Not so Super
... variety" so that consumers can make their own decisions. (Although in one sequence Spurlock searches in vain for the very nutritional information McDonald's boasts it offers.) McDonald's says "no one eats McDonald's food three times a day, every day, and no one should,"...We believe, and have always believed, that McDonald's can be eaten as part of a well-balanced diet...What Mr. Spurlock set out to do, which was double his daily calorie intake, deliberately not exercise and over-eat, was totally irresponsible." (Super Size Me website) People might say that if Spurlock ate 5,000 calories he could have gained that extra weight anywhere. They may also feel that what Americans need is balance between sensible eating and exercise and that staying fit is a matter of personal choice and responsibility. This appeals to the individualist streak in Americans, but the cold reality--which Americans have to understand if they are to eradicate the obesity epidemic that threatens them and even more so, their children—is that "personal choice" is not so personal. Two of the most important risk factors for obesity are sedentary lifestyle and high-fat, energy dense diet. These may seem like individual 'choices,' but as always, societal context determines choice. It’s not realistic to tell people to exercise more and eat less. Similarly, with American cities designed around the car and the elevator, it is a challenge to exercise appropriately. Spurlock notes that there are 30,000 McDonald's restaurants in more than 100 countries on 6 continents. He notes how pervasive the advertising is and its obvious slant toward children. Spurlock says that the average American child sees 10,000 television advertisements per year. No longer satisfied with their dominance of television, radio, magazines, and the internet, fast food chains are now gaining access to the last advertising free outpost of American life: school hallways, libraries, and cafeterias. These are places that are supposed to be advertisement-free. Even hospitals now have McDonalds available in the cafeteria. It doesn’t get any better in the schools either. Super Size Me" shows the "choices" kids have in public schools' lunch programs and in vending machines. Even the USDA provided school meals have over...