I just finished watching this excellent documentary. I eat fast food quite a bit, but hopefully this movie will help me at least curtail that habit somewhat. It is truly frightening. I recommend this movie to anyone who eats any fast food yet knows that it isn't good for him. Especially interesting are the interview with Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation (which I may have to read now), and the extra feature called The Smoking Fry.... Horrifying!

I just finished watching this excellent documentary. I eat fast food quite a bit, but hopefully this movie will help me at least curtail that habit somewhat. It is truly frightening. I recommend this movie to anyone who eats any fast food yet knows that it isn't good for him. Especially interesting are the interview with Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation (which I may have to read now), and the extra feature called The Smoking Fry.... Horrifying!

Supersize Me looked really interesting to me too. I haven't seen it, but it's good to hear something about it directly from another person whose seen it. I've read a lot about it in the newspaper and on the internet, but mostly it's the thoughts of people that have something to gain or lose because of the movie. I don't eat too much fast food, but between that and sit-down restaurants, we eat out more than we should.

I'll probably see it but the premise seems bogus: NOBODY eats at McD's 3 times a day.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the subtext -- as I've gathered from reviews and an interview with the director -- is that if you eat fast food and you're fat, it's the fault of the fast food industry. Individuals are absolved from responsibility for devoting a modicum of thought to the choices they make (ie, choosing a Whopper over a turkey-with-mustard sub from Subway is somehow BK's fault; they're both fast food, they're usually within blocks of each other if not across the street, but the difference in calories and sat fat is enormous).

The nutrition nazis (CSPI in particular) castigate the fast food industry for not making their products healthier. Newsflash: those companies are in the business of selling food; that means they must serve food that people want to eat. If they don't serve food that people want to eat, they're out of business.

McD's introduced a low-fat McVeggie burger. It bombed.

A Big Mac or Whopper once a week isn't going to have much impact on a waistline. But if you eat out a lot -- and choose fast food places -- you need to make some choices between your palate and your health.

Breakfast: Cheese, ham, and egg Croissandwich or cereal and skim milk?
Lunch: Wendy's bacon cheeseburger or chicken caesar salad?
Dinner: Big Mac and fries or a chicken breast and side of corn at Boston Market?

They're all out there. The choice is yours.

I'll probably see it but the premise seems bogus: NOBODY eats at McD's 3 times a day.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the subtext -- as I've gathered from reviews and an interview with the director -- is that if you eat fast food and you're fat, it's the fault of the fast food industry. Individuals are absolved from responsibility for devoting a modicum of thought to the choices they make (ie, choosing a Whopper over a turkey-with-mustard sub from Subway is somehow BK's fault; they're both fast food, their usually within blocks of each other if not across the street, but the difference in calories and sat fat is enormous).

I guess you could view it that way, but I didn't take quite that harsh a view of the movie. I eat at fast food places quite a bit (bad habit and laziness) and am overweight, but I don't blame the fast food companies for that; I blame myself for that. However, fast food has evolved into such a HUGE business and HUGE corporate lobby that some of their business practices are very unhealthy for the general population. I didn't so much view it as an indictment of the fast food companies(though I think it is), as much as I viewed it as an eye-opener to people to show people just how unhealthy such food can be.

The nutrition nazis (CSPI in particular) castigate the fast food industry for not making their products healthier. Newsflash: those companies are in the business of selling food; that means they must serve food that people want to eat. If they don't serve food that people want to eat, they're out of business.

Yes, it is capitalism at its truest. However Capitalism has no regard for who it helps and who it hurts. The movie (and the extra feature interview with Eric Schlosser) points out that these menu items are not just thrown together; they are VERY carefully researched to find the exact perfect taste and this includes many additives which are "addictive." The movie points out that only THREE items on the McD's menu do not include sugar: Diet soda, french fries, and I forget the other one but it is not the salad - the salads have sugar.

McD's introduced a low-fat McVeggie burger. It bombed.

A Big Mac or Whopper once a week isn't going to have much impact on a waistline. But if you eat out a lot -- and choose fast food places -- you need to make some choices between your palate and your health.

Breakfast: Cheese, ham, and egg Croissandwich or cereal and skim milk?
Lunch: Wendy's bacon cheeseburger or chicken caesar salad?
Dinner: Big Mac and fries or a chicken breast and side of corn at Boston Market?

They're all out there. The choice is yours.

I totally agree with you here. The movie is basically trying to give people information which is (debatably) not readily available from the fast food industry itself: just how unhealthy an alternative it is.

One of my favorite parts was when it was pointed out that 20-30 years ago (and still today from some restaurants) when you got a hamburger the meat all came from the same cow. Nowadays, a single meat patty being used by McD's and the other big chains can literally come from over a thousand different cattle - all in the same patty! Also, the raising of livestock is very unhealthy, both to the livestock and to the end product. Cattle are regularly penned in confined spaces and root in their own filth, which causes disease and use of antibiotics. Livestock remains are also used as feed for other animals. This is one of the main reasons for the spread of Mad Cow Disease and others related.

Again, I am not in favor of suing fast food for obesity, etc, but I do think they hold some responsibility and could easily try to become a more healthy alternative as opposed to worshipping the Almighty Dollar! In my opinion, the movie was designed to provide people with information that they haven't been offered before or probably aren't aware of.

I thought the movie was funny. And also disgusting. The before and after test numbers from the doctors were very interesting.

Although probably not many people eat McD's three times a day, there ARE people (my ex being one of them) who eat fast food at least 1-2 times a day, plus easy-to-prepare stuff at home that's really no better than McD's. I don't hold the consumer food industries culpable, however. If people think that Crap In a Box is adequate nutrition, then they are being lazy and/or ignorant. If my eight year old can make the choice to feed himself in a healthy fashion, so can they.

Lisa

One of my favorite parts was when it was pointed out that 20-30 years ago (and still today from some restaurants) when you got a hamburger the meat all came from the same cow. Nowadays, a single meat patty being used by McD's and the other big chains can literally come from over a thousand different cattle - all in the same patty! Also, the raising of livestock is very unhealthy, both to the livestock and to the end product. Cattle are regularly penned in confined spaces and root in their own filth, which causes disease and use of antibiotics. Livestock remains are also used as feed for other animals. This is one of the main reasons for the spread of Mad Cow Disease and others related.

I didn't know it came from that many cows! I've never been a fan of beef at restaurants (any restaurant and any form of beef), but the cheap, small McD's burgers were always one of my favorites. Then I got one that was way too salty and had little hard things in it. It took away my appetite and I haven't had one since. Does ground beef from the store come from a zillion different cows? As it is, we buy very little beef from the store for a variety of reasons, but that would be another one.

I thought it was a funny, too. I was especially amused by the scene where it takes over half-an-hour to force himself to eat a Super-sized Quarter Pounder Value Meal ("This is so much food!"). Come on!

They're all out there. The choice is yours.[/SIZE]

Couldn't agree more. We're all adults, dammit. We can make our own decisions. We don't need a bunch of bureaucrats or (even worse) ambulance chasers justifying our brain cramps after the fact. We need to start: 1. demanding the freedom and 2. accepting the responsibility; to control our own lives!

Couldn't agree more. We're all adults, dammit. We can make our own decisions. We don't need a bunch of bureaucrats or (even worse) ambulance chasers justifying our brain cramps after the fact. We need to start: 1. demanding the freedom and 2. accepting the responsibility; to control our own lives!

I don't disagree. Like I said, I don't think the movie was in favor of having those decisions made for people, but was trying to provide more information so that people can make more informed decisions.

Couldn't agree more. We're all adults, dammit. We can make our own decisions. We don't need a bunch of bureaucrats or (even worse) ambulance chasers justifying our brain cramps after the fact. We need to start: 1. demanding the freedom and 2. accepting the responsibility; to control our own lives!

Right on the button Biggles.

Brain cramps . . . I like that term . . . I really like that term.

Ken V.