What Happens When You Only Eat McDonalds For 30 Days

Super Size Me is one of the most well-known and successful documentaries of all time. In the early 2000s, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock challenged himself to eat nothing but food from McDonalds for an entire month. He had witnessed the explosion of fast food in America, and with growing numbers about obesity and other weight-related health issues, he wanted to do an experiment and see what would happen to his body if he only ate from the Golden Arches. Despite his doctors stern warnings of the risks involved, he did it anyway, and the results are fascinating. I remember seeing this movie long before I was a doctor, but now that I am a practicing physician, I wanted to watch it again with a fresh perspective. Big Macs, gigantic cokes, mountains of fries, apple pies... you name it, he ate it. I have some strong opinions about the methods used in producing this doc, as well as our current conversations around weight in this country, and I'm sure you do to! Let me know your thoughts down below.

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* Select photos/videos provided by Getty Images *

** The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional **

[christinaify]

McDonald’s didn’t actually have salads at all locations in 2004. This documentary actually had an impact. They started offering healthier options, had to list the nutritional value, and got rid of super sizing.

[shroomyk]

Wow, 2004 seems like a lifetime ago. I remember when that doc came out. Also thank you Dr. Mike for pointing out that people with limited income are more likely to eat unhealthy food because it's usually all they can afford. When I was making $9/hr I would go to McD almost every day. One guy asked me why I'm always coming there and I said, "It's what I can afford". "Fair enough, " he said.

[IcyMisty]

I was literally forced to watch this for health last semester and I’ve really wanted Dr. Mike to react to this.

[OTWfrl]

Spurlock was an alcoholic. He was asked if he ever abused alcohol by one of the doctors and he replied "No" and then a couple years ago he said he hadnt been sober for a week in over 30 years

[saucyraucy]

I feel like the other thing that often gets glossed over when discussing this movie is that his wife at the time was a vegan, and he therefore ate mostly vegan for a long time leading up to the movie. So, not only did he change his eating habits in terms of fat, sugar, etc, but also with meat and dairy.

[ArchieZeroOne]

My cousin worked on this documentary. I can answer some of the questions you asked because I asked him many of the same ones. Bringing in the extra doctors and the dietician was seen as pointless by most of the production but it was decided that the viewer would take it more seriously coming from a larger group of professionals. The dietitian was there to outline what a healthy persons caloric intake would be to better highlight how awful this diet was. As for ordering a salad? It was 2004. There was barely any healthy options available.

[trstmeimadctr]

For reference, this documentary was before Mcdonald's offered any comparatively healthy options like salad and was one of the major factors that led to their addition

[wfly]

Morgan Spurlock was also drinking heavily during the production of this documentary, which wasn't revealed until years later. Even he has admitted that his steady decline in health had WAAAY more to do with his drinking habit than his poor diet.

[gianna]

I'm glad he's still willing to talk about obesity in a negative way, and explain why it's an issue and that it is one to begin with. No one cares what you look like, we care whether you're going to die young or not.

[winklenator]

I know a lot of this may seem a bit exaggerated or over the top, but this documentary actually got McDonalds to eliminate the super size option and really put focus on the unhealthiness of the fast food industry.

*edit: thanks guys I’ve never gotten this much likes before 😂😅

[RKLL]

I remember having to watch this several times over the years after it came out because of health class. My biggest issue with it though is it doesn't explain how he went from being a vegan to eating McDonald's everyday for 30 days. That drastic change is going to cause all kinds of issues, including a lot of the symptoms he experienced early on.

[properantagonist]

I think one factor that really contributes to the popularity of fast food in the US is the low price point. Here in Poland fast food restaurants tend to be similarly priced to traditional restaurants and far more expensive than "home cooked" style joints. They're still fairly popular, but they're more of an occasional treat for most people (and i feel like other European countries share this sentiment)

[dustyfox]

I think a big thing to remember is that McDonalds was only just considering the health benefits of its foods when Supersize me came out.
While some of the side-effects of Supersize Me were disproportionate and played up, it did lead to a wider conversation of what fast food places are providing.
It certainly had a big impact in Australia, of all places, where McDonalds did a full 180 on its menu and actively tried to make things healthier. It's still not healthy, but it's better.
A lot of the alternate options that Mike specifies came out after Supersize Me.

[Jay-yroi]

One thing not really touched on in your discussion of this documentary is that he also stopped exercising, which has a big impact on both the physical and mental health metrics he was talking about. He also seems to have been eating more during these 30 days than he normally would have. Not to defend McDonald's (I can't remember the last time I went to one, since I'm not a fan of the food), but his claims got a lot of pushback when this came out because he changed so many variables in his life at once.

[bofoshow]

Doc you should check out the counter to "Super Size Me" where a science teacher did the same challenge of 30 days only mcdonalds, but he actually tracked his nutrients and calorie intake with his class, and he ended up getting healthier. It shows you are right that it's not just "McDonalds unhealthy urgh bad" it's about what you are eating and how much and how often.

[JackieOwl]

I watched this in health class in 2009. We later learned that this documentary was partially responsible for the inclusion of calories and nutrition facts being placed out in the open in these places

[Pepperrelish]

I believe that after this documentary aired it was discovered that Mr Spurlock actually was not nearly as healthy as it was put forth in the film. He had drinking issues that were not disclosed to the medical professionals he visited.

[CLNCJD]

Something else that was discovered about this “documentary” is that he suffered from alcoholism and was drinking during this experiment, hence why his kidney looks like “somebody who drinks every day.” Honestly this documentary did help shine some light on the dangers of fast food, but the fact that it was mostly staged to show the extremes of eating nothing but fast food.

[Dekedence]

One thing I think Dr. Mike didn't pick-up on when he said that "you could choose healthy options", is that Supersize Me is from 2004, and a lot of the 'healthier' options we have now in 2022 just didn't exist back then. Fast food still sucks, but the options from EIGHTEEN years ago to now are like night and day.

[nicholasjessup]

Anyone else here after Morgan Spurlock passed away. He died from complications of cancer.