Movie Lesson Plan Based on “Super Size Me” Movie

1.  List four different types of convenience foods. 

2.  What is a common definition of obesity? Give your answer in terms of the percentage of a person’s weight that is comprised of fat. 

3.  List the three most important causes of preventable death for the entire population in the U.S. Then list the three most important causes of preventable death among U.S. teenagers. 

4.  In terms of BMI what is a healthy weight, what is overweight, and what is obesity? 

5.  State in words the formula for BMI and describe what it measures. Be sure to include a reference to pounds and inches in your statement. Then calculate your own BMI. 

6.  For the most current year for which we have statistics on how many children were obese, state the year, the number of children in the U.S. who were obese and their percentage of the population of children. 

7.  Name ten serious diseases that obese people get more often than people who are not obese. 

8.  Why are people in the U.S. getting fatter? Mr. Spurlock told us. What did he say? 

9.  What percentage of meals Americans eat in restaurants, including fast food outlets? 

10.  10.  Explain the psychology behind supersizing. Why is it a good marketing technique? 

11.  If a person is presented at a meal with more food than he or she could possibly eat, how much more food will the average person consume than he or she needs? Give your answer in terms of a percentage. 

12.  What is the profit margin for French fries sold in fast food restaurants? 

13.  Why do restaurateurs like to sell super-sized meals? 

14.  What does “ersatz”, mean? 

15.  Give two examples of specific convenience foods that are ersatz food that we learned about in this unit. Describe why they are called ersatz. 

16.  What are the four general types of foods that can hurt our health if we are not careful to consume moderate or small amounts? 

17.  What is a flavorologist? 

18.  What is the difference between natural and artificial flavors put into foods? 

19.  Food additives are tested for safety, so why are they still a risk to our health? Give two reasons. 

20.  Fats and salt often make food taste better. Why do we like the tastes of fats and salt?

21.  What are trans fats and why are they bad for us? 

22.  What is the mechanism by which LDL cholesterol causes heart disease? 

23.  Which types of fats do not contribute to heart disease? 

24.  What types of foods contain fats that have high amounts of LDL cholesterol? 

25.  What types of foods contain fats that do not contribute to cholesterol found? 

26.  Why does advertising affect young children more than it does teenagers and adults? 

27.  The Food and Drug Administration says that our diets should contain between 5 and 20% fat. What do some nutritionists say about the 20% number? 

28.  What is the “nag factor”? 

29.  What doesn’t sugar have that is healthy for us? 

30.  How did the growth of the sugar industry in the 17th and 18th centuries contribute to the Industrial Revolution? How did the growth of the sugar industry contribute to the slave trade? 

31.  Remember Jared Fogel, the young man who lost so much weight eating at Subway? What were the two most important reasons for the success of his weight loss program? Did they have anything to do with the fact that he ate at Subway? 

32.  In the study that followed 50,000 nurses, how many cans of soft drinks a day did it take to lead to weight gain and an 80% increase in Type 2 Diabetes? 

33.  In 2005, how many pounds of sweetener did the average American consume? How much of this amount was sugar and how much was HFCS? 

34.  When the World Health Organization stated that it was going to release a recommendation that sweeteners account for only 10% of daily calories, what did the food industry do? 

35.  The caloric content of the largest serving of McDonald’s French fries that you can buy has changed from 1960 to the present. Describe that change. 

36.  What is the recommended caloric intake per day for teenagers? 

37.  People with Type 2 diabetes are at risk for several other illnesses. Name three of them. 

38.  Can you rely on the nutrition statistics on the websites of the convenience food companies? 

39.  Did Mr. Spurlock’s 30-day fast food diet have any effects on his mind? What were they? 

40.  Name four things that society as a whole could do to reduce the obesity epidemic. (Do not list things that an individual can do, but only list what society as a whole can do.)