The Last Word
“Super Size Me”
By Esther McDaniel
There is an epidemic of obesity in
America. We are becoming more seden-
tary in our habits and eating more fast
foods that are filled with sugar, trans fats,
and processed grains. Unfortunately, they
are also void of nutrition. As our waist-
lines expand, our health risks also in-
crease. Yet we seem powerless to change.
You may have seen Morgan Spur-
lock in the movie, “Super Size Me,” at-
tempt to draw a parallel between the fast
food culture we live in and our ever-in-
creasing rate of obesity. His parallel
proved very impressive.
Thirty-three years old and in excel-
lent health, Spurlock decided he would
eat nothing but McDonald’s foods for
an entire month in an attempt to chart
the effects of such a diet on one’s health.
This agreement with himself consisted
of three daily meals at McDonald’s,
with an automatic “supersize,” if the
clerk would make the suggestion.
The results of this experiment were
shocking. Not only did he gain nearly
thirty pounds but he experienced other
health problems as well. His journey
back to excellent health would take
much more time than did his much-less-
than-healthful experiment.
Millions of Americans blissfully go
through life consuming one fast-food
meal after another and wondering why
their health is on a continual decline.
Sadly, this practice is creeping into other
countries as well, at an alarming rate.
Not only does our Bible tell us that
our body is intended to be a temple for
the Spirit of God to dwell in, but it also
tells us that we are to deny ourself and
take up our cross and follow Christ. The
road to heaven is the Path of Self-denial,
not the Boulevard of Extravagance.
Sue Weir’s “Thoughts on Extrava-
gance” (page 6) seemed very fitting to
me as I contemplated the plight of Oliva
Khakasa (page 8) and so many others
like her who feel fortunate when they
can eat even one meal a day at times
during the year. So many in these coun-
tries go several days in a row without
even a morsel to quiet their gnawing
hunger pangs.
Most here in America would not suf-
fer in foregoing one daily meal. Even
fasting for a day or two a week would
prove beneficial to many. Our bodies and
minds are dull and sluggish from lack of
exercise and from being overtaxed with
an enormous amount of food that is
mostly lacking in the nutrients needed to
feed our body cells.
We may be shocked by the extrava-
gance of those who shop at such stores
as Sue describes but I dare say that there
are not too many of us who can claim no
extravagant habits in our lives. Our so-
ciety simply lends itself to extravagance
on every hand.
If we would deny ourselves the un-
necessary extravagances there would be
more resources available to be used to
bless others. In this way, we could be-
come “Super Sized” in Spirit, rather
than in body. I’m all for that!
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