Supersize Me is a documentary by filmmaker Morgan Spurlock in which he lives on nothing but McDonald’s for one month, following 3 simple rules:

1) No options: he could only eat what was available over the counter (water included!)
2) No supersizing unless offered
3) No excuses: he had to eat every item on the menu at least once

In the end, his health deteriorates much faster than any doctors predicted. Not surprising, the golden arches responded to the theory that “if you eat too many carrots you’ll turn orange” with a few changes to the menu and a website arguing against the drastic health deterioration Spurlock experienced. While I find it hard to believe McDonald’s has gained any substantial ground towards the healthy end, it is also equally delusional to believe anyone pulls through those golden arches believing they’ve found a balanced and healthy meal. Can we ultimately villanize only the fast food chains? Do we as consumers not have a bit our increasing weight to carry? McDonald’s, along with all other fast food restaurants, cater to our hectic lives, they are convenient and taste good. Is there no alternative? Is the hope of a place to purchase healthy, organic and local value meals beyond imaging?

Much to Lawrencians joy, Hillary Brown has answered this question in Local Burger, “the next generation of burger joints!” Local Burger “buys its naturally raised meats and vegetables from 45 local vendors, most of which are located in Douglas County or a 20-mile radius of Lawrence.” Brown, along with the Sundance channel, also began a 30 day stint featuring Daniel Fisher, a confessed fast food junkie. Inspired by Spurlock’s adventure eating only McDonalds, Brown and Fisher took a different spin. Fisher would follow Spurlock’s rules, replacing the restaurant with Local Burger. Similar to Spurlock, Fisher received a full physical before and after the experiement.

The final results were weight loss of about 23 pounds and a dramatic drop in cholesterol from 285 to 166. Fisher learned to eat better, but not less. “I think it’s time for people to be aware of what they’re eating,” Brown said. “It doesn’t have to taste bad to be healthy, and it doesn’t have to be fat-free to be healthy.”

In addition to having some fantastic meals, they also host a weekly meat market from local farmers. And Brown is well aware of the impact typical restaurants leave upon the environment, and has addressed by sending all food scarps to a local farm for composting and recycling, as well as the carbon emissions saved from buying locally! They are continuing to strive towards the future with the following goals:

We have our hearts set on a super-high efficiency dishwasher - it’s all about saving a little H2O!

We hope to be using biodegradable to-go containers in the near future

We are looking into the use of solar panels and other ways to be energy efficeint at Local Burger

Also, be sure to check out The Green, a new series on the Sundance channel. Local Burger is featured on April 17th at 8 pm as part of the episode “Eat.”