Sam Reid is a UVA grad currently living in Lexington who is about to eat nothing but Taco Bell food for 30 days. He created a kickstarter campaign to pay for the food to test the hypothesis in an article he read in 2016 claiming that Taco Bell serves the healthiest fast food.
In an interview with WDBJ TV Reid stated, “I’ll do three meals a day, so a total of 90 meals, and I am going to abide by the rule that during the month I have to eat every single item on the menu at least once,” he says, explaining the rules for himself."
From his Kickstarter page:
Back in 2016, I saw an article that claimed Taco Bell had become the healthiest fast food restaurant. Immediately, my mind flashed back to the first time I saw Super Size Me (a documentary in which Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but McDonald's for a month). I was oddly fascinated with that movie. I loved fast food. And I remember thinking to myself, "I bet I could do that."
Fast forward to present day. I still love fast food, and I'm still confident in my ability to eat it for a month straight. The only difference now is that I'm a more experienced filmmaker and a little more health-conscious (I even had the opportunity to try out for a spot on the US Olympic Bobsled Team a few years ago). That's why I'm embarking on a 30-day journey to find out whether it's possible to maintain (or even improve) several health metrics while eating nothing but fast food--or maybe I'll discover that "healthy fast food" is just an oxymoron.
I plan on consulting with experts, exploring the relationship we have with food, and documenting every step of the way. Unlike the premise of SuperSize Me, I'm going to engage in regular cardio and weight training and actively try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The journey and the final results will be compiled in a short film that will be published to YouTube and made available for free. Regardless of whether or not you support the project, you can follow me on Instagram to see daily updates and subscribe to the channel to see the film when it's released.
I'm committed to making the highest quality film possible, and that requires adequate funding. If you'd be willing to be part of making this dream a reality, I would be forever grateful. You can explore the options on this page and consider whether you might be able to contribute. The cheapest item at Taco Bell costs $1.19, so a little truly does go a long way! Right now, the fundraising goal will cover most of the cost of the meals for the experiment. Any funds raised above that goal will go towards the "stretch goals" (see above).
Read more about the campaign HERE
Photo: Getty Images