Anybody who has been around the health and fitness industry for any longer than about a week would have some awareness of the perils that sugar has on many aspects of human health, body composition and performance.
Firstly, I would like to commend Damon Gameau, for embarking on a personal journey that saw his health deteriorate markedly over the coarse of two months. Ultimately, his abysmal weight gain, blood markers of metabolic health and “mood swings” has shone the light on sugar as the primary culprit for a number of chronic health diseases.
There has been a flood of cookbooks and blogs dedicated the encouraging people to eliminate the “sweet poison” from their diet to achieve better physical and mental health. Currently, I believe there is no better form of media that educates as well as “That Sugar Film”. Oh, and there are a few good laughs too. Check you the preview below.
If you don’t get the opportunity to see the film; here are the three things you can take away.
1. Not all calories are equal
One of the strongest messages from the documentary was that not all calories were created equal. The days of calorie counting are over, woo hoo! Instead, we must be much more mindful of where our calories come from.
Through his personal experiment, Damon found that his calorie count was the same as before he switched to a diet high in sugar. It was quite obvious the new high sugar diet was having a profound impact on his metabolism. Must of this is explained with some simple endocrinology.
The foods that release the most amount of insulin are typically palatable, sweet, and high in refined carbohydrate or sugar. Insulin does more than lower blood sugar levels to baseline, where the body and brain feels comfortable. Insulin will more or less promote storage of excess carbohydrate into all body tissues including your liver and fat cells, as well as inhibit your ability to burn fat for fuel. The bottom line: fat gain.
One of the strongest messages from the documentary was that not all calories were created equal. The days of calorie counting are over, woo hoo! Instead, we must be much more mindful of where our calories come from.
Through his personal experiment, Damon found that his calorie count was the same as before he switched to a diet high in sugar. It was quite obvious the new high sugar diet was having a profound impact on his metabolism. Must of this is explained with some simple endocrinology.
The foods that release the most amount of insulin are typically palatable, sweet, and high in refined carbohydrate or sugar. Insulin does more than lower blood sugar levels to baseline, where the body and brain feels comfortable. Insulin will more or less promote storage of excess carbohydrate into all body tissues including your liver and fat cells, as well as inhibit your ability to burn fat for fuel. The bottom line: fat gain.
2. Sugar does more than grow your belly
Damon’s sugar journey was not contained to his own personal experiment. He ventured to remote aboriginal communities in Central Australia and to the United States to show very graphically, the devastating effects sugar has on all aspects of human health. Seeing graveyards full of young Aboriginal Australians who died of kidney disease and teenagers being fitted with dentures after every rotten tooth was pulled from their head, makes you think twice about that soft drink.
3. The solution. Eat Real Food!
Yes you guessed it the solution is simple, but not easy. Quite simply, eat only whole and natural foods. Veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, eggs and meat should make up the majority of food your diet. Sugar is permissible in small amounts and ideally from natural sources like honey and fruit. While fat is very calorie dense, eating the appropriate type and amount of fat will aid in health and weight loss by providing essential nutrients and stabilising blood sugar levels.
If you get the chance, see the movie for an eye opening account of one of the hottest topics in health today.