That Sugar Film

July 16, 2018

We all know the dangers of too much sugar in the diet.  You may have even taken steps to remove some of the junk food from your house.  But there are so many hidden sources of sugar that it is possible, even easy, to go WAY over the recommended daily allowance of sugar while doing your best to eat healthy.

The U.S. RDA of sugar is 25 grams, which is the equivalent of about 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day.  Want a cup and a half of Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal for breakfast?  You're done for the day.  A tall Starbucks Caffee Mocha with nonfat milk (and no whipped cream)?  Done for the day.  A spinach salad with grilled chicken and avocado is a great lunch, but put a serving of Craisins on it and you're done for the day.

Sugar is EVERYWHERE -- it's in ketchup, salad dressings, protein & snack bars, crackers -- even tomato sauce.  In fact, if you removed all of the items containing added sugar from the shelves of an average supermarket, just 20% of items would remain. (1)

Fructose is especially problematic for the body.  While glucose is typically processed efficiently by the liver and used for energy, there is no system in the body to regulate fructose because it was so rarely found in nature.  So, the liver turns fructose right into fat.  Some of that fat stays in the liver (leading to fatty liver disease) and some gets sent out into the bloodstream as triglycerides, leading to blocked arteries and heart disease.  

Damon Gameau decided to test this out on himself -- he details his experiment in his movie entitled That Sugar Film (which can be viewed for free on Hulu if you have an account -- or with a free trial).  He ate 40 teaspoons of sugar per day, which is the national average in his home country, Australia (we're not that far off from that here in the U.S.), for 2 months.  But here's the kicker -- he didn't eat any candy, cake, ice cream or other desserts -- his 40 teaspoons came only from foods that are considered to be healthy, like yogurt, low-fat cereals and fruit juices.  His transformation is truly amazing, and truly disgusting.  In just that 2-month period, Damon gained 18.5 pounds, watched his blood and liver markers go from the healthy range to the dangerous, pre-diabetic range and added 10 centimeters of visceral fat to his waist -- all while eating the same amount of calories he had been eating prior to this trial, and exercising his usual amount.  He also experienced mood swings, a lack of energy and extreme cravings during his experiment, none of which he had had before.

Sugar is addicting -- if you ever watch That Sugar Film yourself, you'll see the withdrawal Damon experienced when he went back to his pre-experiment diet (he equates it with quitting smoking).  If you feel like you "can't give up" your 3pm sugar fix, you're not alone.  And you're not weak.  We are genetically wired to seek out sugar because, throughout our evolution, we needed it for energy -- and it was scarce.  The problem these days is that there is sugar everywhere we turn. 

Read labels and do your best to lower your sugar intake.  Consider doing a Whole30 or just a week without sugar to break your addiction.  You know where to find me if you need help!