It seems highly ironic that I am writing about tonight’s documentary, THAT SUGAR FILM whilst Easter weekend is in its death throes, surrounded by a nation gleefully overindulging despite our hideous statistics when it comes to childhood obesity and diabetes. I can also view the film quite objectively (and smugly) as I have never had even the inkling of a sweet tooth, however when someone finally gets around to making “That Salt Film” I will probably be running in fear.

For those unaware of its premise, THAT SUGAR FILM is in essence “one man's journey to discover the bitter truth about sugar”. It follows Damon Gameau as he embarks on a unique experiment to document the effects of a high sugar diet on a healthy body, consuming only foods that are commonly perceived as “healthy”. This means the likes of fruit juice, snack bars and flavoured water get a right dressing down, as Damon highlights some of the issues that plague the sugar industry, and where sugar lurks on supermarket shelves. 

It seems highly ironic that I am writing about tonight’s documentary, THAT SUGAR FILM whilst Easter weekend is in its death throes, surrounded by a nation gleefully overindulging despite our hideous statistics when it comes to childhood obesity and diabetes. I can also view the film quite objectively (and smugly) as I have never had even the inkling of a sweet tooth, however when someone finally gets around to making “That Salt Film” I will probably be running in fear.

For those unaware of its premise, THAT SUGAR FILM is in essence “one man's journey to discover the bitter truth about sugar”. It follows Damon Gameau as he embarks on a unique experiment to document the effects of a high sugar diet on a healthy body, consuming only foods that are commonly perceived as “healthy”. This means the likes of fruit juice, snack bars and flavoured water get a right dressing down, as Damon highlights some of the issues that plague the sugar industry, and where sugar lurks on supermarket shelves. 

So what happens when are relatively lean, average Aussie bloke swaps his reasonably clean-eating lifestyle for one high in processed "health" foods? Naturally he gains weight, adding 10 centimetres to his waist, with reported mood swings and seemingly on the way to developing a number of serious health issues.



I really like the fact that the film focuses not necessarily on someone overindulging in food that we already know to be bad for us – i.e the SUPER SIZE ME approach – but focuses on the beliefs by many even in the healthy conscious wellness community who push natural sweeteners like agave and stevia over more traditional sugar sources. Ever followed an Instagram account that is awash with “raw” alternatives to gooey chocolate brownies and the like, that look like the original and are marketed as a “healthy” alternative to such? Many in fact contain just as much of the sweet stuff to do damage to those that like to over-indulge, and when it’s purported to be a something that’s good for you they do just that. This worrisome trend among healthy food bloggers, paleo Facebook pages and sources of healthy recipes and food ideas, is leading to more sugar being consumed than ever before. It’s all about finding sneaky ways to have our cake and eat it too. It’s important that we know better than to buy into the “I can eat anything I want as long as it’s _____”, and that’s what this film is all about. It’s true that in small amounts, alternative types of sugar are fine. But, when we’re eating more than our fair share of sugar (natural or not), our health suffers. Sugar is sugar. No matter what the source it can be detrimental when we get too much.

Fructose for example, is the sugar found naturally in fruit. It is perfectly fine to consume fructose when you get it from whole foods like apples, which are about 7 per cent fructose. Delivered this way, fructose comes with a host of vitamins, antioxidants, and fibre. But when it's commercially extracted from fruit, then concentrated and made into a sweetener, it exacts a considerable metabolic price. Fructose causes insulin resistance and significantly raises triglycerides (a risk factor for heart disease). It also increases fat around your middle (hello, muffin top!), which in turn puts you at greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome. Fructose has also been linked to non-alcoholic fatty-liver disease.

Agave is another culprit, and often thought of as a healthy alternative to traditional table sugar because it has a lower glycemic index. However, agave syrup is nothing more than agave liquid that’s been heated and reduced (much like taking a fruit juice and heating it until it becomes more concentrated). So, it’s a super concentrated form of fructose. Not good. In addition, because agave syrup is basically a processed food product, the mineral and antioxidant content is very low. In the agave plant, most of the sweetness comes from a particular kind of fructose called inulin that actually has some health benefits as well as being considered a fibre.  In the manufacturing process, enzymes are added to the inulin to break it down into digestible sugar (fructose), resulting in a syrup that has a fructose content that is at best 57 per cent and, much more commonly, as high as 90 per cent. Add that to your could-be-healthy afternoon smoothie and it’s basically a sugar bomb going off in your body.

So, with this in mind I encourage you and yours to sit down on the couch – without that slab of Dairy Milk OR that stevia-ridden smoothie – and watch THAT SUGAR FILM for a quirky, entertaining little ride. It is filled with powerful and at times often downright alarming information, and even if its is a little cheesy at time, when it comes to your health knowledge is most definitely power.

Screening Times: