Australian actor Damon Gameau takes us on a sometimes colourful, sometimes shocking, adventure as he explores the role of sugar in our diet.
By Keeva Stratton
Challenging himself to consume 40 teaspoons of sugar a day (the average for most Australians) from foods that are marketed as ‘healthy’, Gameau discovers that it’s frightfully easy to do (one fruit smoothie contains nearly all of them). He also discovers that the adverse affects on his health are dire.
While this might seem a natural conclusion from adding so much sugar to your diet, what makes the film interesting—and indeed frightening—is that Gameau is not eating ‘junk food’ or making purchases that would seem obviously bad. He is demonstrating that through hidden sugars, many of the foods we’ve come to believe are healthy are in fact causing significant issues for our health.
From low fat yoghurts to fruit and nut bars, Gameau is sometimes able to meet his daily target before lunchtime, which he suggests explains why so many of us are struggling to keep our weight and our health in check.
Through a team of health professionals, we learn about how these supposedly ‘healthy foods’ are impacting him, not just physically but also psychologically. In just 60 days the results are frightening, which makes you wonder what a lifetime of eating these foods could do.
Unlike Morgan Spurlock before him, whose food experiment Supersize Me we could dismiss as something most of us would never do (eating upsized junk food daily), many of the foods that Gameau consumes in his experiments will be found in our fridges and pantries.
So why then are most of us unaware of the dangers of sugar? The answers can be found in big business, according to Gameau. He is careful to question why so many of the healthy eating studies that we rely upon to guide nutrition are being funded by those with vested interests in sugar, such as the large soft drink companies.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Through a series of fun cameos from the likes of Hugh Jackman and Stephen Fry, the story of sugar is brought to life in a simple and accessible way. Children and adults will find this film both entertaining and easy to understand.
The film concludes with a revelation on calories that is as shocking as any thriller. You’ll just have to watch it to find out what it is—and watch it you should.
Sarah Wilson has been pushing this important message now for some time; hopefully through this colourful and compelling documentary, it will reach even more people.
READ OUR EXCLUSIVE ‘WOMEN OF INFLUENCE’ FEATURE WITH SARAH WILSON
Directed by: Damon Gameau
Starring: Damon Gameau, Stephen Fry, Hugh Jackman
Rating: PG
Runtime: 97mins
Release Date: March
Reviewer rating: 4/5
For tickets and information visit: www.thatsugarfilm.com
