because it's Friday.... sugar

ahoy_m8

More specifically, That Sugar Film.
Q&A with movie maker
Critical review

From the Q&A:
"My calorie intake didn’t change. What I was eating before – the avocados and nuts and other foods – are high in calories. So I kept a similar calorie intake. But on the diet with all the added sugars, I was snacking a lot more. I just never felt full, and it was affecting my moods. What I learned was that I was triggering insulin and all sorts of hormones that were trapping fat in my body."

LKArgh

I am a bit confused from this part:
"Mr. Gameau gives up his normal diet of fresh foods for two months"
"The twist is that Mr. Gameau avoids soda, ice cream, candy and other obvious sources of sugar. Instead, he consumes foods commonly perceived as “healthy” that are frequently loaded with added sugars, like low-fat yogurt, fruit juice, health bars and cereal."

How is does this prove anything about sugar itself ? These highly processed foods are all pretty much considered in the same category as doughnuts and other treats evem by my 5 year old: ok to have in moderation now and then. If he wanted to increase sugar naturally, adding e.g. lots of fruit and honey etc would have made sense. But how does replacing a diet of fresh foods with a diet of highly processed prepackaged treats prove anything about sugar?

ahoy_m8

Cliff Notes version: Filmmaker becomes guinea pig (a la Supersize Me), i.e. unblind N=1 study from which all manner of sweeping conclusions drawn. His schtick is eating foods marketed as "healthy" (granola bars, cereal, yogurt, prepared pasta sauce, etc.) that actually contain added sugars. He avoided obviously sweet foods. Of course, the film would be less dramatic if he maintained his weight but felt bad, so naturally he gained weight and a host of medical issues. Call me a skeptic.

lemurcat12

Here's a commentary from a nutritionist in Australia:

http://foodwatch.com.au/reviews/item/film-review-that-sugar-film.html

A few points that resonated with me:

Damon consumes lots of liquids which have been shown to be easier to overconsume than whole foods e.g. apples vs apple juice. I’m guessing his intake DID exceed what he was eating before and these sweetened liquids were responsible for the fat gain in the abdominal region as well as the decline in liver function.

Dietitians have been warning people for the past five years or more not to “drink in the calories” and that juice is fruit in concentrated form. Read my post on why juice is not fruit for example.

Who ever said flavoured milk or iced tea drinks are ‘healthy’? They may be healthier choices than sweetened soft drinks but they are not on any 'Must Eat Lists' or Pyramids.... He says he’s only eating ‘healthy food’ – but they aren’t truly healthy foods by any definition – he’s consuming a lot of processed snacks.

Damon eats an extreme diet, choosing processed foods with a ‘health halo’. This is not typical and it’s definitely NOT healthy. As far as I can see, in the film, he eats no veges, whole fruits, nuts, legumes or whole grains.

Little wonder then that he complains that he is now snacking a lot more without feeling full. I saw lots of pouches, bars, milk drinks, purees and fruit juice drinks being slurped down. There’s little fibre or protein in his diet.

(Some examples are given, which make the claim to have focused on foods believed to be "healthy" pretty hilarious. I think most of us are a little more sophisticated than we are being given credit for, too, even apart from stuff like McD's soft serve.)

40 teaspoons is not representative of the average intake, and certainly way too high for a man in his late 30s with his activity level.

Accuracy is questioned -- sounds like he might have been eating even more than 40 tsp -- it looks like more than 50 for sure:

He divides sugar in grams by 4 to get the number of teaspoons sugar. However, these are level teaspoons, not heaped. He also doesn’t measure things very accurately and consumes more than the suggested serving sizes.

ahoy_m8

aggelikik wrote: »

I am a bit confused from this part:
"Mr. Gameau gives up his normal diet of fresh foods for two months"
"The twist is that Mr. Gameau avoids soda, ice cream, candy and other obvious sources of sugar. Instead, he consumes foods commonly perceived as “healthy” that are frequently loaded with added sugars, like low-fat yogurt, fruit juice, health bars and cereal."

How is does this prove anything about sugar itself ? These highly processed foods are all pretty much considered in the same category as doughnuts and other treats evem by my 5 year old: ok to have in moderation now and then. If he wanted to increase sugar naturally, adding e.g. lots of fruit and honey etc would have made sense. But how does replacing a diet of fresh foods with a diet of highly processed prepackaged treats prove anything about sugar?

Good point. I gather he intended to shine a light on how foods are marketed, but he ended up sensationalizing which weakens his argument, IMHO.