Knowledge is Sorrow

If you have been on a call with me lately, I might have slipped in how much I loved ‘That Sugar Movie’. 

I think everyone should see it. 

It's a similar documentary format to ‘Super Size Me’ where the filmmaker uses himself as the 'test subject'. In ‘That Sugar Film’, Australian filmmaker Damon Gameau takes the average sugar intake of an Australian, cited at 40 teaspoons (4.2g/each) per day.

Now, there is some debate about actual Australian intake, but that is to get into the weeds. Here is another bench mark: it is estimated that American teens eat about 33 teaspoons of sugar – the recommendation is 6 teaspoons. 

What we can agree on is – that’s a lot of sugar. 

But, he doesn’t take his sugar intake in what you’d think. No candy, soft drinks, ice-cream. No usual suspects. No ‘junk food’. He eats things advertised as healthy, but fast and nutritious. The culprits are sugars hidden in ‘low-fat’ flavored yogurts, ‘healthy’ juices, cereals and sauces. All of the refined carbohydrates. His actual calorie intake didn’t change. 

Here are some examples of deceiving purchases you might go for in the 'low-fat' pursuit - 250 grams of low-fat yogurt has 11 teaspoons of sugar, a sports drinks with 9 tsp, a cup of baked beans with 5 tsp or a healthy smoothie - some as high as 13 teaspoons of sugar. 

No spoiler alert, promise. 

I won’t go into what happens in the movie – that I will leave to you because it’s fascinating. 

But, it did I was intending to do for me. I stopped sugar.

You see…. 

I had motives for watching this film. During the summer we’d been out of our normal routine. My wife and I stayed with my family helping out, as my mother was going through a health scare – at the time we needed her to gain weight. It was getting precariously low and each week her lack of appetite had us all worried.

Amongst our normal healthy diet, we went into emergency modes to tempt her with fattening substances, so the fridge had every variety of full-fat ice cream, coconut macaroons and custard filled tarts - you name it, her whim was our happy desire - anything to gain her attention and get some weight on her fragile, thin frame. 

But the problem was, environment is a key factor in habits. As there were stacks of ice cream and treats in easy seeable distance, my sugar Achilles heel was lit. And of course Covid meant that normal treats, distractions and activities were curtailed, exasperating this significant chink in my armor. To say it in one phrase, I think chocolate is from the gods. 

Today - my mother is beautifully thriving again. My wife and I are back in our own home and what we put in our fridge is back in control. But the habit persists… and sugar was feeling very addictive. Treats were still creeping in. One wasn't enough!

In an effort to break the habit – I watched ‘That Sugar Film’. 

It’s good. It’s worked as a reset. I quit sugar.

It makes me think... whenever I say to my mother, 'knowledge is power', without fail she responds back with Lord Byron's version - 'knowledge is sorrow'.

Too true.

I recommend the film.