That Sugar Film

I don't like to get all preachy when writing my posts but it does amaze me that we have become so insouciant regarding our diets.

Actor and director Damian Gameau took part in an experiment which has been made into a film called: That Sugar Film, and I would urge you to visit the website thatsugarfilm.com to see what happened to his body, and effectively, what's happening to ours.

Gameau, a healthy thirty something became a human lab rat and spent 60 days eating sugar-laden foods, but here's the rub, he wasn't allowed to consume any soft drinks, chocolate, ice cream or any confections. However, he existed on a diet of foods marketed as 'healthy foods' such as low fat yoghurt, muesli bars, fresh juices, cereals and low fat ready meals, all of which are actually laden with hidden sugars.

The toll on his health was swift and severe, within 3 weeks, he developed fatty liver disease and as the experiment progressed, early type 2 diabetes, heart disease risk and 11 centimetres of extra girth around his midriff, not to mention violent mood swings and an unwavering craving for more and more sugar!

The film is a cautionary tale about our ignorance regarding the sugar content in everyday food products and the health problems that high sugar content creates. The food industry makes deliberate efforts to obfuscate the sugar content in various products because it's big business and successive governments have bowed to the food industry because financial gain is more important than the general publics well being. Consequently we have all become alarmingly addicted to highly processed foods.

Where once we cooked from scratch, we now rely on prepared and ready made. Some of the worst offenders on the supermarket shelves are rather innocuous sounding products such as low fat salad dressings, ready-made pasta sauces and soups, 'healthy' breakfast cereals and bars, low fat yoghurts and smoothies.

A pasta sauce should contain simple ingredients such as freshly chopped tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, fresh basil and seasoning, however, many bottled pasta sauces have between 6 and 12 grams of sugar per serving!

If we stop to think about the hidden sugars contained in our everyday so-called healthy foods and combine those with the 'treats' we allow ourselves, a couple of biscuits here, a slice of cake there, it's safe to say we're all playing fast and loose with our health.

Whenever I spend time in Spain, as I have recently, I feel energised by the simple diet of fresh salad dressed only in olive oil, grilled fish, homemade soups, grilled vegetables and meat. Spaniards don't smother their food in sugar laden ketchup or mayonnaise (low fat mayonnaise can contain a full teaspoon of sugar per tablespoon of mayonnaise!)

We now have an obesity epidemic in Britain and frighteningly (for a supposedly advanced country) more than 135 people undergo an amputation every week due to diabetes. This number has increased by 17 per cent in the last five years alone. Every time we open a bottle, tin or packet, rather than using raw ingredients, we are adding more sugar to our bodies. Interestingly, most Mediterraneans eat more than the average Brit yet remain slimmer and healthier. We can no longer afford to ignore the dangers of our diet, this is not 'another person's problem' the reality is, it could be you or I, or worse still, one of our children, who suffers the devastating effects of a poor diet.

There is nothing more visually appealing than a plate of grilled mixed vegetables, especially if you are using a variety of colours, mixed peppers, courgettes, aubergines, mixed tomatoes and onions, and the flavours are fresh and delicious, all that is needed are a few chopped basil and mint leaves scattered on top and a sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground pepper, you can even scatter some grated parmesan cheese on top for extra flavour.  Whilst in Spain I ate this dish regularly and when I returned home my first lunch was simply some grilled courgettes, onions, garlic and chillies....simple, sugar free and delicious.

Grilled vegetables

Recipe
You can use any vegetables as mentioned above, slice into equal sizes
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A few basil leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
A few mint leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
Chilli flakes (optional)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cut vegetables such as courgettes and aubergines lengthways into slices

Peel onions and cut into 4 fairly thick slices
Peppers should be de seeded and sliced, if using large tomatoes, slice, I prefer to use cherry tomatoes and leave them whole
Place vegetables on a lightly oiled tray and put under a hot grill for 5 minutes each side until tender and slightly charred at the edges
Arrange on a plate, drizzle a little olive oil on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and garnish with your favourite herbs

                                My simple dish of courgettes, onions, garlic and chillies

'About eighty per cent of the food on shelves in supermarkets today didn't exist 100 years ago.'
- Larry McCleary

Love Donna xxxxxxxxxx