Tags
books, health, review, sugar, That Sugar Book, That Sugar Film
Ciao, my dear strangers!
I am a big fan of Zoe Tuckwell-Smith and her work, both as a performer and as an advocate of healthy living. I recently began following her on social media and discovered that she and her husband wrote a recipe book. What a great way to get some more recipe ideas, I thought. For a while now, I’ve done nothing but prepare the same old boring dishes over and over again. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find That Sugar Guide anywhere and settled for the next best thing – That Sugar Book, written by Zoe’s partner Damon Gameau.
I also watched That Sugar Film and can tell you right away that there are no major differences between the book and the movie. Naturally, the book is more thorough and detailed, but the film manages to convey all the crucial points as well, so if you’re not much of a reader, you can just sit down and watch the movie. But, in this review, just for clarity’s sake, I’m mainly going to refer to the book.
I’d be lying if I said that this book was an eye—opening revelation for me, since I was well aware of all the hidden sugar in “healthy” foods before. One of the first things my mum taught me in my early days of shopping was how to read the labels and choose the healthiest options. We didn’t have a lot of money back then and couldn’t afford that much, but still always went for the healthier alternatives. I’m not saying that there were never any sweets in our house, there were and there still are, but our fruit baskets were always filled to the maximum, as well as our veggie drawers in the fridge.
However, even with all that preparation, there were still times when this book managed to genuinely surprise me. For example, I had no idea that four apples and the juice of freshly squeezed four apples were two completely different things. I regularly squeeze oranges and drink the essence without any added sugar or water, but am now beginning to question my decision. I’m not saying it is a bad or an unhealthy decision, only that it contains more sugar you’d ever be inclined to think and that eating two oranges instead of drinking the juice of four is an infinitely better option.
Another thing that surprised me and that I’ve never noticed before is how integrated sweets and sugary foods are in our nature and our culture. You tell your kids to behave or else they won’t get a chocolate bar. You put your festive candles on a birthday cake, not a birthday fish. It’s your birthday? Well, happy birthday sweetheart. Expect lots of candy in your presents. Even the nicknames we use (sweetheart, honey, etc.) are connected with something sweet and sugary and the feeling of being wanted and loved. Most celebrations, holidays and even ordinary days revolve around food and, though we may not eat any desserts, there’s still plenty of sugar to be found on our tables and in our bodies, even when we don’t know it.
Even after realising how much sugar is involved in our lives and how it’s dulling out our taste buds, making regular food taste bland and boring, I still cannot 100% agree with everything the author wrote. Take for example the 17-year-old kid who drank excessive amounts of Mountain Dew (never heard of it) to the point where all of his teeth needed to be pulled out. After receiving a shiny new fake smile from the dentist at such a tender age (a very disturbing scene in the film, might I add), he went on to drink this particular beverage that ruined his teeth, his confidence and his life. Is that addiction or just laziness?
Another good example are the Aboriginal Amata people. After a local man got concerned with the overall declining health and premature deaths of his people, he founded an organisation called Mai Wiru aka Good Food. They travelled around, rising awareness, banned Coca Cola from their stores and hired a nutritionist to watch over this community of about 350 people. Several years later, the government cut off their funds and the first one to go was the nutritionist. After that move, people once again became unhealthy, obese and sick. The man in charge of this project said that people needed constant education and that they couldn’t get it after the nutritionist got sacked. Really? That nutritionist was there, in their stores and their homes and their town for several years. Even the biggest dullard can learn what’s healthy to eat and what’s not in that period of time. You don’t even need a nutritionist. All the information in this world and beyond it is just several clicks away. This man said that what these people need is constant education. I’d say it’s constant vigilance that they need. It’s not like they don’t know what’s healthy and what’s unhealthy, it’s just that there’s no one there to keep an eye on them and spoon-feed them anymore. The author is very gentle towards their plight and blames the government for cutting them off. I blame them. Is our psyche really that weak? Sure, it’s easier to train with a personal trainer, but if can’t afford one, you do it by yourself. No excuses.
Another thing that I was looking forward to and the very reason I began reading this book was to find some recipes. There are disappointingly few of them in this book, but I’ve managed to find some on their web page, so problem solved. Am still looking forward to finding and reading That Sugar Guide, though.
Throughout the entire book, the author and his associates seem to blame the food giants for our current health state. He even made a trip to the very heart of the obesity epidemic, the States. I thought those were all rumours about fat Americans and that the media blew the entire thing out of proportions. However, I’ve recently made a trip myself, not to the States, but to sunny Tuscany. There was one thing that caught my attention from the minute I landed in Italy, one that almost threatened to drag away my attention from the narrow, cobble-stoned streets and breathtaking architecture. I can honestly say that I’ve never ever ever seen so many fat people in my entire life, ever. I’m just not used to seeing that many obese people in one square or one museum hall. Most of them spoke English. And most of them had American accents. I’m starting to believe the rumours.
However, while the author and his associates blame food companies, I certainly don’t. They’re conglomerates, interested only in making money and they do so by exploiting our weaknesses. So what? Let them. It’s their job. I’ve seen numerous billboards, commercials and adds advertising this product or that product and I’ve never bought those products. Come on, people, we’re not that stupid. I can accept that there is some primal need we have to consume sugar and a primal notion that sugar equals happiness, but there has been some progress since the dawn of humanity. You don’t have to swallow everything they offer. I smoke because I like it. It makes me feel good. Will I ever quit? I don’t know, but I certainly never will blame the tobacco industry for my addiction. Still, I can’t believe how susceptible our psyche is. Why on Earth would you continue eating unhealthy food that represents the dominion and the colonisation the white man has done to your people? Why on Earth would you continue drinking the beverage that destroyed your teeth? The author wishes to perpetuate the notion that the food giants with their advertisements are to blame, but the example of his family’s way of living is the perfect one to prove that if you only use a bit of common sense, you’ll do just fine and remain immune to the flashy commercials surrounding you.
Have a nice day, my dear strangers! 🙂