Recently I discovered a film "A Movie About Sugar", also known as "The Secret of Honey", which gave me a new understanding of sugar as a former dessert controller.
This is a documentary, the male protagonist personally experimented to tell us the story of sugar.
Australian actor Damon Gameu has maintained a healthy diet for a long time and does not eat refined sugar.
For the sake of the child he was about to be born, and to give a truth about the "relationship between sugar and health", he decided to test it himself.
With the collaboration of sugar analysis consultants, blood test experts, nutrition experts, and health monitoring experts, this great experiment will be completed together.
The daily intake of sugar per person in Australia is 40 teaspoons (a spoonful of sugar is equivalent to 4g, 40 spoons is 160g, and the unit of sugar is used as a "spoon"). Damon needs to consume 40 teaspoons of sugar every day. Test the changes in high sugar in the body.
Before the experiment, the male lead consumed about 2300 calories per day, 50% of which came from high-quality fats (such as avocado and nuts), 26% from protein (such as meat, fish, eggs), and 24% from carbohydrates (such as fresh vegetables).
He weighs 76 kg and has a waist circumference of 84 cm. The blood test results show that the liver is very healthy, the triglyceride content is very low, and the body is very healthy.
During the experiment, the male lead maintained the previous exercise amount and consumed cereals, low-fat yogurt, fruit juice and other foods. Calorie intake remains the same, and no "junk food" is eaten.
After completing the experiment, the male lead performed blood tests and physical tests, and analyzed his physical condition with experts.
The first is the liver. An important indicator of liver health is the hormone ALT. One month later, it has risen from a safe value of 20 to a safe value of 20, which means that the male lead has changed from the most healthy 20% to the least healthy 10% .
The triglyceride level (the amount of fat in the blood) rose from a healthy 0.08 to 1.5.
High triglyceride levels indicate that healthy cholesterol has turned into small, dense low-density lipoproteins, and there is a risk of heart disease.
Body weight increased by 8.5kg and body fat increased by 7%.
The waist is 10cm fatter.
In 60 days, the male protagonist had symptoms of fatty liver and insulin resistance was about to appear. The results were shocking.
Through this experiment, we understand that sugar is the "culprit" . Next, let's uncover the "secret of sugar".
- What kinds of sugar are there?
1. Glucose: Glucose is the energy material of our life. Bread, noodles, vegetables, grains, etc. can be converted into the glucose we need and can supply our cells and organs.
2. Lactose: It is derived from milk. If there is lactose intolerance, it will be accompanied by stomach pain.
3. Sucrose: It is composed of 50% glucose and 50% fructose.
Now, fructose is everywhere.
- Tear off the food mask
For the 60-day trial, the male lead needs to ensure that the daily intake of sugar is 40 scoops, and it must be the sugar hidden in processed health foods and beverages.
Because you want to eat so-called "healthy food", it cannot be "junk food" such as chocolate, ice cream, and fried chicken.
Jam, low-fat yogurt, coffee, milk tea, etc. on the market all contain a lot of glucose and fructose.
It is difficult for us to find a lot of sugar in food.
An apple has 4 spoons of sugar, and four apples are 16 spoons of sugar, but if we squeeze all the apples into juice and drink it, a glass of juice may not be full, but if we eat two apples, it may be very full.
Sugar is the truth behind many exquisite packaging on the market.
If this is your three meals a day, quickly calculate how much sugar you have consumed.
Breakfast: a cup of low-fat yogurt = 10 spoons of sugar
Snacks: 1 serving of frozen yogurt, 11 tablespoons of sugar
Lunch: chicken with sauce, a bottle of drink, 12 spoons of sugar
Afternoon tea: dessert, 7 spoons of sugar
- The effect of sugar on the body:
After sugar enters the body, it is broken down into glucose and fructose, which pass through the liver in their own way.
In the liver, glucose is effectively used, immediately used as an energy substance, or stored, like a backup battery.
The liver does not have the function of processing fructose . Therefore, fructose is transported to the blood regardless of whether the liver needs it or not. If our "backup battery" is sufficient, then fructose will quickly be converted into fat.
Some fructose will stay in the liver all the time, so there is a risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.
The fat in the liver enters the bloodstream and becomes triglycerides, which can cause overweight, clogged blood vessels and heart disease.
Many foods produce fructose and insulin is released. It is the key to open the cell door to absorb all fructose and transfer it from the blood as an energy substance.
The more fructose in the blood, the higher the insulin content. When insulin in the blood processes fructose, it keeps fat cells unchanged, which actually stops fat burning.
So when we eat a lot of sugar, the amount of insulin in the body does not change. It does not change fat cells. When insulin processes these sugars, fat cannot be broken down and used.
Eating too much sugar can also make the skin worse, acne on the face, obvious bags under the eyes, and a haggard face.
- The effect of sugar on mood:
After a stimulus comes a high degree of concentration and energy. The brain and body are using glucose. If glucose levels continue to fluctuate up and down, mental function will be unstable. If the glucose is stable, then the person will be awake.
When we consume sugar, blood sugar will rise, but it will quickly fall back.
Because insulin processes sugar, it can be transported to cells for energy. But when the blood sugar level drops, the brain is not excited. Therefore, the body will release stress hormones (such as adrenaline), pulling the brain back to its previous state.
With repeated stimulation, emotions will fluctuate or even get out of control.
After a stimulus comes a high degree of concentration and energy. The brain and body are using glucose. If glucose levels continue to fluctuate up and down, mental function will be unstable. If the glucose is stable, then the person will be awake.
- Dependence on sugar:
When the brain sees high-sugar foods, it will be stimulated, and then dopamine will be released. Then, the brain will let us eat it, because it can quickly replenish energy and make people happy.
The food is delivered into the mouth with a sweet taste, and the release of opioids and endogypeptides makes us feel crazy, but this feeling will not last long.
If a person eats enough sweets, the brain will build up this kind of pleasure and form a subconscious or unconscious behavior, and then the pictures of sweets can be easily stimulated, resulting in dependence on sugar.
Glucose affects the eating control center, and fructose affects emotions. It is difficult to coordinate the two together.
When we eat a lot of high-sugar foods, we increasingly want to eat more high-sugar foods. Repeatedly like this, it is as difficult to quit as an addiction, and eventually there will be physical problems.
- Calories:
During the experiment, the man’s daily intake of calories was similar to that before the experiment.
However, the foods eaten before the test, such as avocados and nuts, are high in calories, twice as much as sugar. But the male lead’s liver grew very low in fat because of sugar.
Don't just pay attention to the calories of foods. Foods with the same calories are different in nature.
Many food industries have promoted that the calories in sugar are the same as those in vegetables and meat. In order to keep fat, you can eat less. The sugar industry emphasizes that calories are calories, but they are not the same in the human body.
Perhaps, we need to redefine calories and calories.
Sugar has a complicated relationship with our heart, emotions and body. It looks like a little sweetheart, but in fact it may be a little devil.
After watching this movie, I was discouraged from "sugar", and it also gave me new thinking about calories.
On supermarket shelves, most of the food is processed, and under the exquisite packaging, there is a large amount of sugar hidden, which invisibly has a very big impact on our health.
Natural is the safest. In our usual diet, we still have to focus on natural foods, reject processed foods, and reject high sugars. Responsible for the health of yourself and your family.
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