Sugar free Experiment

Volunteer Life – to eat or not to eat

That Sugar Film... Perhaps the documentary brought the biggest change and awareness in my life

by Ezgi Güngördü

The period when I lived without sugar for a year and a half was a time in which my life changed in many ways. I want to explain with some examples and suggestions how I decided to remove sugar from my life and how I made it sustainable.

In a casual conversation with a very close friend in 2018, she told me that she never ate anything sweet. She stated that she was very impressed by a documentary and followed the sugar-free diet for 21 days.

The documentary’s name is: That Sugar Film.

I never thought before that I could quit sugar, even if I knew about its harms and believed it has negative effects on the human body and mental health. But, impressed by my friend’s perseverance and determination, I watched the documentary and saw what she was talking about.

In the documentary “That Sugar Film”, Damon Gameau, while embracing healthy eating as his lifestyle, decides to experiment and ingest 40 grams of sugar per day for 60 days, a total of 600 teaspoons. This is the average daily amount of sugar a person takes in. The only condition is to do this with healthy and diet products in the markets.

At the beginning of the experiment, he is given various tests, and a dietitian is arranged. Later, Damon goes shopping and buys hidden sugar products that he will use for his experiment. Packaged fruit juices, yogurts, cereals, sauces, cold teas, ready-to-eat packaged meals... Sugar directly affects our brains, causing sudden changes in our moods. When we take a sugar-containing substance into our bodies, our blood sugar rises. The body releases insulin in response to this, and our blood sugar drops suddenly. Then, the hormone adrenaline sends our brain the signal to eat sugar again. In such a cycle, we become addicted without realizing it.

The documentary also touches on what all sugary substances cause in general. Observing how Damon changed during this process directly reveals that sugar is responsible for that.

After I finished watching the documentary, I didn’t even have to go through a decision process. Everything was clear in my head. And my sugar-free life began (even if I didn’t know for how long).

I didn’t realize anything on the first day. Of course, there were days when I had not consumed refined sugar for a couple of days before. But my headaches started at the end of the 3rd day when I did not consume anything containing even a small amount of sugar. I tried to hold on, thinking these pains were good. At the end of a week, I forced myself to endure as much as I could. But, of course, I have yet to see any change.

Everyone around me was constantly consuming sugary things; fruit juices, sweets, and coca-cola were always around me. I was just accompanied by drinking water and trying to be content with the situation. Yes, because I was sure I was doing something good for myself.

It took a while to see the results, but since I did not set a time frame for myself in this process, I got used to the absence of sugar and did not even think of consuming it again.

As I haven’t done any health tests or measurements like in That Sugar Film, I don’t know what changes my body has made other than losing fat. But the difference I experienced mentally and spiritually was definitely incredible. I could easily see how sugar numbs the brain and provides short-term happiness and satisfaction. I felt more energetic, happier and more muscular.

Everyone around me noticed this, and some from my close circle gave up sugar thanks to me. This made me happy because it was delightful to encourage a positive state and observe their changes.

So what happened, and a year and a half later, I started again?

I don’t know the answer to this question yet, either. A year and a half was a long time, and at the end of this period, maybe having a special diet tired me. I am thrilled to experience it, even though I know it is not suitable for me to start consuming sugar again. I have two suggestions to everyone reading this article: watch That Sugar Movie and give your body what it needs.