At this point in the movie, we are all aware that we eat too much sugar. We like it and that’s why we consume it; but we also do it without realizing it: the vast majority of processed foods carry a good load.
Why? The explanation is not simple, in fact, there is no single answer. We can point out, first, that it is cheap; if it were expensive, the food industry probably wouldn’t add to it with such enthusiasm. But, what is the use of being cheap if it does not convince consumers?
The question, of course, is whether it convinces, and a lot. It can be said, without exaggeration, that we are addicted to sugar and that we need products to be very sweet to be more palatable. “Many people already have the sweetness threshold altered”.
He is the creator and director of the sinazucar.org project, which precisely aims to make visible how much sugar is in the food we eat. He does it in the most graphic way possible: through very simple photographs, in which he shows a product next to its weight of sugar, represented in cubes. The result is very direct, very easy to understand with a single glance.
If we say, for example, that a Coca Cola has about 37 grams of sugar per 100, the amount seems high, but is it? The figures do not tell us much; they are difficult to understand. On the other hand, if we look at Coca Cola with its equivalent in sugar cubes, the understanding is much clearer.
How much sugar do everyday foods and products have?
Or what about ice creams, for example, that now in summer they are so appetizing? A Double Chocolate Magnum contains about six sugar cubes, about 23 grams per 100, while a small tub of Ben&Jerry’s Chocolate fudge brownie, 30 grams, about seven and a half cubes.
However, from sinazucar.org they do not only include clearly sugary products, such as chocolate bars, soft drinks or cookies. In the extensive catalog that they have analyzed and that they share on social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, and that they are expanding at the initiative or request of third parties, they also report the high content of less suspicious products, such as fried tomatoes, juices fruits or yogurts to drink.
Antonio tells us that a little over three years ago, a nutritionist recommended that he reduce his sugar intake to improve his athletic performance. So, he began to look at the labels of commercial products and realized that even those products that he considered healthy contained a large amount of sugar. Furthermore, few people, very few really, were aware of it.
He did not hesitate and began to share this discovery with the rest of the world, using his experience as a photographer. Very soon, the shocking images of him went viral and a large number of media outlets took an interest in his project, increasing his notoriety. Such has been his success in these three years that more than 10 million people have seen his photographs and his book, with the same name as his page, sinazucar.org, has become one of the best sellers online in recent times. , reaching number one in January 2019.
However, as he himself indicates on Twitter, it is not a matter of panic: sugar is not poison. What happens is that we take it in excess and that is harmful to health. There are a lot of associated diseases and damages: from tooth decay to overweight, obesity and an increased risk of type II diabetes and some cardiovascular diseases. Of course, a more balanced and conscious consumption will improve your health.
The key? According to him, “the greatest effort for its reduction begins in the supermarket. If you have an unhealthy product at home, sooner or later, you will eat it; if you don’t buy it, you don’t eat it”.