Sue de Groot spoke to Damon Gameau, the Australian filmmaker who is helping us to break an ingrained habit. 'We have grown up loving sugar," says Damon Gameau. "There's such a romance around it. We can still love it if it's a treat, but it's got way beyond that - we're having it right through the food supply."The Australian maker of the smash hit That Sugar Film, and author of the accompanying That Sugar Book, is on the phone from Denver, Colorado, one of the stops on a tour to promote his film.Gameau is a little stunned by the enthusiasm with which his personal sugar experiment has been received."When we started making the film, public perception was still that cutting down on sugar was a bit of a fad diet. I wondered whether people would be ready to accept the message or if it would be laughed at. I thought we might only get 10 or 15 YouTube views. But there was so much media coverage around the subject as we were finishing, and incredible support on social media.block_quotes_start You can have a treat if you want to, it's about being aware of how much sugar you're having in a day block_quotes_end"The trailer (see below) got a million views the weekend we released it, and it's now up to nearly 20 million. Cinemas in Australia have been full of children - adults watch it and then come back with their kids. So yeah, it's been a bit overwhelming, but very heartening."He has recently been in the UK, consulting with public bodies on ways to reduce general sugar consumption, and is doing the same in the US. Anti-carb activist Tim Noakes is working to get Gameau to SA, so we may soon hear his thoughts on unsweetening our local diet. In the meantime, cinemagoers can watch That Sugar Film, an exuberant romp in which Gameau sets himself the challenge of ingesting 40 teaspoons of sugar a day and, with the help of medical professionals, measures the effects on his body.The film's first surprise is that 40 teaspoons is not a lot of sugar. It is almost five times the maximum intake recommended by the World Health Organisation, but remarkably easy to slip into a daily diet without resorting to junk food or sweets.full_story_image_hleft1Careful reading of labels (4g sugar equals one teaspoon) revealed that Gameau's first breakfast of cereal, low-fat yoghurt and apple juice contained almost half his projected sugar allowance.The second shock is the amount of weight he gained (never mind all the other detrimental effects on his health) without exceeding his accustomed calorie intake. Before the experiment, he ate simply: nuts, eggs, meat, fish, vegetables and fruit, especially avocados. For the two months of the exercise, he snacked on energy bars, drank smoothies and ate other processed "health" foods, none of them overly high in calories but all high in hidden sugars. His conclusions are in accord with the Banting fever sweeping the world: what you eat is more important than how much you eat.story_article_right1Gameau is not didactic in his methods. His intention is not to foster guilt but to encourage change by sharing the facts in a warm and humorous way."We've made the film fun and accessible and playful," he says. "It's not a dry, academic documentary."He also does not demonise sugar entirely. "You can still have a treat if you want to, it's just about being aware of how much sugar you're actually having in a day. Most people have no idea that they're eating between 30 and 40 teaspoons. I agree with moderation, but you've got to know the playing field. You've got to know what moderation means."If you want to have a can of cola, that's your prerogative, go for it, but at least know what it's doing to you. You can have your chocolate or your ice cream, that's great, but maybe don't have the low-fat yoghurt and the apple juice on the same day, because that's what's sending the sugar skyrocketing. And that's really the point of the film."His hope is that one day we will laugh at advertisements for sugary foods the way we now laugh at old ads praising the benefits of tobacco."We haven't quite reached that point with sugar, but I think we are starting to get it now. We understand how it reacts metabolically, how it affects the body and the brain, how we crave it. That understanding is becoming so much stronger that people are free to make choices. But many are still misled into thinking they are making healthy choices by buying foods with as much sugar in as junk food, and I think that needs to stop."story_article_left2THAT SUGAR FILMDamon Gameau's film tackles a serious subject in an enormously fun way. It could be described as a mix between Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (with Gene Wilder), I Am Joe's Body and Supersize Me, but is more contemporary, educational and appealing than any of these, using wild special effects to convey its message.Gameau is the twinkly-eyed hero-next-door who takes up arms against a sea of sugar, becoming a human guinea pig as he risks his health to save us from damaging misinformation.He is even brave enough to spend a lot of time wearing nothing but a pair of orange underpants, but don't worry, the film is still suitable for children. They will love it, particularly an extended scene where a dentist tries to extract the eroded teeth of a boy addicted to sugary drinks.'That Sugar Film' is now on circuitTHAT SUGAR BOOKThe film will fire you up to start reading labels and eliminating excess sugar from your diet. That Sugar Book, by Damon Gameau (Pan Macmillan, R275), will serve as a handy reminder and motivator.It contains most of the movie's content in print form - following Gameau on his journey to discover how sugar has seeped into the cracks of our lives - plus bright bites of sensible advice and a large section of easy, healthy recipes. ..