Showing posts with label high fructose corn syrup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high fructose corn syrup. Show all posts

Let's Get Clean ~ Corn Syrup? What happened to just maple?

How many times have you read "high fructose corn syrup" on the ingredients label of the food or beverage you are consuming?

Do you know what high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is?

HFCS is used as a sweetener, as well as a preservative. It's produced by taking the glucose (sugar) in cornstarch & changing it to fructose; thus creating a fructose/glucose mix. It's an inexpensive sweetener, mass produced by the processed food industry to increase their profits by stretching shelf life of foods you probably eat on a daily basis.

Maybe all that sugar doesn't really bother you, but think about this: production of HFCS has gone from 3,000 tons in 1967 to over 9 million tons in 2005. Ultimately, our consumption of HFCS here in the US has increased over the past forty years, drastically. The processed food industry knows what they are doing, & they also know that the majority of the population doesn't read the ingredients label to discover all the preservatives that are being put in their food.

A study at the University of Pennsylvania, found that fructose doesn't suppress the hunger hormone (ghrelin) like glucose does. Women who ate fructose instead of glucose (table sugar) had higher ghrelin levels throughout the day. This means that they were constantly hungry. Ever notice that a carbonated beverage doesn't leave you feeling full?

One big difference between glucose & fructose is that glucose is metabolized by all your cells; whereas fructose is metabolized in the liver. HFCS affects the body being able to release insulin & leptin (which are the hormones released when you're done eating). Since HFCS does nothing but increase the ghrelin hormone, you will end up consuming more calories than you would have, since you're left feeling hungry. HFCS also increases triglycerides which block leptin from working in the brain....so your brain can't tell you to stop eating!

HFCS is everywhere. Just because a label says "all natural" doesn't mean it is. The term "organic" however, has much higher standards to live by & more often than not, does not contain any HFCS.

So here's a Get Clean Challenge, try to eliminate as much HFCS from your diet as possible (if not all HFCS). Read ingredients labels, and see what it is you're consuming. The first ingredient is the one that is most used in the food you're eating & the last one is the least. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup has HFCS listed as THE FIRST INGREDIENT! Sad day for me, I love chocolate milk! But I have found an organic, natural, healthy alternative. While I definitely pay more, I know I'm not consuming something harmful. You'll be surprised to see everything that has HFCS listed as an ingredient (yogurt, applesauce, salad dressings, ketchup, sodas, fast food, & the list goes on). Take the time to read.