The Double Danger of High Fructose Corn Syrup

[Lou Lou 1]

That's why we rarely eat out unless at really good restaurants that use REAL food. There is a REAL food network of restaurants here in VT...not sure if it's all over. I refuse to buy any packaged goods in the US. They are evil! We grow our own veggies and shop at farmers markets. There is no way I'm abusing my body with #######. Oh no

[incanada1234 0]

Luckily for us I've totally become addicted to the Food Network, so I've been cooking lots of healthy meals using fresh foods. For the first 3 years of our marriage we lived off of frozen and fast food. Needless to say, I gained 30 lbs and hubby gained 15 or 20. We're in the process of losing the excess weight right now and I can feel a HUGE difference in how I feel.

Frozen, prepackaged foods are of the devil.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Isn't fructose the sugar in ANY fruit? And if it's healthy to eat fruit, but it will make us girls on pill fat, isn't that sort of "DAMN IT"?

Without all that pesky fiber though.

[samir_shannon 0]

You are totally right on .......... I have distanced myself from soda and juices and I have to say itwas a hard thing to do but I counted the calories I was drinking everyday and it was around a 1,000!!!!!!!!!! I drink iced tea and sometimes I have sugar in it but its alot less sugar than in soda...I even like it unsweetened.

[incanada1234 0]

Though I do agree that soda is horrible for you, I still think it's alright to have it in moderation. I mean, it really is my one huge weakness, but I figure I don't smoke, I don't drink alcohol, I eat healthy - I'm a good lil' girl. So what if I have one can of Coke once a week. The second-hand smoke smothering me everyday by the people in this city will kill me before the Coke I have once a week will.

[Jaylen Brit 0]

Hey I gave up sugar in coffee (and other things too) - thanks to rch99 - and Ive felt way better for it. I dont use salt harldy at all either - I'm coming to the conclusion that both are bad for you in anything more than tiny amounts unless naturally present.

[Elizabethnhenry 0]

HFCS is bad or everyone - too much sugar in the diet promotes diabetes; and HFCS is like double sugar. When the pancreas has more sugar than it can deal with, but not at diabetes level, it stores it - round the waistline. That's why excluding suagr can cause huge weightloss from that area.

Its nasty stuff, I always try and avoid it in the UK (where they also use it, tho on not such a grand scale) but I see its creeping into everything.

Profit over health should be banned - what ARE the FDA playing at? They need to crack down - and also look into WHY manufactureres put sugary things into foods which don't need it (I'll take a stab at it - they do it because the food is so over-processed and un-natural it would taste foul if not sweetened)

This is so true!!

Peter Jennings did a documentary on obesity and the role of the agricultural industry in the rise of this epidemmic before he died. Basically it was said that corn syrup is in everything because the government needs to keep the corn industry alive. So needless to say the corn growers association came back with a hard rebuttal stating, among other things, that corn syrup is our friend.

[Kajikit 65]

There was an article about corn syrup in the New York Times the other day - high fructose corn syrup is made by chemically altering it and changing the sugar into fructose... but they don't use it that way because it's too strong - once it's made they dilute it again so that it is 50% fructose and 50% glucose - which is just about the same balance as regular sugar.

[pedroh 21]

lolz.. as AS said.. try a 'Mexican Coke' (the one in the glass bottle) and u'll like it more than the american one.. cuz it has real sugar!

[Lewis 0]

There are also many other factors contributing to obesity in America:

1. Lack of exercise

2. Lack of discipline/ lack of "family time" and parental guidance

3. Instant accessibilty to any type of product one desires

4. The development of suburbs and communities that discourage walking (the best exercise, in my opinion)

5. Corporate and medical industry greed

And many more. I work in a high school and we have vending machines containing sodas, candies and stuff like that. Pepsi actually has an exclusive contract with the school. HMMMMMMMMMMMM..... It's interesting about all of these products, if there was not a demand for them, they would not be selling so well. Essentially, consumers are saying they want all these products because they are voting with their $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. I must say, many of these "convenience" products I have consumed myself but I realize that many are very unhealthy for me. For myself, the toughest part is discipline.

Whatever happened to chasing down the one armed man in the ice cream truck after the game of football?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Isn't fructose the sugar in ANY fruit? And if it's healthy to eat fruit, but it will make us girls on pill fat, isn't that sort of "DAMN IT"?

If you consider fructose a safe, natural sugar, think again. You've been had by one of the biggest nutritional bait-and-switch ploys in years.

Fructose and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) have been aggressively promoted as natural sugars. After all, we've been taught since childhood that fructose is fruit sugar.

The truth is that fructose and HFCS, as large-scale commercial sweeteners, didn't exist 20 years ago. Now, they're almost as common as sucrose-plain old white sugar. HFCS is routinely added to processed foods and beverages including Coca-Cola, Snapple, and many health food products.

"Fructose is not from fruit. It's a commercial, refined sugar," asserted Robin Rogosin, a buyer and research coordinator at Mrs. Gooch's Natural Foods Market in Beverly Hills, Calif.

http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/fructose_dangers.html

[Ladylethal 12]

I know it's best to eat the fruit than the drink the juice of it, and I usually like doing just that. I never drink soda that is not diet, and my most important drink in the day is water.

[cmartyn 0]

HFCS is only cheaper because most of the cost is absorbed in our tax bills and deficit financing.

But I digress...

[Jaylen Brit 0]

There are also many other factors contributing to obesity in America:

1. Lack of exercise

2. Lack of discipline/ lack of "family time" and parental guidance

3. Instant accessibilty to any type of product one desires

4. The development of suburbs and communities that discourage walking (the best exercise, in my opinion)

5. Corporate and medical industry greed

And many more. I work in a high school and we have vending machines containing sodas, candies and stuff like that. Pepsi actually has an exclusive contract with the school. HMMMMMMMMMMMM..... It's interesting about all of these products, if there was not a demand for them, they would not be selling so well. Essentially, consumers are saying they want all these products because they are voting with their $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. I must say, many of these "convenience" products I have consumed myself but I realize that many are very unhealthy for me. For myself, the toughest part is discipline.

Whatever happened to chasing down the one armed man in the ice cream truck after the game of football?

I can't disagree really - tho you missed at least one other IMO

6. Lack of food education - a lot of people seem to think 'fat' is bad but sugar is not and that ALL fat is bad instead of just 'some fats'

In the UK the govt is much more 'in your face' than in the USA - so making comparisons here maybe redundant - I'm not sure - but in the UK recently there's been a wave of popular, grass roots pushes towards healthier foods at schools (school meals) to the extent the govt health people/schools ministry had to act on it. Many items once served are now NOT served (like over processed, so called 'fast' foods), and in their place are healthier foods, including veggies and fruits, and EXcluding sugary drinks and puddings.

This is something most parents have been behind - although most kids would rather eat high sugar fatty foods which contain little 'food' but a lot of chemicals that give them an instant rush (followed by a slump, leading to tiredness and irritability, and a desire for more sugar - happens in adults too).

Too much sugar in the diet, like HFCS, doesn't always lead to obesity btw (I've always been pretty slender, but I used to eat HUGE amounts of sugar per day) - but it CAN lead to diabetes.

And something I found out recently from reading, was that many obese people in the west are medically malnourished

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I can't disagree really - tho you missed at least one other IMO

6. Lack of food education - a lot of people seem to think 'fat' is bad but sugar is not and that ALL fat is bad instead of just 'some fats'

In the UK the govt is much more 'in your face' than in the USA - so making comparisons here maybe redundant - I'm not sure - but in the UK recently there's been a wave of popular, grass roots pushes towards healthier foods at schools (school meals) to the extent the govt health people/schools ministry had to act on it. Many items once served are now NOT served (like over processed, so called 'fast' foods), and in their place are healthier foods, including veggies and fruits, and EXcluding sugary drinks and puddings.

This is something most parents have been behind - although most kids would rather eat high sugar fatty foods which contain little 'food' but a lot of chemicals that give them an instant rush (followed by a slump, leading to tiredness and irritability, and a desire for more sugar - happens in adults too).

Too much sugar in the diet, like HFCS, doesn't always lead to obesity btw (I've always been pretty slender, but I used to eat HUGE amounts of sugar per day) - but it CAN lead to diabetes.

And something I found out recently from reading, was that many obese people in the west are medically malnourished

Even for those of us who are conscientious, it's difficult to shop at the local grocery store without buying food that is heavily processed, full of corn syrup and sodium, not to mention the trans fats (partially hydrogenated vegetable oil). As a single parent, I easily get caught in buying the weekly specials to stretch the dollar which usually are things like sweetened cereals and snacks. It's like trying to give up crack.