The Dangers of HFCS

I commend the Mayor of New York this week in his attempt to ban Super-Sized drinks and sugary soda within his city's limits!  Not only is Mayor Bloomberg making a statement to the rest of the country that we must all help in the battle of obesity, but he is also acknowledging that these types of drinks, all of which contain HFCS or High Fructose Corn Syrup are one of the major contributors of obesity today.

Another Public Health victory this week involves the FDA's denial of the Corn Refiners Association request to rename HFCD to "Corn Sugar" so that when the public reads product labels it wouldn't be as easily identifiable. This is a direct attempt on the Corn Refiners Assoc. to deceive the public!  

What the heck is high fructose corn syrup anyway?  Well, it was developed in the late 1960's through a process in which the glucose molecules within in the corn's starch are broken down even further into individual molecules which our tongues perceive as sweet. Basically it's a man made sweetener.  Secondly, most HFCS is derived from Genetically Modified Corn, in which the government subsidizes the nation's farmers to grow tons of.  HFCS has been slowly but surely been substituted in many foods and drinks that normally contained sugar or other sweeteners since the 1980's which afterward caused us to see an unusually sudden increase in health issues such as:

  1. Obesity
  2. Type 2 Diabetes
  3. Hypertension
  4. High Cholesterol
  5. Fatty Liver Disease
  6. Nervous System and Brain Damage due to Mercury (this is another post within itself)

If you are concerned about the long term affects of High Fructose Corn Syrup, you can start by reading the labels of the products that you normally purchase.  You will be surprised as I was to find that things like ketchup, relish, cereals, and breads contain HFCS.  One you become conscious of which foods contain HFCS then you will seek other alternatives such as honey, karo syrup, raw sugar, stevia, and my favorite, agave nectar.  You will cease to purchase products that contain HFCS and you will begin to inform others.


A nurse once explained it to me like this:

What HFCS basically does is it dulls your brain's ability to know when you are full. Therefore you just keep eating or drinking whatever it is you are ingesting. Have you every wondered why pizza and fast food places always have all you can drink soft drinks?  Because they know the more you drink the more you'll eat!

The controversy continues...

Thanks for Reading.

Many Blessings,
Angel-ahhh

"The first time you see something that you have never seen before, you almost know immediately if you should eat it or run away from it."
~Scott Adams




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