We’ve all seen the commercial before. The kids are outside playing games while the grown ups are hovered around the punch table gossiping. One mom pours a soft drink for her child and the other mom at the table scoffs in disbelief.
“You know that has high fructose corn syrup in it right?”she says. “And?”the other mom replies. “You know..”the mom states,”it’s bad.”
“I know that it’s made out of corn, it’s natural and like all sugars it’s fine in moderation.” The second mom replies.
But is the mom pouring the soft drink right? Is high fructose corn syrup really safe to have in moderation? Many health professionals would not agree with her.
The first thing that medical professionals would argue with the mom that supports HFCS is that it cannot be eaten in moderation. This is because HFCS is in almost every food and beverage we produce in American. This is due to how cheap it is compared to other forms of sugars.
And American is consuming more sugar than ever. In the past one person would only consume 20 teaspoons of sugar per year according to Dr. Mark Hyman, and now we consume 150 pounds per person per year. Dr. Hyman also remarks that there are also 15 grams of sugar per can of cola, all of which have been contributed to HFCS.
HFCS is dangerous because of the fact that we are consuming so much of it. After consuming so much of something, that substance becomes toxic to our bodies. So much so that it has contributed to Type II Diabetes.
Not only is HFCS dangerous to our bodies, but also the process in creating the corn syrup is also dangerous to us as well. Dr. Hyman also mentions that we are using Chloralkai to make HFCS, and by using Chloralkai we are putting more Mercury levels in our food. Having an increase in metals will cause other diseases to form and cause issues.
In addition to causing illnesses, HFCS can also cause us to think that we’re not full when eating or drinking, making us consume more. Studies at the University of Pennsylvania supported this claim. They found that the fructose in HFCS does not satisfy the hunger hormone ghrelin as much as regular sugar does.
So what does this mean for our grocery lists ?Well although HFCS is in almost everything we eat and drink, there is a way to avoid it. When shopping read the nutrition facts on the products you’re buying, and if it has any hint of HFCS put the product back on the shelf. To stay away from HFCS nutritionist Jillian Michaels suggests trying to incorporate more organic versions of your favorite foods such as: applesauce , bread, cereal, salad dressings, and jellies.
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