Knock Out Childhood Obesity by Ditching High Fructose Corn Syrup
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011Is High Fructose Corn Syrup dangerous?
The ingredient itself is not any worse than regular sugar. Seriously, it isn’t anymore harmful than honey, granulated sugar or corn syrup. However, its effect on the human body is where the real problem lies.
The Truth About High Fructose Corn Syrup
Everything begins with corn starch being converted to glucose, an important sugar molecule that supplies energy towards the brain and body cells. A few of the glucose is changed into fructose, or fruit sugar. Hence, high-fructose corn syrup is made due to the cheap production and used to replace the standard sucrose (ordinary sugar) in many foods because of it being sweeter.
Here’s the issue: HFCS doesn’t activate the insulin essential to provide the brain signals that tell our bodies when we’re satisfied. What’s worse is the fact that consuming fructose causes the blood sugar levels to increase, starting a resistance a reaction to insulin, the hormone that transports glucose through the body.
From that which was just said, HFCS can lead to obesity due to the impact on appetite and the excessive calories. Insulin and leptin (a body fat hormone that reduces food intake and decreases bodyweight and body fat) both prevent hunger, but since fructose keeps insulin from appearing, an imbalance in your body occurs and it takes more food and beverages to fulfill the hunger, leading to overconsumption of calories.
Fructose Comes From Fruit, Right?
You’re probably wondering, “Does this mean the fructose from fruit is bad for you?” Absolutely not. Above all else, you should eat just as much fruit as possible. They’re nutrient-dense, meaning you can eat more of it without having to be worried about overeating them. It doesn’t mean you need to go wild on the fruit juices, though. Unless it’s 100% juice with no added sugars, they’re probably more artificial syrup than actual fruit.
A Squeeze Play
Desire a great example? What about SunnyD? Despite it claiming to become 100% Ascorbic acid, you will find there’s a serious insufficient actual fruit? Actually, it says in its Nutritional Facts it only contains 5% juice. In the Ingredients list, guess what? High Fructose Corn Syrup is number two on its list right under water. It even states out there that it contains only 2% or less of everything else. Now can you give something like this to your child knowing full well that the bottle of HFCS and water won’t satisfy their appetite? Thought not. If you really want to provide them with juice, try Minute Maid or Honest Kids. They’re more reliable compared to “juice drinks” or “juice blends” out there.
Tha harsh truth
High Fructose Corn Syrup is probably not leaving the Ingredients list any time soon. After all, food manufacturers aren’t prepared to give up something so cheap for the consumer’s benefit. Even when they do, they’ll probably replace it with the regular kinds of sugar. Be aware of what you are feeding yourself as well as your kids.