Sweet Deception: The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup

Welcome back!

There has been a lot of negative publicity surrounding High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in recent years.

In response to all of the negative hype, the Corn Refiners Association has launched a campaign in favor of HFCS. Included in this campaign are print ads, radio ads, T.V. commercials, and a website. www.sweetsurprise.com.

These ads claim that HFCS is as safe as table sugar and actually has health benefits if eaten in moderation.

Watch the two commercials below to get an idea of what I am talking about:

Any unsuspecting and uninformed consumer would watch these commercials and walk away with the idea that not only is high fructose corn syrup good for you, so is table sugar.

There are two points you need to take away from this article:

1. HFCS is very harmful to you and your loved ones.
2. The similarities between HFCS and table sugar, also known as sucrose, are the fact that they both contain 4 calories per gram, they are both sweet, and they are both extremely bad for you.

Since 1980, obesity rates have risen in direct proportion to the increase in HFCS consumption.

But first…

It is very important that you don’t confuse naturally occurring fructose from whole fruits with the fructose found in high fructose corn syrup.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH FRUCTOSE?
Fructose, the carbohydrate found in fruits is very beneficial for you. It is easily absorbed and easily stored by your body. Also, when you obtain fructose from eating whole fruits, it is absorbed slowly into your blood stream because of the fiber and other nutrients contained in the whole fruit. Confusion sets in because of deceptive marketing from the big corporations.

The fructose found in fruit drinks, sport drinks, and packaged foods is much different than the fructose found in natural whole fruits. The fructose found in packaged foods and drinks is processed and refined. It is stripped of all of its vital nutrients through chemical processes and does not occur in nature by itself.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
High fructose corn syrup is now the most widely used sweetener in America. Because of this, corn is the number one crop in our country. The corn industry has grown to mammoth proportions in recent years. High fructose corn syrup is one of the most genetically modified and unhealthy foods available today. You need to avoid any food that contains this harmful substance.

“Almost all nutritionists finger high fructose corn syrup consumption as a major culprit in the nation’s obesity crisis. The inexpensive sweetener flooded the American food supply in the early 1980s, just about the time the nation’s obesity rate started its unprecedented climb.
Loading high fructose corn syrup into increasingly larger portions of soda and processed food has packed more calories into us and more money into food processing companies, say nutritionists and food activists. But some health experts argue that the issue is bigger than mere calories. The theory goes like this: The body processes the fructose in high fructose corn syrup differently than it does old-fashioned cane or beet sugar, which in turn alters the way metabolic-regulating hormones function. It also forces the liver to kick more fat out into the bloodstream.
The end result is that our bodies are essentially tricked into wanting to eat more and at the same time, we are storing more fat. ”
–Source: “Sugar Coated- We’re drowning in high fructose corn syrup.” by Kim Severson, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer

Have you ever given a kid some ice cold soda on a hot summer day? He will be able to drink soda after soda. It’s not uncommon to see a kid drink three or four soda in a row.

Give that same kid a glass of water and he will usually be satisfied after one glass.

The high fructose corn syrup in a can of soda does not satisfy your thirst. On the contrary, it makes you thirstier.

Big corporations have figured out a way to make us consume more and more of there processed and denatured junk; without any consideration for our health and well being… all in the name of increased profits and a bigger return on investment!

HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH PROCESSED SUGAR
There are many health risks associated with processed sugar. Too many to discuss here. However, processed sugar is a major contributor to the epidemic of overweight and obesity in our world.

Health risks of interest:
• Diabetes
• Heart Disease (the number one killer of women in America)
• Osteoporosis
• Breast and Ovarian Cancer
• Yeast Infections
• Depression

DID YOU KNOW?
It is estimated that the average American ingests 150 pounds of high fructose corn syrup and sugar each year! This figure includes children as well as adults.

“Obesity claims more lives and drains more of the healthcare budget than smoking. Obesity is linked to diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. It inflates healthcare costs by 36 percent and medication costs by 77 percent. Not only are people suffering from the negative effects of sugar; they’re paying big money to be treated for these debilitating diseases that result from it.”
–Source: “The Politics of Sugar” by Dani Veracity (www.newstarget.com)

The major culprit in this onslaught of HFCS consumption is soft drinks. However, sport drinks and fruit drinks are also loaded with HFCS.

High fructose corn syrup is found in soft drinks and most processed foods, but it doesn’t stop there. HFCS is found in almost everything from ketchup to sports bars and drinks.

Yes, popular sports drinks and protein bars contain HFCS. Drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade have HFCS at the top of their ingredients list.

This really gets me mad because unsuspecting parents and guardian give these sports drinks to their children as a healthier alternative to soda.

HFCS CULPRITS IN OUR FOOD
Processed and refined HFCS takes on many different forms. They are just as confusing and just as deceptive as the processed and refined grains that we discussed in the breads section of this book. We need to avoid this deadly food at all costs.

“Watch out also folks for hidden and chemically refined HIGH FRUCTOSE that is even more concentrated and health damaging (diabetes, cardio vascular disease, cancer, hypoglycemia, Syndrome X, obesity, etc.) intentionally MISLABELED, or DECEPTIVELY legally noncompliant like: ‘chicory’, ‘inulin’, ‘iso glucose’, ‘glucose-fructose syrup’, ‘dahlia syrup’, ‘tapioca syrup’, ‘glucose syrup’, ‘corn syrup’, ‘crystalline fructose’ and flat out fraud ‘fruit fructose’,
–Source: Vital Votes, www.mercola.com

DO YOU EXPECT ME TO AVOID SUGAR FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE?
Look, I am not asking you to avoid processed sugars for the rest of your life. In our modern world it would be virtually impossible.

However, you do need to be aware of the harmful effects of all processed sweeteners, including HFCS. Knowing what you now know, you should do your best to avoid and severely limit your intake of these refined sweeteners. Eat a piece of organic fruit if you crave something sweet.

Well, what do you think?

Let me know your thoughts on this subject:
I’d love to hear what you have to say.