Friday, October 1, 2010

High Fructose Corn Syrup

High Fructose Corn Syrup is in a lot of foods on the shelves. It is even in things you don't think of as being sweet to the taste. Start reading the ingredients listed on food labels and you will be surprised. A lot of breads have it.

You On a Diet recommends staying away from foods with high fructose corn syrup. The theory is that consuming high fructose corn syrup shuts off the hormones produced by your body to tell itself when it is full. You end up eating more and I think it is also highly addictive.

A lot of companies in the food industry are taking notice. In fact, many have switched back to regular sugar. You can find packaging on some foods that advertise, "No High Fructose Corn Syrup." Many soda companies are making their soda out of cane sugar again. I have heard of new diet trends that are taking notice as well.

Of course there is some controversy. There always is, isn't there? You can understand that corn refiners are not happy about the new trend and bad wrap. In fact there is a movement to change the name from High Fructose Corn Syrup to Corn Sugar. Check out this article that was published in September. Who knew there was a Corn Refiners Association???

The truth is, replacing corn syrup with regular sugar is still SUGAR. We all know that people who have diets high in sugar are at a higher risk for developing diabetes. I choose to stay away from products with high fructose corn syrup because for me it is addictive. In general, R and I have reduced the amount of any type of sugar we consume.

I recommend reading this article by the authors of You On a Diet. It gives a good scientific explanation for how high fructose corn syrup interferes with your body and its processes. I also encourage you to read ingredients on food labels. Let me know what foods you come across that you're surprised to find out have high fructose corn syrup. In fact, go read your ketchup label.