Sugar has taken a bad rap. If we all ate sugar in limited quantities, it would be fine. It’s just that we don’t. HOWEVER, there is a substance that is worse and, I believe, deserves MORE blame than it gets for our societal health woes. This substance was not even available in the United States before the 1960s. Today it makes up over 20% of our daily carbohydrate intake. So goes the story of HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP(HFCS).
HFCS is made from corn starch. It is processed, using enzymes, and in its final form contains a mixture of fructose and glucose, making it similar to table sugar. However, it is cheaper and easier to use than sugar. HFCS is a liquid, whereas table sugar is a solid. All of this has resulted in HFCS being added, it seems, to virtually everything! Because of this we are ingesting enormous quantities. And that is leading to many health problems.
Humans metabolize fructose differently from other simple sugars. Glucose, for instance, is metabolized by the brain, muscles, and the liver. Fructose, however, is mainly metabolized in the liver. In excess, it will raise your blood triglyceride level. And all that fructose overload, when it is turned into fat, can lead to a fatty liver. When I was in medical school and residency, I never had a patient with a fatty liver. Now it is extremely common.
Today HFCS is prevalent in most US soda drinks. The popularity of soft drinks has led to generations of kids who often drink a full day’s worth of calories in addition to the solid food they eat! This has helped lead to the ever-increasing obesity rate in America. This in turn, has led to increased diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and likely increased cancer and dementia rates.
As to HFCS being everywhere, look at the list of foods below where it may be hiding:
- soda
- candy
- sweetened yogurt
- salad dressing
- frozen convenience foods
- bread
- canned fruit
- juice
- boxed dinners
- granola bars
- breakfast cereals
- store bought baked goods
- sauces and condiments (like ketchup!)
- snack foods
- cereal bars
- nutrition bars
- coffee creamer
- energy and sports drinks
- jams and jellies
- ice cream
SO…….if Americans are to become healthy again, it is going to take changing the way we eat and drink. We HAVE to go back to eating more whole, unadulterated foods. We have to avoid so called foods that are made in labs. We have kitchens, and we have curiosity and ingenuity! Take your curiosity and ingenuity to your kitchen and see what YOU can come up with using whole ingredients. And read food labels, avoiding anything that contains High Fructose Corn Syrup!
