The Obese Truth In Pig Tails

You've probably been told at some point in your life that you need to give up soda.  Is it the caffeine? Is it the sugar? Or is it the acid or the carbonation?  Grab your nearest soda can and look at the ingredients and find High Fructose Corn Syrup (Also known as Corn Syrup and even recently changed to Corn Sugar).  Now put the can down - That's the stuff that will kill you.

I was just watching a clip from Saturday Night Live

This clip speaks more truth than one may realize. First, there's the person who with good intentions informs the other which comes off more as condescending. I've experienced this myself.  When I began school at Parker, I heard several remarks against High Fructose Corn Syrup without any explanation behind it.  I drank soda (root beer is my vice) and never heard of High Fructose Corn Syrup before.  It sounded more like one of those new wacky fearful trends. It was not until I found out what High Fructose Corn Syrup was that I finally gave up soda (I have a few fall backs now and again- don't judge me).  The effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup are undeniable, however the research is just catching up. And then there's the person who defends and even is a proponent of such products.  I don't know if they believe it, or if they are just against anyone who begins the "Don't eat that" rant, but there are people and sites who would tell you otherwise, calling High Fructose Corn Syrup "natural", "FDA approved", "Harmless", and even go so far as to say "beneficial".  They even deny the accusations even when the obese truth is standing in front of them in a small belly shirt munching on cookies and juice.

What is High Fructose Corn Syrup? There is a good middle of the road type article from the mayo clinic that is very helpful. (Mayo clinic - HFCS)  It is a fructose sugar extracted from corn that has a similar molecular structure as sucrose (your regular old fashioned sugar).  They say that it is natural because it comes from corn, however it is processed and refined.  It's the same lie from those who propose corn oil or vegetable oil.  It is the same logic saying that these oils are vegetable so therefore it must be good, while studies have shown that heart disease has sky rocketed since these oils were introduced and commonly used.  You're safer cooking with lard than these oils.  They also say High Fructose Corn Syrup is harmless.  Well, many references really state that it is no worse than regular sugar. That's comparing getting mauled be a lion or a tiger. It's not saying much, but new research is even saying that even though the molecular structure is similar, the effects are not the same (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322121115.htm).

So what are the effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup? Well, the more common effects are similar to regular sugar, but to a greater degree.  These include obesity, dental cavities, heart disease, decreased immune function, decreased brain function, increase risk of diabetes and mental disabilities (You think there's a link to ADD and these hidden sugars in our food?).  There have been some recent articles stating there are even more damaging effects solely from High Fructose Corn Syrup.  This sweetener has been linked to Kidney disease and uric acid formation which leads to gout (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20032963) as well as leading to liver damage in non alcoholic liver disease (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed).  These effects are damaging and prevalent.  Obesity is the most commonly mentioned effect, probably the easiest to physically notice. If one is looking to lose weight, the first thing to do is give up soda. It is amazing to see how much weight can be lost just be cutting out soda in one's diet. However, these other effects that are not as known or commonly mentioned can have even greater damage to our bodies and can occur without knowing until it may be too late.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is commonly known to be in soda drinks and in fruit flavored juices.  However, High Fructose Corn Syrup has snuck it's way into many other common foods.  I randomly went through my kitchen today and made a list of items that contained High Fructose Corn Syrup -

1. Tomato paste
2. Chocolate chip cookies
3. Hot Fudge topping
4. Caramel topping
5. Chocolate Frosting
6. Raisin Bran cereal
7. Reeses Puffs cereal
8. Cool whip
9. Strawberry preserves
10. Ketchup
11. BBQ sauce
12. Mayonnaise
13. Sweet relish
14. Peanut Sauce
15. Natural Whole Grain Bread (This one shocked me)
16. Vanilla Extract
17. Turkey gravy
18. Teriyaki sauce

I admit, our home is not filled with many sugary things as we try to eat more whole unprocessed foods and some items that are "no sugar added", but it still surprised even me some of those things on the list.  Many of these things we use on a daily basis and don't realize what is in it. One may simply suggest - Why not just eat diet or sugar free items? It sounds plausible, but that route may be just as damaging, as these products still use sweeteners in the ingredients which are artificial sweeteners.  These sweeteners are known more or less as Neurotoxins.  They do just as the name suggests, destroying our nerves and brain tissue.  So we are stuck, trapped between a sugar filled world and a sugar free mirage.

Here are a few suggestions.

1. More than half of what you eat should be whole foods (fruits, veggies, unprocessed foods)
2. Look for items that are sweetened with natural sweeteners (Sugar cane, Stevia, Truvia, Honey)
3. Buy items that say "No sugar added" and not the "Sugar Free"
4. Choose regular sugar over Corn Sugar or artificial sweeteners - and limit intake
5. When cooking, try reducing the sugar or replace sugar with honey
6. This is still one I need to work on- but if trying to help your children eat right, the whole family should be involved.  Simply, if you don't want your kids to have sugar, then don't buy it, not even for you because eventually if it's in the house, the kids will get it - It just happens

That's as much as I can think of right now. Hopefully I didn't come off as the "Don't eat that" lady. I'm not suggesting to go crazy and deem everyone pouring their kid juice as the devil, or to go through our pantry and throw out every item with sugar.  It would be good to do, but I do not suggest avoiding every little thing that may contain these sugars.  However, we owe it to ourselves to educate ourselves and learn about the products we do use on a daily basis, look at the ingredients and make better choices in our lives.