Blog 2: What’s in Your Food. Part Two: High Fructose Corn Syrup

Over the last two months I’ve been hearing a lot about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Most of us have heard of this ingredient. It’s a kind of sugar that comes from corn. We know about sugars right? They all basically break down the same way in our bodies: fructose, sucrose, glucose. You just don’t want to eat too much sugar. But are we eating a lot of HFCS? Probably.

I started reading my labels for HFCS and found it in almost everything. Some foods were not surprising, like cookies, crackers, fruit juice, sodas and other snack foods. But I also found it in my high-fiber, whole wheat bread and bagels, most health food cereals, yogurts, and I have yet to find a hot dog or hamburger bun without it.

Why is HFCS in so many foods? Simply because it is cheaper to make than cane and beet sugar. What differentiates HFCS is that it is made by using three different enzymes to break down the corn starch into the simple sugars glucose and fructose. But is HFCS the same as the other sugars or do we need to take a closer look? I took a closer look and found out HFCS is not the same. The body metabolizes HFCS differently. Apparently it turns to fat rather quickly.

As the name suggests there is a high percentage of fructose in the syrup, and it has more free or unbound fructose which interferes with the hearts use of key minerals like copper and magnesium, it is related to elevated levels of cholesterol and the creation of blood clots, and inhibits the action of white blood cells and their ability to protect against foreign invaders.

In 1980 the average person consumed 39 pounds of fructose. This increased to 83 pounds of fructose just fourteen years later. Today, about 25 percent of the average caloric intake comes from sugars, mainly in the form of fructose.

Why should this concern the average person? All over the news there is talk of an obesity epidemic in the United States, affecting adults as well as children. Obesity causes numerous health and emotional problems. I talked with a fitness expert from Europe who strongly suggested the reason for this epidemic is HFCS. She said Europeans do not eat less than Americans, they just don’t have HFCS in all their foods. When Europeans move to the States they end up having weight issues too.

What can you do about HFCS? Read your labels and cut out as much HFCS as you can. If you can’t eliminate a food from your diet look for it in an organic substitute. I have not found HFCS in any organic food yet, even organic sodas. And educate yourself. Research when you can, and talk with your doctor about your diet and HFCS. Here’s to better health.

What's in Your Food, Part One:Cottonseed Oil

Most people read their labels when buying food at the grocery store. Some things consumers want to see in their ingredient list, others they don’t. Whole wheat should be listed first, but you don’t want to see artificial sweeteners or other chemicals. Consumers know a lot about what is on their labels. But some things we don’t even suspect. Like cottonseed oil. Have you ever heard of it? Did you ever notice it on your food label? I didn’t. When I was researching organic cotton for clothing I found out some interesting facts about cotton and food and to my surprise found it on many food labels. And here’s what everyone should know.

Cotton is not regulated like a food product, even though we consume it, because cotton is primarily used for clothing. Cottonseed oil, cotton seed and cotton straw are all used as food. Cotton seed and cotton straw are fed to diary and beef cattle – which enters the human food chain in obvious ways. Cottonseed oil is consumed by people directly in many processed foods, including tortillas, honey roasted peanuts, cookies and chocolate turtles and used as an alternative cooking oil.

This is disturbing because cotton is heavily treated with pesticides (herbicides, fungicides and insecticides) and synthetic fertilizers. The U.S. grows about 14 million acres of cotton a year, which accounts for around 20% of the worlds supply. In 2000, farmers in the main U.S. cotton growing states used over 75 million pounds of pesticides on cotton. The World Health Organization estimates that 20,000 cotton workers die yearly from contamination.

It can’t be good for us. Just like strawberries, peaches, and grapes, organic is the best way to eat them. Fruits and vegetable are essential to our diets but who wants to eat them loaded with chemicals? You shouldn’t eat cottonseed oil loaded with chemicals either. And you are going to get more chemicals in cottonseed oil than other food products because it is not regulated for consumption.

So here you are, reading labels, trying to be conscious of what you bring home to your family, never realizing that many foods secretly contain chemicals you would not knowingly buy or eat. And while cottonseed oil may be a zero trans fat vegetable oil, when it’s loaded with pesticides and synthetic fertilizers it loses its healthy appeal. I no longer purchase foods with cottonseed oil on the label. And now you have the power to make an informed decision too. In the end it would be best if cotton was just grown organically. Then it really could be a healthy choice.

For more information on organic standards and foods you can visit the Organic Trade Association
For information on cottonseed oil production check out http://www.cottonseedoiltour.com/