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.