Beware of Corn Syrup
by Natalie Glick

Health plays such a vital role in our lives.  It’s the one thing that we can’t trade in when a body part isn’t functioning or fix when the body shuts down, in most cases.  One of the major factors in keeping our body in optimum health is eating the right foods.  One of the greatest hazards to our health is the consumption of foods containing refined sugars such as corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a variety made from cornstarch using enzymes.

Though there are many sugars out there, they don’t all cause the body to react the same way. An article in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports the link between the consumption of HFCS in beverages and the epidemic rise of obesity.

All sugars affect your metabolic rates and blood sugar levels in one way or another, but who can give up all sugars? Especially after a long day.  We all need a little something sometime. Trust me; I have been there numerous times where I just want something sweet to comfort me at that four o’clock hour. Having a fruit like a peach or plum can be a special treat at those times when those cravings hit. 

Being an educated shopper and choosing the right foods will give you energy even at that late afternoon hour when you feel like your about to pass out.  Avoiding those hidden sweeteners like corn syrup, HFCS and corn syrup solids, is the first step to a healthier more energized you. 

So you are probably asking yourselves, “If this is so unhealthy for me then why is corn syrup in most food and drink items?”
 
Because it’s cheap! It’s as simple as that!

Let’s be fair to the manufactures here for a minute,  they have replaced cane sugar and the like because we as customers are always on the hunt for the “best value” in our products.  We search for that half gallon juice container for $2.50 on sale when an all natural –no sugar added variety may go for $6.00. Yes the manufacturers are aiming at giving us the best value on our dollar it seems, though how great is the value on our health?  What price do we place on preventing deteriorating health or preventing a diagnosis of diabetes? 

Surely, I am not suggesting that if you avoid corn syrups your health will be perfect, there are many factors to be considered in maintaining optimum health. 

Starting a healthier lifestyle today by avoiding corn syrup sweeteners will impact your life with more energy.

Here’s how it works.  High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is 80 percent fructose and 20 percent glucose, that’s nearly twice the amount of fructose found in sugar (sucrose). 

The fructose in HFCS gets absorbed in the body so quickly that your body is jumping from high and energy lows throwing your metabolic rates in every direction.

Shocking the body with such sugar overload without adequate fiber (found in fruits) to help slow down the metabolism of fructose in the body forces your body to do a number of harmful things to your health.  Effects such as, rise of blood sugar levels, overworking your liver and increasing fat deposits, not allowing your pancreas to release insulin the way it normally does, high bad cholesterol levels, decrease in your absorption of minerals, such as magnesium, copper, and chromium, increase in creating blood clots, increase in blood lactic acid (reason we are so sore after exercise), elevating insulin levels of women on the pill, among many other contributing factors are harmful to our general health.  Creating  sharp highs and lows in our blood sugar stresses our body and release stress hormones.  It is those stress hormones that make us crave more sugar.  Studies have shown that having sugar substitutes can lower stress hormones the same way sugar does or simply have cane sugar, agave nectar, or even simple sugar.  Though they say simple sugar is not all that healthy (who can ever live without it, especially with kids) it does not spike blood sugar like high fructose corn syrup does. 

A sample of some of the corn syrup laden foods in your home are “healthy” fruit juices in the refrigerated section of our supermarkets, juice boxes, energy drinks, energy bars, chocolate milks, sodas, applesauce, cookies, cereals, oatmeal, breads, puddings, Jell-O, pastries, breadcrumbs, cold cuts, ketchup, puddings, yogurts, ice cream, salad dressings, marinades, even baby formula.  Frighteningly the list goes on and on.  When you start looking at the ingredient list you will see just how many foods have corn syrup sweeteners, sweeteners in foods we would never think would need them like baby formula for example.  Could this be why America has the highest obesity rate?  Are we really asking food manufacturers to fill us up with cheap junk sugars? It seems so if you look at their staggering sales figures.

I was one of those consumers of corn syrup foods until 1999 when I decided to look into why my energy level was so low and I was having such cravings for sweets that it was affecting my liver function, giving me menstrual cramps, acne prone skin, adrenaline rushes and major comfort food bingeing, just to name a few!  I decided to start looking at labels and started buying foods with cane sugar when I could, or foods that had sugar in the middle of the ingredient list knowing that it’s not a main ingredient.  It was a challenge finding snacks without corn syrup for my children at the supermarket so I started to look into stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods where there were more options.  Slowly I started to find more and more substitutes for the corn syrup foods that I used to buy in the supermarket just by reading more and more labels. 

Empower your body and family by reading nutrition labels.  Avoid foods and beverages with corn syrups and high sugars (usually one of the first three ingredients) and ingredients that sound like they don’t belong in the English vocabulary.  Look for fruit juices without added high fructose corn syrup.  Breads without added HFCS (whole grains are best).  Cold cuts without corn syrups.  I couldn’t believe how many foods out there have these cheap sweeteners that are so harmful to our health!      

The next time you go food shopping for the family, keep in mind that you have the power to make a difference with the choice of foods you buy.  Just a few starting substitutes make a big difference in the long run.  My children may not understand how these sugars will affect them later on, yet I have experienced the effects of HFCS and realize keeping corn syrup out of the home is a great investment I have made on my families health.  I can’t prevent my children from completely eliminating sugars from their diet. Though I can prevent them from eating these foods and beverages in my home and teach them by example to maintain a healthier lifestyle.  These processed sugars affect us in so many ways emotionally and physically, eliminating them is certainly not easy and does take diligence. Starting a healthier lifestyle without sugars will reward you with enough energy to get through each and every wonderful day.  From my own personal experience, that one small change made a remarkable difference in my health, so go ahead and reward your body with the blessing of great health!