High fructose corn syrup isn’t the sweet deal you may think it is; learn what you’re eating before you reach for that soda or processed food!
High fructose corn syrup (or corn syrup) is found in most, or many, commonly found processed foods today. And, because such a large percentage of Americans rely on heavily processed foods as dietary staples, it’s important to understand this toxic ingredient and aim to remove it from your diet.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a highly-processed sweetener. It’s made by using certain enzymes to turn cornstarch into fructose and then mixing it with glucose to give it the desired level of sweetness. Within the more detailed steps of the processing, sulfuric acid, alpha amylase, glucmylase, hydrochloric acid, powdered carbon, calcium chloride, magnesium sulfate and other enzymes and additives are used create HFCS.
HFCS is so commonly used and loved by food manufacturers because it’s not only shelf stable, but it’s cheap. Additionally, it’s easy to work with and use in products due to its liquid nature.
Most HFCS that’s used in baked goods is approximately 90 percent fructose, while the HFCS used in products such as soft drinks is typically around 55 percent fructose. The main problem with this high fructose content is that the body simply was not designed to handle such incredible amounts of isolated fructose at a time, especially without any of the other natural co-factors. Fructose is the one form of sugar that is absorbed differently by the body, and unnatural, isolated fructose even more so.
Processed, isolated fructose can cause:
- Raised cholesterol and triglyceride levels (which can lead to heart disease)
- Liver deficiency and toxicity & non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Fat accumulation, particularly around the mid-section (fructose isn’t used directly for energy, so is stored as fat)
- Decreased insulin sensitivity (and hence, diabetes)
- It doesn’t increase the hormone leptin or decrease the hormone ghrelin, the two main hormones responsible for appetite, meaning that you’ll eat more
- Disrupts the body’s magnesium balance, which is an essential mineral vital for over 300 functions in the body
- Accelerates bone loss
- Feeds inflammation
- Disrupts proper body pH
- Raises blood pressure
- Leads to fat accumulation around the vital organs, including the heart
- The processing of HFCS results in the end product containing mercury, so frequent consumption of it can cause mercury toxicity
- Tooth decay
- Dementia
- Cancer
Not only are you not being provided any true nourishment from HFCS to support the optimal functioning of the body, you’re wreaking havoc on all organs and systems of the body and causing ailments and disease. Foods of this nature also are addictive & cause cravings, which lead to malnourishment, obesity, and difficulty losing weight from fat.
So, in short, seeing the ingredient HFCS on a label is a sign of highly processed, unnatural, poor quality, low nutrient, and disease causing food or drinks. High fructose corn syrup is a toxic ingredient that should be avoided.
Breakfast anyone? You’ll want it once you check out this chai oat breakfast recipe!
