My family and I recently jumped on this HFCS train. I am not even really sure where I heard about it. Maybe something on the news, family or Facebook? The more I do learn and read about it, the more I am surprised how unaware I was of it and it's dangers. Seems as though our government is killing us slowly and quietly.
I recently googled HFCS. Funny enough Wikipedia did not really speak too much of it's dangers or why it is bad. I wonder if Wikipedia is secretly ran by the government? :) Anyways - here is what HFCS is:
High-fructose corn syrup is a manmade sweetener.
Lets read it again....
High-fructose corn syrup is a manmade sweetener.
See the problem here? MANMADE SWEETENER. Well... if we are being honest here those two words should be the first thing that stops us. BUT since we want to try and trust 'man'... we don't.
So lets read more on how this manmade sweetener is created...
Corn kernels are soaked in warm water containing sulfur dioxide. This warm solution hydrates the kernels and makes it easier to separate its starch, hull, protein and oil components. After soaking, the kernels are wet milled to remove the oil containing germ. Next, the remaining corn starch is washed. Three types of enzymes are added to the resulting starch and water mixture to break down the starch into glucose and fructose and create the desired balance of the two. Courtesy of eHow.
Now of course this is taken from an article online and you can't go by everything you read online as I am sure there are many parts that are hidden from us consumers. This does however give us basic knowledge of what it is and how it is made.
Reading just this short excerpt should be enough for us to not put this in our bodies. Right? But unfortunately it is not. I mean honestly it just sounds like bunch of mumbo jumbo and doesn't make a whole lot of sense to the average person.
So lets move on to the 2 main health concerns HFCS is linked to:
Obesity
Diabetes
Now, lets take this into consideration:
In the 1960's Japan started producing HFCS and then in the 1970's HFCS entered America's supply system. Since then statistics show our obesity & diabetes rates have sky rocketed.
Why?
HFCS is found in our soda, bread, BBQ sauce, salad dressings, jams, ice cream, peanut butter, and so many other countless every day foods.
Sad, right?
Through my various research there are of course the websites that say HFCS really isn't that bad. They try to compare it to regular table sugar and tell you how it is similar and almost the same. There are professors and leaders that are helping with this advertisement. I mean you can't blame companies that are as big as Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, Ingredion Incorporated, Tate & Lyle and Pendford to pay for advertising that says their product is okay. These companies also happen to belong to the Corn Refiners Association who creates the advertising campaigns through print and television that try and bust the "myths" on the harm of HFCS.
To be fair to both sides. I did read websites like Sweet Surprise that gives their side and options on why they believe HFCS is not harmful to us. I will admit they are convincing. But in the end I am not convinced.
In reading through all the information I have come to these two main conclusions.
- Sugar is sugar. When HFCS is compared to sugar - they both are bad. They both need to be eaten in moderation and they both can cause the same health problems. One of our big problems in our generations is we have forgotten what the word MODERATION means when it comes to food.
- I believe that HFCS and sugar are not processed in the body the same way as some articles for HFCS have stated. Nor do I believe that HFCS is 'natural'.
I have listed below just a very few of the websites that I have come across with HFCS information. Some are Pro and some are Cons. Take some time yourself to read through these and form your own opinion. I am just a mom and wife trying to make healthier decisions for my family. You should too!
5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You - drhyman.com - This is by far my favorite article.
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