Did you know that 20% of the American diet is coming from one toxic substance? This substance has been neurologically compared to having similar addictive properties to drugs like cocaine. With this much money on the line, it comes as no surprise that those who are selling it will do everything in their power to keep it as a staple in your diet.
With so much misinformation being thrown around, I’ll do my best to shed some light on the question of…
Why is high fructose corn syrup bad?
It’s Cheap
Let’s start off with why HFCS is used by food companies in such astronomical volumes; products made with it are sweeter and cheaper. The US is the world’s leading producer of corn and with so much supply on our hands, it’s simply cheaper for food companies to use HFCS than healthier alternatives. It’s in the food industry’s best interest to keep costs low and margins high for their shareholders.
The corn industry is doing everything in its power to convince us that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with HFCS. If you do a quick Google search for “high fructose corn syrup facts,” then the first thing you’ll see is a paid advertisement at the top of the page for sweetsurpise.com. This is the corn industry’s propaganda website.
There you can read about their privately funded studies and how all the other scientists and physicians have it wrong. Their meaningless confusing ads and statements in the media and online attempt to assure the public that the biochemistry of real sugar and industrially produced sugar from corn are exactly the same.
2. Not All Sugar is Created Equal
The corn industry’s leading argument is that HFCS is the same as regular cane sugar (sucrose). This simply isn’t true and the difference lies in the biochemistry. Sucrose is made of two-sugar molecules bound tightly together, glucose and fructose in an equal 50-50 ratio. The enzymes in your digestive tract must break down the sucrose into glucose and fructose, which are then absorbed into the body.
HFCS is also comprised of glucose and fructose, but a 55-45 fructose to glucose ratio in an unbound form. A study of HFCS in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, describes how they are more rapidly absorbed into your blood stream since there is no chemical bond between them and no digestion is needed.
3. It Makes Us Fat, Sick, and Stupid
Fructose is delivered to the liver and activates lipogenesis (the production of fats like triglycerides and cholesterol). This process explains why HFCS is the chief cause of liver damage and leads to a condition that affects 70 million people called “fatty liver.”
The rapidly absorbed glucose initiates huge spikes in insulin which is our body’s main fat storage hormone. These qualities combined lead to increased metabolic disturbances that drive increases in appetite, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, learning impairment, dementia, and more. This process also stops you from feeling full which leads to overeating.
4. It’s Addictive
What’s the only thing worse than a toxic substance? A toxic substance that is addictive. HFCS causes opiate and dopamine activity in the reward centers of the brain, just like other abusive drugs (2). This activates powerful reward-seeking behavior that can drive overeating.
5. Strong Indicator or “Food-like Substance”
Products containing HFCS are always poor-quality, nutritionally depleted, processed food full of empty calories and artificial ingredients. If you see “high fructose corn syrup” on the label, you can be sure it is not a whole or fresh food full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants.
Try your best to avoid HFCS if you want to be healthy. This one easy dietary modification can drastically decrease your health risks and improve your long term health. The easiest way to avoid HFCS is simply to check labels. Most know that sweetened sodas are loaded with this poison, but many are shocked at just how many foods they enjoy on a daily basis contain it.
Below is an extremely small sample of foods that you may be surprised to find out have added high fructose corn syrup. If you want some help at the grocery store, then download our free clean eating grocery list.
Beverages:
Powerade
Gatorade
Snapple
Starbucks
Sweetened Tea
Breads:
Sara Lee Heart Healthy Whole Grain Bread
Thomas English Muffins
Wonderbread
Condiments, Dressings, and Sauces:
Heinz Ketchup
Hunt’s Catsup
Miracle Whip
Heinz Pickle Relish
Mott’s Applesauce
Emeril’s Italian Vinegrette
Kraft Salad Dressing
Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
Wishbone Ranch Dressing
Wish-Bone Classic Caesar
A1 Steak Sauce Marinade
Bull’s Eye BBQ Sauce
Kraft Barbecue Sauce
Crackers:
Kraft Cheese Nips
Nabisco Ritz Crackers
Nabisco Wheat Thins
Dairy:
Breakstones Cottage Cheese & Toppings
Breyer’s Yogurt – Fruit on the Bottom
Cool Whip
Yoplait Yogurts
Snacks:
Nutri-Grain Bars
Oscar Mayer Lunchables
Optimum Opti-Pro Meal Lite Bar
PowerBar
Soups:
Campbell’s Vegetable Soup
Campbell’s Tomato Soup
Editor’s Note:
Question – Doesn’t Fruit Contain Fructose?
Answer – Naturally occurring fructose in fruit is part of a complex of nutrients and fiber that doesn’t exhibit the same biological effects as the free high fructose doses found in “corn sugar.”
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