Who’s Afraid of HFCS?

To all of you, my friends in San Antonio, when it comes to fat loss, the question is: Who’s afraid of HFCS? Please let me tell you little tale of an encounter I had with a friend not too long ago…

“Ummm,” he said, gulping down the last few drops of his so-called “sports drink.” “Man, that hits the spot.”

“Was that supposed to be good for you?”, I asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Well duh!”, he said, thrusting the bottle in my face so that I could read the label.

“Hmmm”, was my reply, obviously less than he had hoped.

“This drink tastes sweet because it was flavored with corn, not sugar cane. It is common in many foods, sadly many of which are “health” drinks.”

“What does that mean?” he queried, the defiant look from before now faded.

“It means you are ingesting a lot of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) daily. And it isn’t limited to just soft drinks and bags of bread or cookies. You’ll find that sugary liquid junk in things like yogurt, herbal teas, and…” pointing to his empty bottle, “so called healthy sports drinks.”

“Why is that a big deal?”, he asked, drawing a step closer.

“Because, Einstein, HFCS has been linked to a variety of health problems.”

“Like what?” The look on his face and the darting of his eyes made me think he was going to attempt to find a place to spew, should the information be too much to handle.

I continued, “Dr. George Bray, a researcher, has found a connection between HFCS and obesity.”

“But I’m not obese…” he said, frowning while pinching his side just above his belt.

“I know that. It’s true that HFCS is not the only cause of obesity, but it’s certainly one of the contributors. Dr. Meira Field, another researcher, fed lab rats a diet high in HFCS.”

I paused to let the sound of my voice reverberate through the air.

“The rats encountered several significant health problems, including anemia, fatal heart conditions, and delayed testicular development.”

His hand drifted slowly toward his zipper.

“And all of the rats died before they made it to adulthood. And their livers? They looked like Swiss cheese, kind of like what an alcoholics liver resembles. They were full of cirrosis and plugged with fat.”

His color was now akin to the white of a freshly painted door in a hospital.

“Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention… HFCS is high in mercury.”

I reached my hand across the chasm between us and gently pressed upward on his jaw. I didn’t want any flies getting in having been attracted by the sweetness and aroma of his recently devoured drink.

“Yes, see this was discovered by two recently released studies. One study published in Environmental Health tested 20 samples of commercial HFCS and found detectable mercury levels in nine of those samples. The other study by the IATP or Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (a watch-dog group) discovered mercury in almost a third of 55 popular food and drink brands that list HFCS as the top ingredient.”

“So…what can I do to make sure I don’t eat or drink anymore of this stuff?”, he asked shakily.

“Three simple things,” I replied, glad to see the responsive turn around in my friend.

1)      Drink pure water or homemade tea instead of soda.

2)      Avoid pre-packaged products and eat whole, unprocessed foods.

3)      Eat foods like God made them, in other words food that grows naturally.

If you’ve just got to have a pre-packaged product, do two things: A) read the label before you buy, and B) remember this conversation.

And DO NOT believe the B.S. that is trying to be sold to you in these commercials:

http://youtu.be/gl9vZYj-aJ4

Why High Fructose Corn Syrup Deserves Bad Press

You may have seen one of these ads recently on television touting High Fructose Corn Syrup as “natural” or just like sugar.

Don’t buy into it. It’s a lie.

The sweetness you taste in many foods comes from corn, not sugar cane. Which means you could be eating a lot of HFCS daily. And we’re not just talking about soft drinks and bags of bread or cookies.

You’ll find the ever present sugary liquid in things like yogurt, sports drinks, and herbal teas.

Why is this a big deal? Because HFCS is linked to a variety of health problems.

Here’s an example: Dr. George Bray found a connection between this artificial sweetener and obesity. And though it’s true that HFCS is not the only cause of obesity, it’s certainly one of the contributors.

Another researcher, Dr. Meira Field, fed lab rats a diet high in HFCS. The rats experienced significant health problems, including anemia, delayed testicular development, and fatal heart conditions. All of the rats died before reaching adulthood, and their livers resembled those of alcoholics. They were cirrhotic and plugged with fat.

Here’s a few hints to avoid HFCS:
• Drink water or homemade tea instead of soda.
• As much as possible, avoid pre-packaged products and eat whole, unprocessed foods – in other words, food that grows naturally.
• When considering pre-packaged products, read the label before you buy.

Stay away, far away, from this garbage, unless you want to remain overweight and sickly.

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