High Fructose Corn Syrup: Poison in our Food Sunday, June 29, 2008

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Poison in our Food

 

I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It’s in the majority of the foods that are processed. It came out in the late 1970’s as a cheap replacement for sugar, and almost immediately, business made the switch. Cheaper sweetener = Larger profits. This started the mass poisoning of the next generations.

 

But why is high fructose corn syrup so bad? One article I read mentioned an analysis performed at Rutgers University of eleven soft drinks that all use high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener. The analysis, “found very high levels of reactive carbonyls…which have been linked to tissue damage and complications of diabetes,” and are found in diabetics’ blood. But the amount that it typically found in the blood of diabetics is nothing compared to the concentration in a can of soda. Sodas apparently contain five times that amount. (Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup, n.d.). This scares me. We are willingly drinking something that contains a substance that is linked to tissue damage. WILLINGLY. Do we all have a death wish?

 

Now we are seeing ever increasing amounts of people being diagnosed with diabetes, or even those who are just overweight or obese. “The percentage of overweight children in the United States has tripled since 1980” (Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup, n.d.). When I walk into a store and I see a family of overweight children, my first thought is about how much sugar and high fructose corn syrup they are probably consuming. And their parents are allowing it. Maybe they don’t realize how truly bad for their kids this stuff is. But they should be able to see from their children’s increasing sizes, something is not working well in their diets. It worries me for the kids’ mental states too, because other kids are so heartless when it comes to making fun of classmates.

 

“It is getting difficult to find a food product at the grocery store or McDonalds that is not loaded with HFCS. One 20-ounce bottle of Coke, Pepsi, Mt Dew, Sprite, or Dr. Pepper is the equivalent of pouring 17 teaspoons of sugar straight into your body.” (Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup, n.d.). That is 17 teaspoons of sugar we are consuming in ONE drink. ONE! How can we possibly consider that to be okay? Especially when there are many people who drink ONLY soda???

 

Apparently, it can even be found in so-called vitamin water. “High fructose corn syrup masquerades under the name of crystalline fructose in Glaceau Vitamin Water and some energy drinks” (Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup, n.d.). Yes, in vitamin water. One of those things that we turn to because it is supposed to be good for us. Speaking of good for us, “Have you seen the new commercials on TV for Capri Sun? The ad suggests that Capri Sun is now healthy for you because they have added antioxidants. As long as they continue to sweeten Capri Sun with HFCS, they are lying to you” (Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup, n.d.).

 

Even the USDA is aware of the dangers of high fructose corn syrup, but continue to allow its consumption anyway. “Research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that high fructose diets shorten the life span of laboratory mice from the normal two years to a mere five weeks” (Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup, n.d.). If it can affect mice to that extent, what do you think it may be doing to the inside of your body?

 

We do not even know the full damage that we are doing to our bodies by carelessly consuming anything that is sold at the grocery store. Just because it tastes good does not mean that it is actually good for your body. After researching what I can on this, I have decided for the sake of my own health (which has suffered), I will cut out as much as possible any high fructose corn syrup from my diet. But this can be very difficult. For me, this means eating mainly fruits and veggies, fish and chicken, and some grains and nuts. I have to read labels very carefully, because high fructose corn syrup really is found in almost everything. Even in applesauce, for goodness sake. It’s ridiculous.

 

If you also have some trouble finding products free of high fructose corn syrup, I leave you with this last bit of advice I found in an article: “One tip is to try an ethnic grocery store – such as an Asian or Latino food store, if you have trouble finding HFCS free foods that you like. The American food industry doesn’t give two ‘toots’ about your health” (Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup, n.d.). Too true…

 

 

References:

Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup – HFCS. (n.d.). Retrieved June 29, 2008, from http://www.femhealth.com/dangersofhfcs.html

 

 

The Curse Sunday, June 29, 2008

I feel that fibromyalgia is a definite curse. I know some people who have fibromyalgia don’t necessarily feel it as severely as I do, or maybe don’t have as many other disorders going on at the same time. I don’t know. But I actually find it discouraging to hear from people who say they had it and exercised and got all better. Sorry, that one just isn’t going to work for me.

One of the worst parts of this whole mess is the stomach issues I have developed. I don’t know if it’s due to my medications or if it’s actually another disorder or condition, but it is so hard to eat. People don’t understand how depressing it is to know that you NEED to eat, for the sake of your health and body (and for fear of disappearing otherwise), but are just physically unable to eat. The nausea is horrible. I take nausea medication usually given to chemo patients, and even that is really not enough. It’s extremely stressful to try to force food down your throat every hour or couple hours throughout the day.

I have an extremely difficult time trying to get enough calories into my body. I’ve been doing research and based on my current weight (about 98-100 pounds, which is extremely scary to me), to keep from going into starvation mode, I need about 1200 calories. To maintain my current weight, I need about 1500 calories. To gain a pound a week, I need to consume over 2000 calories. It’s really a struggle just to hit 1000 calories. I’m finding that in order to hit the 1500, I need to be eating almost every hour. I’m trying really hard not to eat junk food, but instead to eat foods that will actually nourish  my body. I know at this point that I’m probably malnourished. So I want to eat only those foods that will most effectively nourish my body. Unfortunately, eating healthy foods makes it even harder to meet that 1500 calories (or the 2000, which is what I really need). Fruits and vegetables just don’t have that many calories. I’m not that big of a meat eater. And I’ve been having difficulty with breads and cereals for months. Plus, I really want to avoid ANYTHING with High Fructose Corn Syrup, because that stuff is the devil.

I truly believe that most of us have been poisoning our bodies for years, if not our entire lives. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I grew up eating stuff from boxes, cans, bags. Of course, my mom is a pretty good cook, and she did make meat and vegetables all the time, but our breakfast on the weekdays tended to consist of sugary cereals. Lunches were typically sandwhiches with chips or something. Maybe an apple. And side dishes at dinner were typically out of the box. After I moved out and got married, my diet went downhill fast. Between work and school, it can be so difficult to eat healthy. In comes junk food, fast food, anything in boxes with “Just add water,” on the side. All of that stuff that contributes to the downfall of one’s health.

Once you get to the point where everything you’ve been poisoning your body with starts to affect you, its extremely hard to get back. And I’m really at an extremely low point. Because I’ve had problems eating for so long and am now malnourished, my energy levels are SO low. My muscles are weak. It’s extremely hard to function. I hate this. I want to feel good again. I want to be able to eat a normal meal. I want to feel human again.