A grand follow-up

This article from Farm Aid is an excellent follow-up to my high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) post.  It covers the plethora of poor food products our grocery stores offer and breaks it down in the most practical way.  While high fructose corn syrup may not be any worse than sugar for our health, it's the prevalence of it in our grocery store options that draws the most skepticism.  The majority of us would not pour HFCS over our broccoli, but sadly, in the grocery store you find that ingredient in items as unassuming as pasta.  While HFCS itself can't cause diabetes and obesity, the overconsumption of processed foods can and will.  As for agriculture, it is the overproduction of a small sampling of crops that make up most of those of foods.  That monoculture style of production is warranting the consumer charge against companies patenting growth of those crops and then constructing the so called "foods" we are sold in the store.  The linked article explains it so well.  Read, read, read...
http://www.farmaid.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=qlI5IhNVJsE&b=2723877&content_id=%7B3E5D15C7-A937-4A0B-80EE-CB0B81EA6B76%7D&notoc=1&tr=y&auid=6011317

Photo by Billie Hara, courtesy of Creative Commons

High Fructose Corn Syrup...The Devil????

This post covers one of my favorite American food subjects...CORN, more importantly, a derivative called high fructose corn syrup or HFCS as I will refer to it throughout this post.  My nutrition class covered this subject at length this week and I'm going to share my new found knowledge, even if it wasn't initially what I wanted to hear.

Let me preface by saying the post you are about to read does not forgive the alarming presence of HFCS in the many processed foods in our grocery stores.  If you know me, you have heard me comment about corn maybe even two, three, or four times in conversation.  I still believe that this country's subsidized crop production is ruining our health, land, water, etc.  This post is a reflection of actual research mixed with a dose of healthy eating advise, not an opinion about American agricultural practices.

Get ready, here we go...many medical studies have concluded there is no significant difference between the effects of HFCS and sugar on our absorption, digestion, or metabolism.  The studies go on to discuss there are also very little distinctions chemically between HFCS and sugar.  The whole time concluding that it is not HFCS or added sugars making Americans fat.  Instead, it is overconsumption of processed foods containing sweeteners, and they are in many foods you'd never assume, not just soda, candy, etc.

The moral of the story is that our country's obesity epidemic cannot be blamed on HFCS or added sugars, instead, we need to examine our diets.  If highly processed foods are the main components (such as the American diet), we must shift to diets high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods in order to see a more healthful population.  

Let's pay attention to the foods we eat and feed children.  Begin by eating food that comes from the earth instead of those that were highly processed in a lab.  Read labels, think about ingredients, buy fresh produce, cook from scratch whenever possible.  If you like to eat out, find a place that puts your health in mind.  There are many ways to eat healthfully, but it has to begin with consciousness prior to the plate.

If you would like to question, comment, or clarify anything I wrote, PLEASE do.  Last thing I want is for someone to take the wrong message from this, meant to be, educational post.  Thanks!

*Image thanks to nataliedee.com