What do these two things have in common?? Stay with me and I’ll explain.
The Corn Refiners Association has launched an advertising campaign promoting high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). On their home page, there is a statement that reads, in part:
High fructose corn syrup provides many important characteristics, such as texture, flavor and freshness, to your favorite foods and beverages. It is nutritionally the same as table sugar and has the same number of calories, too. As many dietitians agree, sweeteners should be enjoyed in moderation.
Let’s take a moment to look at this. HFCS definitely has the same calories as sugar, and the nutrition would be roughly the same, too. And, as a dietitian,I do agree with all foods in moderation. And for some people, HFCS may not pose any problems at all.
However, I do not promote the use of HFCS. In fact, there ARE people who are highly reactive to HFCS. And, if you are trying to determine what foods might cause a delayed food sensitivity through an elimination diet (because you don’t want to do the MRT testing with LEAP), this will be one additive you will eliminate from your diet.
Which brings up the whole issue of ‘moderation’. Start looking at the labels of foods you buy and then tell me about moderation! I was amazed, myself, when years ago (before MRT testing) I went on an elimination diet to find the cause of my migraines. I had to remove HFCS from my diet and found it in TONS of the ‘healthy’ foods I was eating!
What does all of this have to do with business, you are asking? I again come down to health and a healthy business. Are you trying to improve your health? Would you have more energy if your diet were healthier? If you had more energy, you could work more efficiently, increasing your success.
What IS a ‘healthier’ diet? Well, read the post below this one, on sustainable foods.
HFCS will not be found naturally in foods. It’s a preservative. It is made from corn. Did I mention that much of the corn in this country is genetically modified? And, unless I missed it, I haven’t seen any ‘organic HFCS’ on the market, yet.
So this week’s challenge to you is to look at your diet and determine how you can start eating more ‘natural’ foods. I don’t mean buy packaged foods that SAY ‘natural’ on it! Heck, cocaine is NATURAL, but you won’t see any claims that it’s GOOD for you! Make a meal from scratch…
Margie
Hi Margie,
My google alert for HFCS picked up your post. I preach the treachery of HFCS so my bias is clear. The CRA hawks that HFCS is similar to sucrose, but it really isn’t. Take the variant HFCS-55 which is used to sweeten soda. While its composition (55%fructose:45%glucose) appears to be similar to the 50:50 ratio of sucrose, when you do the math it really isn’t. 55/45=1.22. That means that every can of soda has, compared to glucose, 22% more fructose. The CRA knows these numbers; they designed the ratio. A recent publication by Dr. Lane at Johns Hopkins University shows that in contrast to glucose, fructose does not elicit the satiety signal, malonyl-CoA, in the brain.
Long term ingestion of extra fructose….an obese nation. StopHFCS.com has an extensive list of HFCS-free foods and beverages. To your health. Take care.