March - Third thing you can do to improve your health
On a message board I frequent, some ladies and I are going on a health journey based on this article - 10 Things you can do to Improve Your Diet We're taking one thing each month and making it a habit.
March is cutting out High Fructose Corn Syrup - good timing for the first day of Lent
*sigh*
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is an artificial sweetner made from corn. It's basically a highly concentrated sweetner, and it's cheaper for food companies to use than sugar, so it's in everything.
Since it's an artificial sweetner, your body wil metabolize it differently from sugar. HFCS does not stimulate insulin production (which will help your body convert sugar into energy), nor does it stimulate lepitin production (which tells your body that you are full). So basically, it will make you fat. Plus, since it's so highly concentrated, your body will keep craving it more and more until you almost have an addiction to the stuff. There's also a whole host of theories that say it causes type II diabetes among other things.
If you really want to give up HFCS, you will have to read the labels on everything. Like last month's Partially Hydrogenated Oils, HFCS is in almost every processed food. Mainly it's in soda, but also breads, cookies, crackers, cereal, yogurt, juice, candy, salad dressing, catsup, jam, spaghetti sauce, and all kinds of things you wouldn't expect. It may take a while to find the products that don't have this, but then you can just stick to that brand and be safe. You may have to read a lot of labels, but more natural products are out there. Just forget the WonderBread and CocaCola.
About a year ago, I gave up all sweets (I lasted for two months), and it really was beneficial. I was having almost constant headaches and had massive mood swings (especially around 'that time'). I avoided all sugar, but I really think it was the HFCS that was affecting me. I felt so much better for those couple of months. Even now, I have the occasional soda, I feel dizzy and have a headache for the rest of the day, sometimes into the next. So, I really recommend trying to give HFCS up - even if it is just for Lent.
I'm going to try and put together a list of products without HFCS, so I'll let you all know on that.
March is cutting out High Fructose Corn Syrup - good timing for the first day of Lent
Oh CocaCola, may it be as if I never knew you
May my lips forget your sweet taste
May my mind never think of you again
I must be strong when I pass the soda machine
I must only order water at restaurants, even though I hear you calling me
I wish I had never become addicted to you, CocaCola
But it is better to have tasted and lost, then to have never tasted at all
*sigh*
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is an artificial sweetner made from corn. It's basically a highly concentrated sweetner, and it's cheaper for food companies to use than sugar, so it's in everything.
Since it's an artificial sweetner, your body wil metabolize it differently from sugar. HFCS does not stimulate insulin production (which will help your body convert sugar into energy), nor does it stimulate lepitin production (which tells your body that you are full). So basically, it will make you fat. Plus, since it's so highly concentrated, your body will keep craving it more and more until you almost have an addiction to the stuff. There's also a whole host of theories that say it causes type II diabetes among other things.
If you really want to give up HFCS, you will have to read the labels on everything. Like last month's Partially Hydrogenated Oils, HFCS is in almost every processed food. Mainly it's in soda, but also breads, cookies, crackers, cereal, yogurt, juice, candy, salad dressing, catsup, jam, spaghetti sauce, and all kinds of things you wouldn't expect. It may take a while to find the products that don't have this, but then you can just stick to that brand and be safe. You may have to read a lot of labels, but more natural products are out there. Just forget the WonderBread and CocaCola.
About a year ago, I gave up all sweets (I lasted for two months), and it really was beneficial. I was having almost constant headaches and had massive mood swings (especially around 'that time'). I avoided all sugar, but I really think it was the HFCS that was affecting me. I felt so much better for those couple of months. Even now, I have the occasional soda, I feel dizzy and have a headache for the rest of the day, sometimes into the next. So, I really recommend trying to give HFCS up - even if it is just for Lent.
I'm going to try and put together a list of products without HFCS, so I'll let you all know on that.
Labels: Food
posted by Tracy at 5:58 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home