Want to know what the hype about high fructose corn syrup is all about? Do you use artificial sweeteners instead of regular sugar because you don’t want all those extra calories? Do you really know the “facts” because the nutrition label on that diet soda can and advertisements are telling you what to think?
Well, then you’re lucky you’re reading this. I’m not going to try and persuade you to stop consuming high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners, but I’m going to tell you what’s in them, and why they’re not the best things for your body.
I always thought high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was similar to sugar and honey. I mean, corn is sweet, right? However, I learned differently when a friend of mine who is a med student at Cleveland State University explained the difference between sugar and HFCS.
Sucrose
Sugar
First off, to eliminate confusion, sucrose is the same thing as normal sugar that comes from a sugar cane plant. For every unit of sucrose, there is one unit of glucose and one unit of fructose. Glucose is also much easier for the body to digest than fructose.
When you consume sucrose, your body will then break that down into glucose and fructose, which will give you energy. Any energy that you don’t use will then be stored in the body as fat.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
HFCS has no glucose; in fact that’s why it’s called “high fructose.” For every unit of HFCS there are three, four, five units of fructose. The makers of HFCS takes the original corn syrup and keeps adding fructose until it’s as sweet as sugar.
What this means, is that for every unit of HFCS you consume, your body will have to digest and use multiple units of fructose instead of one unit of glucose and one of fructose. And then if you don’t use that energy, your body stores it as fat.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
HFCS Won’t Kill You
You just have to burn it off. If you run every day or are an athlete, you’ll be OK having a soda every now and then. But, if you sit at a desk all day, or you’d much rather read a book than go outside and play a game of basketball, then you’ll be acquiring more fat if you consume HFCS instead of things with natural sugar in them.
Artificial Sweeteners
I’ve never liked artificial sweeteners like Splenda and Sweet’N Low. I always felt if something left a chemical aftertaste in your mouth, you probably shouldn’t eat it.
I read two articles on the dangers of artificial sweeteners that summarize the health concerns well.
The first one was from Nutra Legacy that gives 10 reasons why artificial sweeteners are detrimental to your health. The reasons are:
Image from Splenda.com
1. There are more calories than you think
2. Headaches
3. Gastrointestinal problems
4. Allergic reactions
5. Male infertility
6. Panic attacks
7. Cell damage
8. Depression
9. Central Nervous System Disorders
10. Cancer
Dr. Janet Starr Hull wrote a book about the dangers of Splenda. In her website, Splenda Exposed, there’s a crash course of the negative effects Splenda can have on your body. I suggest reading this—especially if you have kids. They’re the first to notice the negative effects.
From what I’ve noticed, the quickest reaction to artificial sweeteners WILL make you fat. Artificial sweeteners are hyper-sweet. This means that they’re sweeter than sugar, which means that brownie you’re eating made from real sugar won’t satisfy your sweet tooth. It now requires more sweetness if you use aspartame every morning in your coffee.
This happens quite often. I worked at a Robek’s for a few months, making smoothies that have absolutely no added sugar. They’re made from 100 percent naturally grown fruit and juices and are very sweet.
My co-workers and I at Robek's. We obviously had a lot of fun working there.
We had a regular come in every day at work and order a smoothie and complain that it was bitter. We would even put in less ice and add more fruit to try and make it sweeter, and she would still leave and put a packet of sugar in her smoothie.
I asked her one day how many artificial sweeteners she consumed; turns out she drank only diet soda and put Splenda in her coffee every morning. I convinced her to stop consuming so many “diet” items and the smoothies were no longer bitter after a few weeks.
So, readers, I encourage you to stop eating HFCS and artificial sweeteners. They’ll make you fat if you’re not active enough, and can cause some serious health problems down the road. Sugar isn’t bad for you—as long as you keep everything in moderation. If you still prefer more natural things to sweeten your life, use honey and agave nectar. They’re both delicious, healthy and natural.
What do you think?
Sharp Knives and Open Flames 