By: Esther Vasa
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| High Fructose Corn Syrup |
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is found in many processed foods and is one of the leading causes of obesity. A few food products with HFCS include soda, jellies, icecreams, popcorn, cereals with heart healthy claims (a total bummer), yoplait yogurt, and flavored drinks. Some times it is called high fructose corn syrup and the other times it is referred to as "Corn Sugar" and it probably has many other fancy names. If you cannot understand an ingredient from the ingredient list on any food products, simply avoid buying that food!
So called "natural foods" also have them. Wikipedia says that the phrase "natural foods" is assumed to imply foods that are minimally processed and do not contain manufactured ingredients, but the lack of standards in most jurisdictions means that it is used loosely. If you want to really stick with foods from nature, go with certified organic fruits and vegetables as best as you can.
Let us understand the difference between fructose from fruits and fructose from HFCS. Fructose from fruits comes packed with mega amounts of nutrition. But fructose from high fructose corn syrup comes with ZERO nutrition. You would have to eat enormous amounts of fruits to get the amount of fructose in just a can of coke. Fructose is absorbed from our gut and the cells burn it to produce energy. However with high fructose corn syrup, you get nil nutrition and the energy you gain is a sudden spurge and vanishes quickly. You are better off without it. If you want to know more about fruits and fructose check the information on the the blogpost, Fruits and Fructose by Elna Botes van Schalkwyk.
