High Fructose Corn Syrup
I wanted to take a minute to talk about a sugary substance that is a food additive to a TON of the processed foods we see on grocery shelves in America today. It is high fructose corn syrup, and it has very destructive effects on the blood sugar and on the human body in general by encouraging obesity and weight gain.
Parents should really try to keep their kids away from products sweetened with this sugary substance. It is used in so many foods to sweeten them today because it is a dirt cheap sweetener. My husband and I actually splurged on pancakes yesterday for breakfast, and I looked at the label on my “maple syrup” and found that the first and foremost ingredient in the stuff was high fructose corn syrup. Maple was nowhere to be found.
Is is found in most soft drinks, many other sweetened drinks, cookies, cakes, candies, ice cream and just about every other processed sweet goodie you can think of. It’s addictive too, so it makes the body crave even more sugar when you eat foods that have a lot of it.
It is one of those food additives that is like MSG – very destructive, yet still found everywhere because it is such a cheap, long shelf life additive. If you really want to avoid ingredients like this, you are unfortunately going to have to spend a little more money and read your labels.
The reason I say you’ll have to spend more money is that the brands that are aware of this, and do not have these types of ingredients, actually use “REAL” ingredients that are not as harmful to the human body. They don’t use these frankenfood additives, and they do accordingly have to charge more for their foods because they simply cost more to make.
Makes sense. I know it can be a bit more painful when you get up to the counter to pay, but it’s well worth if for you and your family. And guess what, in the end it all evens out because you and your family aren’t getting the same huge appetite and crazy cravings, so in the end, you’ll likely be eating less and buying less groceries any way.
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The “Ruined” Diet Day Mentality and Why It’s Bad
Women (and a lot of men too) tend to think a certain way when they start their day off on a bad foot as far as their diet and eating healthy. Many people say the same thing. “Oh, I already ate horribly today, why not just finish off the day with a cheeseburger and french fries or pizza and call it a day”.
There is a reason the commercial was made about a woman who starts her day off right ( I think it is for a yogurt, or a healthy bowl of cereal), and then makes better food decisions throughout the rest of the day.
Then it shows the counter of that, and the woman starting off with a totally unhealthy breakfast and snacks, and going through the day eating fattening, greasy and fried foods.
It is true that the way we start our day, or even if we ruin it in the middle, our bodies crave “crap” for the rest of the day. I’m definite proof of that, and I have the mentality myself.
However, I noticed when I started to reject that mentality, and get right back on track that same day and eat right, my weight really seemed to either stabilize or come off if that’s what I was trying to do.
Foods like salty, fried fattening foods and sweets that are heavy and fatty in nature are truly addictive. There has been multiple studies that have pointed out that fatty and sugary foods have the same addictive chemical effects on the brain as some addictive drugs. However, part of it is also a state of mind.
You can definitely put yourself back into the right state of mind after eating unhealthily at one meal, and get back in the groove. It’s just that it takes a lot more effort to do it after you’ve indulged because your brain is sort of programmed to crave that kind of food for the rest of the day. When it doesn’t get it, it may still send out those signals, but they will go away.
You just have to be patient and realize that this is a typical process. It’s almost like going through a withdrawal phase. You have to add some willpower to it and really try to resist the urge to splurge.
You will be amazed that if you can get into the habit, it will impact your waistline like nothing else. Skinny people typically have this habit, even if they don’t know it or actively try to do it.
They just may have a natural affinity to get back on track and they may naturally crave good eats after indulging in foods that make them feel crappy. Your appetite gets fueled for fatty, greasy and sugary foods when it gets a taste of them in other words.
Emulate the skinny people in your life in this way, and in a few months, you will realize the positive impact it has on your weight goals.
BOOKMARK OR SHARE :MSG : Why It’s Bad
Monosodium glutamate, more commonly known as MSG, is a common food additive that is presentlly in many of our foods today. The main purpose of MSG in foods is as a flavor enhancer.
MSG was inroduced in 1947 for use in U.S. food production. So, MSG has been used in many different processed foods for quite a while. MSG has been consumed by the American public for decades without any health complaints that were highly publicized.
Recently, however, MSG is being associated with a number of physical complaints and ailments. Individual people have reported symptoms, now called MSG symptom complex, to the FDA. The symptoms reported are flushing, sweating, headache, nausea, heart palpitations and rapid heartbeat, chest pain and weakness. Concerns about health by the American public have associated MSG with migraine headaches, food allergies in children, hyperactivity in children, obesity and a worsening of asthma symptoms.
According to research, the FDA could not find a definite link between MSG and the symptoms reported. They did conclude that a certain percent of the population must react negatively to MSG.
One of the theories is that certain individuals have MSG intolerance that is unique to their body chemistry. If you feel that you are intolerant to MSG, you should avoid processed foods and fast foods. A list of other foods to avoid if you want to limit or eliminate MSG would include prepared stocks or bouillon cubes, barbecue sauce and salad dressings, canned, frozen or dried foods, flavored jerky, flavored potato chips, flavored tortilla chips and seasoning mixtures. Other sources of glutamate that is due to fermentation in production are also foods to avoid. These foods to avoid include soy sauce, steak sauce and worcestershire sauce.
The FDA has, for now, found MSG to be “generally recognized as safe”, according to their research to date. They do require food manufacturers to indicate if their is MSG used as an ingredient on their food labels. So, if you feel you react adversely to MSG, be proactive in your own health and read labels before you buy or consume food.
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Are There Any Sweetener Alternatives That Aren’t Bad for You?
It seems like every time the sugar alternative industry comes up with a new industry darling artificial sweetener, the world falls in love. Until, that is, the bad news starts coming out about it. This happened with Splenda, the sugar substitute with the chemical name sucralose that came out a while ago that claimed to be an offshoot of real sugar.
People loved it because it seemed like a healthier alternative to saccharin and aspartame, which is the common artificial sweetener found in diet drinks and sodas. Now, people are clamoring for all natural sugar substitutes like Stevia (my personal favorite) and agave nectar (not sure about this one, I heard it is even harsher on the blood sugar than real sugar).
Sucralose, or Splenda, has come under scrutiny for a variety of reasons. The first is the claim that it is a derivative of real sugar, which was one of the main draws behind its popularity. People thought that by using it, they were using a sweetener that was close to real sugar, without all the calories.
In fact, it is a totally chemically altered form of the chemical we know as sugar. There were also a lot of side effects claimed from the every day use of Splenda. People were starting to report side effects from headaches to kidney problems. Now, I don’t know how much you have to consume to get these types of side effects, that type of information is conveniently not available many times.
Now, there is also evidence that many artificial sweeteners are actually linked to obesity, increased body weight, and over eating. This is because your body is naturally programmed to expect higher calorie foods when ingesting sweets. When the sweet taste is there without the calories, it can promote excess hunger, carb cravings, and other habits that lead to weight gain.
Splenda has also now been linked to an impact on intestinal health. There are claims that it may actually harm or deplete the healthy intestinal flora that inhabity the gut. Another reason not to eat it. However, it makes me wonder if even by using my beloved Stevia, I’m promoting myself to over eat, and to crave carbs a lot more for the rest of the day.
After all, it’s not sugar…..hmmm…..
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