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.
BOOKMARK OR SHARE :
What is Orthorexia? Is It Like Anorexia?
Eating a healthy diet is so important and so many articles have been written to remind us of that fact. While eating a healthier diet is vital, it seems that some individuals have taken that idea to such excess that it becomes an obsession and then it becomes unhealthy.
The term, orhtorexia, refers to an eating disorder characterized by a zealous obsession with eating only healthy foods. Orhtorexia is actually a type of mental disorder because the fixation becomes so intense with healthy eating. The term is not yet recognized medically and it originated with a Colorado doctor named Steven Bratman.
He draws a parallel between orthorexia and other eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. If the obsession with eating only healthy foods becomes too extreme, the result of this mental disorder can be severe malnutrition or, worse yet, death.
A low self esteem is at the root of orthorexia nervosa and the individual does lots of self induced guilt and blaming when they crave what they see as unhealthy forbidden foods. The problem with orthorexia nervosa can occur when the individual’s dietary restrictions become so severe that they are simply not consuming enough calories and balanced foods to remain healthy.
It may start with a restriction of fats at first, then avoidance of preservatives, food additives and then, all animal products. While trying to lower one’s fat is commendable, the diet may progress to strictly raw foods. Often, there is not enough calories or protein in this kind of severely restricted diet to meet the person’s nutritional needs.
The underlying motivation, at first, is sound. The person with orthorexia nervosa wants to eat only what is natural, pure and healthy. It is a question of degree and those with orthorexia have taken the concept past the boundary of logic. The chief difference between orthorexia and anorexia is the motivation that starts the disorder.
An anorexic is motivated by the desire to be thin and takes that idea to a fixation and unhealthy degree and an orthorexic does the same thing, only with healthy foods. Both disorders can lead to disastrous health results with malnutrition as the outcome.
Orhorexia nervosa has not yet been recognized officially by the American Psychiatric Association as a mental disorder. People with orthorexia, just as people with anorexia, show signs and symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder.
Signs that an individual suffers from orthorexia would be the healthy diet is socially isolating, thinking about healthy foods more than 3 hours per day, quality of life is diminishing as a result of healthy diet and excessive guilt or anxiety occurring when going off of healthy diet. Emaciation of an individual also indicates their healthy diet has gone too extreme.
BOOKMARK OR SHARE :