Another Item for the "Do Not Eat" List

Last semester I was reading yet another diet book trying to find the solution to my weight problem. This one, however, I found to be a lot more informational than I anticipated, and since then I’d been trying to incorporate some of the recommendations into my life.

One of the major issues was the consumption of high fructose corn syrup. Basically the book said to avoid it like the plague. It wasn’t until I read about it and did more research on it that I realized just how popular it is – and how bad it can be for you. From breakfast bars to diet drinks to snacks, high fructose corn syrup is everywhere, which is not good news for dieters.

The tricky thing about this ingredient is that studies linking it to weight problems have not been proven yet, so it’s tough to really sell the fact that we shouldn’t be consuming it – especially since it tastes so good and shows up in almost everything.

A nutritionist for the Mayo Clinic writes that “Some nutrition experts blame increased consumption of high-fructose corn syrup for the growing obesity problem. One theory is that fructose is more readily converted to fat by your liver than is sucrose, increasing the levels of fat in your bloodstream. But this hasn't been proved.”

While it’s tough, I’m trying my best to limit my high fructose corn syrup intake. The book I read last semester recommends that when looking at the first five ingredients in foods, you do not want to see high fructose corn syrup. If you do, don’t eat it. Sometimes that’s easier said than done… But you know me – I’ll try anything once, especially when it means I can better my health.