his is a guest article by Nick Parker, trainer and nutrition expert and a really nice guy. Nick is also the creator of the highly recommended Secret To Burning Fat program that can help you to lose weight the right way. In this article Nick discusses a common food ingredient that may be making you fatter…
A look at High Fructose Corn Syrup by Nick Parker
Wow…What controversial ingredient has been blowing up the blogosphere, fitness magazines, newspapers, major news stations and caused the CRA to fight back by launching an 18 month campaign?
High-fructose corn syrup is at the center of all this controversy. The real question is should you be concerned? Is it really causing weight gain in millions of Americans over the last several decades? What about you? How much high fructose corn syrup do you consume every day and what is it doing to your body?
1. First let’s take a quick look at what high fructose corn syrup is and where it came from.
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a relatively new sweetener that is found in many different food and beverages that you might unknowingly consume on a daily basis. This popular sweetener was first introduced about 40 years ago with the idea of producing cheaper products for the consumer. It quickly gained popularity going from zero consumption in 1966 to over 62 pounds per person just a few years ago.
HFCS is made up of both 42 percent or 55 percent fructose, and the rest of the sugars being made up of glucose and higher sugars.
2. How is high fructose corn syrup linked to weight gain?
Studies have been done on each of these ingredients that make up HFCS and show that they each metabolize differently in the body. The excess fructose is being metabolized to produce fat, while glucose is largely being processed for energy or stored as a carbohydrate, called glycogen, in the liver and muscles. It has also been linked to increases in belly fat and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides
A recent study done in March of 2010 at Princeton University tested the link to weight gain by using lab rats who were giving HFCS verses regular table sugar. The rats that were given HFCS became obese even though there overall calorie intake was the same as the rats who consumed just pain table sugar. Another interesting fact is people who consume HFCS experience less feelings of satiety (feeling full and satisfied) and tend to eat more therefore leading to additional weight gain.
There is no question that this artificial sweetener is a major cause of weight gain in America. If you’ve noticed your waist line expanding or you can’t seem to lose any inches then you might want to check out if the foods you’re eating have this artificial sweetener hiding in them.
In fact, more people are becoming aware of how HFCS causes weight gain which led to the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) launching an 18 month campaign in an effort to give high-fructose corn syrup an image makeover. I saw one of these commercials and it is only buying them a little more time to figure out the next cheap ingredient. Soon you will see food labels all over the place saying “No HFCS Added”.
3. What foods contain high fructose corn syrup?
The ingredient is especially likely to be found in:
- bread
- cereal
- fruit juice
- ketchup
- mayonnaise
- soda
- yogurt
It can also be found in cookies, gum, jams, jellies, and baked goods. It is in leading brands such as Smuckers Jelly®, Wonder Bread® (as of June 21st 2010), and a lot of pasta sauces.
Hunt’s® recently announced that they were removing high fructose corn syrup from every bottle of ketchup. I have a feeling this is going to happen a lot more over the next few years.
Many foods that are marketed as healthy foods especially these so called healthy foods that you can eat “on the go” have HFCS in them. Last week I was looking at the labels in the grocery store and found these oatmeal squares that had HFCS in them. No thanks! I’ll take the non-processed oatmeal without the belly fat.
I recommend looking at the labels and give the ingredient list a quick scan. You’ll be surprised how many foods contain this fat producing toxin, especially in the sections with kid’s prepackaged snacks and fruit juices. Our poor kids are going to be even more obese then the current generation.
You can kick-start your fat loss by replacing foods containing HFCS. You’ll be glad you did.
For more on Nick Parker and his method of burning fat visit Secret to Burning Fat Review