We have all heard about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) by now, but what do we really know about it? Most people know and understand that it is in a lot of sodas and fruit-based types of drinks. But did you know it is in every single variety of Yoplait brand yogurt? That's not all it is included in…we will share a bunch of other popular foods later.
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HFCS is the most common added sweetener in processed foods and beverages. HFCS consumption has increased drastically every year by Americans since the 1980s, and it's about time we become more educated on what it is and what it could be doing to us.
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Health Concerns
Research studies have linked the consumption of High Fructose Corn Syrup to health problems such as weight gain, dental cavities, poor nutrition, and increased triglyceride levels (which can increase your heart attack risk). HFCS was created by a Japanese scientist in the 1970s, and introduced into the American food supply during the Nixon era of food shortages. His economic advisor, Earl Butts, pushed bills through Congress giving subsidies to farmer’s to help reduce the price of corn crops, which led to a high amount of cheap HFCS being produced as a way to get easy calories into foods, and to help lengthen shelf life. As food companies started to replace table sugar with HFCS, consumption rose drastically from the 1980s through the 2000s, and the increase in obesity curve follows that line almost directly (giving pretty substantial evidence for a link between the two).
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How Popular is it?
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HFCS is the most common added sweetener in processed beverages and foods. Why? HFCS is cheap (due to those government subsidies), and it allows the beverages to maintain their sweetness while giving them a longer shelf life. It also blends really well with a lot of foods. It has become the go-to sweetener for most companies because of all these reasons. If you recently tasted Mountain Dew's "Throwback" pop, you would understand why. They had a few months where they had a "Throwback" Mountain Dew with their original sugar taste before they used HFCS. It tasted a lot worse than the newer versions that contain HFCS! It is even in a lot of breads and other foods, which brings me to my next topic.
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What is it in?
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It is of course in most sodas and fruit flavored beverages. However, it is also included in many other foods as mentioned in the introduction. Here is just a short list of foods it is included in:
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• Salad Dressings - Salad dressings are usually loaded with HFCS. Most people respond, "Well, I usually just eat the light dressing anyway." The "lite" dressings contain more of it than most of the standard versions! Be very careful when shopping for your salad dressings, and I’d recommend making your own if you can.
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• Special K Cereal (and many, many other cereals) - All you ever hear about is how healthy Special K and many other cereals are now-a-days. Take an extra look at your cereal box and read the ingredients label to see all the extra added sugars.
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• Yoplait Yogurt
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• 100-Calorie Snack Packs
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• Many Baked Goods - This is why you can open a box of cookies, and a week later dig into the box and have the cookie taste the exact same as when you opened it. These bakeries talking about "freshness" and "longer shelf lives" are usually referring to the fact that their goods contain HFCS, which increases the shelf life while maintaining the sweetness.
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• Sodas
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• Most Tomato-Based Sauces - Pizza, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, etc.
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• Many Processed Foods - Lunch meats, mac and cheese, microwave dinners etc.
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As you can see, HFCS is in a LOT of foods. This is obviously not even close to the full list, but it gives you an idea of how popular it is. Be very selective when choosing your healthy foods in the future, and make sure to read the nutrition facts and ingredients list on the label!
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How May it Affect You?
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Most soft drinks use a type of HFCS that is called HFCS 55. This type contains 55 percent fructose and 45 percent dextrose. The dextrose is comparable to table sugar. However, the fructose is chemically made and artificial. This means that the body can't break it down and it is simply stored as fat.
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I am not here to completely bash on HFCS. A lot of recent studies have shown that it is just as bad for you as sugar, not necessarily worse, but it is a sugar substitute so that is about what we should expect! The big problem with HFCS is that apparently it is in almost every processed food you’ll find on a grocery store shelf, so you are getting way more sugar than you could ever possibly need.
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Summary
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The biggest thing I wanted you to get out of this is that just because something says that it is "lite" or if it claims to be a healthy cereal or yogurt, doesn't necessarily mean it is. It still has its flaws and you must choose every meal you eat very wisely. Go ahead and take a look at every ingredient label of all your "healthy" foods. You might be shocked at how many of them contain HFCS. Just try to be a little more selective when choosing your foods. After I found out a bunch of my cereals and yogurts had HFCS in them I felt like I was "tricked" by those companies. They had this artificial sweetener in it that acts exactly like sugar, and I didn't even know it!
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Knowledge is power, so be sure to be very aware of everything that is in the foods you consume.
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Resources:
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Nelson, Jennifer, R.D., L.D. Nutrition and Healthy Eating. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fructose-corn-syrup/AN01588
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8 'Health' Foods That Contain High Fructose Corn Syrup. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sneaky-syrup/#axzz1tDUod1pV
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Pathak, Sapna. (April, 2010). Foods That Have High Fructose Corn Syrup. http://www.livestrong.com/article/111381-foods-high-fructose-corn-syrup/
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Hand, Becky. L.D., R.D. The Truth About High Fructose Corn Syrup. Sweet Surprise or Health Demise? http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=486
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The health effects of high fructose syrup. (July, 2009). American Medical Association. Report 3 of the Council on Science and Public Health.
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Jared Enderton – Jared is a weightlifter, personal trainer, nutrition consultant and a nationally ranked weightlifter in the United States. He has earned his Bachelor’s Degree (with honors) in Exercise Science from the University of Northern Iowa. His certifications include: ACE-PT, CrossFit Level 1, and USAW- Sports Performance. He is also a former State Champion and All-American wrestler in the state of Iowa. In addition to working as a weightlifter and a personal trainer, Jared also has an extensive background in researching and selling sports supplements.