Is our soda addiction killing us?
There's been a lot of focus lately on High Fructose Corn Syrup, and of course the HFCS industry and all of the products that rely on HFCS for the saleability of their products have been trying to counter act the negative by exposing little known facts about HFCS such as that it is safe and nutritionally the same as ordinary table sugar.
But really the issue is the fructose in High Fructose Corn Syrup. And even then it is not that fructose per se is bad for you, it's the amount of fructose you are consuming that is the issue. All fruits and vegetables have small amounts of fructose, it's where the sweet flavor comes from. And these small amounts are ok. In comparing foods and other fructose sources which have become prevalent in our diet we find that a cup of chopped tomatoes has 2.5 grams of fructose, a can of regular (non-diet) soda supplies 23 grams, and a super-size soda has about 62 grams. How many times a week do you eat out and get a super-size soda?
Most of the carbohydrates we consume are made up of chains of Glucose which the body produces Insulin to handle.
Fructose on the other hand is processed by the body in the liver. When we consume more fructose than the liver can handle and utilize as sugar, it starts making fats in the form of triglycerides. This is a bad thing.
- High triglyceride levels are a factor in heart disease.
- Triclycerides turn off the triggering mechanism that regulates the appetite. This may be part of the reason why excess consumption of fructose is associated with weight gain.
Drink more water, organic milk, teas, and your own juiced fruits and veggies. You'll just be healthier!
Till next time...
Be happy and healthy,
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