High fructose corn syrup (aka HFCS) has gotten quite a bit of press over the past few years.  And for good reason.  It’s estimated that more calories in the American diet come from this source than any other single source.

So what is HFCS, and why do you care?  Let’s tackle the first half of that question first.

HFCS is simply syrup, derived from corn, that has undergone enzymatic processing to increase the fructose content.   It is then mixed with unprocessed corn syrup to yield a product that has a similar proportion of fructose and glucose (two types of sugars) to that of table sugar.

So why go to all this trouble to simply create a substitute to table sugar?  There are 2 main reasons.  The first is because the U.S. can produce lots of corn, but has very little ability to produce cane sugar.  The second is cost, because high import quotas and tariffs on cane sugar make it relatively more expensive.  These two reasons are closely related and have created a good environment for corn producers, and they lobby the government hard to keep this profitable little setup just as it is.

Once produced, HFCS is then used in the production of items we’re all aware of, namely soft drinks and other sweetened beverages.  But it’s also found in foods you wouldn’t really expect, like ketchup, bread, and cereals.

So why do you care?  If you are concerned about being healthy, there are a number of reasons to care.

One reason is that, as of 2006, 61% of the corn produced in the U.S. is genetically modified (GMO) corn.  There has been much written about the dangers, known and unknown, about consuming foods that have been genetically modified.  And because products don’t have to list whether or not their ingredients are of the GMO variety, you might as well assume you’re getting GMO.  The only way to be sure you’re not is if that ingredient is listed as organic.

At this point the jury is still out on whether or not HFCS is worse for your body than other sugars.  But it’s a safe bet to assume that the more processed a food or ingredient is, the more problems your body will have with it.

Besides, the health issues of eating too much sugar, regardless of the source, are well documented.  Sugar contributes to fat storage and weight gain, decreases insulin sensitivity, and increases your body’s triglycerides.  It also replaces calories from foods which actually have nutritional value from their included vitamins and minerals, which are absent in processed sugars.

What can you do?

• Quickly scan the ingredient list of products you buy.  You’ll be able to spot the ingredient high fructose corn syrup right away.
• Eat less sweets, including sweetened beverages.
• Don’t substitute artificial sweeteners for HFCS or sugar, they are just as dangerous if not more so.
• When you have a choice, buy products that use the least processed form of sweetener you can find.  There are a number of products now that use pure cane sugar as their sweetener.
• Better yet, use minimally processed sweeteners such as rapadura sugar or raw honey.
• And finally, give the herb stevia a try.  It’s much sweeter than sugar and has no calories.

A recently released report by the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) and the WellPoint/Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation has pegged the bay-side city of San Francisco as the fittest city in America, narrowly edging out its West Coast pal Seattle.  As interesting as this may be, what does it really mean?

When you pull back the covers of the report, things aren’t really all that rosy.  This ‘fittest city in America’ still has 20% of its population classified as obese, and only 31% eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables a day.  Only 59% of the population is considered to be in ‘very good health’.  Numbers like these would make me hesitant to label anything as being fit.

In addition, San Francisco is #1 out of a grand total of 16 competing cities, as the report only looked at the very largest cities in the country.  My initial thought was ‘wow, #1 is pretty good considering how many cities there are in the U.S.’  But it’s really a very limited comparison.  Saying that S.F. is the fittest city in this small group is kind of like calling your nephew Jimmy the thinnest person at fat camp this summer.  To me, there’s not really all that much meaning in comparing one overweight, overcongested, polluted mega city to another.

But it’s not all bad.  At least the report is yet another way of highlighting what we all should be doing.  Being active, keeping our weight down, and eating fresh foods including lots of fruits and vegetables.  In the end, it really is an individual battle that we all have to fight, not one that our city or town can fight for us.

As our society continues to spiral ever downward (or should that be ever OUTward?) into being fatter and fatter, the latest news is that it is becoming increasingly necessary for boys to have, quite bluntly, breast reduction surgery.  According to the UK news site Times Online, doctors have seen a recent rise in cases of young boys who are so obese that surgical treatment for having ‘breast tissue’ is necessary.  

This is sad, and disturbing, but true.  If nothing else up to this point has jolted us out of our chairs and forced us into doing something, this should.  It should be a wake-up call that things aren’t as they should be.

So why do we have this problem?  The obvious reasons are that we eat too much and are too inactive.  These are huge and can’t be overlooked.  However we need to look deeper… what about all the chemicals in our food supply?  Additives, flavor enhancers, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers all can have unknown effects on our bodies.  GMO foods (genetically modified) are becoming more and more prevalent even without our consent and knowledge.  Can one or more of these things contribute to the obesity epidemic?  Time will likely tell.

So what can you, as an individual do?  Eat the right number of calories, and get enough exercise, for starters.  Eat as many fresh, unprocessed, organically grown foods as you can afford and have access to.  Make your eating about quality instead of quantity.  If we and our families can live this way we can show our kids this isn’t the way they have to grow up.