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.

First, let me make this clear by saying I’m not advising you to consume paper by eating it. Sure, it might cause you to lose weight, but I’m not sure it would be all that healthy of a thing to do. No, instead I’m referring to consuming paper by using it the traditional way, writing on it.

That’s right, a recent study found that participants who kept a food diary DOUBLED their weight loss when compared to those who didn’t.

Why? The reason is most likely because it’s just about impossible to know how much food you’re eating if you don’t keep track of it. Knowing how many calories you need and how many you’re actually consuming can be the difference between succeeding or failing in your weight control adventure.

How can you get started? First find out how many calories you need. There are a number of online calorie calculators to help you get a good estimate.

Next, find a way to keep track of what you eat. This can be as simple as the pencil and paper mentioned above, or as complicated as using an online food tracking web site. FitDay.com is a pretty good one, if you choose to go the online route. If you go with the pencil and paper it’s helpful to have a food diary template to fill in, and quite necessary to have a calorie counter book so you can look up the nutritional value of foods that don’t have labels.

It may take a bit of work to get used to tracking your food, but wouldn’t you agree that doubling your weight loss would make it worth the while?

Okay, so it’s plastered all over the news lately.  Headlines that sell lots of papers or garner lots of attention, like:

“Atkins Diet is Safe and Far More Effective Than a Low-Fat One, Study Says”
“Unrestricted Low-Carb Diet Wins Hands Down”

These headlines refer to the recent study, titled, “Weight Loss With a Low-Carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or Low-Fat Diet” that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine.  It’s purpose?  To compare the big 3 diets to see who came out on top.  Sounds exciting, like a heavyweight boxing match, right?

Everyone and their mom is desperately hungry for more news about how they can quickly lose all the unwanted pounds they’ve put on over the years.  So they eat this all up.  (pun intended)  But what’s the truth about what the study says?

Well, if we look at the details a few interesting things pop out at us.  First is that the actual amount of weight lost on the 3 diets (low carb Atkins-like diet, Mediterranean diet, and low fat diet) were 12.1 pounds, 10.1 pounds, and 7.26 pounds, respectively.  In other words, the difference over TWO YEARS was only about 5 pounds.   Not much to get excited about there.  I don’t know about you, but my weight can fluctuate a couple pounds a DAY, based on my hydration and such.

The next thing that stands out is that the low carb (Atkins) diet was nearly 40% carbs after a short, initial, super-low carb phase.  40% is not exactly low carbs, but more like a balanced 40-30-30 diet.  And on top of that the study’s authors encouraged participants to eat a largely vegetarian protein diet, which is decidedly unlike the Atkins diet.

Finally, we notice that the diets that were analyzed were SELF REPORTED, meaning that instead of strictly controlled meals being prepared for the participants in a clinical setting, the participants made their own meals and wrote them down.  If there’s one thing dietary studies have shown us is that participants will almost always UNDER REPORT what they’ve eaten.  So we can’t even be sure how accurate the data is that was provided.

Where does this all leave us?  Quite honestly, nowhere new.  It may well be a fact that a low carb diet helps people lose slightly more weight than other diets, and this is what most studies, when looked at critically, seem to suggest.  It seems to be just as true that some people will thrive on a low carb, Atkins-like diet, and some won’t.  We’re all different.

What really matters is the number of calories you take in, and how much activity you’re involved in to use up those calories.  So if you honestly and consistently track what you eat (don’t be an under-reporter), make adjustments on how you feel and how your weight is responding, and you’ll eventually hone in on the right diet for you.