And it shouldn't be yours either!
This post was initially going to be entitled 'Everything Autumn Part 2' describing another lovely part of Autumn- state and local fairs. However, as I was attending one local fair recently I came across a display that changed my tune. "Corn- A part of your everyday life. Of 10,000 items in a typical store, at least 2,500 items use corn in some form during production or processing." I was the only one taking pictures of this. I was probably the only one deeply (yet silently) appalled by this.
It is estimated that we, Americans, consume approximately 500 more calories per day today (using data from 2000) than in 1970! (Just an FYI. This is only one report. There is variability in the reported caloric increase. Some estimations are lower.) The USDA's Economic Research Service concludes this is a 24.5% increase, from which 4.7% comes from added sugars! The major sources of sugar in the American diet comes from sucrose (table sugar), beets, and corn. In 2000, Americans consumed 152 pounds of caloric sweeteners!! (I find this alarming!! Any body else?!) You can read more about American trends from 1970 to 2000 from a USDA report!
I find two things troubling. One- sugar (in one form or another) is everywhere. Do we really need added sugar in almost all of our food products? (Our poor ancestors, how did they live without all the sugars?!) Two- how is it possible that (for too long) we as a society have just overlooked the practices of food manufacturers. To put it bluntly, our food is tainted and unsafe (you've all read about the E.Coli contamination (after contamination, after contamination, after contamination...)) Why is there such a bad taste in my mouth? (Yes, pun intended! :)) Well....
For a moment (just a moment) I can step away from my typical nutritional analysis and talk about the safety of HFCS in regards to our overall health. In early 2009, HFCS was linked to mercury contamination. (Read an old (yet not outdated) news article from The Washington Post.) How is it possible that food companies are allowed to do whatever it costs just to improve their bottom line?! I can jump on the band wagon and even tie in the whole current health care fiasco and how our food supply just leads to increased health costs. For anyone who is not quite up to-do-date on their mercury 411, let me share. Exposure of mercury can permanently damage your brain, your kidneys, and to all you pregnant women out there- it can affect your growing baby. (Read up on mercury!) I don't know about you, but I think I prefer a high quality of life (with a functioning brain and two functioning kidneys surrounded by my healthy family) over some company's growing bottom line. I think I can happily live without HFCS (corn) in every item I consume. Perhaps we should all take a step back and really ponder what is going on with our food system. If we don't take the time to get involved now and reflect, there won't be changes in our food system. We will continue to buy contaminated food. We will continue to get sick (whether it be E.coli or mercury or some other toxin.) And ultimately health care costs will continue to rise. Change begins with you! (With or without Obama using change as his slogan and making it main stream, it's true- change begins with you!)
As always, here's the nutritional analysis part. For all intents and purposes, sugar and HFCS have the same nutritional value- or lack there of. Both of them add non-nutritional calories to our daily diet. By no means is one variety of sugar healthier (calorically and nutritionally speaking) than another. Sugar is preferable to HFCS simply and only because there is a decreased risk of mercury. At the end of the day, all types of sugar should be limited because there are no health benefits. The majority of our calories each day should come from nutritionally dense sources from fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts/legumes/beans, healthy oils, and lean meats and proteins.
Lots to ponder today.... Good luck!
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