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meccahiI have to make a quick diatribe here.
The new commercials about High Fructose Corn Syrup just about make me physically ill. They actually upset me to the point of wanting to throw things.
"It's just corn!"
Yes. Corn. Corn that has been processed to the point that it is unrecognizable. Corn that has been turned into a glucose/fructose nightmare that our bodies don't process normally.
And their little quip about " use in moderation?".
Just about every package of processed food contains High Fructose Corn Syrup. From soda, to jellies and jam, to pretzels.. if it needs any sort of cheap sweetener, then it's there. And that's the entire reason it's being used. It's cheap.
There's been innumerable studies that show that HFCS is one of the dominant factors in obesity in the United States (although eating processed foods and not getting off the couch to exercise is a major factor as well). The United Kingdom has banned it from their markets, and from what I've been reading it looks like all of Europe may follow suit.
Just..Ugh! I could regurgitate facts but, I don't think I need to. The linked articles have some interesting information on it. All of this is still in contention to traditional science. But the more it is researched, the more questions seem to arise.
I've been avoiding HFCS for awhile, but I think back to my childhood , teen years, and even into my 20's where I consumed processed foods on a daily basis and without a thought. And then I think about my weight struggles now.
Anyways. Grrrrr. Mini rant done. These articles were extremely interesting, and had some good information on the subject.
yanswersblog.com/index.php/archives/2008/11/07/high-fructose-corn-syrup-have-you-soured-on-this-sweetener/
blog.wellnesstips.ca/blog/index.php/
www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/cornsyrup.html
wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_high_fructose_corn_syrup_bad_for_you
I think I'm becoming more of a health freak than I ever meant to.
The new commercials about High Fructose Corn Syrup just about make me physically ill. They actually upset me to the point of wanting to throw things.
"It's just corn!"
Yes. Corn. Corn that has been processed to the point that it is unrecognizable. Corn that has been turned into a glucose/fructose nightmare that our bodies don't process normally.
And their little quip about " use in moderation?".
Just about every package of processed food contains High Fructose Corn Syrup. From soda, to jellies and jam, to pretzels.. if it needs any sort of cheap sweetener, then it's there. And that's the entire reason it's being used. It's cheap.
There's been innumerable studies that show that HFCS is one of the dominant factors in obesity in the United States (although eating processed foods and not getting off the couch to exercise is a major factor as well). The United Kingdom has banned it from their markets, and from what I've been reading it looks like all of Europe may follow suit.
Just..Ugh! I could regurgitate facts but, I don't think I need to. The linked articles have some interesting information on it. All of this is still in contention to traditional science. But the more it is researched, the more questions seem to arise.
I've been avoiding HFCS for awhile, but I think back to my childhood , teen years, and even into my 20's where I consumed processed foods on a daily basis and without a thought. And then I think about my weight struggles now.
Anyways. Grrrrr. Mini rant done. These articles were extremely interesting, and had some good information on the subject.
yanswersblog.com/index.php/archives/2008/11/07/high-fructose-corn-syrup-have-you-soured-on-this-sweetener/
blog.wellnesstips.ca/blog/index.php/
www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/cornsyrup.html
wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_high_fructose_corn_syrup_bad_for_you
I think I'm becoming more of a health freak than I ever meant to.
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no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 04:24 pm (UTC)http://www.kingcorn.net/
It is a great show. There may be copies on YouTube. I have been a "Health Freak" for many years, but this show was enlightening even for me. Cheap Corn, like Cheap Oil is a flash in the pan, socially. It seems like a long time, but two generations really isn't.
Good luck with the dietary and health improvements. It's a hard road. We do consume caffeine and the occasional sodas, but we made most of that jump, as well as completely giving up smoking, a few years ago. Never looked back...well, almost never..
no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 05:51 pm (UTC)I used to live with a bloke in New Orleans who was a vegetarian, and he had an activist/scientist friend that used to come over, and his entire research was about genetically modified foods, and about high fructose corn syrup. It was a real eye opener listening to him talk about what goes into our food ( and yet still I ate Mcdonalds.. sigh)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 05:49 pm (UTC)Ever noticed that really quality shit goes by word of mouth? Or word of article. But never tv ads.
Well, except for those "As Seen On TV" things. Those generally rock ass. Like the Magic Bullet. Or that doohicky that strops your safety razors so you don't have to replace them as often. But those are the only exceptions I've ever found.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 05:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-14 01:29 am (UTC)I feel so dirty, but I think he's incredibly hot.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-14 03:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 09:26 pm (UTC)And as for my ass now - well, I think your right! There's a definite correlation between foods I grew up on (though less than a lot of other kids because of the specifics of my family) and the way my body is now. And what was in those foods that's not in my diet now? Processed who knows what, artificial mystery additives and corn syrup!
Haven't seen the commercials, though. Don't want to! But you don't see it here. Or at least, not in anything that I buy (I compulsively check all the labels...)
And you've got no choice in this day and age: become a health conscious person, or die, because of the pervasiveness of deadly crap in US foods.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 09:53 pm (UTC)Most of the people screaming about hormones in meat, and genetic engineering with food, and theat HFCS is the evil that makes us fat makes me want to slap someone.
HFCS is a very concentrated, very soluable, very inexpensive, sugar substitute for mass markets. Your body processes it more efficiently, which if you consume too much of it without activity your waistline pays for it.
Hormones in meat...doesn't matter. If the internal temperature of a piece of meat exceeds 115 degrees Fahrenheit for over 5 minutes it is game over time for any of the hormones present. Now if you are handling raw meat, you might be exposed to small levels of hormones. Otherwise the cooking process denatures the protein sturcture of hormones, rendering them inert.
Hormones in milk, that is a different story, and would prefer to see less hormone useage in dairy animals.
Genetic engineered anything...we have been doing genetic engineering since the first person cultivated seeds or raised animals and found certain ones grew better or were more manageable, and we propgated those traits.
Fish genes spliced into a tomato, may change characteristics of the tomato, but it is still a tomato. It isn't toxic, you aren't going to get cancer from eating it etc.
Now corporations like Monsanto who are creating crops that produce sterile seeds so they can sell more seed, they are the evil that will get us all killed.
...just as a side note the most destructive substance our bodies are exposed to everyday is Oxygen.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 09:27 am (UTC)"Several recent studies have shown that fructose is processed differently in the body than the far more common sugar, glucose (3,4). Glucose causes the pancreas to release insulin which drives sugar from the bloodstream into cells. Glucose causes fat cells to release leptin that makes you feel full so you eat less. Glucose prevents the stomach from releasing ghrelin that makes you hungry. On the other hand, fructose does not cause fat cells to release leptin and does not suppress ghrelin. This means that fructose increases hunger to make you eat more. Furthermore, the liver converts fructose far more readily to a body fat called triglyceride, than it does with glucose. High triglyceride levels raise blood levels of the bad LDL cholesterol and lower blood levels of the good HDL cholesterol, which increases heart attack risk. (http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/3021.html)"
This was just one of many medical articles that I've come across in my reading.
As far as Genetically Modified Food... I am of two opinions.
The fact that food can be grown in areas that would otherwise not be sustainable is appealing. An end to world hunger is an amazing goal.
The flip side however is that there is more evidence that crops like genetically modified corn DO have adverse health effects. A study done by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, in 2008 found that mice fed a 33% diet of GM corn had reduced fertility, and lower birth weights than those fed non modified corn. While this is only in mice, the implications are troubling.
The other issue that I have with GM food is that there is little to prevent the pollen from the crops cross pollinating with heritage crops. This has already been an issue in Mexico where they're trying to preserve their native Maize.
The third is that a study done by Cornell University shows that GM corn ( as an example) has been shown to kill insects such as Monarch butterflies. Its pollen was modified so that it could repel corn borers, and other unwanted pests. But when that pollen blows, it lands on other plants such as the Milkweed, which Monarch caterpillars feed on.
There are too many variables that we're unaware of yet. I just can't blindly trust that something that has been modified from its original evolved state, is going to be better for me, or not have adverse side effects. I honestly don't think that enough time has passed for us to understand the long term effects.
I don't think that GM food, or HFCS is the Devil, but I think it's possible they may be related. I'm a huge proponent of science, but I'm more a proponent of responsible science.
As far as Monsanto? They are, indeed, the Devil. I think he visits them often for legal advice.
Oh yeah.. and air being the most destructive substance? Follow that up with water. I'm well aware of the toxins and carcinogens that are present in both our oxygen and our water supply. The heavy metal contaminants alone are disturbing.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 02:18 pm (UTC)You brought up the biochemistry of fructose in the body. I should have been a bit more specific in what I was saying. Given the information you presented, we did say the same thing about HCFS. As for the increased hunger aspect of it, that is something I was honestly not aware of, and will do some more research on the issue.
Though it brings up an interesting point. Assuming that the research is accurate, larger sizes of soda served in fast food chains make more sense. It drives sales. Also, disturbing in that regard the foods most commonly containing the most HCFS, soda and candy...does a snickers really satisfy ;)
I am in agreement with you regarding the examples you gave with GM.
My viewpoint on GM crops is alot like my view of the first amendment...you can say/do whatever you want until it causes harm to another entity.
The crops with killer pollen etc are pretty shady. The crops that are designed to have better yields, longer shelf lives, or more natural defenses from parasites are the ones I support and encourage. I go back to one of the tomato examples that was developed by Delmonte, the tomato skin was modified to produce more of the waxy coating, but it also contained capsaicin.
I also have to apologize for getting a bit crazed. I have mroe than a few friends that go running intot he deep end of the pool without looking at the facts, and often I have to hit them with a stick to get their attention. You did your homework, and as you said look to responsible science. That said, sorry if I came across almost militant.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 01:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 05:36 am (UTC)I am not about to believe there are no adverse effects to hormone exposed meat. The implications of what it does to the animals is bad enough to worry about it.
http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/hormones/
This is fun, too...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axU9ngbTxKw
no subject
Date: 2009-01-13 02:39 pm (UTC)However, handling the meat could expose you to low levels of residual hormones. Granted, handling any raw animal tissue is going to expose you to hormones, bacteria, and other fun things.
As for milk production, hormones are more likely to pass into milk than any other animal product.
The other negative side effect the article was concerend about was the hormones in the manure. The impacts on groundwater and aquatic life. These are the real concerns, not the consumption of the meat itself.
I am not going to ever disagree about the validity of the problem presented with hormone treated animals, but I will do my best to present the real danger over the perceived danger.