Dump the High Fructose Corn Syrup!
In the late 1970′s, when Dr. Atkins tried to tell people that fat didn’t make people fat, the obesity rate in this country was 15 percent. It was at this point that the low fat industry took hold, and thirty years later, the obesity rate is at 32 percent.
- So along with the refined flour, high fructose corn syrup is used to make something taste good. The US production of HFCS went from 3,000 tons in 1967 to 9,227,000 tons in 2005. TuftsUniversity researcher report that Americans consume more calories from HFCS than from any other source.( P. 101 Mastering Your Metabolism)
- HFCS plays tricks on the body so it doesn’t release the hormone Leptin, which tells you that you are full. Instead, you will actually consume more calories over the next 24 hours than if you had eaten plain table sugar.
What’s my next step?
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- There really is only one step. You must get rid of all products with high fructose corn syrup. This is poison in your body. Just say no!
- Become aware of how much sugar you actually eat. The American Heart Association says average Americans eat 22 teaspoons of sugar a day. The daily recommended amount of sugar a day for women is 6 teaspoons and for men is 9 teaspoons.( This does not apply to naturally occurring sugars in fruits, veggies, and dairy products.) One 12 ounce soft drink contains 8 teaspoons of sugar.
- Read labels and see if you can catch all the names for sugar. -ose is a suffix that means sugar so Galactose, maltose, lactose, glucose, dextrose, are all forms of sugar, as are malt, maple and rice syrups.
- Healthy replacements for sugars are evaporated cane sugar, agave nectar, stevia, xylitol, honey, maple syrup. If you are doing a cleansing diet, stick with stevia and xylitol as they do not lead to candida, or an overgrowth of yeast in the belly.
- Limit your sweets by eating a diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and organic meats, fish and poultry.
I was sitting with my friend Charmaine today as we were planning an upcoming class we are going to do together, and out of the blue she said, “I just have to ask you, have you outgrown your space?”
