All dieters, and even non-dieters, know the importance of sugar and carbohydrate management in their daily food regimen. Since most of us are not medical professionals, we control our nutrient intake by reading food labels and measuring our physical health by the state of our emotional health. As long as you feel good and look good, what could be the problem? You’re getting what you need to stay healthy.
But what happens when a manufacturer disguises sugar as something that looks healthy? Unfortunately, this is quite common. In fact, one of the more popular pseudonyms for sugar is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is a corn-based sweetener that has been on the market since approximately 1970. According to commentaries in popular medical journals, the consumption of HFCS increased over 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990.
Experts contend that HFCS represents more than 40 percent of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages. In addition, it’s the sole caloric sweetener in soft drinks in the United States. The next time you think about drinking a can of Coca-Cola, keep the following information in mind.

Do You Know What’s Going Into Your Body?

Today, food companies use HFCS, a mixture of fructose and glucose, because it’s inexpensive and easy to transport. Moreover, it keeps foods moist and fresh. Another plus for these companies is the level sweetness in HFCS, which allows lower dosages in each product. It’s cost effective to use smaller quantities of HCFS in place of larger quantities of other more expensive sweeteners and flavorings.

For these reasons and others, the food industry has fallen in love with high fructose corn syrup; and according to current indicators, it’s here to stay. So, in order to lead a peaceful coexistence and prevent conditions such as diabetes and obesity, you need to know how to identify this highly unhealthy substitute in the foods you eat.

Fruit and Fructose
While it’s impossible to know exactly how much high fructose corn syrup you consume on any given day, food labels lend a big hand in monitoring sugar levels. If HFCS is one of the first ingredients listed, such as in soft drinks or syrup, it’s safe to assume there’s a lot in the product. Make sure all the products you consume are low to moderate in HFCS levels or list few total grams of sugar.
You may ask, ‘why is fructose unhealthy for the body’? Isn’t it the primary sugar in fruit? And isn’t fruit supposed to be healthy? My doctor is always telling me to include more fruit in my diet. So, why is this information contradicting my doctor?
That’s a good question. The answer is this: Doctors want you to consume the healthy amount of fructose found in fruit because of the valuable nutrients it provides your body. In this case, fructose consumption is fine. It becomes a problem only when someone consumes high levels of fructose or HFCS, which is now present in virtually all commercial foods. See the following lists for foods high in high fructose corn syrup and the repercussions of its excessive consumption.

Foods High in HFCS

· Regular soft drinks
· Fruit juice and fruit drinks that are not 100 percent juice
· Pancake syrups
· Popsicles
· Fruit-flavored yogurts
· Frozen yogurts
· Ketchup and BBQ sauces
· Jarred and canned pasta sauces
· Canned soups
· Canned fruits (if not in its own juice)
· Breakfast cereals
· Highly sweetened breakfast cereals

Problems Caused by Excessive HFCS

· Higher caloric intake
· Increased body weight
· Fools your body into thinking it’s hungry
· May increase insulin resistance and triglycerides
· Increases the amount of processed foods you eat, thereby decreasing your intake of nutrient-dense foods

Become Nutrient-Savvy

Now that you know the dangers of excessive HFCS consumption, what can you do about it? That’s easy. If HFCS is one of the first ingredients listed on a food label, don’t eat it. Make a mental list of the worst culprits, such as regular soft drinks and many highly sweetened breakfast cereals. Although HFCS alone won’t make you fat, when HFCS is high on the ingredient list, the food is not the best choice. As part of a lifestyle that has many of us eating too much and moving too little, we’re putting our health at risk if we don’t choose our foods carefully.
Avoid HFCS by shopping the grocery store’s perimeter: Produce is on one side, seafood, meat and poultry on another, and dairy products, eggs and bread on the third. Avoid the center aisles, which are mostly stocked with highly processed foods.
The more you stick to fresh whole foods and avoid commercial and highly processed foods, the less HFCS you will consume and the healthier you’ll be!