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The first additive I want to talk about is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). This is a sweetener loved by manufacturers due to the fact that it is just as sweet as table sugar but way cheaper. It also blends better with other ingredients, it does not separate, and it helps maintain a longer shelf life.
HFCS is derived from corn using a long chemical process. There are two types of HFCS and they are both equally harmful. They are as follows: - HFCS 42 which is 42% fructose and 53% glucose and some other sugars. This type of HFCS is most commonly used on foods and baked items. - HFCS 55 contains 55% fructose and 42% glucose. This type of HFCS is mostly used in soft drinks. Ok, so what if I eat a little of that in my food? can't be that bad, right? Wrong! Our bodies metabolize this additive and converts it into fat really fast. Also, HFCS does not suppress production of ghrelin, a molecule that stimulates the appetites so your body never gets the message that you've eaten enough food. As if it wasn't enough, your liver also converts HFCS into triglycerides, which in excess, increases the risk of heart deseas. You should also know, traces of mercury has been found in High Fructose Corn Syrup along with a few other unidentified chemicals researchers know nothing about. You don't have to go far to find HFCS, foods such as ketchup, salad dressings, jams, ice creams, and specially soft drinks are home to this particular additive. In fact, the average adult consumes about 20 teaspoons of HFCS a day so remember, read you labels and always choose wisely! http://www.huffingtonpost.com www.sparkpeople.com http://diabeteshealth.com Eating Clean for Dummies by Wright Larsen The next few post I will talk about some of the most common additives out there nowadays. You don't have to go far to find them, they are in the majority of the packaged food found in your local grocery store and probably your kitchen. So what are additives? These are things you don't want in your body.
When looking at a label, these ingredients are usually the ones you can't pronounce. The propose of these additives are all for the benefit of the manufacturer, not yours. For example, A particular additive will give butter that beautiful yellow, another one will give it that creamy texture. these are all added so the product is more appealing to you so you will buy it. One of the most common additives are preservatives. These are specifically added so the product will have a longer shelf life. This will allow manufacturers to minimize the loss of revenue from the products that don't sell quickly enough. Your body does not need these ingredients, in fact, it will be much better without them. Please stay tuned for next post as I will uncover the truth about some of the most common additives. Since this is my first post I want to make sure I introduce myself (you can also read about me on the "About" tab) and welcome you to my site. With that said, it's time to start covering our first topic, Food Labels and Marketing Strategies. I find this to be a very enlightening subject as I have been (and I'm pretty sure a lot of people have) victim of these claims on the foods we buy. Turns out statements on food labels can be very deceiving. Manufacturers have found creative and sneaky ways to make things more appealing to the buyer promoting products as healthier without actually getting in trouble with the FDA for lying. Here are a couple of examples of these claims you will want to start keeping an eye out for:
And remember, always read your labels and choose wisely! Source: Eating Clean for dummies by Wright Larsen 21 CFR 101.9(c) FDA Nutrition Labeling Chapter |