Today is National Wear Red Day! Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, causing 1 in 3 deaths among women each year. The month of February is dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease and increasing knowledge about prevention. Watching MSNBC this morning and they mentioned a study that found sugar “is a leading cause of obesity and should be regulated like alcohol and tobacco. The United Nations announced in September that chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes contribute to 35 million deaths worldwide each year, according to the commentary. The U.N. pegged tobacco, alcohol, and diet as big risk factors that contributed to this death rate.” ( http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57369857-10391704/sugar-should-be-regulated-like-alcohol-tobacco-commentary-says/)
The article mentions that sugar is added to a lot of processed foods and over the past 50 years obesity has risen because of sugar.I have ONE BIG HUGE GIGANTIC issue with this article/study, the majority of processed foods that we consume and buy do not contain sugar. They do however contain high fructose corn syrup. If you don’t believe me right now or when you get home pull out your ketchup, bbq sauce, bread, buns, juice boxes etc. out of your cabinets and refrigerator, check the label, more than likely the 1st ingredient on the label is corn syrup (CS) or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Ingredients are listed based on how much is in the product. So whatever is listed first is used the most and it goes on down the line.
Why do most companies use CS or HFCS one reason is because we have so much corn here in the US, they figured out a way to use it for more than just simple consumption, they figured out they could create sugar from corn. So they go through this long process read here http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Corn-Syrup.htmlto create sugar from corn. Again, why go through all this trouble when sugar is grown naturally? Sugarcane plantations and Asian ethnic groups continue to thrive in countries such as Fiji, Natal, Burma, Ceylon, Malaysia, British Guiana, Jamaica, Trinidad, Martinique, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, St. Kitts, St. Croix, Suriname, Nevis, Mauritius. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarcane) Sugar can is grown in tropical places so why not just import sugar cane and put real sugar in our products as opposed to HFCS? It may be because that would help stimulate some of the economies that are mentioned above, so they choose not to and that is all I will say about that.
So again let me be clear the study mentioned above is HIGHLY misleading. Trust me sugar is not the problem. HFCS is! “HFCS high fructose corn syrup is responsible for a dangerous epidemic of obesity and diabetes. People under the age of 45 are “children of the corn.” Like Stephen King's thriller, they are reaping the consequences......of the food industry’s high fructose corn syrup. They were children or young adults in the late 70s, 80s and 90s when high fructose corn syrup was introduced to the American food supply as a cheap replacement for sugar. Now many of them are struggling with an epidemic of obesity and diabetes, also being referred to as diabesity”….continue reading at (http://www.blackherbals.com/dangers_of_high_fructose_corn_syrup_HFCS.htm_)
What am I saying? Be wise and be aware and start becoming more label conscious. I don’t like my son drinking any juice boxes because they contain HFCS. I would prefer that he eat pure maple syrup with his pancakes but he prefers regular syrup and yes the 1st ingredient listed is HFCS. Will you be able to control your consumption of CS and HFCS when eating out? Absolutely not, but you can make better choices when in the grocery store for what you consume in the comfort of your own home. There are products that clearly list, no HFCS, such as Heinz ketchup. It is required that all products sold have at least one option in the grocery store that doesn’t contain HFCS. Not by brand but by product. So there should be one bread, one relish, on ketchup etc. in the store that doesn’t contain HFCS. Yes, read labels. If HFCS is the 1st ingredient listed you may not want to buy that particular product. Also think about how much you will consume a product as well. am sure HFCS in moderation is not that damaging.
Side Note: I do not personally consume or believe in the consumption of sugar substitutes either. That is like a scientist telling me the sugar Yahweh made isn’t right for you so I am going to use that sugar add some other things to it and create a substitute that is healthier for you. I don’t think that man can outsmart Yahweh. In no way am I trying to scare you, I just want you to be informed. Take this blog post as a stepping stone and do your own research. Pray over your food before you eat and declare healing over your body daily. Thank Yahweh for abundance of health because if you are not raising your own animals and growing your own food, you really don’t know what you are eating so stay prayed up!
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
No comments:
Post a Comment