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Foods That Are Making America Fat

Many of my past articles have discussed the fattening epidemic America is facing. New information is being reported to us everyday in terms of what's good and what's bad for us...it can often be overwhelming. One of the recent items on discussion is HFCS and why this four letter word is going straight to our waistlines. HFCS stands for High Fructose Corn Syrup and it's processed from hydrolyzed corn starch so it's not natural. HFCS contains high levels of fructose which is naturally occurring in fruits and honey and a simple sugar carbohydrate just like sucrose. Food manufacturers (especially soda manufacturers) began using HFCS in the early 1970's to save money - it was thought of as a revolutionary advance in food science. HFCS is made up of 14 % fructose, 43% dextrose, 31 % disaccharides and the remaining 12% “other" products. Estimates are that Americans consume about 9% of our daily calories in the form of fructose.

The problem with HFCS appears to be the fructose not the corn syrup. Corn Syrup's sugar is primarily glucose which our body burns as a source of immediate energy. It's stored in muscles and our liver for later use and releases insulin. Fructose does not release or stimulate insulin (a naturally occurring hormone that helps to metabolize foods and keep our body fat regulated). To make matters worse, researchers have found that when high levels of fructose are consumed, triglyceride levels can be elevated by as much as 32%. As triglyceride enters the blood stream, it makes cells resistant to insulin, making our bodies fat burning and storage system even more sluggish.

What to do? Always read labels. If you find that one of the first ingredients on the label is HFCS, look to the nutrition label and read how much sugar is actually in the food. If there is 2-3 grams or less, there is less concern than those foods with higher quantities. For those foods you may want to consider other alternatives that don't contain HFCS. You may be surprised to see just which foods contain HFCS. Soda's you would expect, but others like juices, baked goods, cookies, syrups, yogurts, ketchup, cereals, soups and pasta sauces may surprise you.

Fact: In 1966 per capita consumption of HFCS was zero. In 2001 that rose to 62.6 lbs per person per year. Let's win the fat war by reading labels and sending the message to food companies to make changes in their ingredients to help us eat better and lead healthier lives. What we buy (and don't buy) on the super market shelves is the most powerful message!

If you have any health and fitness questions you would like answered please feel free to email jessica@stormfitness.com or call 703-869-8376. Jessica is ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor Certified and owner of Storm Fitness LLC, a personal fitness training company. For more information and helpful fitness tips, you can visit www.stormfitness.com

Q: I am trying to get fit and lose weight but I really want to avoid getting injured since I seem to have a tendency to get injured whenever I start a new workout program. My question is what is better for me running or walking?

A: Running will burn more calories per minute, but you need to start walking before you can run. If you start running before you have a good walking foundation you will increase your chances of injury.