Do you remember when first New York City banned Trans Fats from restaurants back in 2008? Now it’s not easy to find anything that lists TransFat on the labels of food packages or boxes. “No Trans Fat” become a permanent fixture if not underlined requirement to be on the market. Keep in mind though, that transfat under 0.5 mg in the product is allowed to say "No Transfat". So, there’s more reason to avoid processed foods. The bag of potato chips you finished last night while you are watching a movie, might have had Transfat even though it said "No Transfat" in the bag.
Living in a so-called modern and convenient lifestyle has its downside. As Sadhguru said that people living in countries enjoying the most technological and economical advances eat the worst, crappy old foods in the world. He didn’t exactly say that way, but that’s what the message was. Processed foods are easy and convenient. Open the bag and pop it into the microwave and in a few minutes, ready to eat.
If you look at obesity, it is no longer a wealthy nation's problem. According to Harvard obesity Prevention Source *1, obesity now impacts all economic levels, particularly in low-income countries and households in the world. As the world becomes smaller and smaller, cheap, unhealthy fast foods made with cheap ingredients such as High Fructose Corn Syrup spreading worldwide causing health problems among low-income households.
What is HFCS? It is made from corn and it comprises around 50% glucose and 50 % fructose just like table sugar. There is not any clear scientific evidence of direct links to illnesses and unwanted symptoms in the human body, HOWEVER, many doctors and nutritionists, health professionals have been expressing their concerns and warnings that too much fructose cause working our livers too hard since it is the only organ that can process fructose. Too much fructose is the cause of fatty liver and our extra weight around the waist. Obesity and diabetes are likely the results of overconsumption of HFCS. *2
Keep in mind, though, that fructose in fruits and vegetables is not a significant amount to worry about the effect on our bodies. On the contrary, they are beneficial to our health. So you should never stop eating fruits. You can easily find tons of personal stories online and in the books about how fruits and veggies have cured chronic symptoms and diseases when nothing else worked.
Again, just as anything else, what is good for me may not be good for you. We all have different reactions to food due to the conditions of our unique gut environment; our body is in full of trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. They are collectively known as the microbiome. Depending on your gut microbiome situation, you can experience unpleasant symptoms in your body even with fruits and vegetables that work miraculously for others.
That means no single food is always safe to eat. You may be okay and getting benefits of kombucha now, but may give you some trouble in future when your microbiome situation changes for whatever the reason. That is why we all need to be mindful of what we eat. And most importantly how much you eat. Moderation is a golden rule for mindful eating.
In general, I strongly believed that food is medicine if we know how to eat it.
It would be ideal if we don’t eat any processed foods, but that is probably not practical for many, especially for those whose residences are in the city. In many developed countries, the vast majority’s lifestyle is such that procurement of food supplies is done once a week on weekends, or days off from work to get processed and frozen foods that have a much longer shelf life than produce. Fruits and vegetables can easily spoil in a few days.
Fruits and vegetables are an important part of our nutrition, but not putting a harmful substance into our body is critical as well if we are to stay healthy. It doesn’t matter how much of good things you eat, if you keep poisoning your body with an excess amount of processed food containing HFCS.
Luckily our bodies are resilient and powerful; they are built in such a way to heal and work for our best interest as long as we don’t overboard with artificially processed food.
From my personal experience, I am convinced that avoiding HFCS save us from suffering many health issues and trip to the doctor's office. I have been reading the processed food labels for a couple of decades when I shop. My son who has been raised with as little as possible HFCS at home is healthy and happy throughout his 20 years of life. No major illness and doctor's office visits other than regular checkups. I am the same way since I have practiced this one thing: staying away from High Fructose Corn Syrup. Incidentally, I have no weight problems and a craving for junk foods. One serving of fruits usually satisfy my craving for sweetness nowadays. My son is the same way.
HFCS is a product that amplified its sweetness by increasing fructose. I don't know why it is so cheap, especially when it's purchased in a huge quantity. For food manufacturers and restaurants, this is a dream come true product; it's perfect for making processed food due to the easiness of handling, extra sweetness, and cost-effectiveness. In fact, they are sold only for business in a huge quantity. We cannot purchase HFCS in a small quantity at stores.
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In a nutshell, anything processed and refined products are not necessarily good for our bodies. It often strips the nutrients and essential minerals and such, which maintain the well-being of our physical health.
It is my hope that in near future the food industry will stay away from HFCS just as they did with Transfat years ago. There are available alternatives that can sweeten the products they offer without risking the health of the general public.
Watch out and be mindful of how much you are taking them in.
Be gentle to your liver.
Your liver is protecting you from experiencing unpleasant bodily symptoms and sicknesses by preventing the harmful chemicals and substances from spreading to your whole body via the bloodstream. It is the strongest internal oragn we have, but it is probably the most overworked one since we live in the polluted environment ever in the history of mankind. So, be kind and gentle to it by being considerate in reducing the consumption of what you know it’s not beneficial for you.
What is one thing you may want to do to feel good and healthier?
My advice is to avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup when purchasing processed foods as much as possible; do that so you don’t consume too much fructose and wear out your digestive system, which is a critical element of your overall health.
References
*1 https://www.haphazard.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-trends
*2 https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-to-know-about-high-fructose-corn-syrup
About the Creator
Ayumi
Everything I do, I do for LOVE. Writing is a way I express my love to the world. Thank you for reading my stories.
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