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If you’ve been watching T.V lately chances are you’ve been bombarded with commercials touting corn syrup to be “natural” and good from you in moderation. It always blows my mind when I see nutritional commercials touting the benefits of a food product when it’s been proven time and time again to have negative effects, such as milk, and now corn syrup. I’ll be the first to admit that we can’t live a life without nutritional sin every once in a while, but once you start reading labels and realize how many foods contain corn syrup I’m willing to bet the great majority consume it more than once in a blue moon.
High fructose corn syrup has been found to have the same effect on the liver as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, is that really something you want to ingest, even if it’s not on a daily basis? Other fun side effects of consuming it include increased LDL cholesterol levels, increase in blood sugar levels that can eventually lead to diabetes it has even been found to contribute to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, so if you’re gassy, constipated or have stomach pain this just might be the culprit.
We’ve all got a sweet tooth once in a while and if you’ve been eating sugar or corn syrup on a regular basis it will be harder to eliminate sugar from your diet. Want the shortcut? Fruit! Take advantage of fresh cut fruit grown on the island. Apart from vegetables fruits are the healthiest foods you can eat, they’re packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and even fiber to help keep you regular. If there’s no fruit in your diet start incorporating it slowly, it’ll make it easier to stick to. Start trading your desert in for fresh mango, then start adding papaya to your breakfast and then trade in your snacks (the most common culprit of high fructose corn syrup) for an apple and a handful of almonds. Before you know it you’ll turn your sweet tooth into a fruit tooth! Need more convincing? Adding 5 servings of fruit to your daily diet will help lower the risk of stroke, heart disease, even help balance your mood.
The bottom line? Be very weary of what the media tells you is healthy, do your own research or enlist the help of a professional. Your body is your temple, take care of it, don’t clog it with junk!