High fructose corn syrup is chemically manufactured and found in more foods than you can imagine: energy bars, soda, cookies, ketchup, pasta, juice, salad dressing, the list goes on and on.  According to David Zinczenko, author of The Abs Diet,

“High fructose corn syrup shuts off your body’s natural appetite control switches, so you can eat and eat and eat far beyond what your body would normally be able to handle.  By shutting off the switches that control appetite, high fructose corn syrup is making America fat.  In 1970, Americans ate about a half a pound of high fructose corn syrup per person per year.  By the late 1990’s, every 6th person was consuming about 62 pounds every year.  That’s 228 additional calories per person per day.

The news goes from bad to worse.  In addition to high fructose corn syrup shutting off your appetite switches, your body can’t metabolize it in the same manner as it does glucose so it stores it as fat.  Zinczenko likens it to

“Setting up an IV that pumps fat directly to your gut.”

Headlines: Major Soda Brands Agree to Halt Sales to Public Schools
If you still aren’t sold on the idea that high fructose corn syrup will sabotage your diet plans and your health, read on:

America’s largest beverage distributors have agreed to halt nearly all sales of sodas to public schools - a step that will remove the sugary, caloric drinks from vending machines and cafeterias around the country.  The move follows a mounting wave of regulations by school boards and legislators alarmed by reports of rising childhood obesity.  Soda has been a particular target of those fighting obesity because of its caloric content and popularity among children.13

You may not be a soda drinker, however I encourage you to check your labels carefully.  My 7 year old, Rock, shocks babysitters at the grocery store when he has them read the labels and if any item has high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oil, or msg, he puts it back on the shelf.  If he’s still doing that when he’s in high school, I’ll be one happy person.  At least now he won’t be able to buy it at a vending machine in high school!

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