Maybe you have seen the commericals (sponsored by corn refineries) about how high-fructose corn syrup is not as bad as we have been lead to believe. Maybe you have also read reports condemning HFCS. You may also be having flashbacks to the 80′s and 90′s debate of eggs-are-good-no-eggs-are-bad-no-eggs-are-good-again fiasco.
So what is the deal with HFCS? The Mayo Clinic acknowledges these conflicting reports, and suggests moderation is the key when it comes to HFCS. The article does suggest, however, that there could be link between HFCS and obesity, diabetes, and other diseases.
The Washington Post offered another perspective: regardless of the effects of HFCS on the body, environmentalists are quite certain it is having an adverse impact on the planet. The article quotes Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food:
“The environmental footprint of HFCS is deep and wide,” writes Pollan, a prominent critic of industrial agriculture. “Look no farther than the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, an area the size of New Jersey where virtually nothing will live because it has been starved of oxygen by the fertilizer runoff coming down the Mississippi River from the Corn Belt. Then there is the atrazine in the water in farm country — a nasty herbicide that, at concentrations as little as 0.1 part per billion, has been shown to turn male frogs into hermaphrodites.”
The article continues to suggest some natural sweetners with less of an environmental impact: organic honey, pure maple syrup, and agave nectar.
The jury may be still be out on the health effects of HFCS, but it appears the verdict is loud and clear for its effects on the planet. And let’s be honest: it might not be hurting the body, but it certainly isn’t doing anything to help. In the meantime, rather than spend money to create a more eco-friendly process or investigating if their product truly is harmful to people, the corn refineries are sinking millions of dollars into advertising propaganda. HFCS and corn refineries: I’m calling it as I see it, and I see it Bitter.
Want to read more? Check out the Murky World of High-Fructose Corn Syrup and The Double Danger of High-Fructose Corn Syrup for other opinions.
