For the past 6 sessions we have been studying the dangers of sugar. Sugar, as we often think about it, is sucrose and is refined from cane sugar. In 1966, sucrose accounted for 86% of the sweeteners on the market. Prior to 1971, high fructose corn syrup did not even exist as a food additive. It was not recognized as safe until 1996 when, as I see it, congress was bribed to allow approval of this poison to flood the food and beverage industry. By 2007, 55% of all processed foods on the market were sweetened with HFCS. Today it is found in hundreds of items in bottles, cans, packages, commercial goods, dairy, and frozen foods. It is difficult to find anything on the shelves in the super market without it in the list of ingredients. According to Consumer Reports, there has been a 1000% increase of HFCS between the years 1970 and 1990. In 2009, the average American consumed 35.7 pounds of HFCS reported by the Illinois Farm Bureau.
I want to focus on sodas and other drinks as vitamin waters, energy drinks, etc. They are all high in fructose. Walk up and down the grocery store isles not looking at food labels but at the list of ingredients. The first one or two at the top always have the most of an ingredient. HFCS is usually at the top. Approximately 52% adults consume one to six sugary beverages per week according to Duke Health.org. One third of adults admit to having one sugary beverage per day.
HFCS is 1.41 times sweeter than cane sugar making it as addictive as alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs and very difficult from which to withdraw. It takes less money to produce at one fifth the price of sucrose. This makes for a greater profit for the food industry, which is heavily backed by a whole army of corn refiners. Corn, soy, and wheat are all subsidized by our government.
These three items are also genetically modified (GMO), making for additional health concerns. Corn syrup lacks vitamins, minerals, fiber, and enzymes, causing deterioration of the body.
