High Fructose Corn Syrup

High Fructose Corn Syrup has been deemed safe in the U.S. in 1976 by the FDA (U.S. Food Drug Administration) but does that mean we should be downing this stuff on a regular basis? For me the answer is no. HFCS is basically refined and processed corn. They strip it of all it nutrients and turn it into a syrup. HFCS is a sweetener used in most of all our products in the U.S. including ketchup,lunch meats, breads and cereals. It is mostly used in drinks like soda and juices.

The effects of HFCS:

After doing a lot of reading on HFCS, I am noticing that most articles and studies are saying the same thing. In the past 30 years since this sweetener has been used by consumers in the U.S., people have become more obese. I have also read that most of these problems can be solved if you just cut HFCS from your diet. I'm not saying to do it cold turkey but try to limit the amount of HFCS you put into your body. Look for healthier alternatives like brown sugar or use products with no added sugar. Just read the labels on the back of each product you use. Take some time when you are not too busy to go into your favorite grocery store and read the labels and decide if you can do without your usual products or get the light version of it. It is a start!

There are four usual effects of using HFCS. If used on a regular basis you could get these things over a set amount of time. It depends, with some people it can take a year to take effect and others it could be many years later. But if you could avoid too much high fructose corn syrup and save yourself a lot of trouble.

Four Bad Effects of  High Fructose Corn Syrup
1. Obesity
2. Diabetes
3. Coronary Disease
4. High Blood Pressure


More info: Video on HFCS



(Poster Via: Term Life Insurance)

Food of the day: Honey Mango

The good:  They are a great source of fiber, Vitamins A and C.



SALSA

1.  Dice the following and add to a small bowl:

2 Honey Mangos
1/2 cup red bell pepper (about 1/4 of a large pepper)
1/2 cup red onion (about 1/4 of a medium onion)
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded (Mince small.  Also, you can add some seeds if you like the ‘heat’.)
1/2 cup cilantro

2.  Add to salsa and mix thoroughly with a spoon:

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)

3.  Chill salsa

Enjoy with multi-grain tortilla chips.

Sugar, Oh sweet Sugar

Sugar: a sweet, crystalline substance, C _1 2 H _2 2 O _1 1 , obtained chiefly from the juice of the sugarcane and the sugar beet, and present in sorghum, maple sap, etc.: used extensivelyas an ingredient and flavoring of certain foods and as a fermenting agent in the manufacture of certain alcoholic beverages; sucrose.-Dictionary.com

cubed brown and bleached
and refined sugars

Sugar comes from sugar canes or sugar beets.

Let me explain more about sugar. There are four types to be exact.

The Four Sugars
Glucose is the sugar in blood, and dextrose is the name given to glucose produced from corn. Biochemically they are identical.

sugar beet

Fructose is the principal sugar in fruit. In fruit, it raises no issues because it is accompanied by nutrients and fiber.

Sucrose is table sugar. It is a double sugar, containing one part each of glucose (50%) and fructose (50%), chemically bound together. Enzymes in the intestine quickly and efficiently split sucrose into glucose and fructose, which are absorbed into the body as single sugars.

HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) is made from corn starch. It contains roughly equivalent amounts of glucose (45 to 58%) and fructose (42 to 55%).

HFCS raises several issues, health and otherwise:

Juices filled with high fructose corn syrup

Read more:

The sugars we need to worry about is sucrose and HFCS.

Sugar as we know it is white. Do you ever wonder why it's white? For all of my island people, when we were little and still some of us do this now. When you bite and chew off the hard skin of the sugar cane is the inside a bright white? The answer is no it's not. It's a yellowish color and when you chew it to get all sweet juice out of it and then spit out the pulp, later on it turns a darker brown color. So overall, sugar cane and sugar beet once ground up should look this below. Once they process it this is how it looks.

raw sugar from the sugar beet

dark brown sugar  from sugar canes

Okay so now that we've seen what sugar looks like raw but processed below is how we usually buy and use it. So if anyone is thinking what I'm thinking....how in the heck did it get it like that?! Well that's where chemistry comes in. The sugar we use has been refined. The refining process for any product goes through numerous cycles of washing, boiling, something called centrifuging (google it) filtering and drying. THEN
      
they bleach it. Yes bleach. As you know we bleach stains in our clothes to get them white. So the same thing is done to our food. I don't know about you but that sounds awful. Carbon Dioxide or a bleaching agent called Lime is used to make the sugar "pure". They mean the chemical purity of the sugar because it's lacking the nutrients and it has no natural or wholesome state anymore.

The next thing is why should we care? Our body processes it and then we poop it out right?! Wrong! Our bodies are working extra hard to filter and get this stuff out of our system.

Bad Effects of refined sugar
* Diabetes. It causes your blood sugar to go super high. You get a "sugar rush" eating and drinking too much sugar which in time causes your body to crash which disturbs your body being able to regulate your blood sugar. That's why most people around the age of 50 get diagnosed with diabetes.
*Tooth Decay. The refined sugar give bacteria and germs more ammunition in your mouth which causes tooth decay. That's why people have so many cavities which eventually turn to root canals if not taken care of.
*Immune System. Eating too much sugar causes your bodies immune system to slow down. In return, causes you to get sick frequently. Colds, allergies etc.
*Obesity. Sugar turns to FAT! Eating too much sugar which are empty calories converts to fat when you go over the amount of calories your body needs. So most of the sugary products we eat daily goes straight to the belly, butt and everywhere else.

Last, is High Fructose Corn Syrup. This is a man made sugar derived from corn. They put it through several chemical processes. HFCS is in so many drinks. Like colas, orange and other juices, teas, breads and even cereals.

HFCS should be avoided as much as possible. The advice that I would like to give is not to do it cold turkey. Gradually, cut down on products containing HFCS look for a healthier alternative. For example, if you have 4 cans of soda per day cut down to 3 cans per day than 2 than 1. I don't buy soda when I go to the grocery store. I might stop at a gas station or fast food restaurant and get a SMALL Dr Pepper or Pepsi.

Small Fact:
Eating white sugar will paralyze and hinder your white blood cells from fighting infection. Eating 25 teaspoons of sugar will paralyze 92% of your white blood cells for approx. 5 hours!

We are supposed to have only 40g of sugar per day. Coco Cola alone has 39g of sugar in it! So think about all of the things we are drinking and eating and how much sugar is in it. We are setting ourselves up to get sick. It's inevitable.  Check out this website and see how much sugar is in our typical favorite foods.

http://www.sugarstacks.com/



Food of the day: GREEN PEPPERS
The good: This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Folate, Magnesium and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2536/2#ixzz1sQcswtRz
You can add it raw with your cooked eggs in the morning or to a salad.





Stuffed Green Peppers

1

can of tuna

1         cup sliced fresh mushrooms and sweet   peas

2        tbsp mayonnaise

1

cup shredded mild cheddar Cheese, divided

2

green peppers, tops removed, seeded

Salt and pepper for taste

Mix ingredients together and stuff into green peppers. Top with more shredded cheese of your choice. Bake on 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

Enjoy! Mine tasted great.

Introduction: Food and You

First of all, I have to say that yes! we all LOVE food! Fried, steamed, broiled, deep Fried, smothered in some kind of sauce and topped with condiments. I heard people say it before and it's true. We have a love affair with food.

But we have to understand it's not the best for our bodies.... Well, to start let me give you the definition of food.

Food: Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or that plants absorb, in order to maintain life and growth. -Dictionary.com 

So, that means we eat food to nourish our bodies. Now things can get complicated with food. People also eat for pleasure. It's an art form. We eat when we are down, up, bored or have nothing better to do.

However, what we all need to realize is that we can, and will get sick that is IF we continue to feed ourselves the wrong things. Eating too much bad foods help  people become obese, get cancer, skin rashes,acne, high blood pressure, insomnia, sleep apnea, dry hair/skin, migraines and a plethora of bad things.

For myself it's taken years to comprehend, compare and get adjusted to what foods are good to eat.

It doesn't help when our culture is filled with commercials and different advertisements telling us what to eat. It has jaded our understanding of what we SHOULD be eating. They have done such a good job that people get intimidated by the words organic, vegan and raw. I was the same way as well. We need to re shape our minds and frame of thinking to see the truth about the right foods to eat in our society. Colas, refined foods and processed food are not the right choices. We should only have those things sparingly if at all. We are setting ourselves up for ill health and sickness.

On every post per the request of some friends (wink), I'll add recipes and photos of dishes that I made at home. It won't be perfect every time but let me know what you think.

So the food of the day!! STRAWBERRIES
The good: This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Folate and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C and Manganese.

It's fairly cheap, you can eat it alone and it's raw! Add it to smoothies or a salad. Start with these two recipes towards being              a healthier you.

Serves 4

Romaine Salad with Strawberries and Basil

1 head romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

1 ½ cups of strawberries, washed and sliced

1 generous handful of basil

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Add all together to a bowl and toss. This tastes great add walnuts or almonds for a kick of flavor!

Serving 2 (14oz)

           
Strawberry and Banana Smoothie

1 cup soy milk or water

1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries

1 1/2 cup fresh squeezed oranges

1 medium size banana


Blend well and enjoy!
The fruits will be sweet enough so no added sugar is necessary