Sonia Jones ND The Haven Spa and Clinic

High-fructose corn syrup verses fructose in Fresh fruit

It is of great concern to me that people are getting confused between high fructose corn syrup and fructose in fresh fruit. People are telling me they are not eating fresh fruit because they have read about fructose and how bad it is for them.

High Fructose Corn Syrup – is highly concentrated sweet stuff made from corn starch, and in the last 30 years has reached great heights, meaning it appears in so many foods. It tastes like sugar, is as sweet as refined sugar, but it’s cheaper to manufacture. For this reason food producers are using it in products these days. There is a big advantage to producers over sugar, as HFCS helps baked products stay moist for longer, giving them a longer shelf life, for less cost. They win in two ways.

There has been some extensive debates abound that blame HFCS for causing obesity, I wish life was that simple. People are eating too many sweet products, eating much more and much bigger portions, along with refined carbohydrates. The consumption of soft drinks, what ever the type of sweetener used, has sky rocketed to huge amounts.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking as it’s called high-fructose corn syrup, you should stop eating fruit and some vegetables, because it contains some fructose, it’s not the same scenario. Few people are eating enough fresh fruit and vegetables as it is.

Media headline love to say things like – 1 tablespoon of sugar has the same calories as a cup of blueberries. There is no comparison. There is no need to worry about the natural whole sources of fructose, from eating whole fruits and vegetables, they contain the vitamins, minerals, phyto-compounds and fiber needed for every aspect of good health.

Avoid all fruit juices, with or without sweeteners of one description or other. Give up sodas.