High Fructose Corn Syrup is getting replaced by sugar in many packaged foods and drinks. High Fructose Corn Syrup has recently gotten a bad reputation as an artificial sweetener. It is heavily processed and offers little nutritional value

Problems with Sugars

Changing to sugar is almost a marketing gimmick. Researchers have concluded that sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup have the exact same effect on obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Biochemically they are almost identical. One is not better than the other. Consumers should seek less sweet alternative products. The American Diabetic Association has stated that studies have found little evidence that high fructose corn syrup differs from sucrose. Some corn syrup comes from Genetically Modified corn, making you part of an experiment to ensure that this does not cause long term problems.

Soda and Hidden Fat Increase

Danish researchers found that drinking non-diet soda leads to dramatic increases in dangerous hidden fats like liver fat and skeletal fat. (February issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

Flame Retardants in Soda

Some citrus flavored soda, including Mountain Dew, uses brominated vegetable oil or BVO—a toxic flame retardant, as an emulsifier, to keep their artificial flavoring from separating from the rest of the liquids.

Some restaurant and products have replaced high fructose corn syrup with agave nectar claiming that it may be better. Unfortunately it is high in fructose, ranging from 50% to 100%. A diet high in fructose raises lipids and reduces insulin sensitivity. Glucose doesn’t have these negative effects.

Sugar and Yogurt – Greek Yogurt

Greek Yogurt is now the trendy dairy product to eat. It is thicker and more flavorful. Greek yogurt is just regular yogurt strained, so that sugar, water, lactose, and some whey has been removed.

The good things about Greek yogurt:

• Twice the protein
• Half the sugar
• Half the carbohydrates
• Half the sodium
• Same number of calories as regular yogurt

The bad things about Greek yogurt:

• Half the calcium of regular yogurt
• Normal Greek yogurt has 3 times the saturated fat compared to normal yogurt

So we recommend people select a fat free yogurt to maximize all the benefits of Greek yogurt. We like Chobani Greek yogurt ourselves. You can find it at Costco, although you will be limited in the number of flavors you get.

Quest for Sugar Elimination

Recently went looking for some simple unsweetened iced tea at a Walgreens and in a gas station, we found nothing but sweetened versions of the drink. If you wanted to do without sugar you have to buy bottled water.

People need to drink water instead of soda. Snack on fruit instead of cookies. Yes they are not as appetizing, but they are far healthier.

Check out this video that talks about the problems with sugar.

Health concerns of Diet Soda

Many people switch to diet sodas to avoid all the calories of regular soda. Health concerns of Diet Soda are still present.

Some problems with diet soda:

• Consumption of diet soda has been correlated with weight gain in one study.
• Consumption of diet soda correlates with increased metabolic syndrome. Of the 9,000 males and females studied, findings stated that 48% of the subjects were at higher risk for weight gain and elevated blood sugar.
• Diet soda drinkers were less likely to consume healthy foods, and that drinking diet soda flavored with artificial sweeteners more than likely increases cravings for sugar flavored sweets.

How does water sound?

Alcohol and Empty calories

We all know that soda is a major problem with regard to sugar and calories. Soda and other sweetened beverages consume roughly 6% of the calories an adult takes in. Did you know that alcoholic beverages are close behind at 5%?

Alcohol, like soda, has few nutrients and a ton of calories. The average person gets 150 calories from alcohol each day, roughly the same as a can of beer. Five ounce glass of wine contains 100 calories. So the next time you are ordering a drink, think about its calorie content. Alcohol and soda both fill you up with empty calories.

Sugarless Gum Problems

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…

I saw an article that mentioned that the artificial sweeteners used in chewing gum could cause problems. A Google search shows many articles that talk about sweeteners such as Sorbitol, Mannitol, and Aspertame causing stomach problems in some people. Better living through chemicals. Also the mechanism of chewing causes swallowing lots of air, which can cause gas and bloating.

Let’s not even get into all the waste gum packaging has or gum littering the ground…

Is Vitamin Water low calorie drink or a virtual soda-like drink in disguise? Vitamin Water made the news recently. Center for Science in the Public Interest sued Coca Cola, who owns Vitamin Water over deceptive and unsubstantiated claims on its  original Vitamin Water line of beverages.

Coke has marketed it as a healthy alternative to drinking soda. Adjectives like “defense,” “rescue,” “energy,” and “endurance.” make it even more appealing to sugary soda. Phrases like: reduce the risk of chronic disease, reduce the risk of eye disease, promote healthy joints, and support optimal immune function, also reinforce this healthy image.

Vitamin Water Ingredients

Vitamin Water Zero was created to address this controversy over whether Vitamin water is good for you or has too many calories. 33 grams of sugar is present in some Vitamin Water flavors, this adds to the obesity and diabetes epidemic. The labeling and marketing go counter to the actual benefits of this drink.

Vitamin Water may prove to do more harm than good, because many of the various flavors are filled with sugar and caffeine that offsets any positive effect of vitamins. We recently posted an article about the wonders of sweeteners. One 500ml bottle of Vitamin Water had 8 teaspoons of sugar, 82ml of caffeine. The label indicates that you should not drink more than 2 bottles a day, and kids or pregnant females should not drink it.

Vitamin Water Zero

Apparently Vitamin Water is listening. In 2010, they introduced a new line of drinks for the weight-conscious market called Vitamin Water Zero that has 0 calories per eight-ounce serving. It uses sweeteners from Truvia, a high-purity extract of the stevia leaf.

Keep in mind switching to diet sodas has its downsides. A reminder that there is no free lunch.

fruitwater

In April of 2013, Coca-Cola’s Glaceau Division introduced fruitwater. Another beautiful bottle filled with colored water. The kicker is that this zero calorie carbonated drink does not contain any fruit juice and it is sweetened with the artificial sweetener, Sucralose. Somethings never change.

Coconut Water

People are now starting to drink Coconut Water instead of their normal beverage. Vita Coco is a popular brand. This drink consists of water from inside a coconut which is slightly sweet and is rich in electrolytes, especially potassium. Coconut Water does not have fat and is not coconut milk. Some sport athletes are drinking this instead of Gatorade. Coconut production supply restrictions are reducing the amount of Coconut Water. Coconuts typically have to be 14 months old before being harvested.

Alternatives to Vitamin Water – Water!

Why contribute to the $1.5 billion spent on sports drinks?  A British Medical Journal study found most claims could not be supported. In a UNC study, Electrolytes can be lost after vigorous exercise for an hour or more, but they can be replaced by a balanced diet full of fruits and veggies.

How about sticking to plain old water in a BPA free water bottle?

Be sure to read Healthy Food Options to Avoid Chemicals