Over the years, scientists have found that high fructose corn syrup may be causing millions of Americans to gain weight. Unfortunately, they have not be able to conduct enough research on high fructose corn syrup to prove that this is the only factor that causes weight gain. But they continue to monitor the effects on the human body because, since high fructose corn syrup was introduced in this country, the obesity rate has skyrocketed and more and more people are suffering from diseases like diabetes. At the present time, there are a few different ways that high fructose corn syrup can cause you to gain weight. Here are some of the ways that it may affect your health and your weight.
High Fructose Corn Syrup Digests Slowly
Unlike the natural sugars that are found in fruits and vegetables, HFCS is an artificial sugar that your body is not equipped to handle. In general, it takes natural sugars about a day to go through the digestion process in your body. On the other hand, it takes high fructose corn syrup about three or four days to properly digest. In the meantime, you're likely eating more processed foods that contain high fructose corn syrup. This can lead to your body struggling to digest all of it. This can cause you to gain weight. To avoid this problem, you should try eating more natural foods and organic foods that contain natural sugars. This gives your body a better opportunity to digest properly.
It's Present in Foods With More Calories
The truth is that most foods that contain natural sugars are not very high in calories. An apple, for instance, is just as satisfying to your body as a box of candy. However, the apple has less than 100 calories, while the box of candy could easily have 500 calories. So aside from giving your body fits when it comes to digestion, you're also taking in a significant amount of calories when you eat products with high fructose corn syrup. Fast food also has a ton of high fructose corn syrup in it, and you probably already know that fast food is one of the worst things that you can eat if you're trying to maintain any semblance of a good diet.
How to Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup
If you go shopping at the supermarket, you're literally surrounded with products that contain high fructose corn syrup. Because so many foods are processed today, it's hard to avoid high fructose corn syrup. It's present in everything from bottles of soda to certain types of bread. To avoid eating it, read the nutritional labels on the foods that you buy. High fructose corn syrup is often one of the first ingredients listed. Because of all the bad press surrounding it, many products are also advertised as being free of high fructose corn syrup. Provided these products do not contain other bad things for your body (calories, saturated fats, etc.), you may want to try them to avoid eating so many foods with high fructose corn syrup. It can help you stop gaining weight and get you back on the right path towards a more healthy lifestyle.
