Monday, March 21, 2011

Challenge 4 - Consume Less Sugar

Most grocery stores and fast food products overuse unhealthy ingredients but the culprit focused here  is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It was introduced into our food chain in the 1950s and our food was never the same again. A series of government agricultural subsidies and bad business practices made HFCS a cheap substitute for sugar. There is a debate on the effects of HFCS in foods. HFCS has been associated with obesity, diabetes, and producing addictive characteristics to sugary foods.

I recently went to A&W and Kentucky Fried Chicken, fast food chains, during a road trip and wanted a meal with no simple carbohydrates and sugars. Impossible! Everything was fried, doused with carbs, even grilled chicken was dipped in flour, and added sugar. I ended up eating an A&W Cooney Chili Dog and skipped the bun, even though the Chili had sugar, it wasn't high on the ingredient list. 

Challenge: Drink and eat less sugar.

Application:
  • Use Cinnamon, instead of sugar, in coffee
  • Drink water instead of fruit juices or soda (you have heard this one before)
  • Skip the pastry and go for a piece of fruit or cup of yogurt 
  • Switch to beer or gin and tonics from sugary mixed drinks
  • Buy fresh bread from a local bakery (less likely to have HFCS) than grocery store brands
Go Above and Beyond: 
  • Next time you go grocery shopping, check the ingredients for all your products to find out what has HFCS

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