cross-posted at annoyedomnivore.wordpress.com
I’ve heard it takes forty years, on average, for people to accept new ideas or information. For instance, many people still believe you can contract trichinosis from eating under cooked pork. What caused trichinosis in the past was the practice of feeding pigs meat scraps, which was abandoned in the 70s, and the very few people who get the disease now get it from eating wild game. What inspired this immediate digression was the mild shock I experienced when reading that a new study has “found” that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is toxic. While any reinforcement on the dangers of consuming this product is welcome, such information has been available for some time. Two years ago I found plenty of evidence concerning the evils of HFCS, and wrote a post, Sugar Bowl, in January of 2013. At the time, it was well established that consumption of HFCS, even in moderation, is a major cause of heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia and liver failure. The Corn Refiners Association, however, has spent a good deal of money to convince Americans that HFCS is no different, and in fact equivalent, to cane sugar.
The new study, conducted by researchers at the University of Utah, which will be published this March in the Journal of Nutrition, concentrated on mice. Wayne Potts, Professor of Biology at the university, says “that mice instead of humans are good test subjects because 60 to 80 percent of what is toxic in humans is toxic in mice and vice-a-versa.” Professor Potts also presented the study as “the most robust study showing there is a difference between high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar at human-relevant doses.” And this difference is the idea people find so hard to accept, even as the information has been available for years.
Dr. Mark Hyman, who has been studying HFCS for more than a decade, acknowledges that sugar in any form causes obesity and disease. Having said that, however, he, as well as many others, go on to point out the differences between sugar and HFCS. “HFCS and cane sugar are NOT biochemically identical or processed in the same way by the body. HFCS not only spikes insulin since it goes right into the bloodstream, it also goes right to the liver triggering the production of triglycerides and cholesterol. High doses of free fructose have been proven to literally punch holes in the intestinal lining allowing nasty byproducts of toxic gut bacteria and partially digested food proteins to enter your blood stream and trigger the inflammation that we know is at the root of obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia and accelerated aging.” A 2012 UCLA study also demonstrated that “a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning.”
The link between disease and obesity to HFCS began to become apparent in the mid-70s, when the diabetes-obesity epidemic began. This was precisely the time that there was a switch from sucrose being the main added sugar in the American diet to HFCS. HFCS became ubiquitous and is currently present in most processed foods, including canned vegetables, as well as its obvious presence in soda pop. But Americans apparently continue to either ignore the information available to them concerning HFCS or choose to believe the propaganda put forth by the corn industry. The Corn Refiners Association’s continued assertion that there is no difference between sucrose and HFCS can certainly be a factor in our overall consumption. The average American eats 35 pounds of HFCS a year, which is not hard to imagine when over 90% of processed food contains the substance. In human history, we’ve gone from 20 teaspoons of sugar a year per person to about 150 lbs. of sugar per person per year. Although that may seem like a lot, it’s easier to comprehend when you realize that one soda contains at least 15 teaspoons of sugar, all of it HFCS.
One may be excused for believing that if you don’t douse your coffee with sugar and stay away from desserts, that you’re managing your overall consumption. But given that the Western diet has morphed from eating whole, non-processed foods to almost exclusively processed foods, that assumption is a false one, and dangerous to boot. If you want to be stupid, as the UCLA study suggested, you can continue with a blithe disregard for hard science. To keep you and your family healthy, however, you must cook from scratch, stop drinking soda and avoid as much processed food as possible. You’ve known this since the mid-70s, and your forty years are up.
Recipe of the Week
The one processed food I usually have in my house are canned tomatoes. I prefer Muir Glen Fire Roasted Whole tomatoes, as they are organic and have few other ingredients. Each 28 oz can, however, contains 3 grams of sugar.
Pasta with Proscuitto, Mushrooms and Tomatoes
1 lb pasta – any one you like is fine, but try for a more robust pasta such as penne, and the organic imported versions are the best
3/4 lb crimini mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
8 large cloves garlic, minced
1.5 cups of pureed whole tomatoes
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 or 5 anchovies, chopped
1 tbls. fresh rosemary, minced
1/8th lb. proscuitto de Parma, cut up
fresh parmesan
Chop the garlic and rosemary first and set aside. Prepare the mushrooms – if they are dirty, wipe them with a towel rather than washing them. Puree the tomatoes and set aside. Chop the anchovies. Fill a large soup pot with cold water and about 2 tsps salt.
Heat the oil in a cast iron pot. Add the mushrooms and anchovies and cook until the mushrooms have released their moisture. Add the garlic, stir for about 30 seconds and then add the tomatoes, rosemary and proscuitto. Turn the heat to a simmer, and cook the sauce for about 1/2 hour. While the sauce is cooking, turn on the pasta water. When it comes to a boil, put the pasta in and stir until the water returns to a boil. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes, then drain but do not rinse. When the sauce is done, add the pasta and stir. Serve with fresh parmesan on the side.