High fructose corn syrup and spirituality, an unlikely combination
One of those added “nutrients” that may need to be looked at a bit more deeply is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Some say that because it is derived from corn, it is safe. Others say it broken down exactly the same as table sugar once it’s in the body, thereby making it no more detrimental to health than its counterpart. Some say it does not add to the ever-present obesity issue. Though all of those may be true, there’s a bit more to the whole high fructose corn syrup debate than what is actually being debated.
Some time ago, people tossed “common sense” to the wind. People within societies decided that scientists and nutritionists knew more than they did about the human body. This is about the same time that we began to stop eating real foods, and instead replaced nutritional foods with boxed food-like substances. We also decided that doctors could pretty much fix whatever we could possibly do to ourselves, thereby rendering the self as no longer responsible for health. Now many may wonder what this has to do with spirituality (since this is a Spirituality Examiner’s post), but the answer is, a lot.
You see, people also tossed their responsibility for things spiritual. They fell into the whole, “If I go to church and do what the preacher/priest/rector/rabbi/holy books say, then my salvation is assured.” This, as you can see, is the same as giving the responsibility for health over to the medical industry.
The medical industry must be supported, right? So those who give money are heard, right? It’s the way our fine country works: the more money you give, the louder you are often heard. If the corn refineries of America are giving the FDA money, then guess what? They are heard. And yes, there is no doubt that many scientific studies have been done to support that there simply is nothing wrong with high fructose corn syrup. You can read them yourself on such sites as http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/no-index/about-ama/18641.shtml
and http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/nutrition_19399_ENU_HTML.htm
but one is still left to wonder such questions as: just because they say it’s safe, does that mean I should put it in my body when it’s so far from the way nature intended it? Should I read the labels and cut down on some of the products that have this in it? And why add high fructose corn syrup to all the different foods anyway?
A couple of reasons it is added have only to do with product enhancement (shelf life and taste). If we allow common sense to tiptoe back into our lives, we are confronted with concerns like: if this additive makes this product last virtually forever, can it be good for me? Or, what would it taste like without the taste enhancer? Does the product not taste good without it? These are viable questions and concerns for anyone who cares to take responsibility for the health of themselves and their families.
And to parallel it with spirituality again, if the only reason the kids are joining the church is for the cool trips, or the theme parties, what would religion taste like without the additives? Common sense suggests the idea that anything that must be sweetened to be consumed may not be something we should ingest.
Another site on behalf of high fructose corn syrup is http://www.sweetsurprise.com/
All your questions regarding the safety and uses of high fructose corn syrup can be answered as long as you are handing your own health over to people you do not know.
For the rest of you, if you want to jump on the bandwagon against the consumption of high fructose corn syrup and you want to read some of the negative findings (some with scientific evidence, some not), visit NaturalNews.com. Their daily articles and essays usually mention not only this additive, but others as well. There is even one article that suggests that our bee population is dying because of the supplementation of high fructose corn syrup--but you decide for yourself. (http://www.naturalnews.com/027286_HFCS_food_honey.html) and (http://www.naturalnews.com/027085_soda_health_soda_consumption.html) Or perhaps you want to read the book In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, where he catalogues for us the changes within food regulations, the manipulations of the words, and the way products are allowed to claim they are “heart-healthy” with fifty-something added “nutrients” in them.
I will definitely concede that high fructose corn syrup may not be any more damaging to the body than refined, bleached, white, granulated sugar. That I agree with. But what I must add is that neither should be put in our bodies (or at the very least, limited). Sugar is nothing more than bug food. Leave sugar outside and see what happens to it! Take a full tablespoon, eat it as it is, and feel your heart begin to race within minutes! This, according to my own common sense, does nothing good for the body.
No, I am not against high fructose corn syrup alone, nor am I against sugar or religion for that matter. What I am against is giving the responsibility of our own individual health and spirituality over to other people. I am against the way we have become lazy and tossed instinct and common sense away. I long for the days when we realize we lost too much by forfeiting our own personal gardens for the canned version of the food we remembered was healthy for us. I yearn to see people turn off their televisions and open books. I desire for our society to return to believing we have so much more potential than what our peers can see. I crave seeing people embrace their own personal power and remember that they can heal themselves instead of going to the doctor for everything. I wish for people to cast off the roles that do not fit them anymore and step into an authentic existence where they are connected with and serve a highest good. And when these things happen, the veil will have been lifted and we will look back and wonder why anyone ever bought into the idea that food-like substances could ever take the place of food.
Laurie M. Knight is the author of Journal to the Center of the Soul, available at online booksellers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingbyKnight.com
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High fructose corn syrup and spirituality, an unlikely combination
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