High Fructose Corn Syrup: An Analysis

Do we really know what is being used when creating proceed foods? When shopping in our local grocery stores, we commonly gravitate towards healthier foods such as items that claim to be low calorie or sugar-free. Most products that claim to be organic or all natural are actually using supplements to take the place of raw materials, in hopes of making their produces more appetizing. The manufacturers are able to advertise their products as sugar-free due to the use of added sugars or what is commonly known as Splenda or high fructose corn syrup. According to Readers Digest in their article “4 Most Harmful Ingredients in Packaged Foods”, they claim that high fructose corn syrup is used commonly throughout all processed foods because it is a cheaper
and more reliable substance compared to natural sugar. Readers Digest also informs us about the effects of high fructose corn syrup on the human body, adding that this “sweetener may upset the human metabolism, raise the risk for heart disease and diabetes, encourage overeating, and forces the liver to pump more heart-threatening triglycerides into the bloodstream”( Readers Digest). With marketers hiding these facts from consumers, we are allowing our society to consume harmful products for the sole purpose of financial stability. After becoming aware of this problem, I began to do extensive research and found that most people believe that an organic or vegan diet is the best way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. With the fast food industry contentiously rising, is it a good idea to convert to a vegan lifestyle in the hopes of living a longer and healthier life?