The Magnetic Diet - High-Fructose Corn Syrup - Salt

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

High-fructose corn syrup is sweeter to the taste, cheaper to make, and is easier to mix with other ingredients than more traditional sweeteners. Most people consume over 50 pounds of it per year in drinks, sweets, and other food products. High-fructose corn syrup appears in many foods. It gives bread that appealing, brown color and a nice soft texture, so you’ll find it in whole-wheat bread, not to mention bacon, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, soft drinks, and even beer.

Scientists are beginning to find that high-fructose corn syrup may upset the human metabolism, increasing the risk for diabetes and heart disease. They have observed that the sweetener’s chemical structure increases the appetite and encourages over-eating. Researchers have learned that it also seems to cause the liver to secrete more triglycerides into the bloodstream, which is a recipe for heart disease. In addition, high-fructose corn syrup may deplete your body's reserves of the mineral chromium, which is important for healthy levels of insulin, and blood sugar.

Salt

Sodium is vital for many functions. It helps the body maintain its fluid balance, transmit nerve impulses, and regulate blood pressure. It allows muscles to contract and it keeps your senses, especially taste, touch, and smell, in good working order.

But when you eat more salt than your body needs you retain water, which can raise blood volume and make your heart pump faster. Sodium can also constrict veins and arteries. The combination of more blood volume and narrowed veins and arteries can cause your blood pressure to go through the roof. Most of the sodium we consume doesn’t come from the salt we sprinkle on our food. Instead, we get it from just about everything we buy at the grocery store or eat in a restaurant.

Some sodium occurs naturally in food and can be found in milk, vegetables, and the water we drink.

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