Victims of Legal Crack

Forty years ago childhood obesity and type -two diabetes were virtually unheard of. Hyper-active children were a rarity. The diagnose of ADHD for most of those afflicted has been a Godsend, however forty years ago ADHD was presumably just that and not a symptom of an addiction to high fructose corn syrup, today the lines are indeed blurred.

Speaking of which, high fructose corn syrup referred to as "the crack of sweeteners" is cheaper than refined sugar and is absorbed very quickly into the young bloodstream. It's also found in over 75% of the food products we consume. Many children now prefer man -made sweeteners to natural ones and this is just a natural progression as man -made sweeteners are twice as sweet as most natural ones. Children are now finding foods that are not sweet are not to their liking. We now consume over 250% more high fructose corn syrup than we did fifteen years ago. There is no doubt a definite link between high fructose corn syrup and childhood obesity exists. If your children drink soda pop, make sure it's sweetened with natural cane sugar. Start reading food labels; you will be shocked at how many items in your refrigerator and cupboard contain high fructose corn syrup- ketchup, cereal, juice, and a host of other food staples.

The corn producers and those who manufacture high fructose corn syrup will argue that children today eat more junk food than they did a generation ago, and that maybe true, but the extremely low cost of this syrup and the fact that it blends so easily with virtually any food means that junk food is cheaper to make, cheaper to buy, and virtually contains no nutritional value whatsoever.

Fats from junk food also trigger the brain to want more food, thus the gateway to obesity. Corn dextrin, a common ingredient in junk food is the same ingredient that is used for glue in postage stamps. Alloxen, used in bleaching white flour used quite often in fast food, has been found to lead to diabetes in healthy animals by destroying their pancreatic cells. Additives and artificial coloring used in food have been proven to make children hyperactive. Young women with diets high in junk food run a greater risk of developing polycystic ovarian syndrome. A study recently completed in the UK has uncovered the disturbing evidence that junk food consumed before the age of three considerably lowers the IQ later in life, despite later changes in diet.

Lowers the IQ? We truly are what we eat. As a nation we are actually becoming less intelligent and by default, less effective. Doesn't this disturb anyone else?