I'd like to step off the political soap box on this boat, and step onto another soap box. It is time to bring up an issue that has been bothering me for quite some time. It is the over use and consumption of High Fructose Corn Syrup. I have been planning to bring this issue up - as it is not discussed in the "popular press" pretty much - well - ever. There's a darn good reason for that. There's too much money at stake, and we're not talking chump change either. We're talking about Big Food.
Look, let me start off by saying I'm not a scientist. I am merely a grizzly old sea Cap'n with a chip on the chip on my shoulder. I'm a cynic with no real values or virtues of my own. I seem only able to point out the mishaps and mistakes of others. I admit it. I live for the schadenfreude!
But looking around at my own expanding waist band... and the size of the average American that I spy upon (those few times I do sneak ashore) and I keep wondering, "just why the hell is everyone getting so large?"
First, let me introduce Carl Karcher - he's a classic American entrepreneur. Rags to Riches story- he turned a hot dog cart into a massive empire - Carl's Jr. Forget that his empire was stolen by his eleven kids.. We're all very proud of him and all his many achievements. He lived to the ripe old age of 90. Obviously he never tried his product. Hell, even eazy-e could have told you that. This story is in honor of Carl's passing. (Carl's story)
Let me share with you one of Carl's delicious offerings.
The Western Bacon Six Dollar Burger©Looks great right? Add a Soft Drink and a Large fries with that? Yeah, you're pretty much exceeding the caloric intake recommend for an entire day. Probably your salt intake for a month. Seems obvious. You eat this - blam, you're fat. Sure. Okay... case closed.
Serving Size: 270 g
Calories: 1080
Calories from Fat: 555
Total Fat: 62 grams
Saturated Fat: 27 grams
Cholesterol: 137 milligrams
Sodium: 2449 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 84 grams
Fiber: 4 grams
Sugars: 20 grams
Protein: 45 grams
Nope, not enough evidence. Maybe cavemen were eating this stuff? Yeah... but not enough to 'prove' the obese curve.
Besides, a lot of people have already been down on the Carl's Jr. for the irresponsible advertising and selling of this food. However, unlike the anti-smoking crowd, you can't yell and scream that my tastes in food are harming you... unless you think it through.
The obesity epidemic - well, I don't know if it's officially been called an 'epidemic' yet by the CDC - however, I can tell you it's a crisis. There's a wave approaching the United States that's bigger and heavier and wheezier than the Baby Boomers retiring en mass. It's the Mass of the next generation. What's worse? It IS effecting you. And even if you're a vegan granola muncher - you will be hit with this problem too - especially in the pocket book. How? You'll be supporting all these fat people's health issues when we have Socialized Medicine.
Wait, what about personal responsibility? Sure, that would be my obvious counter point to my own argument. But if you have no idea of the dangers, can you expect everyone to be ignorant? Absolutely. This is 'Merica, afterall. But let's pretend you somehow have no idea how bad fast food is for you? Really.
No, really. It's kind of hard to track down this information. I mean, who the hell wants to know how many calories are in that The Western Bacon Six Dollar Burger©? Do you know how difficult it was to get the "Nutrition" info on that Western burger? More than three clicks, I'll tell you. Plus, I know how to use this here AlGore Intra-Web net contraption. Does anyone even know what we're shoveling into our over sized gullets?
Let me give you another example. Let's look at a popular theme type restaurant -
PF Chang's LO MEIN COMBOKind of makes that Western Burger look like health food, eh?
Calories 1820
Protein 66g
Carbs 98g
Total Fat 83.0g
Saturated Fat 20.0g
But, believe it or not, it's not just the fat and salt that are causing people to get rounder. I mean, we've had Twinkies and M&M's (not to single those two out specifically, they just happen to be sitting on deck with me right now...) since the 1930's. And it's not just the sedimentary suburban-cul de sac car culture of America either. Wherever American fast food and drinks have been shipped to, that country is witnessing obesity as well. And Americans have been driving around since the 1950's, and drinking sodas, and eating garbage junk food this whole time. Why weren't there fat people in the 50's, 60's and 70's?
What's the missing element that causes the obesity arch to rise so quickly? Specifically from 1985 to 2006? Again, let me remind you that I'm not a scientist. I'm not a Endocrinologist. Hell, I can barely read. But I can look at a USA Today styled infograph from the CDC:
Here's the Fat Bodies in America in 1985.
Here's the Fat Bodies in 2006...
In a word: WTF?
Note that the edges are much rounder. I guess the people in Colorado and Massachusetts still have to walk to get to their cars? If your state is orange - that means 1 and 4 people around you are fat!
I have an un-scientific, but plausible thought about this which I have given much thought research to. I may be killed for this information. ADM, Coca Cola, the Fast Food Nation, ConAgra, Kraft, hell, pretty much all of Big Food (yeah, just like Big Tobacco - which owns a good portion of the food companies, just so you know) and all the television stations that show their advertising will be gunning for me now just for bringing this up. There's a line behind the Clinton goons and some other folks that I pissed off in Cuba last month - hence the boat in International Waters... But check the masthead - it's called Blasphemes.
So here's my hypothesis for the smoking gun of obesity -
Dude, 'Mericans are becoming Foie Gras!The US Department of Agriculture investigated the harmful effects of dietary sugar on rats. They discovered that when male rats are fed a diet deficient in copper, with sucrose as the carbohydrate, they develop severe pathologies of vital organs. Liver, heart and testes exhibit extreme swelling, while the pancreas atrophies, invariably leading to death of the rats before maturity.(link)
When a duck or goose is force fed a controlled amount of corn mash through a tube inserted in the animal's cuticle-lined esophagus to expand their livers to create påté.Well what the hell is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)?
Since its introduction in the 1970s, high fructose corn syrup has become a widely accepted sweetener made from corn grown on U.S. corn fields. This website offers answers to some frequently asked questions about this highly versatile and predominantly American natural, nutritive sweetener.This website also blew up my bullsh*t detector! I kid you not! However, how damning of them? In Big Food's own fake, made up website tells you upfront that HFCS was introduced in the 70's - look at the chart again. That's when the chart starts! They also admit HFCS isn't even All American. Well - that's what I got out of the word "predominantly," anyway. And I've never seen the word "nutritive" in my entire life. Is that like "nutrition", but not?
Of or relating to nutrition.
from Latin ntr
tus, past participle of n
No Really, what is it?
HFCS is a highly refined form of corn that is stripped to the core to create a sweet sugar compound that is sweeter than sugar cane. HFCS replaces sugar in food products which saves a couple pennies over the price of sugar cane. It also extends shelf life quite a bit since it doesn't break down well in nature. When you're selling Soda Pop - a couple of pennies can add Trillions into your ledger line.
- CS is somewhat cheaper due to the relative abundance of corn and the relative lack of sugar beets, as well as farm subsidies and sugar import tariffs in the United States.[6]
- HFCS is easier to blend and transport because it is a liquid.[7]
- HFCS usage leads to products with much longer shelf life.
And it is in everything.
Even bread. 100% Whole Wheat Bread. Really. Read your labels. It is in everything from toothpaste to soup and nuts, and especially in Soda Pop (just about all of them, in fact, it'd be easier to list the couple that DON'T use HFCS) - in a sense, if you are eating something in a packaged form you're eating some HFCS. It's in everything.
Which leads me back to Carl's Jr.'s The Western Bacon Six Dollar Burger©. There's HFCS in the bun, in the ketchup, the BBQ sauce, the processed "Cheese" and also in the batter on the onion rings. They probably sprinkle some on top just for show. Add the "small" Soft Drink of 20 oz.- with 17 Tablespoons of HFCS - and you've got yourself some liver damage along with some serious stored fat.
Now start compounding that - for every packaged or fast food item that you haven't personally created from scratch. Every meal! Every item of food you're shoveling into your gullet. That's an amazing amount of HFCS in you. And all the people around you.
Is this the reason for the obesity epidemic? Nope. I can't prove it. But it sure smells like an airport men's room.
Now, begin to think about what that crap is doing to the kids-
What if they found out that this fat, salt and altered sugar compounds create brain chemical imbalances along with damaged livers? Do you start to see why there are so many medicated children for learning disabilities like ADHD? They're even treating children for Bipolar disorders now - that's lithium, jack! In little kids!? Some as young as two! TWO!
I saw a Frontline the other day which called the Medicated Child - (link to watch the entire program) you know what struck me the most? (other than parents unwilling to stand up to doctors with script pads) It was that the subject kids were eating corn dogs and 'energy' drinks.
I wonder if those kids who are on eight different mood altering drugs just tried a diet without HFCS and high fat and salt ratios, what would happen? Would they get better? Would they get worse? I think if I were one of those parents, I'd give that a shot.
Solutions?
The knee jerk 'Merican response is to sue or regulate. Two fine, tested options. Not when food or money is involved. When the legislature has Big Food's cash and tentacles wrapped around Congress's arteries - good luck. You're talking about a fight as useless as legislating against Tobacco. Going to Congress for this solution is a waste of a plane ticket.
But what if we were able to get through to the State and Federal employees that are servants of the people? I mean, you could propose a tax on this junk - they like taxes! You could force Big Food to display their calories in an easier fashion. You could even fund nutrition education for kids and parents. Just know that you won't be doing it at the schools - especially those that depend on all those Soda machines for funding and has Aramark running the cafeteria.
So sue, right? Well, there's that "Personal Responsibility" stuff naggin' at that solution. There were two teenage girls who were suing the Big Mack for their massive weight. The first suit was thrown out because their lawyer was incapable of showing the harm done. There's also the defense of "no one forced it down your throat with a funnel" (my words, not Big Mack's). However, the judge did lay out a roadmap in which to "try again." That's like a free quarter on Ms. Pac Man! It's a slow boat. That started in 2002.
What is a fat man to do? There's "Personal Responsibility" again. Damn. I sure as hell don't want to exercise and eat right. (bleah!) But here's what I can do - vote with my pocketbook! I can chose to not eat pre-packaged foods with HFCS in them. Which is pretty much the entire center of any given grocery store. Check that out next time you're in one. My lunch choices are now going to be limited to whiskey and, er, probably just whiskey? Maybe rum? No liquid chaser with that. That'll suck. I mean, I can't even have a PB&J for lunch! Not even a home made one! The Jelly, the Peanut Butter, and the damn Bread all has HFCS!
This isn't going to be easy. Cutting out HFCS is going to be harder than quiting smoking. Mostly because I will have to read (uck) and be mindful of what is going into my mouth.
I can try to tell others of my plight. Which is what I'm doing here. I can spread the word so that you have a little more knowledge - and at the very least - keep your kids off this crap. I'll try to add an update every once in a while - maybe try to understand how we got to this place?
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