The Great Corn Debate: Should We Avoid This Food?

You hear a lot about people being gluten free these days. That means avoiding gluten – mainly wheat, barley and rye. But an even trickier challenge would be to avoid corn. But should we avoid corn?

Corn is very prevalent in the products we buy – and in many cases it is highly disguised. While some common ingredients are easy to determine as corn-based, such as high fructose corn syrup, cornstarch and corn flour, others are not obvious at all. Non-obvious corn-based products include: alcohol, artificial sweeteners, food starch, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and vinegar. In fact, there are well over a hundred corn-based products that are included in the foods we buy where we would have no indication on the label that they contain corn. If you had to avoid corn completely, you would probably simply want to stay out of the center section of your local grocery store. And it gets worse. You would probably also need to stay away from beef, since most beef is corn fed – a very unnatural way to feed cattle which disturbs their metabolism requiring them to be given large quantities of antibiotics.

One of the top ten causes of deaths in America is diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, currently at epidemic proportions, is tightly linked to obesity. And obesity, is tightly linked to an over consumption of sugar. And where do we get a large percentage of the sugar that is included in the products we buy? Corn. You have probably heard of the controversy over the ‘health’ of high fructose corn syrup, whether it is worse for us than ‘natural’ sugar. Remember the slogan, “sugar is sugar”? Regardless of the direct scientific evidence (there is inadequate evidence to conclusively prove it is worse at this point), the abundance of ‘cheap sugar’ from high fructose corn syrup has resulted in this product being added in huge quantities to the foods we eat.

Manufacturers, for example soft drink companies, can produce more of their product by using high fructose corn syrup. They aren’t doing it because it is better for you – it is about economics. And larger quantities make it easier for people to over consume. Remember the hubbub over the reduction of sizes of soft drinks being dispensed in New York City? This is a real health concern and is a direct contributor to the incidence of Type 2 diabetes and all sorts of health problems. Sugar, in whatever form, is not a healthy food.

And finally, 85% of US corn is genetically modified. So if you care about avoiding genetically modified foods, then avoid corn-based sugar. And note, drinking diet drinks almost certainly means you are drinking genetically modified corn, since most artificial sweeteners are corn-based.

The bottom line: avoid corn, particularly in unnatural, inorganic or genetically modified forms. Avoid corn-fed beef – choose grass fed beef instead. And always be on the alert for products containing high fructose corn syrup.

– The Alternative Daily