When it comes to food my mind works this way:
Excellent = organic, locally cultivated, raw (produce), open-pastured (meat/eggs), raw dairy, naturally produced (sans chemicals), organic whole grains, organic cereals, rice cakes, crackers (okay for the kiddies)
Okay = organic but shipped from afar, “conventionally” grown produce (probably has pesticide residue but it’s better than eating twinkies), organic pasteurized dairy
Red Buzzer = name brand foods packaged and riddled with preservatives, anything with corn syrup, aspartame and any other fake-o sugar (except stevia, which is nature’s answer to white sugar and, of course raw honey is great), fast-food, candy (especially poorly labelled candy that is made in China)
Now, if you eat things from the “Red Buzzer” category, it doesn’t mean that you are the embodiment of evil, perhaps you cave into temptation, but let’s hope it’s not with too much frequency (fewer than a few times monthly). If you do fall into this category, suffice it to say that you definitely need to consider a detoxification process for your body. You probably have gobs of junk lining your intestinal tract, junking up your liver and kidneys or put aside in your fat cells waiting to come out when you burn some fat.
(As you can see, you don’t have to dig deep to surmise that I’m a naturalist when it comes to nutrition.)
So when it comes to corn syrup and a credible news source revealing that it is most likely laced with a very TOXIC heavy metal (mercury), then I am curious.
Chances are you probably avoid corn syrup in your foods. Just to emphasize the importance a bit more, I’m going to list some of the horrifying side effects of mercury poisoning. Mercury is one of those things that continues to accumulate in your system unless you take proactive measure and detox your body. It’s a nerve toxin, which means it damages your nervous system. So, here goes the laundry list of possible side effects:
Swelling (edema)
Skin discoloration (pink cheeks, fingertips & toes)
Pain, burning, itching, tingling (peripheral neuropathy)
Dead skin peeling off in layers (imagine that in a job interview)
Brain damage
Liver damage
Kidney damage
Sensory Impairment
Various diseases
The list goes on, but I’ll stop right here.
With hope, you are motivated to eliminate corn syrup from your repertoire. It really is simple: look at the food label and if corn syrup, corn syrup solids or anything with fructose and corn syrup together, just put it back on the shelf and walk away. Chances are it’s a processed item that you don’t really need to eat anyway. Head to the produce department and spend those dollars on garlic (a mercury detoxifier) and calcium-rich collards (gotta plug the collards).
Liz Donnelly is a proud member of National Association of Professional Women, International Youth Fitness Association, Lakewood Early Childhood PTA and Junior Women’s Club of Lakewood and mother of three. She is the Owner, Fitness Trainer and IYCA-certified Youth Fitness Specialist for Training by Liz, LLC. She also runs a blog on family fitness at www.FamilyFitnessGuru.com. For comment or to request speaking engagements contact info@familyfitnessguru.com.
Copyright 2009 by Training By Liz, LLC. This article is not to be reprinted in any format without the express permission of Liz Donnelly or Training By Liz, LLC.
