Weight Loss - Two ingredients to stay away from!

I have been very cautious lately about what I am eating (while I am inclined to not sabotage my weight loss plan - which goes by the wayside at the sight of chocolate). These two popular food ingredients minimize your ability to be healthy and lose weight. They are hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup.

Hydrogenated Oil -- this is linked to diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Partially hydrogenated oil and hydrogenated oils are in the category of trans fatty acids that are slowly being eliminated from our food supply. The process involvd in hydrogenation actually helps foods have a longer shelf life -- good for manufacturers but bad for living beings due to the almost poisonous nature of hydrogenated oil. The more processed the food item, the more likely it is to have this "killer" ingredient. It is also no good for weight loss as the more natural your diet, the better you are able to process your food and the more efficient your body is at weight (and waste) management.

High Fructose Corn Syrup -- We started seeing high fructose corn syrup in our food supply in the sixties. Now we eat about 62 pounds of it annually. The way our bodies work when we eat regular sugar is to act as a cue to your brain that your full. In fact, the production of glucose prevents the release of ghrelin in your stomach (ghrelin signifies hunger). When you eat fructose, on the other hand, it does not block ghrelin which then tells your brain that you are hungry. You actually eat more when you have foods containing high fructose corn syrup because you think you are hungry. This is a weight loss nightmare. This is why you can eat an enormous amount of M&Ms but can eat a much smaller amount of protein and vegetables. The other bad side effect of HFCS is that it turns into fat immediately - another problem for weight loss.

Your weight loss efforts would pay off if you really looked at the labels of the food you consume. Say no to anything with hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup.