After plowing through a sleeve of cookies, do you find yourself ripping in for seconds? Fructose may be to blame. It turns out, eating fructose doesn’t activate the region of the brain that tells you you’re full, according to a new study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Yale University researchers used MRI scans to monitor brain activity in 20 young, normal-weight people before and after they consumed drinks containing glucose or fructose. Researchers found that the drink containing glucose reduced cerebral blood flow and activity in regions that regulate appetite, causing participants to feel full. However, the fructose-filled beverage didn’t change brain flow or activity, and participants didn’t report feeling fuller after drinking it.
“By not causing feelings of fullness, fructose can continue one’s desire to eat,” says senior study author Robert S. Sherwin, MD, endocrinologist at Yale University. Previous research has shown that consuming fructose producers smaller increases in satiety hormones compared to glucose, and promoted further eating in rodents.
Table sugar, or sucrose, is half fructose and half glucose. And while both fructose and glucose contain 16 calories, glucose is the body’s primary source of fuel, Sherwin says. Fructose is naturally found in fruits and some vegetables alongside healthy fiber and good-for-you nutrients. However, since it’s sweeter that glucose, it’s an inexpensive staple in commercial sweeteners. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), for example, the most common source of fructose in the American diet, typically contains about 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose, and study researchers believe the high fructose-to-glucose ratio can prevent fullness and keep you eating long after you hit your sugar limit.
But high-fructose corn syrup is in more than soda and sweet treats, says Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D., author of The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program. Here, she reveals 5 so-called “healthy” foods that are actually filled with the syrupy stuff:
FRUIT YOGURT
While a great natural source of protein, calcium, probiotics, and vitamins B and D, many yogurts—especially those that pack processed fruit—contain HFCS, DesMaisons says. For example, three of the five main ingredients in a popular Fruit on the Bottom yogurt are sugar, fructose syrup, and high fructose corn syrup.
Non-HFCS Swap: Try a fruit-free organic variety like Stonyfield Farm Plain Organic Low Fat Yogurt and mix in fresh fruit still sporting its skin, she says. You’ll both avoid refined sugars and up your fiber intake to stabilize blood sugar levels. (blood sugar: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/blood-sugar-information)
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
The bread bag might read “whole gain” on the front, but “high-fructose corn syrup” could still be on the ingredients label, according to DesMaisons. Wonder Bread Stoneground 100% Whole Wheat Bread, for instance, counts high-fructose corn syrup as its fourth ingredients.
Non-HFCS Swap: Always read ingredient labels, or just look on the front of Pepperidge Farm whole wheat labels for the line “No high-fructose corn syrup.” You can’t miss it.
PROTEIN BARS
Sure, they have protein. But that burst of energy you get right after eating them is often from HFCS, which Power Bars, Balance Bars, and Zone Perfect Bars all contain.
Non-HFCS Swap: Odwalla and CLIF Bar products are free of HFCS. Remember, however, that they aren’t low in all sugars, notes DesMaisons.
JUICE COCKTAILS
If a juice drink is not made with 100 percent juice, it generally contains a large amount of HFCS, she says. Some examples include: Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice, Capri-Sun Juices, and Tropicana Orangeade.
Non-HFCS Swap: Opt for buying drinks that are 100 percent pure juice, such as Simply Orange, Limeade, and Lemonade. Even better, eat the fruit whole for fiber benefits, she suggests.
CANNED PRODUCE
It’s not just sodium you have to worry about in your canned goods. Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano, for example, lists high-fructose corn syrup as its third ingredient, right after tomatoes and tomato juice.
Non-HFCS Swap: When it comes to produce, fresh is always the way to go, says DesMaisons. If your fave fruits and veggies aren’t available this time of year, go the frozen route to avoid added ingredients.
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