Two disturbing trends in the modern diet are also contributing to our culture’s food issues: our reliance on packaged prepared foods high in partially hydrogenated fats and the extensive use of high fructose corn syrup. These trends, along with a lack of physical exercise, have resulted in the current obesity epidemic in our country.

Processed/Convenience Food

Convenience food—packaged food, fast food, or restaurant food—is a mainstay of the U.S. diet.  However, convenience foods are problematic as they make it harder for us to control what is in the food we eat and how much of it we consume. Over time, this has alienated us from our intuitive understanding of how much food we need and whether food is nourishing us or not. This often translates into larger portions to give patrons “extra” value. A patient once asked Alicia, “Why wouldn’t you super-size a meal, if it’s only fifty cents extra?” She replied, “How much more are you spending on larger clothes and doctor bills?” There is a cost beyond that fifty cents; you just don’t see it at the time.

With an increased availability of processed foods came the use of partially hydrogenated fats—also known as trans fats—which have recently been identified as contributing to increased risk for many chronic diseases. Originally used to extend the shelf life of processed foods, partially hydrogenating a fat involves whipping a liquid fat and adding hydrogen to it until it becomes a solid. In the process, healthy fatty acids are removed. What is left is a product that, when ingested, is likely to raise harmful cholesterol (LDL) and lower protective cholesterol (HDL). Now, most food manufacturers are eliminating trans fats. However, just because a product’s label says it contains no trans fats does not guarantee that healthy fats have been used instead.


High Fructose Corn Syrup

The second disturbing trend in our modern diet is our reliance on high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a cheaper and sweeter alternative to sugar. HFCS is found in non-diet soft drinks and numerous processed foods, including cookies, cake, and candy. Because it is ubiquitous, it is very hard to avoid.  Between 1970 and 1990, U.S. consumption of HFCS increased over 1000 percent; currently 40 percent of the sweeteners added to our foods and beverages come from HFCS (Bray, Nielsen, and Popkin 2004).  This increase parallels our country’s increase in obesity.

When we eat processed sugars rather than natural sugars—such as those in fruit and vegetables— we lose the nutritional value and fiber that would normally both cue our bodies that we are full and can stop eating, and prevent a rapid spike in blood sugar.

There are two important types of sugar: fructose and glucose. Fructose is very sweet and found in fruits. In its natural fruit form, fructose is much less concentrated than the HFCS currently added to so many of our foods. (Despite some manufacturers’ claims, HFCS is not “natural”—it is corn gone bad.  Consumption of it should be avoided or markedly reduced whenever possible.) Glucose is what our food is broken down into and is the energy that powers our cells; glucose is what diabetics measure when they test their blood sugar. Our bodies’ response to fructose is very different from its response to glucose; when fructose is metabolized in the liver, it tends to go directly to making and storing fat (Bray, Nielsen, and Popkin 2004). All of these elements contribute to overeating and bingeing if you have BED/CO.

Excerpt from The Binge Eating & Compulsive Overeating Workbook: An Integrated Approach to Overcoming Disordered Eating by Carolyn Coker Ross, MD, MPH.