Welcome to Rhea's Research!

Rhea's Research encompasses the research I've done on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I'm committed to the transformation of humanity through the healing power of food and exercise and I'm using this platform as a means to share my tips, ideas and insights.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

My first publication in TCHAD Quarterly, North America's ultimate source for unique, edgy and artistic content and design

This is my first article that was published in the Spring/Summer issue of TCHAD Quarterly - Canada's leading metropolitan lifestyle publication. This magazine is unique in that it blends North American popular culture and design. The tagline - Lifestyle in a coffee table book - is a true testament to the diversity and authenticity of the content. The target market is tech savvy, fashionable and forward-thinking and I'm honored and incredibly excited to be part of such a talented team of influential and inspiring individuals.

Without further adieu, here it is -


Fructose - not so sweet


We use the word sweet colloquially to express a level of excitement or happiness—much like our psychological reaction to a decadent dessert. The sweetness in our Western diet, however, arises from more than just desserts and candy. Rather, it is infused within a broad array of products as a buried, addictive and harmful ingredient. 

The ingredient is fructose; a cheap and simple sugar. Fructose has received a considerable amount of negative media attention, mostly related to the prevalence of high-fructose corn syrup. Dietary intake of fructose has grown dramatically since the turn of the last century and evidence suggests that it is more damaging than its other sugar counterparts. Specifically, the overconsumption of fructose overwhelms the liver’s capacity to metabolize it as energy, and instead it is converted to fat. What’s more, fructose is also responsible for stimulating further hunger after a meal and is now shown to be associated with physical and neurochemical dependency. In other words, it’s addictive. Despite being a simple sugar, the upshot of fructose on the human body is actually complex.

The impact of fructose was insignificant and unknown once upon a time, when the main source of fructose was from fruits and vegetables. During these times, dietary fructose averaged a mere fifteen grams per day and was balanced within whole foods. The wide commercial presence of fructose in pre-packaged foods (ingredients labelled as fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, glucose-fructose and often as sugar, glucose syrup or fructose syrup) has since resulted in a five-fold increase in consumption, which places its use at an excessive and dangerous level. To put things in perspective, this volume of fructose is comparable to eating almost three, five-pound bags of table sugar a month. Excess fructose (aka “normal”) consumption in the Western diet is shown to be highly correlated with childhood and adult obesity, and contributes to serious health conditions, such as diabetes and liver disease. 

Unfortunately, the only way to reduce fructose intake is to become more aware and informed about the foods we are eating and to consider substituting the fructose-rich foods we crave with healthier varieties. While it has taken me a long while, I have managed to find alternatives that are truly satisfying and less harmful. One way of raising our awareness is through reading the labels on packaged products. In preparation for this article, I visited a local grocery store and read through dozens of packaged food labels.  Fructose was listed as a major ingredient in over seventy-five percent of the processed foods and beverages. Even those cooking at home are being impacted due to the fructose content in many sauces, dressings and marinades. 

Fructose is the sugar-coated perpetrator of damage to our health. 

By increasing our awareness and understanding of the health implications, we can make better food choices and in turn, lead healthier lives.

No comments:

Post a Comment