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Not-So-Fun CandyLand
High fructose corn syrup in children's food
By: Adalya Baez, Allyson Boone, Gabriella Gonzalez

Applesauce, crackers, and even ketchup have one thing

in common. Most contain High Fructose Corn syrup.
High Fructose Corn Syrup is a cheaper alternative that
is often found in food targeted towards children. With
our busy schedule, taking the time to look at every
ingredient going into the food your child consumes can
be tedious.

With artificial cupcakes being served at school parties, and teachers wondering why their
students can’t stay still, we must educate parents and caretakers alike how harmful sweeteners,
like HFCS, are on school aged children.

It should be noted when children go to school they eat cafeteria food, party celebration goods,
and snacks brought from home often containing High Fructose Corn Syrup. Parents never know
if kids are getting the full nurtientions they need for the school day. High fructose corn syrup is
known for causing obesity, the more you eat it the more it increases your appetite.

Obviously it's easy to just go with junk food because it takes less time and parents are in a rush.
As doctor Hyman said “Sugar is hidden in over 80% of the 600,000 processed foods on the
market,” he says. But beware: it’s disguised with over 200 different names, things like
maltodextrin and other things you wouldn’t recognize”. With that being said it is very important
to keep checking those labels so you and your family can get the well balanced nutritious food
you need.

Although some may argue that natural table sugar is just as bad as High Fructose corn syrup,
that's correct they are both equally unhealthy. “both table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup
contain fructose.” (Aubery)

Now yes, one may do a little bit more damage. They both contain fructose and witch fructose can
raise cholesterol levels and that leads to fat accumulation around the organs. So with that being
said, because these both contain fructose no matter if you're making things with natural sugar or
you use high fructose corn syrup they are still equally as bad and you are damaging organs and
brain cells inside of you.

It must be hard especially when kids go to school and they get the cafeteria food or parents make
the lunches from home but just give them junk because it's easy to just throw those things
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together because the kids enjoy it. I think it’s best to fix the problem now so children don't have
these bad eating habits and are damaging their bodies more with fructose.

How can High Fructose Corn Syrup affect the way children view food. “The effects of food
restriction can be very damaging to children and persist throughout adolescence and later life.” (
Visco, Grace.) It should be noted that children are likely to grow a bad relationship with food and
may begin to view processed food as dangerous which can limit the way people view food “One
of the effects of heavily restricting what kids eat is the feeling of being left out. Heavy
restrictions can include limiting the portions of kids’ food, labeling certain foods as “bad” or
“unhealthy,” and creating shame around food” (Visco,Grace). The effect of labeling foods as a
good or bad food
Along with childerns negative relationship ith food what would you do if the “healthy” food isn’t
even that healthy for children. Why bother limiting the “junk” food if “healthy” food is no better.
Carrots have too much sugar, potatoes are too fattening, cabbage is just filler because it made of
manly water, Corn has too much HFCS, Cucumber has too much water, Celery is also just water,
Garlic is just flavoring, Onions are also just flavoring, Iceberg Lettuce is also a filer because it’s
manly water, and Parsley is garnish. Why bother avoiding “junk” food if the “healthy” food is
also bad.

Therefore when it comes to high fructose corn syrup it's in a lot of foods that many people
consume throughout the day. When it comes to children at school it's consumed a lot through the
school day. “focusing on the need to remove unhealthy and even dangerous foods in children's
cafeterias” (Kalafa) this is proven that many school cafeterias are very unhealthy and children
are not getting the proper food they need.

Children not getting the proper nutrients they need and consuming
food that have High Fructose corn syrup can negatively impact how they learn throughout the
day. Now I am not saying cut out all the bad food cafeteria has and replace it with healthy food.

I think it's the right thing to have a well balanced meal and it can't hurt to have a little bit of junk
food every so often but when the cafeteria has well balanced and healthy meals it will help the
children perform better during classes.

Children often either get lunch from the school and it comes from home. There are kids with all
the healthy food and there are the ones with the not so healthy lunches. Most children tend to
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have foods that do contain High fructose corn syrup. “ fructose damages communication between
brain cells and increases toxic molecules in the brain; and that a long-term high-fructose diet
diminishes the brain’s ability to learn and remember information.”(Wolpert) Now it's okay to
have it every now and then but for example when kids have birthday and during the holidays
they all bring in sweets and will most likely contain high fructose corn syrup, this will end up
damaging brain cells. “one school party includes pizza, a sugar-filled drink, popcorn, a cupcake
and ice cream, as well as a goodie bag with candy.

Offering so many treats as part of one celebration can contribute to an unhealthful eating habit:
the belief that a party is an excuse for overconsumption. This is not a belief we want to instill in
our kids.” (Seidenberg) Why have the children eat things that can cause obesity and damage
brain cells when during a celebration you can have a dance party and have other fun activities
that don't all have to do with food. That way you can still have fun but also not eat too many
foods that can cause damage.

We all want our children to be happy and healthy. Sometimes children are picky and you just
want to make sure they eat something. Other times we cannot afford to buy anything deemed
healthy. But do parents realize how they could slowly be shortening their child's life span? High
Fructose corn syrup is a key ingredient in these cheap and fun looking kid foods.

Let's take soft drinks for example. “HFCS only makes up 1.6% of the total price to produce these
drinks, making corn syrup very appealing because the cheaper
the production, the better profit the company makes.” (Bray)
Children find soft drinks appealing because they see other kids
and adults drinking them. What children and some parents may
not know is that because fructose, unlike the glucose in sugar,
does not stimulate insulin secretion or leptin production, both
of which regulate food intake, causing an unhealthy amount of
weight gain

Even foods targeted to 6 month olds have a high amount of High Fructose Corn syrup.

People may believe that because of how healthy they are, HFCS won’t affect them. “A study has
shown that no matter what your health status is, HFCS puts you at risk for liver disease which
creates a domino effect on your health. When a child's liver is constantly exposed to fructose, it
causes the liver to become more fatty. Once the liver reaches a certain amount of fat, medical
issues such as nausea, weakness, high blood-pressure, and even jaundice” (Wolpert) No matter
how much sports, play time, and carrots your child has during their day, HFCS has the same
effects as a child who doesn’t participate in those activities.
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High fructose corn syrup is a culprit of hyperactivity in children. Additives in drinks that
children 5-11 drink energy drinks affect their productivity during the day. “On a standardized
scale rating traits of inattention and hyperactivity (being restless, fidgeting, having difficulty
concentrating.” (Searing) A study showing that children who drink energy drinks suffer from
becoming hyper which cause trouble in the classroom due to not being able to focus

Also the food that we feed children has an effect on kids behavior. “Unfortunately, many
families are unaware of the connection between nutrition and behavior issues with children (
Dr.sears wellness institute.) Many families aren’t aware that their children’s behavior can be
linked to what they are eating but because of all the additives your child could have a negative
effect from the food they are serving. “Some of the biggest culprits are food colorings,
high-fructose corn syrup, and foods that contain MSG.”( Dr. Sears wellness institute) high
fructose corn syrup and other additives are having an effect on how children are behaving as a
result of what they eat.

We can acknowledge that people don’t see the difference between natural sugar and High
fructose corn syrup. As we grow up, we hear all the time that “any sugar is bad sugar” and “even
fruit has sugar, we shouldn’t eat too much of it.” While, yes, anything in large quantities is bad
for you, it is important to know that natural sugar is not nearly as harmful as HFCS. Harvard
published a study stating “fructose is more harmful than glucose, citing negative physiological
outcomes in patients fed a high-fructose diet. These include increased abdominal fat, as well as
increased blood cholesterol and triglycerides.”(Hunter) Not only did these patients suffer
physically, but also mentally.

We should note every person in this experiment was in adolescence. The real effect is on the
children. We can’t gamble with our children's health. We can only
look at science and make sure our kids grow up happy and healthy.
While there may not be as much research as we’re used to, the little
research shows how bad HFCS is for our children.

Another argument you may be thinking is if we strict children’s

choices, won’t it make them have a bad relationship with food later
on in life? The most important thing to remember is that we are not
trying to restrict your child's food intake. “We simply want them to
have a variety of different healthy choices. If a child is given the
opportunity over chocolate or grapes , the child will most likely
choose chocolate.” (Seidenberg) As long as the chocolate is HFCS free, they can safely enjoy
their favorite treats. HFCS is now a part of our society, but that doesn’t mean we have to let it
enter our homes.
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Your child is being fed all of this processed food that has studies showing that it affects their
behavior not only at home but at school and many kids are showing signs of hyperactivity or
fidgeting during the school day. This affects how well they are grasping information they are
given at school which effects their future.

Additionally the choice of choosing natural vs. artificial sugar is a huge choice that parents
make. Natural sugars are able to break down after consumption and they don’t have a negative
effect on your children . On the other hand the choice of artificial sugar such as high fructose
corn syrup is harmful to your child. This sugar doesn’t easily break down and causes negative
weight gain which leads to inactivity. This choice is on the parents and the children are the ones
to either keep your child healthy or allow the artificial sugar to eat away at your child.

Lastly offering healthier snacks at celebrations at school shows your child that veggies and fruits
are just as delicious as the junk food. And schools themselves are even doing their part in
encouraging healthy food to ensure that students are learning and focusing and they are building
good eating habits because kids grow up with this as a norm. If schools are doing their part why
can’t families make as much or more of an effort to help their children strive.

Generally speaking, high fructose corn syrup is harmful to children. The effects that it has on
children physically and mental and what providers are doing for their part. High fructose corn
syrup is a lab made ingredient and we don’t know the long term effect these sugars have and no
matter how long it takes these effects will catch up to your child.

We may not have been taught how to appropriately feed our children. It is important, whether
you're a teacher or a parent, to teach children how to properly feed themselves. Once the child
has grown up, they will have a better relationship with their food and be able to gain the proper
nutrition. School-aged children are being harmed by High Fructose Corn syrup daily and
we have the power to stop it.
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Bray, George A., M.D. "Potential Health Risks from Beverages Containing Fructose found in
Sugar Or High-Fructose Corn Syrup." Diabetes Care, vol. 36, no. 1, 2013, pp. 11-2. eLibrary,
https://explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/1267208719?accountid=143906,
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/dc12-1631.

Hunter, Taylor. "Amy Kalafa: Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the
Battle for our Children's Health." Journal of Youth and Adolescence, vol. 42, no. 12 2013, pp.
1901-1903. eLibrary,

Leech, Joe M. “High-Fructose Corn Syrup: Just Like Sugar, or Worse?” Healthline, 20
Aug. 2020, www.healthline.com/nutrition/high-fructose-corn-syrup-vs-sugar.

Searing, Linda. "Kids Who Consume Energy Drinks show Hyperactive and Inattentive Symptoms
(Posted 2015-02-16 14:08:51)."eLibrary, 2015,
https://explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/1655455169?accountid=143906.

Seidenberg, Casey. "School Parties with Fun, Healthful Snacks (Posted 2013-10-17
03:59:30)."eLibrary, 2013,
https://explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/1442567395?accountid=143906.

SITNFlash. “Natural and Added Sugars: Two Sides of the Same Coin.” Science in the
News, 5 Oct. 2015,
sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/natural-and-added-sugars-two-sides-of-the-same-coin.

Table Sugar & High-Fructose Corn Syrup Consumed in Excess are Bad. NPR, Washington, D.C.,
2008. eLibrary,
https://explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/2262382911?accountid=143906.

Visco, Grace. "Parents shouldn’t Restrict their Kids’ Eating." University Wire, 10 May 2021.
eLibrary, https://explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/2524475938?accountid=143906.

Seidenberg, Casey. "10 Food Myths that are Hurting Your Kids (Posted 2016-01-19
21:21:58)."eLibrary, 2016,
https://explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/1758085294?accountid=143906.

Wolpert, Stuart. “Fructose Alters Hundreds of Brain Genes, Which Can Lead to a Wide
Range of Diseases.” UCLA, 26 May 2016,
newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/fructose-alters-hundreds-of-brain-genes-which-can-lead-to
-a-wide-range-of-diseases.
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https://health.clevelandclinic.org/avoid-the-hidden-dangers-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup-
video/

https://www.drsearswellnessinstitute.org/healthy-living/wellness/family/behavior/