Eating 12 Teaspoons of Mercury?

That’s right, if you’re eating the typical standard American diet (SAD), you could be consuming over 12 teaspoons of high fructose corn syrup/mercury a day. 17 out of 55 products rich in HFCS tested showed detectable levels of mercury- one-third of grocery store items. The highest level of contamination found in the study was 0.57 micrograms of mercury per gram of HFCS. The EPA says that an average-sized woman should consume no more than 5.5 micrograms of mercury, meaning that average American consumer may be eating five times the upper safety limit every day due to HFCS consumption if they consume the foods tested in the study. 

The scary thing is, these days, HFCS is in everything. Soda, bread, ketchup, candy bars, salad dressing, fruit drinks, yogurt, granola bars, soups, and thousands of other grocery store items contain it. If it’s processed, it most likely contains the sweetener; and we live in a very processed world today- a world of convenience and pre-packaged foods loaded with artifical colors, flavors, and chemicals.  

Where does the mercury come from?

Many assume high fructose corn syrup is natural. “But it comes from corn!” Far from it. One of the processes involved in the making of HFCS is a bizarre chemical brew involving the creation of caustic soda by exposing raw materials to pools of electrified mercury in a large vat. Through this process, the caustic soda gets contaminated with mercury, and when corn kernels are exposed to this caustic soda to break them down, that contamination is passed through to the HFCS.

Other than the fact that HFCS is literally poison, it also contributes to obesity and diabetes- 2 other reasons to stay away. So eat organic, and avoid processed foods- anything in a box, can, or container. Whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables are the healthiest and safest foods to consume.