by Darlene Kvist, Licensed Nutritionist

The next time you pick up your can of Mountain Dew or Coke, look at the ingredients. One of the first ingredients is high fructose corn syrup. People eat more sweeteners made from corn than from sugar cane or sugar beets, gulping it down in drinks and consuming it in frozen foods and baked goods. Even ketchup is laced with high fructose corn syrup. And that pancake syrup that tastes like maple syrup is nothing more than flavored corn syrup.

Nutritional experts agree that high fructose corn syrup is a major culprit in this nation's obesity crisis. This inexpensive sweetener flooded the American food supply in the early 1980's, just about the same time the nation's obesity rate started to climb.

You may ask "Why does high fructose corn syrup make us gain weight?" Is it because of the Big Gulps or the super-size drinks? Are we simply eating too many empty calories in ever increasing portions? Or does the fructose in all corn syrups do something to our metabolism? Does it somehow short circuit our metabolism?

Download last week's Dishing Up Nutrition show and hear Darlene, Christina and special guest Stephanie explain how food plays a role in ADD/ADHD. Hear how a mother used foods instead of drugs to improve her son's focus and behavior.

Looking for more ideas? Register for our Foods to Build Happy, Focused Kids class this Thursday, September 11th at our Wayzata office or check our website for a class near you.

We've got the class for you - "Eating Fast without Fast Food." Join Wendy Cates-Dancer on Monday, September 29th from 6:30 - 8:30pm and learn ways you can eat on the run with out falling into the fast food trap. Just in case it happens, Wendy will even talk about which foods to choose if you can't escape that silly clown.
Call now to reserve your spot, 651-773-0000.

This month starts our ambitious fall community education schedule. Thanks to Jean, our class schedule wizard, we offer our popular two-hour classes in 24 different communities. Now it's more convenient than ever to take one of our shorter classes. See for yourself why Nutritional Weight & Wellness is the leading nutrition educator in the Twin Cities. Which fall class is right for you?

• Jump Start Your Metabolism
• Balanced Foods for Balanced Moods
• Foods to Build Happy, Focused Kids
• Gut Reaction: Restore Digestive Health Through Nutrition
• Foods to Reduce Pain & Inflammation
• Nutritional Solutions for Osteoporosis
• Managing Insulin Resistance & Blood Sugar

Bring a friend, share the wellness and save on the next Weight & Wellness series! Sign up with a friend or family member and you will EACH SAVE $25 off the registration.

Not valid with other discounts or special offers.