Sickeningly Sweet News PDF Print E-mail
Written by Katie Kieffer   
Tuesday, 27 October 2009 22:38

I was reading a local health fitness magazine the other day and came across an article about foods that give you energy. The author surprised me by stating a little-known-fact about one of the biggest culprits to your health: High fructose corn syrup.

High fructose corn syrup is subsidized by the government. No big deal? Huge deal. Government corn subsidies total over $56.2 billion.

High fructose corn syrup is linked to obesity in America, as well as a whole host of other diseases including diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and premature aging of skin.

How can we trust the government to run our health care if it subsidizes such an unhealthy substance? Why should ourtaxpayer money subsidize food that’s packed with a disease-causing sweetener? Is this the kind of “doctor” we want dictating all other aspects of our health? Do we want to live in a Mary-Poppins fantasy land where “Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down” … and the medicine itself is sugar?

I want a healthcare plan that’s run by an organization that has my health’s best interest in mind. I don’t want to wake up one morning and find out that my healthcare provider is also subsidizing something that’s detrimental to my health. This would cause me to lose trust in my healthcare provider and look into switching to a better provider.

There are lots of arguments against a public health care option. For today, I simply want to point out that our government is currently caught in “the uncomfortable position of subsidizing both the costs of treating Type 2 diabetes and the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup.”

The latest Gallup Poll on healthcare shows an increasing number of people feel that the “costs, quality and coverage” of their healthcare plan will worsen “if a healthcare bill passes.” Americans are ready for a healthier kind of coverage plan – one that’s less like an expensive, government-sponsored candy bar and more like a home-grown, nutrient-rich cucumber.

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