Is corn killing us?

The endless supply of junk food in our society creates untold amounts of waste and causes health problems like obesity and diabetes but it’s not simply sugar and fat doing the damage.  There’s a common ingredient found in almost everything sold on supermarket shelves from fatty beef to sugary soda - it’s corn.

Curt Ellis, one of the creators of the documentary film, King Corn.

Corn is the basis for fast food.  When we go to McDonald’s, the hamburger is fed corn, the soda is almost completely high-fructose corn syrup, and the french fries are fried in corn oil or soybean oil.

The overproduction of low quality corn as a commodity is a huge problem but there’s a lot you can do to combat it.  Buy locally produced vegetables, switch to grass fed beef, and avoid high-fructose corn syrup.  These easy steps will help you right the wrongs of the American food industry and live well.

For the full interview podcast with Curt Ellis, click here.

Photo by Joeri van Veen.