The story below appeared in the Feb. 24 Charleston Gazette.

By Veronica Nett
Staff writer

High fructose corn syrup is “evil,” said Lisa Lineberg, an exercise physiologist and certified fitness nutritionist, at Generation Charleston’s first health awareness event Wednesday.

High fructose corn syrup raises the blood sugar level to the point that the body cannot efficiently process it, Lineberg said. It has been linked to diabetes, and interferes with the body’s production of collagen and elastin, which helps keep the skin tight, she said.

“[It] makes us more soft,” Lineberg said to a crowd of about 30 Charleston residents and members of Generation Charleston at Ferguson Enterprises Wednesday evening.

The class is the first of six events the group will host that focus on the health and wellbeing of state residents, said Julie Cyphers, a Generation Charleston organizer.

Two-thirds of West Virginian adults are obese or overweight, Cyphers said. The classes are a way for Generation Charleston to do its part to educate the community about healthy lifestyle choices, she said.

A tentative schedule of the classes in the yearlong project includes bike safety, smoking cessation and a health screening, she said.

Lineberg also talked to the group about trans fat, which is often found on labels as partially hydrogenated oil and sometimes as soybean oil.

 The consumption of trans fat has been shown to increase cholesterol, interferes with the reproduction process in males and also decreases the nutritional value of breast milk, she said.

“We’re trading a longer shelf life for a shorter life,” she said.

Lineberg also talked about the lack of nutritional value in grains, and how the body processes them.

Grains are sold as a good source of fiber, Lineberg said. But the body processes grains and carbohydrates into sugar, she said.

“We get the same sugar high from eating grains that we get from eating a brownie,” she said.

Lineberg recommended those in attendance look to fruits, meat, nuts and vegetables as a healthy source of fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and protein.

“You have to be an investigator and look at those labels. It’s important,” she said.

Following Lineberg’s nutrition talk, Mike Summerlin, managing partner of Vandalia Grille, gave a cooking demonstration and whipped up roasted vegetables in an herb marinade; roasted red pepper hummus; and sauteed pasta with spinach, garbanzo beans and raisins.

For information about future classes as part of the Generation Charleston’s Health Initiative, visit http://www.charlestonareaalliance.org.