I typically like to keep things “light” around these parts.
Maybe a serious post here or there, but never controversial nor political.
But I have a bone to pick.
A Public Enemy #1, if you will.
I am on a quest to rid our food supply of High Fructose Corn Syrup.
You may have seen those *indubitably* misleading commercials sponsored by the Corn Refiners that try to pretend that HFCS is very similar to real, from-the-earth sugar.
But it’s not.
Not by a long shot.
Real Simple Family’s recent edition mentioned a Princeton University study which found that “rats given the same amount of either table sugar or HFCS varied drastically in weight gain; while the table-sugar rats got a bit plumper, the rats fed HFCS became grossly obese.”
Did you catch those last 2 words? Grossly. Obese.
The Princeton University study is not the first of it’s kind. The idea that HFCS is linked to obesity has been proven several times before.
But wait, it gets worse.
Did you know that HFCS contains mercury?!?
“Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.”
Did you know that HFCS is linked to autism?!?
“A peer reviewed article published in the Behavioral and Brain Functions journal in Oct. 2009 explain that the mercury in HFCS is linked to the rise in the prevalence of Autism. We explain that consumption of HFCS leads to zinc loss and/or deficiency and in combination with the mercury exposure, the end result is a loss in brainfunction. Specifically we are talking about Autism.”
Did you know that HFCS actually feeds cancer cells?!?
“Pancreatic tumor cells use fructose to divide and proliferate, according to a study that challenges the notion that all sugars are the same.
Tumor cells fed both glucose and fructose used the two sugars in two different ways. This could explain why other studies have previously linked fructose intake with pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancer types.”
I was not aware of the prevalence of HFCS until a year and a half ago, when Maddie was diagnosed with a fructose intolerance.
That’s when I began to educate myself on what exactly is HFCS and how insanely common it is!
But I don’t need to tell you that; just start reading the labels of the food in your pantry and you’ll see for yourselves.
And like so many things, this issue, too, has a silver lining.
Manufacturers have begun to notice that we don’t want this poison in our food.
You can now find loaves of bread that have been baked sans HFCS. Bottles of ketchup, too.
That’s not much, but it’s a start.
Each time we opt for food that doesn’t contain HFCS, we are sending a message to food manufacturers to produce more and more products that are free of it.
Join me, will you? All you have to do is start reading labels and making better choices for you and your family.
{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
I should probably just google this, but what is the difference between corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup? Most of the things I choose to serve my family are not processed anyway (with the exception of the damn hostess products I put on Maren’s cake, but they had NEVER had them before!)
HFCS is a concentrated form of corn syrup. The biggest difference though is that you are in control of the portions. So if you are using a little corn syrup in your Christmas cookies it’s not the same as 4 L of coke.
I am with you!! And in Canada it is listed as glucose/fructose in the ingredients not HFCS. Very sneaky.
US is getting just as sneaky! Now that HFCS is getting all of this bad press there are moves by many companies to change their labeling to either “corn syrup” or just “fructose”. Scary, but true!
Wow, that’s some crazy crap. I’m convinced we will all die of cancer. I surrender.
yes, I try to avoid it, but it is in everything- I make sure to not buy juice boxes with it, and I never buy fruit snacks because of it- except sometimes at the natural food store. I am glad that parental avoidance of it is pushing a change. Long time coming, but finally.
So glad they are starting to take notice and do away with it! I can’t tell you how many obese kids I see in the lunchroom at school downing a bunch of crap from their lunchboxes.
We consider this stuff the devil around here. Have you read the book Fat Land?
I have almost successfully eliminated it. I can’t get Ellie and Ryan to eat cereal bars other than Nutrigrain Bars but that’s about it. Phew!
we’ve come a long way on this and I’ve become very vigilant about reading labels. I haven’t eliminated 100% from our diets but we’ve improved by probably 70 to 80%. Even dumb things like graham crackers? Some brands have it; others don’t.
I try to use processed foods generally only at a minimum anymore. It’s been one of the huge benefits of cooking at home nearly every night.
It’s disgusting. We have been avoiding it for the last year. We are big ingredient checkers.
Thanks for posting this because I think more people need to know!
I’m totally trying to avoid this “poison” at all costs!!
So I’m with you, friend!
I did not know all these things. Thank you for this post.
I truly believe it will change and they’ll get the hint, but it won’t happen unless they’re pressured. We can do this!
Yeah I know….scary stuff. We are getting better at avoiding this crap, but not good enough really.
We have been HFCS free for years over here. Gunne Bear has never had any not even in utero. Great post!
do you have a list of common foods that contain it? That is scary! I am stopping it now!
The best way to push for what we want is with our dollar! Great post! We eat moderately clean, but we’ve got lots of room for improvement!
Could.not.agree.more!!!!! My son has autism. We think environmentally induced autism. Cutting HFCS, additives, preservatives, dyes, wheat, casein, corn, and everything else is HARD work. It seems the FDA and the CDC don’t seem to care much about our children. So we have to.
I can’t believe I didn’t know any of this. I feel like an idiot. But thank you for your PSA…it is very useful to me.
If you start looking at the prevalence of corn in our diet in general (from the grain processed for livestock to the HFCS in EVERYTHING) it becomes a little scary to think our entire food pyramid is resting precariously on the annual national yield of one crop.
I watched an interview with a researcher who was talking about this and after listening to him I was nervous.
And yes, trying to find products without it is HARD. And you have to know all the words you might find it listed as.
Crazy, but worth it.
I’ve heard of a study that found HFCS affects the body’s gauge of when it is full…think that contributes anything to our obesity? Sheesh, Big-Corn, get over yourself and stop making your pockets fatter by making people fatter. {I do like a good rant} =)
Yes! It messes with the hormone that tells your brain that you’ve been satisfied, and you keep feeling hungry, or hungry soon after consuming a meal.
Wow that is crazy. I knew about the obesity, but the cancer and autism link? Time to spread the word. It’s really sick what passes for “food” in our society today.
I totally agree! I’ve been on a quest for a while now to keep my kids away from HFCS. I *hate* the stuff. For quite a while, that involved expensive trips to the health food store (which luckily are plentiful around here). Finally, I’m starting to find products in my mainstream grocery store that don’t include it. Hopefully this is the wave of the future…
Great info. We’re a mostly HFC free house. I try hard to steer clear of the crap.
Hi Liz,
My google alert for HFCS picked up your post. I’m on the
same side of the net. Thanks for the reference about
mercury–> autism. You might tell your readers about
StopHFCS.com which has an extensive list of HFCS-free
foods and beverages. Also, Europen import stores are a good
bet, since Europe, as a rule, does not use HFCS.
Take care,
Cynthia Papierniak, M.S.
I guess I’m odd man out….we eat waaayyy too many products containing HFCS. I’m trying to get better at it, as I know I’m the one in control of it…but it’s gonna take some time. I’m aware of it, and admit we need to get better at eating better – and that’s my first step.
Thank you SO much for posting this. We have to create awareness to this poison! It is in EVERYTHING.
I agree wholeheartedly (and actually have a post about this coming up). High fructose corn syrup is evil. I stopped buying anything containing it about six months ago. It was difficult as it was in just about everything. I think slowly manufacturers are starting to remove it, thankfully.
What a well written post!! I’ve read a lot about high fructose corn syrup and how much worse it is for our bodies than table sugar, but your quote about its link to obesity really made me think. Could this be the reason for the obesity epidemic in this country? It’s really sad how poor the quaility of food has gotten. When I think too much about it, it really scares me.
I confess I do not to a good job of policing products for this but having read your post I am resolved to do better, so thank you!
Those commercials that say it isn’t that bad drive me crazy!
If only people would pay more attention to not only what they eat, but how much they eat.
My mother pointed out to me the ridiculousness of a Mighty Kids Meal at McDonald’s the other day. A regular Happy Meal is about the amount of food a grown adult should be eating, forget the value meals. So why do we need to up the size of our kid’s meals? Nuts.
Now, excuse me – I’m going to go chug the rest of my Dr. Pepper and feel really guilty about it.
(Side-note…Now I feel a lot better about filling my son’s sippy cup with Kool-Aid three times today, because at least I made that with real sugar!)
I’m with Shell, what’s with these commercials suggesting it’s okay?? Anyway, we have been trying to watch ourselves and what we get, but I didn’t realize all of this information about it- including the link to autism! Thanks so much for sharing this information.
We took out processed food from our home last year and it changed my son so much. No more highs and lows. I can’t imagine ever going back.
Thank you for the post! I love that the word is getting out!!
I’ve been avoiding HFCS for the past few years, but it is mind-boggling how many products contain it. I just about did a dance of joy in our regular supermarket when I found ketchup without it!
Yay! I love the PSA. It’s so sad we need to police our food so much to make sure we’re not getting a bunch of junk in them, but we do. I’ve never heard of fructose intolerance. Can she not eat fruit?
Yes!! Thanks for sharing this important post. I usually put anything back on the shelf that contains HFCS but I can’t say always. I am definitely making more of an effort especially since now there are so many other choices. I sure hope it becomes more commonplace for it NOT to be in foods rather than the other way around. Great PSA!
Wow! I had no idea about so many of those studies and findings. I’m almost afraid to look in my pantry. =) I’m going to do better and read more labels. Thanks so much for this post!
What is so aggravating is that I have 12 food allergies, and corn in one of them. I don’t have severe reactions to any one food and I have just given up on trying to find things without corn syrup, etc. in them.
I will definitely join you! It’s something that I’ve been wanting to start researching but just haven’t yet cause he’s just now getting into that area of really eating “human” food as I call it.
It’s really scary what is allowed to go into our foods, really all our products period. This is definitely one of my soap boxes too!
wow! I knew it wasn’t ‘good’ for you but I had no idea it was quite that bad. Thx for the post. I have tried in the past to buy food w/out HFCS but I’ve always had the hardest time finding bread without it…even alot of the health food stores’ bread has it. If you know of any particular brands that are readily available, please share:)
thanks again,
rita
Most brands have at least one HFCS variety. Arnolds 100 cal Sandwich thins don’t have any and I *think* most of the Natures Own variety are HFCS free.
I use to be very vigilant about it but keeping out the HFCS but it’s been on the back burner. Luckily once you get started it becomes a habit and you know which brands are HFCS free.
For those looking to start banning it, my advice is start slow. Pick the things that are easy to substitute like ketchup and pasta sauce then slowly start to change out your breads, crackers, snacks, ect. If you try and do it all at once its easy to get frustrated when your time at the grocery store gets longer (from label reading) and your bill suddenly shoots up! I speak from experience on this!!
I’m suspicious of anything that has to have an ad campaign.
Mormons included.
Followed you over from LBS.
My 8 year old reads labels at the grocery store and puts things back that have HFCS in them. It is possible to find kids’ snacks and ketchup without it. You just have to watch labels.
We also try to avoid anything with “artificial flavors” because it is usually MSG. Don’t even get me started about artificial colors, lol.
Definately! Nice post! (considering you usually do light and funny, I think this is great)
And @ Kim- I didn’t know about artificial flavors and colors… Good to know…
I knew some of this but not all. It’s amazing to me what the government will consider healthy for us. Boggles the mind, really. Thanks for posting this! I started reading labels more when I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia, which us the opposite of diabetes but requires the sane dietary changes. It’s completely crazy how much sugar there is in food that you wouldn’t suspect. Even some of the healthier options. Great post!
What a wonderful post. I do hope this gets mass exposure and I just don’t think people are aware of how rampant the use of HFCS is. I had only starting being conscious of its use when my daughter started on solid foods….and I still slip up. Finding ketsup w/ HFCS is MY goal this week!
I sure hope you repost this if ever the new friendly name of “corn sugar” takes off…gah, it that doesn’t piss you off. Like calling cigarettes fun sticks.
I cut out all artificial sweeteners a long time ago. (aspertame-it kills the brain cells, makes it HARDER to loose weight, is basically government approved poison) When I got my husband to stop his three diet soda a day habit, I immediately noticed a huge change in his short term memory after just a few days. It was incredible.
Cutting the HFCS is next on my list.
Why in the world is this stuff still legal? How sickening!
Kristi, Live and Love…Out Loud
@TweetingMama
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