Deciphering High Fructose Corn Syrup
You’ve heard that high fructose corn syrup is bad for you. You know to scan food labels to make sure it’s not there. And now some of the big beverage makers are nixing it from their products. So what’s the deal with this sweetener?
What the heck is it?
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) started making its name in the 1980s as a cheap alternative to sugar. Sugar is made from two subunits: glucose and fructose. HFCS is made from those same two subunits — just with some extra help from the lab. Basically put, HFCS starts out as cornstarch, which is made of glucose, and then some of that glucose is converted via chemical processes to fructose. So, you see, there’s some manipulation that goes into making it.
Where is it found?
Everywhere. Yes, everywhere! Bread, cookies, soda, cold cereals, candy, ketchup, lunch meats, yogurts, soups, jams, chocolate syrup — you name it and it probably contains HFCS. On a recent supermarket trip, I spent 15 minutes in the bread aisle trying to find a loaf without this sweetener. It’s become so mainstream in our food supply that it’s sometimes difficult to completely eliminate it from your diet (though Dana has come pretty close).
What has sparked the controversy?
As the use of HFCS increased, so did American’s waistlines. Once that news surfaced, the public went crazy and the HFCS backlash began. According to The American Medical Association, HFCS does not contribute more to obesity than sugar or other caloric sweeteners. The Corn Refiners Association launched an 18-month campaign full of commercials for HFCS. The movie King Corn also responded to this controversy.
According to nutritionist, author, professor and my mentor Marion Nestle, “Biochemically, high fructose corn syrup is about the same as table sugar (both have about the same amount of fructose and calories), but it is in everything and Americans eat a lot of it — nearly 60 pounds per capita in 2006, just a bit less than pounds of table sugar.”
The Latest Issues
A study released in January revealed that almost half of the commercial food products tested that contained HFCS also contained mercury. Understandably, the media went wild because mercury is toxic and has been linked to neurological damage in humans. Not surprisingly, the Corn Refiners Association released a statement claiming that the study was flawed and failed to properly conduct their study.
The Bottom Line
HFCS is found in many packaged foods and hard to avoid. If possible, opt for products without the sweetener or ones that list HFCS lower down on the ingredients (the closer it is to the end of the list, the less it contains). Sticking to a whole diet with fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, grains and legumes can help minimize your consumption. And, as we always say, moderation is key.
Even better, the latest news is that popular soft drink makers (Pepsi, Snapple and Mountain Dew) are cutting high fructose corn syrup from their mixes. We’re not huge soft drink fans, but every little step we take towards more wholesome and natural ingredients helps.
- READ MORE:
- Are Splenda, Sweet n’ Low and other artificial sweeteners safe?
- Try using natural honey instead
- Other natural sugar alternatives
[Photo: Pontus Edenberg / SXC]
TELL US: What do you think of high fructose corn syrup?
What feedback can you give me on Ethyl Acetate which some companies are using to decaffeinate coffee….How safe is it? I was told by the company that it is an extract of sugar?!! It seems some coffee companies are very quitely using the word NATURALLY leading us to believe it’s done the swiss water process way…which is truly the only safe way to decaffeinate…….
Hi,
My google alert for HFCS picked up your artice. I disagree with the statement “Biochemically HFCS is about the same as table sugar.” Take the variant HFCS-55 which is used to sweeten all national brands of soda. Although the 55% fructose:45% glucose ratio appears to be close to the 50:50 ratio of sucrose, it really isn’t. 55/45=1.22. That means that everytime you chug a soda your liver is receiving the health “benefits” of 22% extra fructose compared to glucose. The metabolic dangers of excess fructose have been well documented. Read
Dr. Dana Flavin’s summary in Life.Extension.com The CRA hawks that HFCS is roughly similar to sugar; but they can’t deny the math. HFCS-55 is not close to sucrose. In fact, it is fructose heavy and they designed it that way.
I too will disagree with statements “biochemically is about the same as table sugar”. Especially when my 6 year old daughter will break out in hives and rashes when she consumes it. There is nothing “biochemically” equal about HFCS, especially when you yourself state is is chemically processed. WE have proudly eliminated HFCS in our household with success.
Don’t try to tell me HFCS is no big deal(like those disgusting comercials do)! I am not going to buy that! I DO NOT WANT THAT GARBAGE IN MY FOOD! And it’s not just HFCS alone that has caused the obesity epidemic it’s MSG and HFCS together!
What I find so funny in this country is how we Americans love fast, cheap, and the most for my dollar until an article or research comes out that says something we dont like. Common since tells us that the fact that HFCS isnt sugar means that it has been altered from some natural product to aid in the mass consumption of this wonderful nation. We are a nation of overconsumption and gluttony. Capitalism is big and making a fast dollar on lazy, and yet overworked ppl is really big. Moderation is key to anything, eating, shopping, and buying a house you know you cant afford. If you dont want the garbage then we should go back to living like our forefathers…farm and till the land. That way you know every single meal is all natural and you get exercise at the same time. Im ranting for a reason…This is a silly discussion. The bulk of what we eat at this point is manufactured to make it look pretty so that this glutonous nation will consume. You honestly cant be shocked to know the truth about HFCS, Nutri sweet, Olestra, or anything else biochemically produced for mass consumptions. You do know that not every tomato was actually grown on a farm.
While I agree that HFCS and MSG may have affected obesity rates, I think the reasons are different than people think. Americans eat more food in general than a lot of other countries. We overindulge in sweets. That is a bigger reason for obesity.
HFCS,engineered food, whatever. I think Americans are finally beginning to wake up and see just how much we are manipulated by big business in this country. Maybe this economic crisis is good in the sense that it has exposed those amongst us and their sins against us. This can only bring about change if we the people demand it. Obviously there is a financial benefit to these food producing companies to use this HFCS compound. The sad part is that what effects it has on consumers is not part of the equation. It is all about the producers bottom line and not at all about the consumers well being. Just think “Enron”, sub-prime, Citibank, AIG, private jets and you yourself will see the pattern. Wake up America before it is too late!!! Or maybe it already is!!!
My family has been HFCS free since 1999! Thanks for posting this article!
I’m surprised that you did not include the fairly well documented issues with HFCS and kidney disease. Look it up. Consider adding it.
I agree with this article., I went on a diet trying not to eat food with HFCS. in it. I lost weight, had more energy than I’ve had in a long time. I felt great !!
I had a cousin who went to “fat school.” A private school for obese teenagers. They were taught that, unlike sugar, HFCS, masks the sense of fulness in your brain. I can’t quote any studies validating this, but I wonder if that’s why a single can of Coke used to fill people up.
I am a registered nurse and have been saying for years, even before it was in vogue to do so that I believed that HFCS was part of the issue with our country becoming so overweight and addicted to sweets. How can the food producers deny that as soon as the consumption of this product dramatically increased so did the addictive consumption of products containing it. I have been working very hard to decrease my family’s intake of products containg it. It is difficult since as you say, it’s in everything!
I am a chemist who firmly believes that science education in this country is in a sorry state. The above comments support that allegation. Fructose and glucose as in sucrose or in as in HFCS have the same caloric issues whether in a 50:50 ratio or a 55:45 ratio. Too much caloric intake of simple carbohydrates creates obesity. Don’t blame the ingredient–blame the lack of self control.
WE will never get HFCS out of our food supply! It is processed by ADM and they are VERY powerful and have many friends in Washington. So they will let it continue to posion our food just to make more money!
I cannot believe the American Maedical Association has given HFCS it’s stamp of approval. I also cannot believe that Americans will trust the garbage commercials that the CRA are putting out
When did we find it acceptable to start getting our food from factories instead of farms? Natural selection takes Mother Nature thousands of years, but we’re so smart we can do it safely overnight in the lab? Our family is trying hard to make the move to organic and locally grown.
Just wondering – are American’s going to give up pumpkin pie this thanksgiving? Because the only recipes I have ever seen for pumpkin pie call for alot of corn syrup.
Wow. Thats all i can say. I’m only 13 and i know as well as any one else, that in this county people will do anything to make a quick buck, and thats disappointing. I don’t know much about Chemistry, and I’m not gunna run my mouth about anything i don’t have hard, true facts about, but mercury? Obesity? Not only do big business owners need to get a clue, but us as consumers need to pay more attention to what we’re really putting inside us
Check out 2 of Oroweat’s Whole Wheat breads: 100% whole wheat has HFCS and the Country Style has sugar! Oh, I take that back – I just checked the new loaf package and they too have taken the HFCS out of both breads! But sugar is listed as the 3rd item on the ingredient list…
Aunt Millie’s bread is HFCS free. It’s the only bread we buy, also make a lot of bread on my own. We are pretty close to being totally HFCS free. It’s been hard finding products without it, but they are out there…lots of fresh locally grown, organic fruits and veggies and down to our beef.
Does anybody know of a website that gives info on products that don’t have the HFCS they have tried. This will cut back on reading every lable. Education is the key. Just read the lable on Cranberry Juice and there is no HFCS listed. I found on product without it, yeah !!!!
Don’t avoid HCFS just because they say to. Make your own decisions. Personally, I don’t care. I eat what tastes good, no matter what’s in it. Besides, these studies change their results every 6 months.
I believe that corn syrup is much worse than people try to make it out to be. It is so irritating to go into the grocery store and spend so much extra time making sure that the products I buy do not contain any as well as all the other junk companies add. Half the time I end up having to buy organic which is really not the affordable with having twins but if it means our health then its what I have to do. Most things that don’t contain corn syrup actually taste so much better!!! Our country has some of the most diseases and a lot has to do with the food we consume, I find it sickening that we use chemistry in so much of our food instead of what nature intended. More needs to be done about this!
Regardless of the dangers of HFCS, Americans in general have issues with overeating. It’s not the corn syrup making people fat, its the people making themselves overweight. If you want to lose weight, watch what you eat.
OMG another scare!!! I guess I and my family cant have pecan pie for Thanksgiving, either. I remember when we quit eating eggs!!! Maybe it is the HFCS-55 not HFCS!!!!!
People they are attacking our food—when was the last time you had an Oreo that didn’t taste like cardboard. What happened to KFC I cant eat it anymore. Does 0-trans fat ring a bell? Who is deciding what we can eat? What happened to eating in moderation???? What new product is out there that they want us to buy instead? I’m just saying someone has some money riding on this. It has to do with corn consumption, think about this we are being manipulated. If I can figure this out, you should be able to.
Thank you Virginia! Reading through all of these comments was making my head hurt. We, as Americans, will look for any way to make things cheaper and easier. We eat a lot more and work a lot less! I mean we even have machines to hang in our showers so we don’t have to scrub the tub! Look back just a few generations ago, my grandparents worked on farms in Tennessee, and did a lot of manual labor inside and outside of the house. I’m sure this is the same story for most. And they ate things like lard and real butter. Bread with every meal. They never worried about obesity. Today, eating healthy is considered a punishment, “diet” being the next 4-letter word. And how many magazines, website, etc, do you read about how to keep people motivated to work out? We need to eat better, eat less, and take some exercise. That’s all! We can do this without blaming big business for our saddlebags! Besides, if we stop buying it, they will stop making it!
I have a daughter living in Sweden and she says the food is so much better there (no food police) telling them what to eat. They dont want us fit–think about it a trillion dollar industry would up in smoke! I dont want my government to tell me what to eat and how much I can eat! All because Americans are babies and it is making us the laughingstock of the world. Now excuse me while I bake me some Butterscotch Pie—thank you, Paula Deen!!! BTW it is made with HFCS and I am sharing the recipe with my family. I have an 85 year old mother who has never been overweight in her life—ever!!! Shocker she doesn’t diet!!!
i hate hfcs it is so bad and it makes me sick when ever i eat something with hfcs i have number and those that one website is totally uncalled for. and hfcs isnt what you put in pecan pie its totally not the something
Dumb question-is hfcs the same thing as corn syrup? Or is it a more processed version of corn syrup?
HFCS is garbage and should be banned. Our house is HFCS-free!
Trying to eat sanely these days is becoming a nightmare. What is bad for you this month is okay two years down the line. The most sane method would be to eat as naturally as possible – fresh fruits, produce, etc. However, unless you buy organic “they” have you believing that all other produce is a toxic waste. And let’s not forget the critters out there and how badly they are treated before they go out to slaughter or the tiny cages they are kept in while laying our eggs. I can’t stand this anymore – eating used to be a pleasure – it is NOT anymore! I’m starting to feel guilty about everything I eat because it’s reported to be bad for me or if I eat meat I’m causing the are torture animals. We are obese because we don’t cook our own food, we eat out too much, we eat way too much and we don’t exercise!
There are MANY contributing factors to obesity. While HFCS may play a role, it’s not the only reason for a nationwide obesity epidemic. Decreased physical activity, increased high fat/high calorie/low nutrient dense food availability, etc. all contribute to obesity. Epidemiologic data (which shows only correlations, not cause and effect)supports the association between HFCS and the rise in obesity…but what else has happened in the last 50 years? Society is less active (more desk/service jobs vs. active factory/farming jobs), there has been a rise in convience foods and a fast paced lifestyle that promotes unhealthy eating, etc.
Extreme limitation of any food or food additive is usually unpractical, unneccessary, and costly. Moderation is key. By sticking to fresh or homemade foods in which the ingredients can be controlled, HFCS can be avoided–these are the basic tenants of a healthy diet anyway.
Food manufacturers will no doubt elimate HFCS from their foods (just like trans fats are disappearing), but american will still be obese without making OTHER lifestyle changes as well.
The reason that the science telling use what’s good or bad for use changes every six months is because they don’t know what’s good or what’s bad. We live in a great nation that is failing in more ways than I care to count, but one truth is for the most part feed people are happy people and hungry people start revolutions. The only way to keep people feed in a country where they are getting poorer and poorer is to make food cheaper and cheaper. We do this by consolidating; we’ve taken one of the most productive agricultural nations in the world one that only 40 years ago produced a plethora of goods and produce, and reduced it to two things soy and corn.
This all started back in the Nixon days when his department of agriculture dropped the bottom out of the corn market buy getting rid of FDR’s national grain bank putting a lot of small farmers out of business, and allowing there land to be bought out by the large conglomerates. Now forty years latter we are a nation with a lot of corn but not much else, and as cleaver as we are we have found a lot of ways to use it. HFCS is just the surface the truth is corn in one form or another is in every thing. It sweetens, emulsifies, and preserves the vast majority of are food even the “organic” stuff.
It brakes down to this if you think we can figure out 2 million years worth of evaluations effects on the human diet in 100 years of modern nutritional science then eat all the mac’ds and HFCS you want. But if not then do this. If you can yes start a garden it’s good for you in so many ways, and for sure support you local farmers market, don’t worry so much about eating healthy, and just eat natural. We don’t all have to become farmers for this to work, but there was a time not so long ago when this country was held up on the backs of the small farm, and if you ask anyone over 60 they’ll tell you that in a lot of ways it was a better time.
I think high fructose corn syrup should be substituted for the sugar that comes from the stevia plant. That sugar has zero calories.
I think all the plants that make high fructose corn syrup should be turned into refineries and make gas for cars.
That would be better for our waistlines and more importantly better for Our Environment.
HFCS needs to be banned. My husband has diabetes, and each time he eats anything with HFCS his blood sugar sky rockets. We need to follow purity laws like Germany has, the food would taste like food again.
TASTE is paramount and is health.
Drink a coke made with sugar and it’s a
huge difference in TASTE, and probably
HEALTH. In fact, nothing tastes like it used to.
Thank you so much for posting this article. Since having a serious GI ailment since July of 2008, the doctors have put me on a fructose free diet, except for the natural kind, like fruits and vegetables. It never dawned on my how much of this stuff is in the products we eat. Even in the most seemingly healthy products, like yogurt. The only yogurt I can safely eat now is plain, non-fat. Truly amazing…all the more reason for us to go back to cooking like our grandparents…from scratch and only using the natural ingedients in their most whole form. Very interesting, thank you!
Dennis on Mar. 2nd: You may be a chemist, so yes you understand that calorically glucose and fructose give out the same amount of energy when burned. BUT biochemists and biologists know that the metabolic pathways used to process fructose are DIFFERENT than those used for glucose. Glucose gets stored as glycogen, which is released as more glucose when needed. But fructose gets sent right through the triglyceride formation pathway, and gets stored as fats. Those triglycerides floating around in the bloodstream waiting to be packed into fat storage also affect insulin signaling, disrupting endocrine balance and appetite as well as eventually leading to what they call “metabolic syndrome.”
So, as a Ph.D. scientist and assistant professor in the biomedical sciences at a major research university, I would encourage you as a chemist to go study up on some endocrinology and biology. Then you’ll understand that glucose and fructose ARE indeed different to the body.
The big problem as I see it with HFCS, is that when looking at labels for sugars, HFCS is listed separately from other sugars. One can easily be fooled re sugar content, if TOTAL sugars are not added together in the list of ingredients on the box. Companies do the same sort of thing when they tout “NO CHOLESTERAL” on label packaging of non-meat items. Of course there’s no cholesteral- is not found in veggies & grain. Duh!
I’m am so pleased to see the FoodNetwork taking responsibility for the information, recommendations and recipes they are providing to their readers and viewers. It’s upsetting to me to watch some of the shows that are so indulgent, with no regard for what is healthy. I enjoy Paula Dean’s personality and I know people enjoy her as an entertainer. But her lifestyle is obviously not a healthy approach and I object to the recipes and “over the top” unhealty foods she introduces to people. With that said – it also comes back to corporate america and the manufacturers of the food available in the marketplace. They don’t really care whether it is healthy for you or not – it’s all about the bottom line. Their margins, their profitability, their stockholders . . . which if you think about it ties right back to the issues we are having as a country with corporate disasters. Last but not least – we must take personal responsibility for our health and the health of our families. Introducing children to sugars so early on in life, and then fast foods, processed foods . . . no wonder we have an epidemic of obesity. I understand convenience – we all lead a fast paced life – but maybe it’s time for us all to reevaluate our priorities in life. As one who has had to deal with her addiction to sugar – it is a demon to be reckoned with.
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts.
It’s not just about weight issues, it’s about us eating over-processed and unhealthy foods. I have never had a weight problem, but I choose not to eat anything that contains HFCS. It’s a personal choice, but I believe it is absolutely the healthiest choice for my body. I live in Texas so I have found that HEB brands of bread don’t contain HFCS, also Archer Farms bread at Target is HFCS free. If you look around a bit, you can find plenty of products that DON’T have HFCS.
To answer the comment above from Lynda, HFCS and MSG combined are not the reason we are the fattest country on the planet (yes, folks, we are no. 1). There are two reasons. First, we do not cook for ourselves. Parents are not teaching their children how to cook. Our idea of cooking is to throw a frozen processed dinner either in the oven or on the stove and call it home cooking. Second is that we do not get enough physical activity. I am not talking about exercise, I am talking about taking an elevator one floor instead of the stairs. On average we get less than half the recommended daily physical activity per person. I am a health professor and I am appalled at how obese our youth are. Getting rid of HFCS and MSG will not reverse the trend. Getting rid of McDonalds (or Burger King, Wendy’s, et.al) will not reverse the trend, either. We have to start cooking at home more often, reduce portion sizes, and get off our fat asses and move around more. Getting off my soap box now.
Any excuse will do in a pinch. Let’s all find the next big killer of America!
Eggs are bad, butter is bad, aspartame is bad, HFCS is bad…
Please, unless something is proven to cause cancer (saccharin), then give it a rest and everyone chill out. Who has time to keep up with “What will kill you now”? Don’t eat like a gluttoneous fiend, try cooking from scratch sometime, and exercise. It’s not that tough, people.
We as Americans seem to be unable accept any blame. Chemically processed HFCS did not cause your obesity, the fact that you can’t stop stuffing your face with junk caused your obesity. Try less gravy on your meatloaf, don’t get the largest soda and fries with your double cheese burger, and for the love of God eat four scoops of cookie dough ice cream instead of half the carton. Have some self respect and take a little responsibility to make your life better on your own instead of whining and carrying on while searching to find another scapegoat for the reason you can’t see your toes.
I’ve been a label reader for years and don’t by anything that has HFCS or MSG. I too have spent more time checking for these ingredients than actually shopping. Even saltine crackers aren’t safe from this stuff. My husband over the last couple of years has been checking labels for these and won’t buy the product if they are included. Way to go to everyone out there that is shunning the processed food market! Fresh is the only way to go.
I thought the “big” problem w/hfcs was that you do not feel full w/it like you do w/normal, regular sugar, so you eat/drink more of it. It is in so many foods, that unless you grow your own, it is very difficult to shop for things w/out it in regular grocery stores.
Could anyone site the hfcs and mercury connection? How on earth did mercury end up in processed foods? Which foods/drinks? yikes. That alone is more scary than Jason Vorheese in part II.
HFCS is somthing to stay away from. Slowly but surely! However, if anyone thinks that HFCS alone or HFCS are the only culprits for America’s huge waistline you are wrong. We lead sedintary lifestyles in comparison with generations before us. My grandmother walked 2 miles to a bus stop to go to work everyday! What do we do? Now-a-days we barely use our legs! I’m just as bad but I am trying to make the change!
I am allergic to HFCS so I say good riddance, I believe we will find out more and more about the negative effects of HFCS on human health over the next few years.
I think there’s NOTHING wrong with HFCS.. It tases Great , and is actually better for you , if you are a diabetic.
It’s a shame that the Big Sugar Companies can’t share a bit of their MASSIVE hold on the sugar / sweetening Market. ( See Splenda , Stevia , et al )
I say let’s get our corn production up , so that we are not so dependent on forgein sugar …
I agree! Good riddance. I have elimiated it from my family’s diet. Can we get rid of the BHA, BHT and TBHQ now?
I think it’s a choice and common sense that HFCS is bad for us,it’s man made!!!
I have always had a sweet tooth but I have discovered Agava Necter instead of chemical subsitutes. It’s nautral, from nature!!! That’s what people have to start thinking about, with all the processed food comes all the diseases. It’s a choice people have to make, if you eat junk, your body will be junk sooner or later!!!
Being highly allergic to corn products, I would welcome manufacturers going back to basics. Truth of the matter is, there is more out there made from corn then just HFCS. Crystalline Fructose for instance is 99.5% of Fructose assay which is a higher percentage then HFCS, but the other ingredient is arsenic not to mention heavy metals, lead and chloride – this product is included in energy drinks, low calorie drinks, health drinks – does that sound healthy to you?
The corn industry thinks by changing the name, they can fool people.
Corn manufacturers have managed to get corn into everything from the plastic bottles we drink from to the paper plates we eat off of to the makeup we put on our faces and the gas we put into our cars.
People who have severe allergies to corn are unable to escape it entirely. Don’t stop at checking your food labels, check vitamins, medications, lotions, powders etc.
I would welcome the change back to pure sugar and if companies start doing that, maybe we can send a message to our food companies that pure is better and healthier for our families and we as people of this country don’t want to just sit back and take what they give us, we want results and choices.
All of you are right, it wasn’t just the HFCS that have caused the weight problem. Our laziness contributed but so did the fast food for convenience industry. Guess what folks, your fast food has high quantities of corn products too.
Do your research, you’ll be surprised what you find.
It’s not just babies & children,HFCS gives me hives.
Try shopping for something without it, it is almost impossible. In my research, I’ve discovered that even
natural flavorings can mean HFCS. At best, this refers to distilled grain alcohol. According to a rep at Ocean Spray, this almost always means corn. I realize that is somewhat different from HFCS, but if you are allergic to corn, as I am, you will find it impossible to completely avoid. Those of you who believe that they are HFCS free. Kudos!!! This is not an easy thing to do.
One thing not mentioned that I can see is the fact that the percentage of HFCS is extremely high compared to the amount of cane sugar used to sweeten the same product. It’s really apples and oranges, not the same as the nutritionists are still being taught.
For me. It’s easy.
HFCS = overweight and in pain
no HFCS = skinny and healthy
That’s without having to exercise.
I have been fighting corn syrup for years, my daughter was very food allergic from birth and one of the things was corn, then wheat – it was next to impossible to get anything back then, late 1970’s without either, now my grandson is type 1 diabetic and the corn syrup is still very much an issue in foods. I’ll be glad to see it removed from all foods possible.
HFCS is horrible!! there are so many other sources out there that can be used daily in our diets and by manufacturers instead of GMO’s (a genetically modified food) , stevia, honey,beet sugar,cane etc etc however this is just another way for manufacturers to put what they want in our foods because most of uneducated americans eat what TASTES good and not whats GOOD for them…how many pple read labels? ….educate yourself pple !! diff types of sugars metabolize differently in the body …
look at trans fats, doritos for one says NO TRANS fats on the bag but if you turn it over it will list a partially hydrogenated oil of some sort , which is a trans fat….its all about selling stupidity to consumers…
What really is appauling is the commercial by the refiners assoc. regarding HFCS and how they try to make health minded educated pple look “stupid”!! i will not watch the Food network because of this….its one thing to make a point about a product but another to make others appear stupid for their personal choices. I have no respect for the refiners association and am dissapointed in the food network for allowing this ….im sure millions of other health minded pple out there are too.
when will americans wake up and realize “you are what you eat”!
HFCS and my child acts hyper–he cannot sit still, won’t listen, etc.
No HFCS and he is a pleasant child. Even if he has soda or candy with sugar. IT is just the HFCS. Even he knows it and checks the labels. He is 9 years old.
Whether you want to eat it or not as an adult that can make educational decisions is fine with me. However, I hate it that every school lunch and probably most hospital cafeteria food is serving this junk. Fastfood & junk food advertising works very well on children & peer pressure to eat like all the other kids is very hard to fight. My kids don’t want to take their lunch or deny a free soda from a party because it tastes good to them. This is why hot topics on what is good for us & what isn’t is so important to discuss. Do we really want to be poisoning our kids or our future?
Why has it escaped the manufacturing industry that the use of STEVIA is a much preferable choice in the use of sweeteners? It’s naturally occurring and has no chlorine bleach in it (like others). It is safe for diabetics and everyone else. Right now, there are several companies who have STEVIA products available and can be purchased at Health Food Stores and grocery stores.
and then there’s the government’s role. do the research…here’s a start: http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/index.php/2006/01/24/tariffs_and_subsidies_the_literal_cost_o
I study bio-chemistry. If a food product is processed and refined — then don’t eat or drink it. That includes SOY. The basic ingredient is not the culprit, it is how it is processed, packaged, etc. Call your local university and ask to speak with a biochemistry nutritionist. The public’s poor choices just astound me.
No food is pure.
Thank you to Arlenna for pointing out that the caloric content of a nutrient does not tell us everything about how the body processes that nutrient. To those who complained about having to give up pumpkin/pecan pie, look at the nutrition data on Karo’s website. Only the Pancake syrup contains HFCS.
The main reason HFCS is used commercially is of course as usual money. Everything takes a back seat to that, including our health. Christy – Mar 5 posted an interesting reference regarding the government that everyone should read. They are subsidizing HFCS to the tune of $42 billion a year. I also strongly agree with Mel’s Mar 5 comment. Those commercials sponsored by the refiners association are insulting and ridiculous. Any shows using them should be boycotted.
I’ve got an awesome pumpkin pie recipe-and it calls for *gasp* pumpkin and spices.
I can put it down here, if anyone is interested. I largely cook from scratch, but I do enjoy the occasional DIAB night. (dinner in a box). Now I’m scared to do that. I’ll seriously post recipes for anything anyone asks for, from scratch. I am vibing that the old way is probably the better way.
After reading Leslie’s comment, I have to recomend Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. He addresses the science (or lack thereof) behind the western diet, and the problems we have of oversimplification, the pleasure being sucked out of food, and a host of other things.
I totally agree with Debbie Teel’s comment about the governments influence on what we eat. I think corn producers are such a large industry that they have the power to manipulate what we eat even if it is bad for us.
Eat anything you want people ! Just do it in moderation everyone !!!
I don’t believe that HFCS is safe, even in moderation. The stuff should just be avoided, period.
I agree. Don't blame WHAT you eat, blame YOURSELF. You only need 2 ounces of meat a DAY, and maximum of 8 servings (that is 1/2 a cup or 1 slice of bread) of grain and fill in the rest with fresh fruits and vegetables. Don't forget to exersize!
Hi Amy! I was just wondering if you were referring to premade pies.. I follow the recipe on a can of Libby's Pure pumpkin for my pies and there is NO HFCS in it at all. Be sure to but the Plain pumpkin not the gross pie mix pumpkin. I adjust the spices myself though….