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August 20, 2007
Fighting High-Fructose Corn Syrup
As I have mentioned before, we have chosen to limit or avoid foods with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as an ingredient. There is still some controversy over this sweetener, how bad it is, what its exact health effects are, and whether it should be avoided. What we do know is that food manufacturers have largely switched from other types of sweeteners due to the fact that HFCS is incredibly cheap. It's made from, as the name suggests, corn, treated with enzymes. Despite the fact that industrial processes are required to make it, it is still an ingredient in many products labeled "all natural." The argument, according to this "fact sheet" (or propaganda piece, as I see it) from the HFCS manufacturers, is that the sugars that make up HFCS are, individually, found in nature. Well, monkeys and sharks are both found in nature but I don't think you could call a monkeyshark "natural."
Some studies have shown that HFCS is processed more like a fat than a sugar, and it's effect on insulin production has shown it to be a possible culprit in the current epidemic of Type-2 diabetes. Others dispute these findings, and research is ongoing. Here are a few links with more information.
While the scientists are trying to make heads or tails of all the research, my opinion is that is certainly can't hurt anything for our family to avoid HFCS as an ingredient. Even without the dire health effects, there is the fact that because HFCS is so much sweeter-tasting than cane sugar, I believe that especially for children it is quite addictive and ruins the taste for more wholesome foods. The problem is that it is in virtually everything. Bread, pasta sauce, snacks, drinks, soups, you name it. Organic is almost always safe, but why spend the big bucks for organic salad dressing? We have managed to find a number of products, major name brands as well as some store brands, that do not contain HFCS. If you read the extended entry, you will find a list of products that are HFCS-free. Permalink this entry if you're interested, as I plan to add to the list as an ongoing project. And, if you find something on your store shelves that is HFCS-free, please email me at nohfcs@studiovirgo.com
BREAD
Aunt Millie's Organic
Miltons (sold at Costco)
In-store bakery items (but check the label)
Archer Farms (sold at Target)
Bagels from Costco (honey-whole wheat ONLY)
Kangaroo brand pita bread
YOGURT
Stonyfield Farms
Cascade Fresh
Breyer's
PASTA SAUCE
Classico
Archer Farms (sold at Target)
SOUP
Progresso
Amy's Organic
CONDIMENTS
Trader Joe's organic ketchup
SNACKS
Snyders of Hanover pretzels
CANNED GOODS
Heinz beans with tomato sauce (also vegetarian!)
CEREALS
Mom's Best (we have had the O's, the frosted shredded wheat, and the raisin bran)
Kashi
Posted by mwashburn at August 20, 2007 06:39 AMPosted to food and drink
Comments
Man, I don't care if a monkeyshark is organic or not, if you discover how to breed those, I'm building a tank with a cage above it to house them, and I'm charging $5 to get in, $2 if you bring a bottle of beer for the owner...
Posted by: Jesse at August 20, 2007 12:46 PM
Oh, and I just gotta comment - you're still buying pasta sauce? How hard is it to open a can of tomatoes, tomato paste, smash 4 cloves of garlic, and shake some basil and salt into it and heat for 15-30 minutes?
Posted by: Jesse at August 20, 2007 12:48 PM
I think I ate monkeyshark while visiting Shanghai. You're right, that didn't taste natural...
Posted by: b at August 20, 2007 01:00 PM
Yes, I'm still buying pasta sauce. It's not that it's "hard" to open a can of tomatoes, it's just that I am not happy with the results I get. Other people buy various other prepared products that I choose to make myself (for instance, I never buy hummus anymore). Diff'rent Strokes for Diff'rent Folks, a'ight?
Posted by: flygrrl at August 20, 2007 04:27 PM
We try to avoid that nasty high fructose corn syrup stuff, too. Man, it's in EVERYTHING! Isn't that one of the major reasons why lots of Americans are obese? The HFCS is in *so* much stuff that you wouldn't think would have it (crackers?!?). It's commendable that you're doing that. Do you know that there's a bit of aluminum in some frozen pizzas? Ugh. :(
Posted by: lisanne at August 20, 2007 08:13 PM
One of my friends has found pasta sauce at Trader Joe's without hfcs.
Posted by: Susanne Hinson-Rieger at August 20, 2007 09:14 PM
Yeah, pretty much everything at Trader Joe's is safe. Even though we shop there, it's over an hour away from here so I'm trying to build this list with more widely available products, and also avoid the expensive organic products since that's a no-brainer. But that is a good point to note: Trader Joe's is awesome and everything I've ever bought from there has had quite wholesome ingredients and no HFCS!
Posted by: flygrrl at August 21, 2007 06:59 AM