Recently (in the last 4 months, give or take) I have decided to make an active effort to read the labels of foods that I bring into my house. More specifically I have been focusing on high fructose corn syrup and keeping it out of our home.
This is some nasty stuff, and it is really in EVERY.THING. I have found a few little tidbits about it for your reading pleasure
~HFCS and cane sugar are NOT biochemically identical or processed the same way by the body.
Despite what the corn industry claims, they are NOT the same at all.
~HFCS contains contaminants including mercury that are not regulated or measured by the FDA.
Um, mercury…yuck!
~HCFS is almost always a marker of poor-quality, nutrient-poor disease creating industrial food products or “food-like substances.
These foods are most likely not the healthiest options, if HFCS is present they are lacking in nutritional value.
~ HFCS comprises up to 15 to 20 percent of the average American’s daily calorie intake
No wonder obesity is rampant in the US.
These are just a snippet of information about HFCS, but enough with the nasty facts about it and back to my story. ..
I decided to purge this from my cupboards and from that point on, not buy anymore products with HFCS in them. Easy as pie right? WRONG! HFCS is in so many things it is unbeleiveable. When I actually started looking I found it on the ingredient list of
~Cereal
~Bread
~Yogurt
~”low calorie” ice cream sandwiches
~Salad Dressing
~Condiments (BBQ Sauce, Ketchup)
~Soda (obviously…)
The list could continue on for a good long while, but you catch my drift, it is in A LOT of things. But there is hope because it is not in everything, and there are many options out there without HFCS.
I made this decision for my family because I felt it was the healthiest for us, that does not make it the healthiest for you and there is no judgement here. I just wanted to be more aware of what we were eating, and what was going into my ladies little bodies. Because it is in everything it is very hard to avoid, so remember a little at a time and we will be all right.
One more thing that i always try to remember is whole foods, if I make sure my girls eat more whole foods, it makes it easier to avoid HFCS.
You can find a list here with foods that do NOT contain HFCS
Question of the Day: Did you realize there was HFCS in these foods?
Kari says
Hi Myranda
I have found myself being more conscious of what i am purchasing as well. it is funny / odd how after "couponing" for 2+ years the outlook on food has changed.
Good Luck on your Health Goals!
Kari
Myranda says
Thank you Kari! I have actually just started recycling coupons for food I don't want to eat, so no matter the deal I won't have the coupons so I can't do it
Our Paper Plates says
Yes!! Most store brands (great value, kroger, etc) have HFCS, on top of modified starches and an aray of food colorings. We buy Kashi cereal. Its worth the extra money because its natural (although watch the sugar content on the ones with dried fruit in it). We shop our local farmers market too. You should check out Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. She is about incorporating veggies in meals without kids (or husbands!) detecting it. Terrence has loved EVERY meal I have cooked from it, especially the veggie burgers!! And he is a MEAT guy. Your family will love you for all these healthy meals you make. And remember, taste buds actually change after 3 weeks and adapt to the food you are eating. So cutting out the HFCS will actually make natural foods taste just as sweet and your body will crave it instead of the processed stuff!
Myranda says
I actually have that book (stored away at this point…) but I have not tried the veggie burgers I will have to try them. I did not know that about the taste buds, but now that I do I will remember it, thanks for the awesome tips!