Hey, exciting news! *cough* Apparently now, instead of saying, “Drink your milk so you’ll grow up to be big and strong like Daddy,” we can now say, “You may not get up from the table until you’ve finished drinking your Mountain Dew. Now, don’t argue with me. And, you need to eat at least three more bites of that licorice before you can go play. It’s good for you, Dear.”
According to this website that Lindsey told me about (I mentioned it last week and had quite a few questions and comments from you)…High Fructose Corn Syrup is good for us. They say it’s just as natural as eating honey. They say there are no harmful effects from consuming it.
Who are “they“? They are The Corn Refiners Association. They’ve been hearing quite a bit of negative talk from consumers about HFCS…so they’ve begun taking action so that they don’t lose business. There’s a lot of money in the HFCS realm. And don’t get me started…but money motivation almost always over-rides truth in America. No, seriously. Don’t get me started. ;)
So, please..please will you go read this article by Dr. Mercola?
Because I’m just a nice mama who enjoys learning and working toward healthy eating and suggests that HFCS isn’t good for you…but Dr. Mercola is…you know….a doctor…and he has actual facts and research to back up what he’s saying. I really appreciated his article explaining more about what we should believe about HFCS.
What all have you been hearing on this topic? Have you seen the “Pro HFCS” commercial on TV? (I haven’t yet…which is probably a good thing. Yelling at a TV is usually unproductive.) What’s your opinion on all of this?
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I have seen 2 differents ads on TV. One has a girl offering a popsicle to her friend and him
hesitating. As a grandmother of 3 who each could eat their weight in popsicles, really!, I have long been blending and freezing homemade ‘sicles’ and that was way back when for their own mother and her sister. Back before in got really popular to eat healthy….I love Mother Earth News……..
I have Type 2 diabetes and have to constantly be on guard as to what is in what I eat, so buying as healthy as possible at the beginning of food prep is paramount. I can only wish that there was a natural/organic/farmers market that was located where we live.
I will not use artificial sweetners and am the slowest grocery shopper ever (or so the dh tells me). I read every label on every thing. It is surprising what is in the food the stores want us to buy. Please don’t just buy without reading first.
I appreciated the Mercola.com site, Laura. I hope that my 2 cents lets others know that we all have to be watchdogs on what goes on our tables and into our precious ones’ tummies even more so now. I so appreciate your wonderful and healthy recipes.
Shopping and cooking wholesome and healthy doesn’t happen overnight and I have had a time winning dh over. Most times he hasn’t known he was eating healthier the food was so good.
Thanks for all you do.
I have seen those commericals. Argh. I believe they are capitalizing on our inability to retain information. We hear that HFCS is bad for us. Someone explains to us why, or we read a book. But we can’t remember why exactly. We just walk away purposing not to eat it. Their commercials are pretty much based on that. One person brings up that they are about to eat or serve something with HFCS. Someone else questions it, then the first person comes back at them in a way where they are on the spot to explain why. Then they get a deer in the headlights look on their face like, yeah…why DON’T I eat it? Like it is all just a game of telephone and it occurs to them that they believed a lie, like a lemming phenomenon.
Anyway, I agree. Be very careful about consuming refined sugars and HFCS especially!
There is lots of info out there on commercialism these days and how so many things are “Big Business” now. It all goes back to The Dollar. In this economy, we’d better be ready to think for ourselves and teach our kids to do the same!
Here is another article about it: http://www.thefitshack.com/2007/03/15/what-is-hfcs-and-why-is-it-so-bad-for-my-body/
I haven’t seen the commercials, but once again… money rules. So sad.
Um, did you know there’s an ad for processed cheese on your blog? in the sidebar?
Thanks for the info Laura!
I’ve read some of this but I want to keep digging until I find out more about how this is made…..what is it that they HAVE to do to corn to make something so bad for us?!?!?
I’m also quite shocked to often find all the little places that they shove this stuff!
I wish they’d spend the money finding good uses for corn, not evil ones. :>) Ah, well, there’s a loaf of applesauce bread in the oven – I’m *finally* getting around to giving it a try and really looking forward to it!
I tried to access the site but I was having a hard time subscribing…you can’t read the article unless you subscribe. I’ll try later, because I’m interested.
I think I’ve “heard” one commercial. I was cooking in the kitchen and could hear it on the TV.
I am now steering clear as much as possible from HFCS. There are still a few items that I can’t really seem to find substitutes for…namely any of my coffee creamers. If I can’t totally eliminate it from something, I try to find it further down on the ingredients list, because if I understand correctly (correct me if I’m wrong), the further down the list, the less of that ingredient there is in the item.
Anyways, grocery shopping can take quite awhile until you learn what does and doesn’t have it, what brands are the best to buy, etc.
I find it sad that companies will do whatever it takes to sell their product even if they know it’s bad for us…unless they really don’t know that it is.But that is highly unlikely.
Nice. Real nice.
And I thought politicians were the only ones to “spray paint the turd.”
(ht: Scott Adams for the phrase)
HFCS is very scary. And you’re so right about the deception in the name of money and greed. You might like to read Michael Pollen’s books about food (if you haven’t already)
Many are easily duped into drinking diet drinks. They are very, very, very bad for you.
lg
GRRR Yes, I HAVE seen the commercials and yes I DO end up yelling at the TV every time I see them (thankfully we have DVR so I can generally fast forward through them). It is just so WRONG!!!!
Oh Kristin!!!!!
Those creamers…are sooooooo high in fat. (and VERY bad for you) I know you say you are trying to find a substitute. You might as well just put heavy cream in your coffee.
Best bet? Quit cold turkey! I quit ALL soda 5 yrs ago cold turkey. It was the best thing i could have done. And I was drinking a case of Pepsi a week.
And just recently, (well the last 3 months) I gave up Iced Tea (that habit last 3 of the last 5 yrs). Bottled iced tea lol WITH refined sugar, and caffeine in it. Suffice it to say, I’m off all caffeine (little chocolate here and there, I never was a heavy sweet eater), and trying to eat and drink better. I’m drinking more and more water everyday. And I’m starting to drink green tea.
You can do it Kristin!
Oh yes, I’ve heard of this, and about died when I found out it was *real*!! You can see the commercials on YouTube. Here’s the first one I saw:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbRxTOyGf0
Gotta love the line, “It’s fine in moderation!!”
SURE, because HFCS doesn’t invade every single type of product out there? Is it even *possible* to have it just in moderation? It almost seems like it’s all or nothing.
This is definitely some of the most underhanded, dirty advertising I’ve heard of. Makes me sick. How they make the person concerned seem like a paranoid freak, and the person eating the HFCS seem like a calm, collected, self-assured/knowledgeable person. I’m glad that it seems like nobody is buying it. At least I hope that’s the case.
I’d be happier if everyone started using natural sweeteners in their products, that’s for sure.
I am listening to the MOST wonderful book on tape…. I am learning ALL about CORN and how it has Taken over our country in all ways possible!
It is called ‘The omnivore’s dilemma’ by Michael Pollan.
I am planning on blogging about it in the VERY near future!!!!
If you haven’t read/listened to it, DO IT! It starts out boring, but gets SOOO good…. TTTOOOOO much to learn!
I do suggest getting it on CD, it is VERY long, 15 hours, and it has lots of complicated wording… I think I would have given up on it had I been reading it!
AND, I love reading!!!!!
OOPPPPS< forgot to mention that it talks about CORN SYRUP in there..!
I get upset when my husband talks back to the TV so I’ve surprised him when I talk back to these commercials.
They have the opposite of their desired affect on me, they try to make anyone who doesn’t like to use the corn syrup as stupid.
I have Juvenile Diabetes and I asked my specialist one time if food can bring on Type 1 diabetes. He said no but there is one food that they are concerned about and that is high fructose corn syrup. It may increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes because it has such an adverse affect on the pancreas (like a shock to the system).
Wonder why we don’t hear that on the commercials?
Yeah… that it’s fine in moderation, just like sugar… sure it is. I was amazed… that anyone would BELIEVE it, and that they would try to pass it off as healthy, and on and on… advertising is big business garnering lots of money and I should probably stop there.
Hi Laura
Thought you might enjoy watching this on youtube as well. You have to watch the “real” commercial first though in order to understand this one. I thought someone was very creative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjppyTWuZJ0
I could not believe what I was seeing the first time I saw those commercials! I am so glad you are addressing this. I knew you would. :)
thank you for this info yet again! Also, I’ve been wondering…is corn starch bad? I haven’t heard anything about it being bad for us…I’m guessing in the least it’s not easy on the digestive system since corn in general is one of the harder foods to digest but do you know anything about it? I’d be curious to pick your brain about this product as well! =0) Thanks Laura!
I just started a food blog (just getting going) and wrote one of my first posts about HFCS!
However, I was encouraged last week while watching the Biggest Loser. They often have little “tips” before the commercials. Last week, I was so excited when Bob said “CUT OUT HFCS!”
The scary thing about HFCS is that it’s only been around since the 1970s. We don’t have enough information about what it can do to someone’s body long term!
I sat there with my mouth dropped to the floor watching that commercial. Ugh!
I saw the short blip last week as well about HFCS on Biggest Loser. YEAH!
Yes, I’ve seen those commercials and I immediately laughed out loud when I saw the first one. I thought to myself, “Yep, the corn refiners are losing money because more and more have become wise to the dangers of HFCS, so they are waging a counter attack.” I’m not fooled one bit. Comparing HFCS to honey is just laughable.
BTW, I’m a new reader to your blog and enjoy it very much. I’ve tried many of your recipes and they are just great!
Amen, preach it sister! :)
I yelled at the TV when I saw the HFCS commercial, paused it, and replayed it for my husband so i could yell some more! When my son asks why I say no to him eating certain foods I make sure I tell him b/c it has HFCS in it… and look around to see who is listening. Just in case they want to ask why! ha ha… don’t get me started either!
http://robingreenebaker.blogspot.com/search/label/high%20fructose%20corn%20syrup
Came across your website today just looking for info on HFCS. I remember Bob on Biggest Loser saying “If it has HFCS in it, throw it away!”…I had eliminated it from my diet a few years ago…but like everyone else…couldn’t remember why. I just knew it was bad for me. I am 65 and started eating healthy back in the late 70’s….my first diet was a salt free diet, which a friend had been on . My husband, 64, and I have, over the years, have eliminated many things from our diet…We don’t eat anything that has a lot of chemicals in it…only organic or very few ingredients…NO MSG, HFCS, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OIL, BUTTER, ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS, CAFFEINE, SODA . We are healthy senior citizens, taking NO prescription drugs, are not overweight and keep active. We don’t have high blood pressure or High Cholesterol. We are sure it’s from eating healthy for over 30 years…We do indulge and cheat once in a while, but we don’t continue it.
I know I’m posting on a very old article, but do you have a suggestion for what to use in place of corn syrup in recipes? Can honey / agave nectar be used?
I’d say honey – although about 3/4 of the amount called for in a recipe.