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Vent: HFCS
high fructose corn syrup.
Why is it in everything? I am not opposed to it in things like lollipops or soda or popcicles. I have no expectations of those foods being healthy choices. But spaghetti sauce? Whole wheat bread? It took me 4 loaves to find one HFCS free yesterday. I don't want some vegan organic, we-name-each-shaft-of-wheat loaf. Just basic, we'll make a good grilled cheese loaf. I don't object to the sugar in it. I know (think? I haven't baked in a long time) it's needed for the yeast to work, but sweet Baby Hay-Zeus, must it be in everything?
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Re: Vent: HFCS
Amen. It's shocking how many products it's in.
I was thrilled to recently find a good BBQ sauce without HFCS (Bulls-Eye brand) and to learn that Hunt's ketchup no longer has it.
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FYI - We LOVE Killer Dave's bread (Blues) - it's healthy and chock full of goodies.
This site is awesome: highfructosehigh
I haven't ever paid attention to it, but since my cousin was finally diagnosed with an allergy to it, I have to be more careful if I'm trying to find something for her to eat.
Just to add to the vent... lunch meat too. We are a HFCS-free house, and I'm sick of reading labels on EVERYTHING.
I'm going to make an AWESOME big brother.
THIS! If you're trying to eat organically or without additives, good LORD it's not cheap.
And - to DoubleM - have you tried using straight/real maple syrup? I made my husband switch (much to his chagrin - he'd have us as choked full of chemicals as a Twinkie if he could) and it took some getting used to for him...but now it's the norm in our house.
The body processes it differently than sugar. And that's jsut one study, there are tons going each way, but I'll give Princeton more credibilty than this study, which is from the Corn Refiners Association. Or anything from the FDA or US Dept of Agriculture--they lost me with the Food Pyramid.
I would never pick up a bottle of BBQ sauce and expect sugar to the first ingredient, but the brand in my fridge has HFCS as the top ingredient. Like I said, I'm not opposed to it in candy and sodas and other junk, but if it's less than 2% of the ingredients in a loaf of whole wheat bread, why no just use sugar?
Yeah, I know it's not great stuff, I just wonder if it really matters if it's at less than 2% or if even that little bit is a big deal to watch for? But like you said, it's so stupid that they bother to toss it in. Although we have to do something with all of the corn the government pays farmers to grow, so that's where it came from. It's a mess how much corn is in our diets in everything.
I actually would expect BBQ sauce to have sugar as a first ingredient... Or at least the top 3. so that doesn't surprise me. There are plenty of BBQ sauces without it. Stubbs is what we get. https://stubbsbbq.elsstore.com/ They have it at QFC and I'm pretty sure at Safeway too.
Also, a number of studies have shown that there are traces of mercury found in HFCS, which is a little scary to me, and I'd prefer to avoid that.
IG: we do on occasion have real maple syrup, but the way my husband eats it reminds me of Buddy the Elf, and that stuff is expensive! I usually make it out of berries or fruit, and occasionally with just sugar and maple extract if we're out of the real deal.
Costco carries real maple syrup that's not outrageous.
Mercury is an interesting contaminant because if you have small amounts of it, your body just vaporizes it and you breathe it out. Which is why most seafood in moderation is still ok even though it all seems to have mercury these days.