How many times have I said that my readers are the smartest anywhere? I love how much I learn from you guys! Yes, I know I just posted on the topic of High Fructose Corn Syrup last week, when I gave you a sneak peek at my upcoming Real Food for Rookies Class (last chance to sign up is THIS WEEK!) and an interview with Fat Head filmmaker, Tom Naughton, but at that post I had a commenter who shared some scoop on HFCS that I didn't know. She also corrected me on something, and made other interesting clarifications.
Her name is Cynthia, and she said I could post what she had to say…
“Hi, My Google alert for HFCS picked up your post. Good reading. I scurry around websites to make sure the carbohydrate descriptions are accurate. Corn syrup = 100% glucose. That bottle of Karo Corn Syrup your mom added to pecan pie is 100% glucose. (Update! A correction on this in the comments below!) HFCS is a blend of fructose and glucose. In food stuffs it can be of several variants. The Corn Refiners Assoc (CRA) claims to use HFCS-42 for baked and dairy products and HFCS-55 for sweetened beverages (soda). Although the ratios seem similar to sucrose they are not, especially with respect to HFCS-55. HFCS-55 is 55%:45% fructose. 55%:45% = 55/45 = 1.22. This means that in every American Coke there is, compared to glucose, 22% more fructose. We have been inundated with excess fructose ever since 1984 when Big Soda, Coke and Pepsi, switched to HFCS-55. Look at the Obesity and HFCS graph. Note how obesity really starts climbing after 1984. Also, some readers and the CRA say that the fructose: glucose ratio in honey is approx the same as in HFCS-55. The CRA is pulling a fast one. According to Wikipedia:
“Hi, My Google alert for HFCS picked up your post. Good reading. I scurry around websites to make sure the carbohydrate descriptions are accurate. Corn syrup = 100% glucose. That bottle of Karo Corn Syrup your mom added to pecan pie is 100% glucose. (Update! A correction on this in the comments below!) HFCS is a blend of fructose and glucose. In food stuffs it can be of several variants. The Corn Refiners Assoc (CRA) claims to use HFCS-42 for baked and dairy products and HFCS-55 for sweetened beverages (soda). Although the ratios seem similar to sucrose they are not, especially with respect to HFCS-55. HFCS-55 is 55%:45% fructose. 55%:45% = 55/45 = 1.22. This means that in every American Coke there is, compared to glucose, 22% more fructose. We have been inundated with excess fructose ever since 1984 when Big Soda, Coke and Pepsi, switched to HFCS-55. Look at the Obesity and HFCS graph. Note how obesity really starts climbing after 1984. Also, some readers and the CRA say that the fructose: glucose ratio in honey is approx the same as in HFCS-55. The CRA is pulling a fast one. According to Wikipedia:Honey: Fructose 38.2% (apparent F/G = 1.22, close to HFCS-55) Glucose 31.3% Sucrose 1.3% Maltose 7.1%
However, Sucrose is a disaccharide of fructose and glucose 1:1 and Maltose is a disaccharide of glucose so the resultant breakdown of honey is: Fructose 38.2 + 0.65 = 38.85 (F/G = 38.85/39.05 = 0.99 ~ 1.0) Glucose = 31.3 + 0.65 + 7.1 = 39.05
Mother Nature seems to like that ratio! Working to get the HFCS-out, Cynthia
I asked how she knows all this stuff:
In a past life I was a medical research technician for 23 years in the areas of Pediatric research in Infectious diseases and basic immunology. My education: B.A., Montclair State College, Master Of Science, Illinois Institute of Technology. Of course, you know which side of the net I am on—the one trying to get HFCS out of our food supply. But, I believe I am fair. If a website author thinks that HFCS is pure fructose, I try to inform
them that it is a mixture of fructose and glucose. The Corn Refiners Association has some very powerful and well credentialed scientists at their disposal. If we as educated consumers are trying to better our health environment, then we need to be accurately informed. I have access to other Ph.D's and M.D.'s who are investigating the HFCS vs. sugar issues, and can consult them if I get stuck.
Good luck in your classes. The way we are going to topple this “HFCS empire” is one brick at a time. Please email or write a letter to the Sierra Mist division of Pepsi Co and tell them that you are thrilled that they have reformulated Sierra Mist and switched to sugar. I truly believe that it is the extra fructose that is killing us. The CRA is screaming marketing gimmick. I think the consumers are looking around and seeing the morose state of our general health.
I was in Europe for a few weeks this summer, and when I came back I suddenly noticed how fat our nation is. I almost cried. I am more passionate about my crusade to eliminate HFCS. Do you know what the stats are? One out of three children born after 2000 is destined to be diabetic. Today's adult generation may have the sorrowful task of burying this generation's children. Finally, Big Pharma is making billions on this new diabetes epidemic. There are very strong financial interests in keeping the status quo. I try to stay away from the political issues and stick with the chemistry and metabolism of HFCS.
You might try StopHFCS.com for an extensive list of HFCS-free foods and beverages.
I do want you to know that many times after I have written a response to a website's post on HFCS, it has been followed with a boiler plate edition of sweetsurprise.com by Audrae Erickson, the president of the CRA. You may be visited by her. But don't worry, they have been singing the same tune since 2004 after Bray's original paper opened up Pandora's “Could HFCS be making us fat?” box. It will be good to have a voice.
Cynthia
them that it is a mixture of fructose and glucose. The Corn Refiners Association has some very powerful and well credentialed scientists at their disposal. If we as educated consumers are trying to better our health environment, then we need to be accurately informed. I have access to other Ph.D's and M.D.'s who are investigating the HFCS vs. sugar issues, and can consult them if I get stuck. Thanks for sharing all your research, Cynthia!
Part of Simple Lives Thursday, Things I Love Thursday, Fight Back Friday, and Pennywise Platter!
Colleen says
Hello Kelly!
I have to start by saying that I LOVE your website and all of the others that I have discovered through the links! WOW! I have had my eyes opened wide!!!! We started eating organic over a year ago, but I have such a long way to go to be healthy and there is so much to learn!!! I am going through my cupboards, pantry and frig throwing stuff away left and right!
As a follow-up to the HFCS blog post, I thought you would like to see this Star Tribune article regarding the “throwback” sodas with sugar. It seems that Pepsi and Mountain Dew made with sugar are here to stay. See the article here: https://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/119093629.html. While I do not drink soda, my son and husband do and at least this way they aren’t getting HFCS which was cut out of our diets last year (except for soda). Now, if we could just get rid of those BPA-lined aluminum cans!
Thanks!
Colleen
KitchenKop says
Yes, I wish more restaurants would carry these for those once in a great while trips when my kids beg and I give in!
Maria says
Oops the link didn’t paste
Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
KitchenKop says
Maria,
I’ve blogged about this before, but thanks for another reminder for people to see this amazing lecture!
Maria says
Here is a link to an excellent lecture “Sugar: The Bitter Truth”
Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin.
What was shocking to me that he shows you that fructose is treated by the body in the same way as alcohol (it goes directly to your liver and the body tries to dispose of it as soon as possible because it’s a poison for our body).
Cynthia1770 says
Kelly,
One more comment…why would the CRA want to make it more fructose
rich? Simple, it’s sweeter and potentially more addicting.
Cynthia
KitchenKop says
Cynthia,
As always, I’m so thankful to you for keeping us up on all this, and yes…why indeed would they play around with the fructose levels…… Don’t we all know at LEAST one or two people addicted to Mtn. Dew or Coke? So sick and wrong…
Kelly
Cyhthia1770 says
Hi Kelly,
Latest news about HFCS published in the Journal Obesity.
23 HFCS sweetened drinks were analyzed for analzyzed for fructose
content. Ostensibly these beverages were either sweetened with HFCS-42 (42% fructose) or HFCS-55 (55% fructose).
The results: the average amount of fructose for all beverages was 59% and some bottled drinks, for example 20 oz Pepsi, had been produced with 65% fructose.
The paper can be found on Marion Nestle’s Food Politics Blog, October 26, 2010.
My comment: Due to the fact that HFCS is only a mixture of fructsoe and glucose, the CRA and food manufacturers can manipulate the fru:glu anyway they desire.
Becasue both fructose and glucose have the same caloric value, 4 cal/g, regardless of the %fructose the HFCS will always be 4 cal/g.
When you buy something with HFCS you don’t know how much fructose you are
ingesting. Sadly, we have been duped by the CRA and Big Soda, and our livers have taken the hit.
Take care,
Cynthia
KitchenKop says
I’m so excited to have these recipes!!
I’d use crispy nuts though, just a suggestion: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/02/recipe-for-crispy-nuts-healthy-snack.html
Kelly
sharna says
Wat about a pecan pie made with Barley Malt syrup?
9 inch pie crust
2 c. pecanas 2T. butter
1 c. barley malt syrup
4 eggs
1t. vanill
1/2 t. salt
1 t. nutmeg
Fill the crust with the pecans Bake ina 425 degree oven for 5 minutes then turn down to 350 degrees.
combine the filling ingredients while the pecansand the crust is in the oven. Pour filling over the pecans. Bake 40 -45 minutes. this can be frozen alos. My friend that is a diabetic found that she can have barley malt syrup occasionally and it doesn’t spike her blood sugar. Ithis si good but I
m excited to tryt eh recipe that just used sugar without any syrup.
I have another friend that makes a pecan pie with maple syrup. here is the recipe that she uses.
Maple syrup pecan pie
Ingredients:
KitchenKop says
Wow Cynthia. I’m not certain how much of the above you were quoting and how much you wrote, but any way you look at it, you are an unbelievably amazing source of knowledge & information on this topic and I’m so thankful you are here. Thank you for exposing more of the drama surrounding HFCS!!
(p.s. You should write a book on this topic!)
Kelly
Cynthia 1770 says
Hi Kelly,
The CRA Makeover: HFCS Witch to Princess Sugar
On September 14, 2010, the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA) to allow them a euphemistic change, rename High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) as just down home, lovely
Maria says
Thank you Cynthia, it’s good to know that
Cynthia 1770 says
for Jenna Food with Kid appeal,
According to Diane Reasoner, corn sweetener representative from from Archer-Daniels-Midland (a producer of HFCS):
“there is no fructose in corn syrup solids”
Cynthia
Jamie says
Sorry… the crazy makers reference was for Word Vixen’s comment above! Thanks.
Jamie says
Have you checked out The CrazyMakers by Carol Simontacchi? It’s got some excellent information and is well backed by studies. It might have what you’re looking for.
Cynthia 1770 says
Hi Kelly,
I came across some interesting information.
Archer-Daniels-Midland produces three grades of HFCS: Cornsweet 42, Cornsweet 55, and Cornsweet 90. (The numbers reflect the percentage of fructose in the sweetener.)
This is straight from their website:.
Becky says
My husband and I were discussing the health and political issues around HCFS and he suggested it should be renamed “government subsidized sugar.” LOL
WordVixen says
Thanks so much for all the info, Cynthia! 🙂
KitchenKop says
Cynthia, I love it!!!
Cynthia 1770 says
for jenne Food with kid appeal:
I am still working on whether corn syrup solids means “pure corn syrup solids”
or may include “high fructose corn syrup solids.”
for Robin:
I am trying to get the orignal article on the California pancreatic cancer vs. fructose research. So many articles referencing the paper sensationalize the results. I am trying to be careful here.
for Kelly,
My google alert picked up this:
It gave me a chuckle:
“The Corn Refiners Association has in the past marketed high-fructose corn syrup as natural. Columnist Christopher Wanjek argues otherwise:
“High-fructose corn syrup could be all-natural if cornstarch happened to fall into a vat of alpha-amylase, soak there for a while, then trickle into another vat of glucoamylase, get strained to remove the Aspergillus fungus likely growing on top, and then find its way into some industrial-grade D-xylose isomerase. This funny coincidence didn’t happen in nature until the 1970s in a lab somewhere in Japan.”
Cynthia
Katie Riddle says
GREAT article! What a blessing to receive this kind of highly educated feedback, and I’m so happy you shared it with us readers. I felt the same way when I visited Europe eleven years ago. I’m used to being one of the trimmer people around when in the US, but when we visited Spain and Italy, I felt average to heavy and realized just how unhealthy most Americans are. I’m so thankful for each piece of truth that hits the media. We have gotten so far away from holistic health (physical, spiritual, and emotional), and articles like these encourage me so much to see there is a growing community who cares for the holistic health redeemed in our country.
Maria says
Thank you Cynthia for all your helpful answers
Kara @ Home With Purpose says
I cringe at all the snack stuff people buy for their kids with HFCS! I’ve posted links about it before, but people seem so oblivious. This is excellent info!!
jenna Food WIth Kid Appeal says
cynthia – what about “corn syrup solids” are they (especially those added to infant formula) derived from liquid HFCS or liquid corn syrup? trying to determine the % corn syrup solids in infant formula glucose/fructose.
thanks for clarity on brown rice syrup!
Cynthia 1770 says
For WordVixen:
The best book on the subject is:
The Sugar Fix, the High-fructose Fallout that is Making you Fat and Sick
by Richard Johnson, M.D. I bought my used copy through Amazon for a few dollars.
It should answer many of your questions.
Take care,
Cynthia
[email protected] 21st Century Housewife says
This is such an emotive and worrying issue and yet it gets very little press over here in England. I know it isn’t used as much in the products we buy here, but I still do see it on some ingredient lists. Just as an aside, there is a product being marketed here called Sweet Freedom made from apples, grapes and carob that I have tried. It’s a liquid and you can use it anywhere you would use sugar (or corn syrup!). I have even baked with it. I don’t know if there are any plans to market it stateside (I know it is not available there at all at the moment), but if you are interested here is a link to their site https://www.sweetfreedom.co.uk/
KitchenKop says
Cynthia, you are a busy bloggers dream! I wish I had someone like you for every hot topic out there, thank you for continuing to keep an eye on things here, LOVE IT. 🙂
Kel
WordVixen says
Cynthia- Do you by any chance have a link or a book that contains actual studies (as opposed to articles discussing a study) about fructose being metabolized in the liver, the fructose in HFCS being unbonded, and how those two things connect? I have someone on Twitter that wants peer reviewed studies and I have nothing to show except blog posts and vague articles. Every search engine search just turns up more of the same.
No problem if not, but thank you if so! 🙂
Cynthia 1770 says
For Peggy,
I tried StopHFCS.com and my browserfailed. However, was able to get in through
stophfcs.afroumfree.com. I will contact the website owner and find out
what’s up.
for Ann,
Eloquent! Have you thought of submitting your article as on op-ed to
the Washington Post or the New York Times? There is an interesting lawsuit,
Lady vs. Snapple. She claimed that since HFCS is not “one of the best things on earth” Snapple’s advertising was fraudulent. The lawsuit has been jockeyed around the courts until recently when a panel of federal judges has stopped
the trial and has demanded that the FDA decide whether or not HFCS is natural.
There are a lot of food manufacturers who are biting their nails through this
one.
Cynthia
Ann says
Dear All, So…are we all in agreement that HFCS, GMO crops, factory “farmed?” animals. and other phony food are the root cause of the health care crisis in America? If so, I don’t see how it is possible to work to clean up the origin, safety and delivery of real food in this country without changing the political reality that has landed us in this sickening mess. Without Monsanto able to control and legally corrupt seeds and terrorize farmers, without wide scale poisoning of the land, without police legally drawing their guns to threaten and intimidate providers of clean and living foods, without a USDA that looks the other way when they “inspect” filthy and degrading egg production barns, without an FDA that passes rules permitting the introduction of frankenfish into the world’s waters under cover of night and allows true poison to be sold as medicine, we would not have the need to avoid 90+% of the stuff sold for ingesting at our local grocery stores, worry about the availability of clean air, safe water and and living soil, and unwittingly poison ourselves in an effort to get well. None of this would have been possible without government approval and enforcement. It wasn’t that long ago that all fruits and vegetables in our grocery stores were “organic”. In fact, when you think about that word as it relates to fruit and vegetables and then think about what it means if something is being sold in that category and it is not “organic”, is it an inorganic potato?, you have to ask, then what is it? I never considered myself a political radical until I began reading, realizing that relying on any one other than myself to take care of my health was dangerous, working to take the pollution out of the food that I feed our family, really saw the crippling obesity and illness around me, and came to the conclusion that all of this is the result of a government that no longer has the interests of its people as its priority. So overwhelming. Thank God for you and for others who keep the conversation positive and continue to forge ahead despite the incredible odds and Alice in Wonderland quality of the situation. If you have any doubt about how different American “food” is from real food, I agree with Cynthia. Spend a week in Europe. Every apple, orange, grape, red bell pepper, sandwich from the street vendor, ice cream cone and glass of wine that you eat tastes amazing and none of it makes you feel uncomfortable or sick. It is simple, it is real, it is life-giving, it is food. There is strength in numbers. I take heart in Michael Pollan’s belief that we vote every time we eat. Together, informed eaters have tremendous power in the marketplace, and once you know the truth, you can’t go back. If the price of grass fed beef is not in the budget, you will no longer purchase the factory farmed stuff to feed to your loved ones. You will feed your family something else because that other stuff is no longer an option. I believe this is tremendously hopeful and the only way the situation in this country will ever be reversed. People will not purchase and feed poison to themselves and their loved ones once they really know it is poison. The tipping point can not come too soon. Thank you. Fondly, Ann
Peggy says
Hi Kelly and Cynthia
Thanks for a great article and info from both of you!
I tried to look up the stop HFCS but the link won’t work for me. I even looked it up through Yahoo and the link on there wouldn’t work either. Any thoughts?
Thanks
Peggy
Cynthia 1770 says
Hi All,
It’s great to read your comments and questions:
[email protected]:
brown rice is made up of maltose, glucose and maltotriose.
Maltose=2 glucoses; Maltotriose = 3 glucoses. So, basically it is all glucose and
a good subsitute for 100% corn (glucose) syrup.
Maria:
If you can find organic 100% corn syrup, it’s fine for baking and you know it
will not contain fructose.(Fructose derived from corn can only be produced with GMO enzymes which which is a no-no if the product is labeled organic.
Wordvixen:
I agree about the misuse of the word nutrition. Most of us think of the
global concept of nutrition–what we eat and how it affects our body and mind.
When the CRA says nutritionally the same, they are only referring to the caloric
value. It’s quite misleading. By their definition a glass of 2% milk and a can of coke have the same nutritive value. Aspartame vs. HFCS—not even going there!
Robin: I’ll let you know about the California study about pancreatic cancer cells and
fructose v. glucose.
Finally, I read about the CRA asking the FDA’s permission to rename HFCS as “corn sugar”. I would be irate because it would mean that all the corn syrup products, with and without free fructose, would be lumped together and therefore I would not be able to identify foods that have HFCS. However, for those children and adults suffering from fructose intolerance, either fructose maladsorption (which affects about 30% of the population); or the hereditary type of fructose intolerance due to the lack of a specific liver enzyme(which can be fatal), this would be disastrous. I sure hope the FDA says “no”.
Cynthia
back in the kitchen: I’d like the Worcestershire recipe and does anybody have
a substitute for Major Grey’s Chutney. I really miss that!
could be disasterous.
Amy K says
Thanks Kel, for all your hard work and for telling me about HFCS many years ago. Getting rid of that has changed our lives for the better. We are amazed the difference in our one son – HFCS directly effects his behavior and moods. Seeing how it effects him makes a believer out of me – It would be a much better world without HFCS!!!!!
Betsy says
@ Kelly – thank you SO much for that Worcestershire sauce recipe. I will definitely make it. As soon as I can run down all the ingredients, lol.
Robin says
Oh! Just wanted to add that Dr. Mercola recently posted an article regarding HFCS, and I thought it was really interesting because according to this article, not only do our bodies process fructose differently from other kinds of sugars, but cancer cells actually feed off fructose in particular, which is why large amounts of fructose (like in HFCS) can be so detrimental. Cynthia, any thoughts, and do you know anything about those studies done that he mentioned?
WordVixen says
Personally, I love how much the CRA is pushing their propaganda. Despite the fact that I knew, in general, what was so bad about HFCS, it wasn’t until their patronizing commercials came out that I actually did something about it. It was kind of an “I’ll show them what I’ve heard” moment. After I cut it out I learned more about why it’s so bad, so now I can actually defend my choice.
I personally think that their tactic of “nutritionally the same because it’s the same number of calories” is a very foolish angle. A large enough portion of the consuming public knows that the calorie, fat count, carb count, and sodium count are not the end-all-be-all of nutrition. In fact, they hardly factor into nutrition at all!
Have you seen SweetScam.com? It’s actually MORE entertaining than SweetSurprise, though I think it may be backed by Monsanto as they seem to be equally as favorable to beet sugar (also a high GMO crop) and outright antagonistic about cane sugar and honey.
Any conclusive word on whether aspartame or HFCS is worse than the other? My husband doesn’t believe me about both being horrible for him, and he rarely drinks anything but one of the two (of course, he also believes that I’m feeding him too many eggs- because of the cholesterol).
Robin says
LOL, that’s so funny about the worcesterchire sauce, as I actually bookmarked that same recipe to make, although I couldn’t find the tamarind concentrate so I’ll have to order that online. I was frustrated because “regular” Worc. sauce contains HFCS, but I couldn’t find a good organic equivalent, as they are all vegan, and Worc. sauce should contain anchovies! All this to make a homemade barbecue sauce, but before I can make the BBQ sauce, I need to make the Worc. sauce…I’m starting to question my sanity just typing that sentence…:-D.
Anyway, I have another recipe for pecan pie. I did some research on this myself recently and found this: https://www.chefeddy.com/2009/10/pecan-pie-corn-syrup-free/. I haven’t tried it yet (I live at high altitude and pecan pies have a tendency to explode up here!), but I thought it looked promising!
Kelly says
@ Betsy – I completely understand about the Worsty. After finding out my daughter had severe sensitivities to soy and corn, I went on a pantry and fridge crusade. I finally ended up having to make Worchestershire sauce from scratch! I used a soy sauce substitute but the end result was SO fabulously amazing. If you’re up for a little time investment, check out the recipe at Saveur: https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Worcestershire-Sauce
I have written countless letters to companies about the HFCS. The ones that get the biggest response are the ones to companies that have taken the step of removing it in favor of real sugar. I make sure to tell them how pleased I am and that I will be buying their product again where I couldn’t before.
KitchenKop says
Amy F. and others…
I’m guilty of the same thing on my blog at times – posting recipes for treats that are at least “better” than those made with refined sugars. I always try, though, to strongly state that NO sugar is best. I do still make cookies or whatever now and then, but much less than I used to, and with unrefined sugars and less of them… Still not great, I know. 🙂
What a great conversation we’re having – interesting that it’s taking place on the same day the corn people are in the news with their “corn sugar” crap.
Kelly
Mike says
Pretty sure 1,000 calories of junk food will help you pack on the pounds regardless of whether it is sweetened with HFCS or sugar. Unhealthy is unhealthy – there really is no “healthy” sugar, especially at the levels most folks consume sweets.
I don’t really care if a product has HFCS, other sugars or whatever (brown rice syrup? really?). Limiting the consumption of all sweeteners seems like a better choice.
KitchenKop says
Quinn, here’s another one my friend, Bob, sent me. I just saw this on Fox news today, too:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/14/corn-sugar-high-fructose-corn-syrup_n_716007.html
“High fructose corn syrup consumption is at a 20 year low”. CRAZY AWESOME, eh?!
Cynthia, thanks for being all over this!
Kelly p.s. “Reply to” a specific comment plugin is broken on my site. I’ve tried EVERYTHING, for HOURS to fix it and can’t…
Lovelyn says
I cut HFCS out of my family’s diet two years ago. Before then I had no idea how many foods and beverages it was in. Too much of any one food isn’t a good idea and from what I’ve read HFCS has no benefits.
Maria says
Now I’m confused. Since corn syrup is 100% glucose does it mean that it’s OK to use it in baking for example?
Cynthia 1770 says
Hi Kelly,
Thank you for your post. I apologize for the inaccuaracy about Karo Corn Syrup.
I will keep following your website.
Take care,
Cynthia
[email protected] says
how about brown rice syrup??
this one has brown rice and maple- https://foodforlaughter.blogspot.com/2009/10/maple-pecan-pie.html
or these recipes?
https://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1937,152164-224196,00.html
https://mytasteblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/pecan-pie-with-no-corn-syrup.html
Soli @ I Believe in Butter says
Quinn, I was coming here to post that too; just heard the news bit.
I cut out HFCS and partially hydrogenated oils in 2003-2004. Never looked back.
Melody Joy says
They’ve already started…those “sugar is sugar” commercials about “corn sugar” make me want to scream. “Your body can’t tell the difference.” Bold faced lies are apparently ok if it is government subsidized.
Here are a few non-corn syrup pecan pie recipes:
https://allrecipes.com//Recipe/old-fashioned-honey-pecan-pie/Detail.aspx
https://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1937,152164-224196,00.html
https://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-make-a-pecan-pie-without-corn-syrup
I tried to find the recipe I used last Thanksgiving but I’m at a loss. I haven’t tried these three…but they looked decent. Most recipes calling for brown sugar, I’ve just subbed in sucanat with no problems.
Lorna says
Oh brother, now I have to be aware of corn sugar, where will it all end.
Anyone have a recipe for pecan pie without the corn syrup?
We still have pie for thanksgiving.
Quinn says
HFCS is getting a make over. To confuse us even more, they’re going to start calling it corn sugar.
https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100914/ap_on_bi_ge/us_corn_syrup_image
Char Young says
Thanks, Cynthia! The unhealthiness of our country saddens me as well! Thanks for your crusade!
Sheryl says
Thanks for sharing this interest information. I have a guy who is GF/CF/egg and peanut free and I watch his diet like a hawk, trying to avoid HFCS, additivies and preservatives in addition to everything else. It means saying “no” to many treat foods he could be eating but he rarely complains about it and I think he can see what ‘junk’ these treats are. It is a happy moment for me what he excitedly responds “yes” when offered a banana.
Although I rarely comment, I appreciate all your hard work and dedication when it comes to sharing all this healthy information! Thank you so much!!
Emily says
The easiest way to make sure HFCS is out of your diet is to eliminate all processed foods and cut back on the homemade baked goodies.
To Amy – That’s the big thing that irks me about many books and websites about healthy eating: they still cater to the sugar addiction that most Americans have.
People think I’m “extreme” and “strange”, even “in bondage” for avoiding sweets and baked goods like the plague. But the truth is, I don’t like the way they taste anymore, because I’ve stayed away from them for so long! And understand how bad they are for you. It IS possible to get to this point.
I encourage parents to look to the Raw Food world for sweet treat recipes, which are basically made of dried fruits and nuts and fresh spices/flavorings.
Amy Floyd says
With our nation getting fatter, how can we not make some obvious changes? Out with the HFCS! However, we should not be decieved in thinking we can replace all that sugar with other “healthier” sugars. Our nation’s per capita sugar consumption and sugar addiction is also to blame for our health crisis, I think. What concerns me is that on so many “healthy eating” blogs, the focus is still on making sweet foods, just without the “bad stuff.” But really, is that any better?
Betsy says
Yeah, really, about it’s being everywhere. I went gluten-free the first of the year and threw out a bunch of stuff in my pantry & fridge. Recently I read that worcestershire sauce is GF. Hooray, I thought. I put it on my shopping list, but found that it has HFCS in it when I looked at it in the store. Now that I think of it, I think that’s why I threw out my bottle. Not because of gluten. I am so ticked off about this!
Erin says
I began my anti-HFCS journey almost 3 years ago now (it just went hand-in-hand with learning to cook from scratch) and I continue to be astounded at just how pervasive HFCS is. It is everywhere…seriously. My kids have turned into label readers and know to reject anything that has it. As an aside, my husband was home for two weeks a month ago and likes his soda (his battle)…anyway, they had Mountain Dew (his favorite) and Pepsi (his best friend’s favorite) in “throwback editions” with sugar instead of HFCS and both men said they couldn’t believe how much better tasting the sugar product was. Given the choice, most people would rather just have sugar.
P.S. Interesting fact about Corn Syrup…I was concerned.