By now most of you have seen the new and especially sickening TV commercials about High Fructose Corn Syrup.
Don't fall for their sweet talk.
photo by edcrowle
If you've seen them, you know that they're making three claims:
- They casually say that High Fructose Corn Syrup is “made from corn”, as if that was a good and natural thing – but we know it is genetically modified corn, and if you think it is natural, think again. Also, take a look at this: “Is Corn Making Us Fat?”
- They say it has the same calories as sugar, but forgot to mention this: “The body processes the fructose in high fructose corn syrup differently than it does old-fashioned cane or beet sugar, which in turn alters the way metabolic-regulating hormones function. It also forces the liver to kick more fat out into the bloodstream. The end result is that our bodies are essentially tricked into wanting to eat more and at the same time, we are storing more fat.” (From my other High Fructose Corn Syrup post.) Also, read the WAPF article on the Double Danger of HFCS.
- They used that icky “moderation” word again, I do not like it Sam I am. So it's OK to let our kids drink pop in moderation? OK, so maybe if that means once a month at Grandma's like it does for my kids (and even that makes my skin crawl, I just take a big breath…), but I have a feeling for many that means only one a day, or only one before lunch, or who knows what that could mean?
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
If you've seen these commercials, comment below and let us know what you thought of them?
Posts on the topic are all over the blogosphere this week.
- Jeremy at Almost Fit mentions the other thing that made me sick in these commercials – the way they make those who have heard that HFCS isn't good for us look stupid. I could let this roll off my back if I knew no one was going to fall for any of it, but like Jeremy says, this will most likely breed more confusion into the topic and people are likely to throw up their hands in frustration and use that moderation word again. Here's Jeremy's post: On High Fructose Corn Syrup and Weapons of Mass Destruction.
- Scott at Modern Forager includes videos of the commercials in his post: The Corn Lobby Is REALLY Desperate. Do People Believe This Stuff?
- “All Natural”? Read this to find out why everyone should avoid HFCS like the plague, especially diabetics and children!
- Read more on sugars and the best choices!
There is no evidence that HFCS is metabolized differently than sugar. It actually has a slightly lower glycemic index than sugar does, but is still basically sugar. Walter Willet, chairamn of Harvard’s nutrition deparment has said that “There’s no substantial evidence to support the idea that high-fructose corn syrup is somehow responsible for obesity.” And Melanson’s study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17234503
showed that there was no significant difference in responses of subjects between using sugar and HFCS as a sweetener.
Count me among those disgusted with the corn industry. Their desperate attempt to get HFCS re-labelled as “corn sugar” reminds me of the tobacco industry just before they finally admitted that their product was a danger to public health.
High fructose corn syrup is not sugar, period. Sugar raises one’s insulin levels, while HFCS does not. HFCS has been found to contain mercury; sugar does not. And all the above health troubles listed above on this page. It is no coincidence that the explosion in diabetes and obesity in the American population began in the 1980s, exactly the time that sugar was replaced in most grocery items in this country with HFCS.
My husband and I lost 35 lbs each over the course of the past year simply by removing all products from our diet containing HFCS. We made no other life style changes. Food intake and exercise regimen exactly the same. We eat just as many sweets as before but make sure they contain only sugar.
I also avoid any other products containing GM corn whenever I can. I use flour or tapioca starch as thickeners for pies, use olive oil for cooking in place of corn oil, and so on. I home cook for my dogs as well, and they have not consumed a grain of corn in the past 3 years. I have to add some filler to their meat or I’d go broke feeding them, but I substitute brown rice, potatoes, or oatmeal for the corn that is in most commercial dogfoods.
Organic products are best and they are not allowed to contain any HFCS or artificial sweeteners (suspected carcinogens.) We buy organic ketchup, bread, muffins, jams/jellies, soda pop, etc. (As well as organic milk, eggs, vegetables etc, even though these items do not contain HFCS, organic or not.) We like supporting those industries that have chosen to provide safe, healthy, HFCS-free food items.
I hope the corn industry’s plea to re-label their product as “corn sugar” is given the thumbs down by the FDA, and that furthermore labels on products containing HFCS will be required to carry health warnings in the future.
OK here I go again… hope you don’t mind Kelly! – I believe I’ve heard the commercials claim that HFCS has the same nutritional value as sugar. Well, it’s true! Just look at the nutritional value of sugar on the side of a 5 lb bag… There is no nutritional value from sugar – just calories, listed as carbs. Empty calories. It is not a food and should not be consumed.
Anna – whenever I go into a Meijer – I feel EXACTLY the same way! I am SHOCKED to think that there is really very little there that I am intersted in buying! I’m also amazed at how the “frankenfoods” go on forever and ever and ever…… I, too, get the bulk of my foods directly from a farm, or my natural foods wholesaler (pantry items, whole grains, etc).
Also anna – would you mind sharing your mayo recipe? I’ve tried the NT one, and it just doesn’t turn out very well. I think it’s because they put mustard in theirs, which I don’t like, but I did use EVOO and it was VERY strong. I want a plain mayo recipe that uses what you mentioned…. something that I can whip up in my food processor quick and easy.
Shauna
I’m with Shauna, skip the label reading and just put real food (with a little packaging as possible) in the fridge and pantry. Ok, I’ve over simplified the packaging part, because delicate, wet, and loose foods transport and store better if contained somehow, like eggs, cheese, meat, nuts, etc. But you get my drift. Real food doesn’t need much of an ingredient label.
I breeze through the food shopping now because I don’t have to scrutinize things like the mayo label; I make a weekly batch at home with an egg, vinegar, spices, and olive oil (I use “pure” olive oil for mayo, EVOO is too strong in flavor). I don’t have to get out my reading glasses to see if a margerine has trans fats; unsalted butter is just butter and nothing more. I don’t have to see if a yogurt has added sugars, starches, colorings, gums, or preservatives, because if I’m not making yogurt, I buy a quart of plain whole milk yogurt and flavor it myself (in about 1 min or less). I don’t have to see what sort of preservatives keep premade guacamole green because I make it myself (takes 10 minutes – tops). I don’t have to look for HFCS, trans fats, or high omega-6 industrial oils (like soybean oil) in bottled or dry mix salad dressings because I make my own (most in less than 5 minutes – Ranch takes maybe 5-10). I make pesto a few times a year and freeze it in small containers, so no labels to read there, and so on. It wasn’t always this way, and it was a slow progression over several years, but it’s so worth it and not nearly as difficult and time consuming as one might think. Tastes better, too.
I walked into a conventional supermarket yesterday (most of my meat/eggs/produce comes direct from the farms, the rest usually comes from tiny Trader Joe’s or a small local “natural” food store) to get one item I only need once or twice a year, and since I had a few extra minutes, I wandered and looked around. I was sort of shocked at how many aisles I could just walk all the way down without even needing to stop and look at anything, let alone pick up an item to read the label. Even more shocking was the amount of cooler space now dedicated to “fresh” juices (sugar water). It just went on and on along the back wall. I sort of felt like an alien invader.
I actually haven’t seen that commercial – but I don’t watch tv for the most part……. I heard about it though.
The only way to get away from this junk is when you start making your own food from scratch, using whole food ingredients. Food processing companies have thier stockholders’ interests’ at heart – not health. Their goal is to produce a product with the “perception” of being healthy using the cheapest ingredients possible and the most shortcuts they can get away with. This gives them the biggest profit margin.
I have, in the past, done “taste testing” for a local research agency that contracts with the “big food producers” as well as a few fast food companies (I’m not allowed to name the companies, or what specifically I taste-tested). Frequently, they are wanting to test “foods appealing to women”. They might be things like “cold cereals”, or “snack bars” etc. I find it interesting that the kinds of questions asked are: “Do you PERCEIVE this to be a wholesome food based on it’s appearance?”, or “At 100 calories, s amount grams of fat, x amoung grams of sugar, would you consider this to be a healthy choice for a snack?” THEY NEVER give me the ingredient lable, or tell me how much of each ingredient there is in a food, and then ASK me if I consider this a wholesome food. They are ONLY interested in the “apperance” of wholesomeness.
If a product/box/bag etc has lots of “health claims” or “attractive labeling” with “catch-y phrases”, then you can bet they are trying to cover up the fact that this “so-called food” is made with JUNK and is simply manipulated/marketed to make you THINK it’s healthy.
Shauna
Good for you for emailing them. Thanks for the laugh!
Kelly
The first time that I saw the “popcicle” commercial it made me so mad! It made the guy look totally stupid! What was stupid was a popcicle out of a picnic basket in the middle of a park! I sent them an email and asked the corn refiners assoc. if they thought that we were that dumb?! I asked them if they say their product is “natural” well then crap is natural would you put that in your food?
Not a petition that I know of, but we are all speaking with our money – the only language they understand anyway. Farm Markets and organic products are hugely popular these days. We’re getting smarter, and they’re getting scared – which is why they put out these crap commercials.
yes I am sick of having to look at all the lables with a magnifying glass and then reject product after product because they won’t stop putting junk in our foods. Is anyone doing a petition ar anything to show these food companies how many of us there are out here who are fed up with their lies?