What is UP??

OK, so I know that, according to extreme health fanatics, high-fructose corn syrup should be avoided. Of course the corn industry would like everyone to think differently. What is their tagline? Something like, "Your body can't tell the diffrence between regular sugar and HFCS?"  Whatever.

In our home, we've made the decision that we don't want to consume foods that contain HFCS. There are tons of sites out there that claim that HFCS' are basically the devil in disguise and do a good job of putting the fear in you. Ugh, it just gets so confusing sometimes! For our family, we just want to limit the amounts of chemically processed foods that we ingest. Common sense says processed foods and ingredients are just that...processed! They are not natural, or real.

That said, it seems like every single food label I've read in our pantry or fridge has HFCS listed. What is UP??? Just this evening, I about flipped a lid because HFCS is in our KETCHUP. Really??? So that's one more item I'm going to have to be careful about when grocery shopping. Sigh. 

I did find a helpful site that has a (hopefully updated) list of foods and beverages that don't contain HFCS. I'll probably be printing this list out for my grocery trips! HFCS Free Food List

Are you interested in understanding the differences between sugar and HFCS? Read on...(source)

SUGAR FACTS

1. FACT: The sugar that we use in our homes comes naturally from sugarcane and sugar beets, and has been consumed for over two thousand years.
2. FACT: Every country in the world uses sugar that comes from sugarcane or sugar beets.
3. FACT: Sugar can be purchased in grocery stores.
4. FACT: The word “Sugar” has been used for centuries to refer to the product that comes from sugarcane or sugar beets.
5. FACT: There’s already a food product recognized by the FDA with the name “corn sugar.” (It’s NOT High Fructose Corn Syrup.) It’s a corn by-product that is used in some foods and in natural beer making.

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP FACTS:

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup does not occur naturally—it’s man-made, created in a lab and not extracted from corn.
2. FACT: Corn is a starch that’s not very sweet. It’s impossible to get sugar from corn or any other plant besides beets or sugarcane.
3. FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup is an industrial food product that requires an enzyme process to bond fructose molecules to corn starch.
4. FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup cannot be purchased in grocery stores.
5. FACT: The U.S. is the only country that uses a significant amount of High Fructose Corn Syrup in its food products.
6. FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup, while disliked by many consumers, is popular with food and beverage manufacturers because it’s much cheaper than sugar.
7. FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup is used in hundreds of grocery store products including breakfast cereals, granola bars, salad dressings, mayonnaise, pancake syrups, jelly, ice cream and popsicles, crackers, tomato sauce, energy drinks, yogurt, soda pop, breads, hamburger buns, juice drinks, and many more.
8. FACT: In the wake of widespread consumer concerns, demand for High Fructose Corn Syrup has hit a 20-year low.
9. FACT: The makers of High Fructose Corn Syrup chose the name “High Fructose Corn Syrup” when it was introduced in the 1970’s.
10. FACT: Now the makers of High Fructose Corn Syrup want to change its name on food package labels.

As a result, millions of Americans are against any name change that would allow High Fructose Corn Syrup to call itself “corn sugar” and maybe just “sugar” on food package labels.