To me, this is the perfect example of a piece of information that as parents, we need to dissect and look at from a logical perspective. Just use common sense, think like Mother Nature and be suspicious of any news that comes from mainstream media. The high fructose corn syrup industry is a $2.6 BILLION business – do you trust them to tell you the truth??
So why is high fructose corn syrup(HFCS) so widely used? The bottom line is that it is cheaper than sugar and extends the shelf life of processed foods. That means more money in the pockets of the corn industry and the food manufacturers.
For an interesting and in depth look at how fructose is metabolized and how it adversely affects the body – click here. In short, high fructose corn syrup is not a naturally occurring sugar, it is manipulated by chemistry.
I won’t bore you with chemistry talk but I would like to tell you a story.
I raise my son on as natural a diet as I can. I breastfed to start and then he received organic formula, then organic baby food. He graduated to fruits and whole grains and natural meats. If he ate something not organic it was at least free of bad preservatives and HFCS.
When he was about 18 months old I noticed an odd behavior for the first time. He was running back and forth in a small area and babbling non-stop. I laughed at first but as it continued I looked at him with a furrowed brow and wondered what in the world he was doing, this was not normal behavior for him. It wasn’t normal toddler playing. It had a frantic feel to it. I jokingly asked myself “what did he eat?” and then it came to me. His niece was visiting that day and she brought a bag of those cute little chocolate graham crackers in the shape of teddie bears! My son had gotten a hold of the bag and helped himself to a few. I looked at the ingredients and sure enough…high fructose corn syrup. That was his first experience.
Several weeks later he found a box of regular plain old graham crackers and asked for one so I gave him a square. A few minutes later the same thing. Babbling like a crazy man. I never thought it would be in plain graham crackers but sure enough again, I checked the ingredients and there it was…high fructose corn syrup.
Again one evening as we all shared ice cream…needless to say, bedtime did not come easily that night. We are much more careful these days.
So in a way, this was my blind study. I noticed the behavior first and found a common culprit each time. That is my proof. I take into consideration my personal knowledge, the debates between doctors and the corn industry and apply it to the outrageous assault on our childrens’ health and behavior over the past decade and I make my own logical conclusion. If a tiny bit of HFCS affected my son in such a noticeable way then I have no problem believing that a diet high in this sugar would cause symptoms of ADHD. The crime is that parents have no idea that their children are bombarded with HFCS because the food industry has put it in every conceivable food.
HFCS has taken such a beating lately that the corn industry actually made a commercial defending it. That right there leads me to be suspicious. Why do they care if consumers eat products with HFCS or not? Because it will eat into their profits, that’s why. They even have a website trying to pass it off as beneficial and healthy. What was most amusing was their statement that any sweetener should be used in moderation! HA! Take a look at this list of foods that contain HFCS…
- ketchup
- spaghetti sauce
- ice cream
- fruit juice
- soda
- sports drinks
- graham crackers
- peanut butter
- bread
- pop tarts
- almost all crackers
- breakfast syrup
- seasoned bread crumbs
- pretty much all cereals
- frozen waffles and pancakes
- pretty much all cookies
- cough syrup
- jelly
- preserves
- salad dressing
- applesauce
- pickle relish
- baked beans
- stuffing
- BBQ sauce
- steak sauce
- cream cheese
- pickles
- cranberry sauce
- pretty much all processed snack foods
Need I go on? Would you consider this moderation on the part of the food industry?
I would recommend avoiding HFCS completely, especially for your children. Their brains are so busy developing that they need all of the nutrition you can offer. High fructose corn syrup has no nutritional value.
Whether you are going all-out HFCS-free or if moderation is what you strive for you better open all your cupboards and start reading labels!!
Do your research and make an informed decision.
Still not convinced? Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury
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