High Fructose Corn Syrup-The Proof Is In The Pudding, and the Ice Cream, and the Juice…

Categories:

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

16 comments

1 ping

Michelle from postpartum belt says:

February 11, 2010 at 11:57 am (UTC -6 )

You basically cannot escape HFCS in many of the foods that are available to us and our children. The best way to prepare foods for our families is to do it the old fashioned way, from scratch. I know that doesn’t seem practical in today’s busy world, but it’s the only way to inexpensively serve non-processed, preservative free foods.
What I like to do is prepare many of my meals on Sunday and then use a food vacuum unit, like the Food Saver, to air seal the food until it’s ready to use. This will keep your meals fresher longer.
Cook up some chicken breast, cut it into strips and food saver it. Then later in the week all you have to do is open up the package and add it to a salad or anything else you plan to have for dinner.
.-= Michelle@postpartum belt´s last blog ..Motherhood Maternity Postpartum Support Belt =-.
babieshealthnaturally says:

February 17, 2010 at 3:47 pm (UTC -6 )

Hi Michelle,
Yes, that is an excellent idea, I completely agree. We love the food saver for vacuum packing our food and keeping it fresh longer. We use it all the time.
cindy says:

March 23, 2010 at 5:34 pm (UTC -6 )

HFCS is in everything, but have been noticing labels stating when it does not. I was totally irritated when I discovered that our strawberry jam contained it. I’ve also read that it causes wrinkles, yuck!
I like your website and have become a follower. I try to be as natural as possible, but feel overwhelmed. I do vaccinate my child. I feed her organic food when possible. I use non toxic household cleaners. Sometimes I feel guilty about everything I don’t do, but suppose nobody is perfect.
.-= cindy´s last blog ..Birds =-.
babieshealthnaturally says:

March 24, 2010 at 3:04 pm (UTC -6 )

Thanks for following, Cindy!
I know how you feel, you always think you should be doing more but let me tell you…just the fact that you are on a page like this, aware and open-minded, means you are miles ahead of many of the parents out there that put no thought at all into any of the things that affect their children. They just blindly go through their day assuming everything will be okay.
Every single little thing that you are doing has a huge impact on your child.
So, congratulations, you rock!
Janet at London Hostels says:

March 30, 2011 at 6:25 am (UTC -6 )

Thanks for the heads up on High Fructose Corn Syrup. Did you know that a study was conducted at Princeton University which discovered that rats fed HFCS gained fat 300% more quickly than those fed regular fruit sugar. An eye opener to say the least!
Bill from Lawn Mower Reviews says:

March 30, 2011 at 11:00 am (UTC -6 )

In response to Michelle’s comment – “The best way to prepare foods for our families is to do it the old fashioned way, from scratch. I know that doesn’t seem practical in today’s busy world, but it’s the only way to inexpensively serve non-processed, preservative free foods.”

Unfortunately you are dead right when you say this just isn’t practical in today’s busy world. I think you can have the best intention in the world, but at the end of the day time and resources dictate what you can and can’t do.
I do like the idea of preparing meals on a Sunday though. Perhaps this is something my wife and I will try. Let’s hope we can stick to it

All the best
Bill Jenkins
Webmaster, BestLawnMowerReviews.net
Claire from iPhone app development says:

April 1, 2011 at 8:05 am (UTC -6 )

Thanks for providing info about High Fructose Corn Syrup. I didn’t know about such a product before and about other products containing it. Now I’ll be paying attention to this ingredient in the products I buy.
Sierra Barron says:

April 4, 2011 at 10:11 am (UTC -6 )

That’s a huge list of products there. I’m happy to say I live in Asia and don’t touch any of them. Fortunately I love rice, fish and vegetables. The locals though go wild over any kind of fast food.
Sam from Steam Cleaner Reviews says:

April 25, 2011 at 4:12 am (UTC -6 )

Everything I love contains HFCS Interesting post I am definitely going to be on the look out now for HFCS.
keisha says:

April 26, 2011 at 8:49 am (UTC -6 )

So is it safe? My daughter don’t have any food supplement, I just rely on food she eats.
kevin says:

July 19, 2011 at 8:27 am (UTC -6 )

i have to agree, we cannot fully avoid this HFCS stuffs, it is almost every where in our foods. One best way to do is to introduce your kids as early as possible in eating the right foods. just be open to them….
Sarah Young says:

July 20, 2011 at 5:37 am (UTC -6 )

@Michelle from postpartum belt

Yes I agree with you, we cannot escape HFCS esp. they are in the most common food we eat..The best way is to eat more healthy foods like fresh veggies and fruit..And I do like your idea about preparing many meals on Sunday and then use a food vacuum unit, like the Food Saver, to air seal the food until it’s ready to use and will keep your meals fresher longer….

Sarah Young
ken says:

July 28, 2011 at 6:11 pm (UTC -6 )

Good thing i read this post. It is quite alarming to know that even in our foods, our kids are still exposed in danger. What can i do to make sure my kids will not be harm by this harmful chemical?
scott says:

July 31, 2011 at 7:13 pm (UTC -6 )

Would you please tell me more of this HFCS stuff in your next post? I really want to know more about this, i am just worried about the safety of my kids. Thanks
scott says:

July 31, 2011 at 7:15 pm (UTC -6 )

Your post is full of informative materials, i only come to known this thing after i read your blog. thanks a lot..
Kylie K says:

August 10, 2011 at 8:38 pm (UTC -6 )

Thank you for this post! Super informative.