High Fructose Corn Syrup

So this isn't a traditional blog post. It's more of an editorial on an ingredient - but made so much more important because that ingredient is in EVERYTHING: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

It is in:
soda
cookies
crackers
bread and baked goods
processed packaged food
fast-food (even in the meat sometimes!)
candy
yogurt
salad dressing
canned soup
ketchup and other condiments

You may have seen the gag-inducing commercials paid for by www.sweetsurprise.com (which are partially sponsored by the Corn Refiners lobbyist organisation) that go something like this:

Scene: two beautiful people at a picnic - let's call them Janice and Fran, just for kicks. Fran goes to pour a glass of neon red liquid out of a gallon jug for herself and her kids.

Janice: ZOMG! What are you doing drinking that evil red liquid? Don't you know it has high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)?!!1!!!1!

Fran: Of course I know that! Did you know that HFCS has been proven to be nutritionally similar to regular sugar, and can be a part of a balanced diet?

Janice: Oh, thanks for enlightening me! Fill 'er up!

Announcer: Think you know the truth about HFCS? You may be in for a sweet surprise!

The truth is, HFCS is NOT the same as sugar. There are three main reasons why:

1. There have been several scientific studies that have found that HFCS actually changes your body's chemistry so that its sugar is converted to fat much more quickly and is much harder to lose. It also has been shown to be directly linked to diabetes, obesity, and other weight-related conditions.

2. The way it's made uses harmful chemicals such as battery acid. Do you really want to eat something that had to use battery acid to make it edible?

3. HFCS has been shown to have far more harmful chemicals than sucrose; those chemicals are the ones found in elevated amounts in people with diabetes.

While the Corn Refiners Association have sponsored studies that, shockingly, show there is no difference between HFCS and sucrose, independent scientific double-blind studies show otherwise. They show that people who consume HFCS tend to gain and retain weight more quickly and easily. They show that HFCS is rich in the chemical carbonyl, which has been found elevated in patients with diabetes, and often contains traces of mercury - a serious poison. It also makes you crave more sweetness, thus leading to overeating, and eventually, obesity. It also predisposes you to fatty liver and other liver diseases.
So why is it in everything? There are several reasons. Corn is grown on an incredible scale in this country (the middle of the US had to be good for something, and as it turns out, it's growing corn) and is heavily subsidised. Because of that, it's one of the crops that can actually turn a profit for farmers if they grow it on an extremely large scale. However, soon the supply outstripped demand, so there was a need to find a way to use it for other applications than human and animal feed. Starting in the late 1970's, processed food found the holy grail: a form of sugar that was cheap, grown in the US, thus easily obtainable, easy to process and transport, easily blend-able with other ingredients, and similar enough to "real" sugar that consumers wouldn't know the difference. Best of all (for them, not for consumers), corn is a genetically modified plant that makes it more consistent and reliable, so the source of this cheap sugar would always be there. 85% of all HFCS is from genetically modified corn.

Remember "new Coke"? It's a good example of how companies switched to HFCS from its more expensive counterpart, sucrose. After the spectacular failure of the new recipe for Coke, they switched back permanently to "original recipe" - and at the same time, switched to HFCS, figuring no one would notice. Most people didn't. For Coke, it meant that they could make the product more cheaply with no one noticing the drop in quality. If you want to taste the difference, have "regular" Coke side-by-side with Kosher Passover Coke (in the kosher isle) or Mexican Coke. Both use sucrose instead of HFCS. The difference is obvious when tasted side-by-side - the HFCS gives it a heavier, syrup-y taste.

However, let's get down to reality. If you remember this list at the start of this post, you'll understand just how difficult it is to avoid, or even to "consume in moderation," as recommended by sweetsurprise.com. Time magazine reported on the difficulty, stating,

"...unless you're making a concerted effort to avoid it, it's pretty difficult to consume high-fructose corn syrup in moderation." That is certainly true. In order to stop my consumption, I have made the following dramatic modifications to my diet and lifestyle:

-Eliminated soda, unless it is made with cane sugar (Hansen's, GUS, etc. Most small bottling companies do use cane sugar - just check the label)
-Stopped eating any fast food, or at places where they cut corners by using processed or pre-prepared frozen foods
-Diligently reading all labels and not buying anything with HFCS in it
-Buying and cooking fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood, meat, etc. You'd be surprised how many times those pre-packed foods have HFCS
-Making my own salad dressing, and as much as possible, condiments
-Baking my own bread and baked goods
-Making my own ice cream, sorbet, popcicles, etc.

That is a major undertaking. I have a few weaknesses: coke, slurpees, nilla wafers, Dryers berry sherbet, muffins, chocolate/candy bars, etc. But the difference in how I feel makes it worth it. I have been detoxing from HFCS as much as possible, and have lost weight, have more energy, and don't constantly crave sweets.

I won't lie - I have had to compromise. This week my back spasms wouldn't allow me to prepare dinner. So one night we had Wendy's chicken sandwiches. I had acid reflux and felt sick all night. I craved dessert...and put back on 2-3 pounds FROM ONE MEAL. It reinforced to me how detrimental HFCS is, and how all the extra work I've had to do to eliminate it is vital to my health.

I challenge you to make as many changes as you can to eliminate it from your diet. Give it a few weeks and see how you feel. You won't regret it.

For more information on HFCS, check out these wikipedia and its extensive list of references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup