High Fructose Corn Syrup challenge
Jason Davis | Apr 05, 2010 | Comments 6
What do Campbell’s Vegetable Soup, A-1 Steak Sauce, Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Ice Cream, Mott’s Applesauce, Yoplait Yogurt, Nabisco Wheat Thins, Robitussin Cough Syrup, Heinz Ketchup (and Hunt’s Catchup), PowerBar, Thomas English Muffins, Starbucks Frappuccino, Coca-Cola (and Pepsi-Cola), Stove Top Stuffing, KFC Potato Salad, McDonalds Big Mac (bun), and Subway’s Deli Style Roll, have in common?
Every one of these food products, among the hundreds of others not included in this list, contains a controversial common ingredient: High-fructose corn syrup. As a result of a double-dog-dare by the New U staff, any food or product containing HFCS was off-limits to me for an entire week. Never one to back down from a challenge, I took the bait, but soon realized I might have made a mistake.
To get a better idea of what I was up against, I needed to arm myself with knowledge of what exactly I could and could not have, and, what the big deal was anyway. While it’s absurd to me that Wheat Thins and Subway deli rolls are being artificially sweetened, my initial thought was “So what? Sugar is sugar, right?”
Wrong.
Goodbye morning-ritual specialty coffee, goodbye Monster energy drink, and goodbye evening Coke and Rum. Clearly, the challenge was a bit more difficult than I had imagined.
According to Dr. Katherine Zeratsky of the Mayo Clinic, “High-fructose corn syrup is made by changing the glucose in cornstarch to fructose — another form of sugar. The end product is a combination of fructose and glucose.”
At a basic level, refined (processed) sugars are used commercially to sweeten foods and preservatives (unrefined sugars, or natural sugars, are those that are found in fruits, vegetables, and grains). While some sugars are clearly used to fuel our bodies, oftentimes sugar is stored in our bodies for later use. The trouble, for many Americans, is that there is less use and more storage. Dr. Zeratsky stresses that all sugar intake should be moderated more closely, especially for those who are less active.
“Many beverages and other processed foods made with high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners are high in calories and low in nutritional value. Regularly including these products in your diet has the potential to promote obesity — which, in turn, promotes conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease,” Zeratsky said.
Due to tariffs on imported sugar and large government subsidies for American corn farmers (over $40 billion since the early 1990s), HFCS has become the cheapest and most popular sugar substitute in America. Because HFCS has a longer shelf life, and is easier to blend and transport than table sugar, it is virtually unavoidable in most major supermarkets, restaurants, and fast food chains — and that is exactly what makes it so controversial. While fresh market chains like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are shunning major brands and products that use HFCS, anti-boycott efforts by the Corn Refiners Association have sought to disprove this perception by promoting HFCS as a “natural” and “nutritional equivalent” to honey and table sugar.
Perhaps the lab results are mixed, but I’m not convinced by the CRA’s propaganda. I’m reminded of the classic tobacco ad, “More Doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.” And though the CRA isn’t making an appeal to authority (argumentum ad verecundiam), I take issue in how the abundance of artificially sweetened foods has completely saturated American food products (both Japan and the EU have a manufacturing quota on the use of HFCS). Why in the world is HFCS being used in Vegetable Soup and Wheat Thins? English Muffins and hamburger buns, and Subway deli rolls, too? (Shame on you, Jared!) Is that really necessary?
During spring break, I recommitted myself to working out — not just because pool weather is approaching and I want to bring back the chiseled abs, but also because I wanted to live a healthier, more active lifestyle. I love food as much as the next guy, but functionally, this challenge came at a time when I really needed to be more aware of my diet. If food is fuel for my body, do I really need all the crap I had been eating? Does that food do anything other than satisfy a mouth-watering craving?
In nearly every instance, the answer was no, and no. Although old habits are hard to break, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are actually closer to my home than Albertsons and Vons. For the entire week, I drank fresh-ground, organic coffee — black — and brown-bagged a fresh-cut turkey (no artificially sweetened glaze for flavoring) wheat wrap and assorted HFCS-free snacks for lunch. I didn’t eat out for dinner; instead, I ate fresh, lean meats, and a slew of the finest local and organically grown produce. And the truth is that it was good. But I did have one cheat — BevMo carries Mexican Coca-Cola, which is made with cane sugar, which I so totally drank (with rum). In moderation, of course.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Filed Under: Features
well said, John. I’ve been hiding a reply by the CFA, mailed to me at the New U office, and for which I plan to discuss in the coming month. Please do come back around the end of September!
It looks like CRA employees are going around spamming disclaimers like this to stop people from spreading the truth about this toxic ingredient. They can measure the calories and say that it’s “nutritionally” the same in regards to the nutritional facts on the back of a label, but general knowledge of nutrition should probably tell you that something that causes liver damage, obesity, and diabetes isn’t a healthy choice.
Helps keep the ingredients in condiments evenly dispersed? They are grasping at lies and phantom straws here with these false arguments as people begin to realize how unhealthy HFCS is.
You can reduce tartness by adding ANY type of sugar to a dressing or marinade. You can add moisture without using high fructose corn syrup. None of these excuses fly.
And we’re pretty sure that the CFA doesn’t receive government support payments. CFA are the ones paying the government and FDA to allow them to pass this stuff off as food.
Your only evidence is your own website, a paper about the price of corn, and a paid off association that gave you a good word. My evidence is the hundreds of obese Americans out there, and the many who have lost weight by avoiding said HFCS.
Hi, Jason. I really enjoyed your article. Please stick with your quest to rid your life of high fructose corn syrup. It is so, so worth it. I have been off the stuff for only ten days and I have dropped SEVEN pounds so far without effort. I am sleeping better, my blood sugar is more stable, my cravings for sweets are diminishing, my overall appetite is smaller, and I am eating better than I have in years.
I have gone through a withdrawal, I will not lie. It only serves to strengthen my resolve to get this GARBAGE out of my life once and for all.
I believe fervently that high fructose corn syrup is the single most disastrous thing to befall American diets, and that it is a poison.
Laura Linger
High fructose corn syrup may have a complicated-sounding name, but it’s simply a kind of corn sugar that is nutritionally the same as table sugar.
According to the American Dietetic Association, “high fructose corn syrup…is nutritionally equivalent to sucrose. Once absorbed into the blood stream, the two sweeteners are indistinguishable.”
High fructose corn syrup, sugar and honey all contain the same number of calories (four calories per gram).
High fructose corn syrup is used in the food supply because of its many functional benefits. It is used in certain applications for sweetening, and in other applications it performs functions that have little to do with sweetening. For example, it retains moisture in bran cereals, helps keep breakfast and energy bars moist, maintains consistent flavors in beverages and keeps ingredients evenly dispersed in condiments. High fructose corn syrup enhances spice and fruit flavors in yogurts and marinades. In salad dressings and spaghetti sauce, it improves flavor by reducing tartness. In addition to its excellent browning characteristics for breads and baked goods, it is a highly fermentable nutritive sweetener and prolongs product freshness.
Manufacturers of corn sweeteners do not receive government support payments. Our industry buys corn on the open market and has been faced with above average corn prices due to increased demand for corn.
For more information, visit http://www.promarinternational.com/pdfs/CommoditiesBriefs/Perspective%20on%20farm%20policy%20and%20corn%20refining.pdf
Consumers can see the latest research and learn more about high fructose corn syrup at http://www.SweetSurprise.com.
Audrae Erickson
President
Corn Refiners Association
Kim,
I appreciate the info. I agree that corn and its derivatives are rather abundant and seemingly unnecessary in foods you might think are unrelated. However, I’m concerned with the ease in which some people assume they have an issue.
In most cases, correlation is not causation.
I would urge anyone who has food intolerance issues to see their doctor before presumptuous and non-professional conclusions are made. While it is possible that corn can be a problem, even a Doctor wouldn’t know until an allergy test is administered.
- Jason
I enjoyed your story and it is a challenge to quit corn. Unfortunately, my son and I are allergic to corn and I think it may be from overuse of corn. Also, it is difficult to tell you have a corn allergy because it’s in everything. I am starting to think that there are others like us suffering needlessly so I started a web site to explain corn allergies and to provide corn free recipes: http://www.cornallergysymptoms.com.