So here on my blog I have no problems sharing my view point and all that I have learned. This is especially true when it comes to High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). But recently I was watching some tv with one of the kids that I nanny and yet another of those stupid “Corn Sugar” adds came on. Well, this ad and my skeptical annoyance at it raised the curiosity of the teen and she decided to poke around and investigate further.
In her poking she found the following website that can be found HERE .
At first glance my alarm bells started going off. It is very apparent that this is a commercially produced blog like sight. Yet when we looked for a name to see who runs the site we found that it is run by some official looking agency called The Center for Consumer Freedom. Their website can be found HERE .
They raise interesting claims that all of the hype about HFCS is false. And on the Sweet Scam site under the Myths and Facts Section there are a lot of very broad statements about what is myth and very specific word bending with the counter point facts.
Still the sites do bring up the question, who in the end is right and how much of what they say is indeed true?
The big key for me is both sites repeated statements of any sweetener is fine moderation. But the big issue here is, HFCS has found its way into every food imaginable. It’s in so much that if you don’t do your very best to avoid it you quickly become inundated with this said harmless “Corn Sugar”. To avoid this junk all together you either have to spend a fortune buying expensive high end organics or you starve. And for someone on my kind of budget high end anything really just isn’t an option for daily life. You have to fight for moderation.
So dear readers, what are your thoughts on sites like these? In your opinion who is indeed the real “sweet scam”?
I for one will take the words of caution from my many doctors and my nutritionist as well as the many articles I have found myself, including an article done by Princeton. (If you missed that Blog post, you can find it HERE . The more I look into these new sites the more I see the falsity in them.
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Personally, I don’t care what kind of sugar it is: fructose, sucrose, aspartame, beet sugar, splenda, etc etc you shouldn’t eat tons of it!! Moderation IS key, especially in today’s society, but because this stuff is “hidden” in alot of foods, it is hard. Even corn(I believe), canned corn kernals, they add SUGAR. Come on! What is wrong with today’s society that we can’t even enjoy NATURAL foods without adding sweetener to it?? Sure it may make it taste “better” but do you even know what REAL corn tastes like? Most think they do, but I bet if they looked at the ingredients, they are getting more than just what they think they’re eating, unless it’s a raw food you cook up yourself.
My biggest concern with the sweet scam website was when it said, “Not only was [high fructose corn syrup] cheaper to produce and transport, but it also helped to extend foods’ shelf life.” With a previous claim that it had the same basic chemical makeup as sucrose, how can it claim to lengthen foods’ shelf life? It can’t have the same chemical makeup, if it does something that cane sugar does not. What preservative masquerading as sugar is this that we are eating in massive amounts? I shudder to think.
*side note* V8 fusion(I think) is the only one that does not contain HFCS. Even the wal mart brand is free from HFCS! The V8 Smoothies and Splash all contain HFCS.
You know, I have been wondering the same thing! I have known for a while that they use it as a preservative but couldn’t figure out how that works. Maybe that’s another post.
First and foremost, I just read your latest post and I need to give you a big WOO-HOO for losing over 30 pounds. This is a feat not accomplished by many!
So on foods and HFCS, you don’t have to buy organic food to eat healthy. Just learn how to read labels. There is a difference in “processed” foods (sugars included) and “raw” foods. Many food producers are becoming very smart and are taking the HFCS out and even advertising “NO HFCS!” on the label. But remember, sugar in general should be used in moderation. Your taste buds get “used to” the sweet taste (as they do with salt as well) and you need more and more to have the foods taste “good”.
Read you labels and inform yourself. Healthy diets are those that contain very little “processed foods” and a lot of “what comes from the ground”.
A new study is being published this month about how HFCS and fructose is metabolized differently in your brain than glucose (sugar). (my latest post)
Thanks for the post and congrats on your progress!
Thanks for great encouragement and the great info! I look forward to reading your post about the HFCS. You are wonderful!