Sugar, Meet Your Replacement.

A troubling trend has developed in the US since the 1990’s, the replacement of sugar in processed foods with a chemically derived product of corn. This product, called High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) has been widely adopted as a cheap and manufacturer friendly replacement for cane sugar products.

The taste is similar, but the processing and possible health affects are vastly different than cane sugar. HFCS is produced from corn through a chemical and fermenting process and results in a fructose-glucose product. Corn used in the process may be genetically modified, a fact that is troubling to many healthy conscious eaters.
HFCS is abundant and nearly impossible to avoid. After taking a no HFCS dietary position, I became aware of just how hard it is to eliminate. Try looking for bread or crackers that do not have HFCS. You will find that nearly 99% of the baked, fruit products, even spaghetti sauces on regular grocery shelves contain it. And probably the biggest culprit, soft drinks.

Most American made soft drinks list HFCS as the second or third ingredient, meaning that the beverage is composed largely of the corn product. HFCS is also lurking in a lot of other beverages, such as “fruit juices” that are marketed for kids. Start looking out for HFCS, I think you will be surprised too.

Why does this matter?

HFCS has been a hot topic in nutrition and health communities. Experts are still evaluating the dangers, but research has indicated that HFCS can contribute to obesity, osteoporosis, and metabolic disorders including diabetes, and has even proven to increase triglyceride levels which can result in heart disease.

What can you do?

Take a stand against this masquerading villain that can attack your health. Look for products that do not contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and be sure to praise companies that do not go the way of cheap, unhealthy sweeteners.

If you have trouble finding products that are HFCS free, try visiting health food stores or looking in your regular grocery for the health food isle. If you can’[t find the products you want try asking your grocer to stock specific items for this reason. Also, don’t forget that groceries can be purchased online, a good choice for rural consumers who do not have access to health conscious retailers.