Ways to Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup

Read food labels. This is the easiest and most sure-fire way to know if there is high fructose corn syrup in your food. High fructose corn syrup can be found in cereals, yogurts, and even in products which aren't sweet, such as sliced bread and processed meats like sausage and ham.

Check labels on sodas, juices, mixes, etc. Beverages containing high fructose corn syrup have high levels of reactive carbonyls which are linked with cell and tissue damage that leads to diabetes.....Avoid canned or bottled beverages. Soft drinks, sports drinks, lemonade, iced tea, and almost every sweet drink you can think of contains high fructose corn syrup.

Avoid fast food. Fast food often contains high fructose corn syrup. Look up ingredients online. You'll be surprised!!

Understand what "natural" or "organic" means on labels with regard to HFCS. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't regulate the use of the word "natural". Foods and beverages can be labeled as "natural" even though they contain high fructose corn syrup, because fructose is a naturally occurring sugar. The word "organic" is heavily regulated, and basically, only foods labeled as 100% organic can be assumed to be HFCS-free.
For example: Conventional Peanut Butter and Ketchup often contain (not only hydrogenated oils in the case of PB) Corn Syrup/HFCS. Choose Organic in this case.

Check the Passover section of your supermarket. Some soda companies produce a sugar/sucrose-based version of their products around Passover for Jewish people who are restricted by custom from eating corn during this time. Coca-Cola produces a version of Coke without corn syrup that can be identified by a yellow cap and is considered by some to taste better than Coke Zero, which is also free of corn syrup but contains artificial sweeteners, not sugar. (more to come on Sugar consumption and artificial sweeteners)

Lower your sweetener consumption altogether. It's been suggested that the supposed link between high fructose corn syrup and obesity is not ALL due to the high fructose corn syrup itself, but to the increasing consumption of sweeteners in general, especially soft drinks.
In fact, where the fructose (sugars) comes from doesn't seem to matter. I will discuss this in an upcoming post.

The USDA recommends that a person with a 2000 calorie, balanced diet should consume no more than 32 g (8 tsp) of added sugar per day. Here are some sweet foods and the percentage of the daily recommended amount of sweeteners they provide:

typical cup of fruit yogurt - 70%

cup of regular ice cream - 60%

12-ounce Pepsi - 103%

Hostess Lemon Fruit Pie - 115%

serving of Kellogg's Marshmallow Blasted Fruit Loops - 40%

quarter-cup of pancake syrup - 103%

Cinnabon - 123%

large McDonald's Shake - 120%

large Mr. Misty Slush at Dairy Queen - 280%

Burger King's Cini-minis with icing - 95%

Buy fresh produce and learn to cook it. The real problem is too much refined and processed food, not any one particular ingredient.

Note: information found in Wikihow: How to avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup, The Maker's Diet, and What Would Jesus Eat

The Revamp...Still "Babysteppin"

Throughout my journey of 'getting back to basics', I have learned so much! Some things I didn't know at all, and some things I already knew, but was neglecting and ignoring change.

"Ignorance is bliss," Right??

Wrong!

The first baby step of this journey was to remove all products containing hydrogenated oils from my house. This step was unique in that it was a goodbye to products I considered as 'healthy friends', and a hello to products I had never thought of as 'trustworthy friends.' I am happy to report, that I not only have confidence that I made the right decision when in comes to making new and healthy 'friends,' but it is also has saved me money! I know longer am buying the coffee creamer, cool whip, butter spray, fat free no sugar added snack mixes, etc, etc, etc. Instead, I am using milk and real butter, and am being more creative with my sweet tooth with 'real food' products. So in this case, I saved! Case closed!

The next step of this process has been to severely limit sugars from my kitchen. If you know me at all, you know that I love sweets. I actually don't keep a lot in the house for this very reason. That's probably why I go in search of candies and ice creams at my friends' and family's homes, and why I will eat two (maybe even three) plus desserts on holidays! I'm a true sugar addict!

The suspect I have chosen to look into however is not sugar

High fructose corn syrup is commonly used in place of sugar in processed foods in the USA because it is cheaper, not better. American subsidies and tariffs have resulted in corn being a much more economical sweetener than sugar--a trend that is not seen in other parts of the world. The average American eats an astounding 41.5 lbs of high fructose corn syrup per year. Scientists have found that pancreatic tumors feed and replicate faster on High Fructose Corn Syrup! This is reason enough not to eat it. And if you need to be convinced more, consider the growing number of Type II diabetics and obese children, as well as adults in the US.  It's becoming the norm...Remember the Supersize and Biggie tidbit mentioned in a previous blog. Growing waistbands and sizing of virtually everything are standard.

Challenge:

Like before, check labels in your pantry and refrigerator for Corn syrup and High Fructose Corn Syrup...You will be surprised.

Let me know what you find!

Note: information found in Wikihow: How to avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup, The Maker's Diet, and What Would Jesus Eat

Apple-Yogurt Parfaits

I am so sick and tired of oatmeal for breakfast!

This Apple-Yogurt Parfait serves as a great start for the day or a sweet afternoon snack!

Apples are my favorite! They are loaded with fiber, natural sweetness, and are crispy. Nonfat Plain Greek yogurt is a staple in my house. You should make it one in yours as well. It is low in sugar and packed with protein. (I use it on sandwiches and with salsa, instead of sour cream) Flaxseeds are a good sources of fiber and Omega-3s. I sometimes skip the raisins all together or substitute them for raw walnuts.


BEWARE!!! Don't be fooled by fast food parfaits. Morning stops like McDonald's and Starbucks offer parfaits that are loaded with unnecessary fat and sugar hidden in the yogurt and so called healthy granola!

Ingredients (serves 4)

3 Honeycrisp or fuji apples, diced
3 cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup ground flaxseeds
1/4 cup agave nectar or honey ...might not even need this much
3/4 cup golden raisins
optional: dash of Cinnamon for each (my favorite addition to everything)


Preparation

1. Set out 4 large wine or parfait glasses. In each, layer 1/4 apple, 1/4 cup yogurt, 2 teaspoons ground flaxseeds, 1 teaspoon agave nectar and 1 tablespoon raisins. Repeat all layers twice in each glass.