When did all this start about HFCS?

I am not sure about other people. But I do know for my family we don't buy things with it in it. We are highly sensitive to corn products and have avoided it for many years. I think the truth of it is for some people they are not aware of their food sensitivities until they cause a big problem.

I became aware of the pervasiveness of it when my allergist said I MIGHT be allergic to corn and try cutting all corn from my diet for a couple of weeks....HAH! really difficult as I'm would guess Eve can tell you. Even some medications (pills) contain cornstarch as a filler. Thankfully I don't appear to be sensitive to corn {whew!}. For some I think it starts as a wake up call to just how MANY products have some form of sugar in them...as well as salt.

Think back a few years, (well more than a few...) when salt became the big item of the time...now you have more choices of low and no salt, so maybe this will give us, one more awareness, and two more products without HFCS.

I know Jamerz the Coke (CocaCola, for those who read coke as any fizzy drink, as opposed to soda, or pop, but that's a whole new thread the stuff made in Mexico. It tastes like Coke used to when we were kids....because it's made with.....drum roll....real cane sugar!! ( He's :brokenheart: when our local Mexican market closes for the winter....poor baby)

I definitely notice that, personally, my appetite increases when I eat HFCS. Those days end up being my "bad" days when I eat everything in sight, and especially more sweets. The best way for me to either lose or maintain weight is to avoid refined sugars.

Hummm, this has my interests up now. I am going to google it and ask my naturalist in NC. He will give the 411......



here's one web site I found and was recommended I read, but I would still rather ask person to person that is more qualified then me....



http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/highfructose.html

Well I think you just need to be careful to separate the fads from the facts. I try not to get sucked into high carb, low carb, non-fat, non-trans fat, no sugar, no fake-sugar fads if I can avoid them. The thing is, some of these have merit. Trans fat really is terrible for you unless you consume it in VERY low quantities which most of us don't. HCFS is one of those things that it slight moderation wouldn't be that bad - except people aren't consuming it moderately. Its in everything and most people are consuming a lot of it. In those quantities - it is that bad. Basically it doesn't tell your body that you've consumed the calories it contains - no satisfaction means you eat more.

This is a great post on it by Jennygetsfit
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23733-what-is-this-mysterious-hfcs

To answer your real question, keep in mind this: Scientific studies take YEARS AND YEARS to complete and then get the attention of the media.

An ingredient becomes more prominent in products everywhere.
Someone somewhere sees a link between that ingredient and health risks.
They go through long processes to get grants and funding.
The work out a scientific process to study this possible link.
Carry out the tests and experiment.
Do stats and draw conclusions.
Publish the study.

Years later the mainstream media notices and frenzies around it.

It doesn't mean its untrue - the media just makes it a fad.

"You on a Diet" is Doctor Oz, for those that don't know.

The reason I do not eat anything with HFCS - if it's in there, chances are the food is not good for you anyway and is over processed. It's in a lot, I mean A LOT of things - that it doesn't need to be. Calorie for calorie, it's probably equal with sugar for "bad for you" - both are processed, very processed. Based on this alone, I steer towards honey or agave if I need something sweetened.

I think when HFCS became pervasive in our society (thank you corn subsidies and sugar tariffs), it became a cheap addition to food. Once it's everywhere, the amount we intake goes high enough to tick people off. I think if it was limited to soda and ding dongs, this issue would be non-existent.

I guess it seems like I am harping on this, and I probably am. Anyway, look, to make out that HFCS isn't all that bad and certainly not worse than sugar is a diservice to the people on here trying to get healthy. If calories are all that count, we could eat all the twinkies we wished and simply stay within our calories and all would be hunky dory. If you believe that you are WAY off track and in for a harsh time. If you wish to eat healthy you will stay away from sugar AND HFCS as much as possible. There are plenty of posts which explain the science behind this belief, but its really just that simple and all the arguments about how HFCS "isn't the bad guy" simply confuse the issue. There, I feel much better.

The biggest problem with HFCS is the amounts that we consume. Have you read ingredients labels... seriously, it's in almost EVERYTHING (unless you get all natural or organic products)... it's in your sodas, your juices, your breads, your crackers, your cereals, your sweets, your frozen dinners...

The fact is, MODERATION doesn't really exist with HFCS unless you really pay attention and TRY to moderate it. The same thing goes with too much sugar.

The problem with HFCS is that it is sweet, sweeter than sugar... therefore it makes your cravings for sugar WORSE, therefore you consume more sugar. It spikes the insulin levels as sugar does, and an extra gets stored as fat.

So, if your goal is to cut sugars down, cut fat down, and drop those cravings... you'd be doing yourself a big favor by cutting out HFCS at least 85% of the time.