I saw it on TV so it must be true.

Has anyone else in the US seen these new, completely ridiculous commercials promoting high fructose corn syrup? They're made by the Corn Growers' Association or somesuch.

I've seen two versions. In each one person offers the other something laden with HFCS (grape drink--which used to be "sugar, water, purple," but is now "HFCS, water, purple"--or popsicles or something like that) and the offeree is horrified and says "But it has HFCS!" and the offerer patiently explains how HFCS is "nor worse than sugar" and is fine in small doses.

The first time I saw one of these commercials I laughed out loud, thinking it was a spoof commercial.

I still think they're funny, as in absolutely ridiculous. But I also worry that people will see them and think that HFCS is safe, and more similar to sugar than it is. I also think there are some vaguely racist overtones to the commercial with the black mom offering the grape drink and white mom refusing it. (If it's not racist it's at least unoriginal, and Dave Chapelle is way funnier. That link contains swearing, BTW, if you're not familiar with the oeuvre of Dave Chappelle.)

Also, it's just dumb. There are all kinds of things people ingest that are not good for them in large doses (alcohol, sweet, sweet coffee, etc.). But HFCS is not comparable to those things, because there are at least half a dozen easily-obtainable, affordable equivalents that are better for you (sugar, brown sugar, honey, agave nectar, stevia, maple syrup, even regular old corn syrup that's not high fructose). I don't have time to dig up all the sources about why HFCS is so much worse for us than any of those, but there is no doubt that research shows that our bodies just can't process it well.

The website they direct you to is also a big euphemism. Sweet Surprise? Sweet Surrender? Sweet Something-or-other? Sweet Extra-Cellulite-on-Your-Thighs-Because-HFCS-Can't-Be-Broken-Down?

I wanted to bring this up when I first saw the commercials, but now I've gotten five emails about them, so thought you guys would like to talk about them, too. I'm certainly not linking to them in the main post, but if they're up on the web somewhere and someone else wants to link them in the comments so the non-US readers can watch the insanity, go ahead.

Comments

[Shannon]

Ad 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbRxTOyGf0

Ad 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVsgXPt564Q&feature=related

[Mar]

I love these commercials too, as in, can't really believe they're sincere. The thing that irks me about the message is that while some HFCS may be "fine in moderation", the fact is that HFCS is used, heavily, in many foods that are staples (e.g., bread, packaged baked goods like muffins, and boxed cereals) or even considered "healthy options" (e.g., Nutrigrain bars, granola and other convenience foods that are standard kid items). People don't consume these foods "in moderation" the way they could reasonably be expected to consume cookies or other "treats". This nuance doesn't come out (by design) in these glib commercials.

[AmyinMotown]

I wrote about this for Strollerderby:
http://babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2008/09/05/high-fructose-corn-syrup-is-delicious-healthy-natural.aspx

which includes the YouTube video. And THANK YOU for bringing up the racism angle. It just seemed very subtly racist to me that the black mom was feeding the kids some horrible cheap crap juicelike product.

Those ads are seriously WTF.

[Maria]

Ack! This is EXACTLY why we don't have a tv. My daughter knows that HFCS is a recipe for her to have meltdowns and tantrums and I'm sure that commercial would make her doubt it.

On another note, I'm glad Thomases has taken the HFCS out of the english muffins.

[hydrogeek]

Every time I hear anything about HCFS I lament the fact that I can't easily get Dublin Dr. Peppers anymore. They're made with 'pure cane sugar' rather than HCFS, and by golly they taste better. Of course, that doesn't stop me from my one sweet, sweet, DP a day. Hello, my name is hydrogeek, and I'm a Dr. Pepper addict.

[Moxie]

When I lived in Mexico, Dr. Pepper was the only thing I missed from the States...

[Elizabeth]

Those commercials are just bizarre - in one of the commercials they're on a picnic and one of the people pulls a POPSICLE out of a picnic basket and offers it to the other person. Who brings popsicles on a picnic? Apparently HFCS, in addition to all of its other amazing qualities, prevents melting.

[Pippi]

When I lived in Norway Dr. Pepper was one of the few things I missed from the States. Then I tried it again after 7 months on a trip to Sweden and it was so, so gross. Haven't been able to drink pop since.

The ad is awful, misleading, and the racist undertone is creepy. And I bet it's surrounded by annoying campaign ads, too. More reasons to watch TV on the computer!

[dee]

These aren't just in the US, we've seen them in Canada as well. I was equally horrified. I just finished reading "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan (and if you haven't read it go to your local library, or click through Moxie's site to amazon, I believe it should be required reading) and I truly hope that people do not take these commercials to heart.

I'm all for treats, I don't believe banning them entirely works for children. The difference it has made to me is to try and avoid buying process foods. We still have cookies, I just make them from scratch (which has the added benefit of baking with my 3-yr-old DD) and I'm not deluding myself that the ones I make are something to be eaten all the time (read white sugar, white flour lots of butter) but at least I know what's in them. I've even gone so far as to seriously consider buying a bread maker so that I can better control the added sugar we're getting (anyone have experience with one?).

I am getting more and more concerned about what my daughter is seeing now in the media and what impact those messages are having. She is just reaching an age where she really has strong wants (and tantrums to go with them). I don't know how to steer her in the right direction without becoming the preachy, over-protective parent who won't let their kids have any fun.

Anyway, sorry to get off-topic. I'm looking forward to hearing what others have to say.

[Mrs. Higrens]

Yes, the popsicle out of the picnic basket! What other unlikely things are we supposed to believe too? That HFCS is good for you?

Thanks Moxie for opening this topic up for discussion. I can't wait to read everyone elses comments!

[paola]

I'm intrigued. Will google HCFS to get the lowdown. Imagine it's not an ingredient commonly found here in Italy.

[michaela]

@dee, I recently quit buying bread at the store due to the HCFS and am using my breadmaker. It's super-easy (though I am still figuring out the optimal storage for homemade bread). I even made pita bread yesterday for a potluck. I *highly* recommend "Bread Machine Baking: Perfect Every Time" by Lora Brody - it totally demystifies the bread machine. Super cool.

I haven't seen the commercials, but have to say I'm not surprised.

[Jessica]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I just saw a print ad doing the same thing in Parenting magazine as well as Shape or Self, one of those. You can find the print ad at that charming sweetsurprise site. It was two women (just heads), with the text being:

"My hairdresser says that sugar is healthier than High Fructose Corn Syrup."

"Wow! You get your hair done by a doctor?"

The only reason I remembered it is because I had to read it two or three times to understand, and then finally got the 'message' when I saw that it was CR'd by the Corn Refiners' Association. I really didn't get it at first...I was all, well, duh, why's the 2nd girl making fun of the 1st one? She's right!

Yeah, this is a sad state of affairs.

[Jessica]

oh, and @dee: I have a bread machine. I've never used it. Making bread from scratch is really not much extra work, unless you are using the creepy pouched ingredients, and it saves you the space of another kitchen appliance. Just my humble opinion.

[hush]

Moxie, I adore Dave Chappelle & am so sad that he doesn't want to do comedy anymore - hopefully he'll be back!

Agreed - those ads are wack!

You know, I think Artificial Sweeteners are also extremely dangerous. My friend, who I can only describe as a "cool hippie chemical engineer" has me convinced that Diet Sodas are one of the worst legal substances that one can possibly consume. He says he can't believe what's in them and how close they are to some of the actual toxic chemical compounds he works with. Yikes!

My unsolicited advice - if you must drink soda, please drink the real stuff & use a straw to help protect your teeth. I used to be a 4-can a day regular C0k3 drinker, but my DH finally convinced me to give it up so I wouldn't be setting a poor example for our son. I still crave it - because it's so, I don't know, "refreshing," and my redneck-ish parents used to let me drink it when I was growing up, so I have a taste for it that will never really go away. Thanks mom & dad! ;)

[ada]

That Dave Chappelle thing was EXACTLY what I needed today.

Intriguing idea about the bread machine. We own one and have used it in the past. I think I'll get it out again.

[sheSaid]

When i saw that ad for the first time I had to rewind the dvr watch it again and make my DH watch. I couldn't f'in believe it.

I am shocked again and again by the LIES that are put on TV and the knowledge that so many people believe that what they see or hear is true.

How can complete LIES be put on tv and radio ads?

[Shannon]

I posted about these commercials on my blog not long ago. I've also seen them lambasted on many parenting and food blogs I read. What I have to wonder is: are the people who made the commercials monitoring the Internet buzz about them? Because they are missing out on some big-time feedback, i.e., people know propaganda when they see it and don't treat us like we're stupid.

I like to see more people like you blogging about it. The Internet has provided a fabulous way of making our voices heard when industry foists something like this on us.

[mo]

It really bothers me how most "normal" grocery items now contain HFCS. Dee, I'm the same way with the bread. I could NOT find any whole wheat breads in the grocery store that didn't have HFCS in them. How frustrating... so, I now bake bread. I highly recommend the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day cookbook. No need to add a bread maker. Very easy. There is an Oatmeal Bread recipe in the book that can easily be switched to predominately whole wheat. You can search through the Food Blog Search engine to find some recipes available on line to try out before you (decide to) buy the book.

[meggiemoo]

I just laugh and laugh whenever these commercials come on TV. The fact that the corn growers' association has to come out in defense of itself just tells me that more and more people are becoming aware of how awful HFCS is. The ads smack of desperation.

I've found a good commercial whole-wheat bread that uses honey rather than HFCS. I was shocked to see how many include HFCS.

[Kels]

Thanks for the post about these atrocious, misleading ads, Moxie. In our family, I'm the Food Police, always fretting about ingredients, concerned that Peanut doesn't eat too much sugar, salt, fat, etc. Hubby's a bit more laid back, wanting to focus on good eating habits rather than denial (and I see his point: I've got my own issues re: food to grapple with, rather than pass on to Peanut). I read labels, have switched to a brand of bread that doesn't use HFCS, avoid snacks with it, etc.

These ads are so egregious that even Hubby snorts with derision every time they're on. Like others here, he's appalled by the misleading message, AS IF moderation re: HFCS were possible, given how many foods it's in these days.

[Jennifer]

Second the opinion that everyone needs to read Michael Pollan's books (I've only read "The Omnivore's Dilemma"). The corn craziness is terrifying.

Just as an FYI, not all supermarket bread, thankfully, contains HFCS: Pepperidge Farm makes a good 100% whole wheat with no HFCS. Also second (third, etc) the opinion that making bread without a machine is pretty easy -- and fun! Kneading is a great way to get out stress. :-)

[Jessica]

Yes! The first time I saw the fruit drink one, I went, "Wait, what?" Then I started seeing them constantly (I'm a Food Network junkie), told my husband about them, and now we both gawk in amazement every time one comes on. (Also, why does she only have one magically-unmelty-popsicle in the basket to begin with?)

My husband said, "Replace 'high fructose corn syrup' with alcohol, cigarettes, or heroin and see how people like these commercials!" But it's fine in moderation!!!

Also, you have to wonder, is the corn industry really suffering that much? I mean, with ethanol being all the rage, I thought we didn't have enough corn to go around anyway!

[Kate]

@ everyone who doesn't bake bread but wants to find HFCS-free stuff:

Back during the first Moxie 60 day challenge I wanted to cut down on HFCS. My best, best find was Trader Joe's 100% Whole Grain Fiber Bread. It comes in whole wheat (5 g fiber/slice) or multigrain (6 g fiber/slice) and NO HFCS! I buy it 3 loaves at a time and freeze (my husband takes sandwiches to work all the time).

I know not everyone lives near TJ's, but for those who do...

I can only imagine that these ads are to beat back the rising tide of people who want their food less processed. I have a terrible sweet tooth, but I am all about real sugar/honey/maple syrup. Artificial sweetners give me the creeps!

[dee]

Thanks for all the great advice about making bread from scratch. I had always been somewhat intimidated by it but maybe this is the weekend to give it a go. I really enjoy baking so it could just be something fun to do.

I'll definitely check out the recipes/books that people have recommended.

BTW, "The Omnivore's Dilemma" is just as good as "In Defense of Food". I'm re-reading it at the moment. I was shocked and overwhelmed by the degree of industrial agriculture and the environmental and health implications that are not considered in the true cost of cheap food. I, luckily, have found a co-op of farmers that sell pastured beef at reasonable prices at a market near my house. We made the conscious decision to pay the premium price (although the farmers we have found are not that expensive) and have meat less often.

Looking forward to hearing others opinions.

[SarcastiCarrie]

BREAD: Brownberry recently (a month ago?) remvoed HFCS from their bread. It was a great day at my house. Oat Nut. Health Nut. Yummm. All back. Aunt Millie's (not sure if this is a national brand) is also HFCS-free.

POP/SODA: Goose Island Root Beer is made with 100% real sugar. Kosher for Passover Coke was 100% real sugar too (good luck finding it now though). And the flavored sodas at Trader Joe's are all made with sugar (although beware: some TJ's foods have modified food starch).

YOGURT: Dannon and Dannon Naturals do not have HFCS. They have sugar and corn syrup.

JUICE for KIDS: Motts for Tots is pre-watered down. Ingredients: Water, Juice, Vitamin C.

Can you tell that this is one of my hot-button issues? Even my 3-year old now asks if something has high-fructose corn syrup in it.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a can of cake frosting that has no hydrogenated oils and no HFCS? It's my new quest. Sure, I could make my own, but I'm a sucker for a can of frosting.

[MamaBird]

I had never really looked into the studies about HFCS, and wasn't totally convinced of it's evil-ness. What can I say, I'm a scientist, I like to see actual data, not just rumors. After this post, I went and looked up HFCS on PubMed and read a few articles. I'm convinced! This stuff is bad for us! A quote, for any like-minded geeks:

"the digestion, absorption, and metabolism of fructose differ from those of glucose. Hepatic metabolism of fructose favors de novo lipogenesis. In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight, this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain." --Bray et al, Am J Clin Nut, 2004, 79(4).

There's also obviously a temporal correlation between the rise in HFCS consumption and the rise in obesity, but that sort of correlation I tend to not find convincing at all. This mechanism, in conjunction, strengthens the argument.

[Brooke]

You must live near me, SarcastiCarrie. No clue about the frosting. I didn't grow up with it, so it always struck me as too sweet.

I wish my daughter didn't eat so much processed food, but that's what they serve at daycare and it is incredibly something I decided to let slide since it is otherwise such a wonderful place.

Haven't seen the ads, but did go to the website awhile ago. Hilarious.

[SarcastiCarrie]

JAMS/JELLY: Simply Fruit is made with fruit syrup instead of HFCS. Meijer has a generic of the Simply Fruit that also has no HFCS. Regular Smuckers (and pretty much every other kind) are full of HFCS.

PEANUT BUTTER: President's Choice Just Peanuts (Ingredients: Peanuts) and Smuckers Natural (Ingredients: Peanuts, Salt). Most commerical peanut butters have HFCS and hydrogenated oils.

Can you tell I read labels since I am able to recite ingredient lists from memory?

Another BREAD: Innkeeper's 9 grain secret of something from Costco is HFCS-free. And it contains triticale whatever that grain is!

TOMATO SAUCE: Read the jar. Most jarred sauces have sugar, but some have HFCS.

[hedra]

And since 1 in 3 to 1 in 6 people absorb fructose 'poorly' (that is, they have fructose malabsorption), it also contributes to IBS symptoms (with or without constipation), lower small intestine fermentation (which blocks tryptophan absorption, which therefore means less serotonin and melatonin, which therefore means mood disturbance, depression, anxiety, rage attacks, and poor sleep)...

And kids between the ages of 1 and 3 have notably poor fructose absorption even if they end up in normal range, later. Average absorption for an adult is about 25-25g/day, average US diet (including normal rates of HFCS-product consumption) is 54g/day.

And we wonder why there's depression and IBS everywhere? Why kids have mood disturbances? Why ADHD is overdiagnosed (B had the 'mood disturbance' that looks like loss of social inhibition, which is supposed to be a trademark behavior of ADHD)? Road rage? (men tend to get the 'mood disturbance' version more often, which can result in zero-to-insane rage events; women tend to get depression or anxiety)...

Yeah, I'm glad for TiVo, because I'd be throwing things at the screen every time I saw the commercials.

Another fun place (more readable than PubMed for most folks) is ScienceDaily - look up HFCS on there, and you'll see study after study after study...

[hedra]

can't type. 25-35g/day (under 25 is malabsorption).

Oh, and HFCS is not generally used in Europe. It can be found in Australia, but not as much as the US. It goes by other names in Canada as well.

Hidden source in the US - sushi (in the rice). Some places (the good ones) still make their own sugar syrup to mix with the vinegar for the rice, but many use off the shelf, which in the US means HFCS.

[Jill in Atlanta]

These commercials ARE getting to normal, health conscious people. I just had a friend tell me about them. She thought they were a joke when she first saw them, but then quoted to me the "stats" they use. She said, "It has the same amount of calories and our bodies use it the same way so why all the fuss?" I realized I had no "stats" of my own to counter with and that she at least felt like she'd persuaded me. I will email her some research now that I'm thinking about it all.

[SarcastiCarrie]

My husband's criteria for whether we should eat something: Is it made in a reactor?

I rid our house of HFCS and hydrogenated oils. I'm working on getting rid of modified food starch right now (which a friend with celiac tells me is made from corn in the US).

[mel]

As I sit here on my 3rd diet coke of the day, I think I am about ready to give them up after reading what you guys are saying (Again).

We're working on the HFCS, but seriously, I want to know about the popscicle. And I want to know why the anti HFCS people turn into blubbering idiots. Give me a fake argument over "Um. Uh. Well. Um."

[Suki]

@ Jill in Atlanta: Can you please buy your friend a copy of "In Defense of Food"? I'm really disturbed that she thinks a certain number of calories = healthy and it might help persuade her that chemicals, even calorie free, are not good for us.

@Hedra: It goes by other names in Canada??? Can you tell us what names? I haven't eaten HFCS in years (or at least I thought) since I started reading about what it does to the messages in our body re: still hungry or not still hungry and read labels adamently. I am always shocked when I go to the US and see that it's in everything (bread / cereal / ketchup) whereas in Canada it's only in highly processed foods that I would never go near anyway (all sorts of weird / unpronouceable ingredients besides HFCS to avoid). Maybe I've been wrong all along!!!

Also to all those thinking about giving up soda, I just wanted to second what someone else said - if you can force yourself off it for a year, you would likely find it disgusting if you ever tasted it again. Hopefully that's true for coffee too since today is the first day in 20 years that I haven't had a cup of coffee and I'm feeling like death (saw a dr. of traditional chinese medicine yesterday- promised her I'd follow her orders for 1 month to see how great I can feel. ha.)

[Amy M]

I was laughing, too, until I saw at the end that it was sponsored by the corn growers and my mouth dropped open when I realized that it was a serious commercial.

The best thing the commercial did was remind me that I should be further educated on the problems with HFCS so I wouldn't be caught off guard like those in the commercial.

HFCS is the primary reason that I'm a label reader. That and trans fats.

It's also the primary reason that we started doing our weekly shopping at Whole Foods as soon as one opened near us. It is easy to find local and HFCS-free and trans-fat-free options, with the added bonus that the peanut is not entranced by HFCS-laden food boxes with cute characters on the front. (There's another rant in that topic, I believe.)

[anon]

k, if fructose is bad, does that mean fruit is bad for us now? because I will &*^$#&* GIVE UP if that is the case. DAMMIT.

[songbird]

I live in Cleveland, and around here Coca-Cola classic uses sucrose, not HFCS. It's sort of a shock, but totally great. We don't have special kosher-for-passover coke in this area.

[Diane]

As far as bread goes, we buy the Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat bread. It has no artificial colors, preservatives, HFCS, etc. It's fairly inexpensive (you can get them 2/$4 at Sam's Club) and the slices aren't huge and dense (only 50 calories a slice, 3g of fiber maybe?)

I have yet to see one of these commercials, but I am MORTIFIED that they are on the air. Even my dad wants to avoid HFCS, and he is your typical "meh, scientists are just a bunch of alarmists!" type person.

One other place I've noticed it is in ketchup and even MAYONNAISE. The Heinz Organics line of ketchups taste pretty much the same, but use sugar. The new olive oiled based mayos made by Hellman's and Kraft are also HFCS-free.

For those of you in the south who have access to Publix, their regular yogurts are all sweetened with sugar and fruit now. This is a very recent change. Still not as healthy as plain + fruit or whatever, but we just don't always have time for that around here.

Thanks to the PP who gave jelly/jam recommendations. That's one of those things it takes us a year to finish off in the house, and we are finally running out of the HFCS-filled crap we bought back who-knows-when. Any recommendations for a pancake syrup (other than pure maple syrup, which is hella-expensive around here) that isn't pure HFCS?

(Normally I don't plug specific products online, but I really like giving credit to the companies that have taken the time to get this crap out of their products!)

[Mom2Boys]

Diet coke free for three weeks. I was drinking 3-4 cans a day - we have free soda, tea and coffee at work - and I started getting excruciating headaches. No idea if it was an overload of caffeine or the diet soda but either way I'm off the stuff and feeling better.

I'm going to have to look through my whole cabinet and throw out most of it, I just know it. I've never paid attention to HFCS but now that the tot is starting to eat what I eat, I've got to do a better job of feeding us both. The older one eats what his mom eats - total junk. It's going to be an ordeal having two different eating philosophies under one roof.

[SarcastiCarrie]

I was intrigued by the question about HFCS-free pancake syrup. We switched to 100% maple syrup to get away from the preservatives and HFCS, but you're right. It's about $12/quart.

I checked here: http://www.stophfcs.com/
and I found 100% maple syrup as the answer.

You could also try Fruit Syrup: I used to love blueberry and strawberry syrup on pancakes as a kid. You can take some of the jelly or jam and thin it with a little water (with heat) and make a fine syrup there too. Probably not too pricey.

And I found this recipe http://swedanmar.blogspot.com/2007/05/more-high-fructose-corn-syrup-no-thanks.html :

Pancake Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla, or maple flavoring
Bring to boil, simmer about 10 minutes. Take off heat to cool and it will thicken slightly

[stacy]

I was going to be 100% HFCS and hydrogenated oils free ALL OF THE TIME AND FOREVER when my kid started with solids.

It didn't quite work out that way. Perfection is just impossible, you know? And I keep running into situations where I can't scrutinize ingredients - eating out, eating at synagogue, eating with friends. Not to mention the times my kid gets screaming hungry when we're out and about and the best I can do is some sort of drive-thru because I forgot the diaper bag AGAIN. But I do my best, and overall we do all right.

What I hate, though, is that everything processed in any way eventually becomes off-limits. And as hard as I try, I've just never been one of those everything-from-scratch people. It doesn't help that my parents never cooked and I didn't learn how to make more than pasta and cereal until well into my 20s. I'm not scared to admit it. I don't find bread-making fun, or charming, and certainly not easy. I've tried it a few times. It's annoying and boring and the results don't taste nearly as good as the stuff I get from the store (usually HFCS-free, but still. Processed.)

There was a time in my son's babyhood when I fed him nothing but breastmilk, avocado, and canned beans. Then I heard about all the chemicals that line canned foods. (I now know that Eden Organics is the exception, even if they do cost 3 times what "regular" canned beans cost, but I didn't know it then.) And a mommy friend reminded me that I didn't know WHAT was on the outside of the avocado before I chopped it up - the knife touches the peel AND the meat, after al. And my breastmilk was full of all the chemicals I've been exposed to, don't you know?

At that point, I just kind of lost it. I think HFCS is gross and I am disgusted at the corn subsidies and the nonsense that surrounds it. But I also can't panic too much or ban anything from our lives outright, even if I purposely minimize. I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect already.

[Shanna]

Most Trader Joe's breads (maybe all?) are made without HFCS. In fact, I can't think of a single product there I've come across that does have HFCS, though I wouldn't bet my life on it or anything.

[hedra]

@Suki, I think it is called glucose-fructose syrup in Canada, but I'm not positive (I noticed the mention go by on the fructose malabsorption group, but I don't live in canada, so it wasn't a big item of note). I'll see if I can get the terms for you. Won't be until Monday, I think.

@anon, I have to run, but no, giving up a nice wide variety of fruit is not required. But note that while fruit sounds like fructose, the fructose values of fruit (and vegetables, and grains) vary wildly, and also often contain glucose and sucrose, plus a lot of food value.

[hedra]

*I found HFCS in two products at Trader Joe's recently, so check labels!

[Cathy]

1. In the spot I saw, I thought the "equally healthful" argument was not valid - the same number of calories does not make it the same stuff, and the same amount of "energy" really doesn't say anything about it being natural or artifical, healthy or bad for you.

2. Before I had read here about the possible trouble digesting it, I had seen a representation on Good Eats, where HFCS was a globby, gelatinous, slime creature.

3. There's something about the campaign that reminds me of the "Plastics make it possible" campaign of a few years ago.

[Katie B.]

I heard about the commercials a couple weeks back; makes me very glad we don't have TV anymore.

I gave up Coke while TTC; I'd drunk LOTS per day before that. Now I'm completely uninterested in it - I'll try a sip now and then, but it's just ugh now. I'll still drink soda occasionally, but I'm really doing my darndest to avoid caffeine entirely these days - and you know what? I don't need it anymore. I'd love it if my DH and my brother and SIL (whom we see frequently) would give up soda and diet soda... but they won't, and I can't force them. These days I drink mostly water, leavened with (nonHFCS) juice and herbal tea.

I keep meaning to make my own bread, but right now I'm still too busy tending to my DD to even get the dishes washed most of the time! So I'll look out for that bread at TJ's next time we go.

Real maple syrup may be spendy, but it's SO much tastier! And we use very little over time, so it's not a huge expense for us. I tried making strawberry jam this summer, and it didn't gel quite right, so we have strawberry syrup! Made with refined sugar, sure (next summer I'll do better), but at least the strawberries were local and organic...

[Brooke]

My general rule is if I wouldn't eat it plain, I'd rather not eat it as an ingrediant, but that isn't hard and fast (not really a fan of baking powder plain). Still, if there are two alternatives for something, I'm going with the one I would eat on it's own. Maple syrup is a good substitute for corn syrup in recipes, FYI.

Also, sorry for the TMI, but I learned in college that pop (specifically that made with HFCS) gives me yeast infections. That is seriously the best reason ever to stop drinking it. Made a serious improvement in my life which is why I originally started to avoid it.

[michelle]

OK- HFCS is bad. It probably makes us fat and gives some folks stomach trouble. But, Hedra, I gotta call you out...HFCS (or sugar, for that matter) does not cause ADHD. I don't even believe that frutose malabsorption symptoms closely mimic ADHD symptoms when you see them in action.

Also...I think road rage is going too far too. Well, in a way, I *wish* curing DH's road rage were simply a matter of cutting out something in his diet. LOL. Be that as it may, DH swears off HFCS and is a total sugar-avoiding hippy...and his road rage drives me crazy!

[SarcastiCarrie]

@stacy - We all try to do our best. I'm pretty good about what we eat at home, but day care feeds the kids white bread and regular Smuckers jelly and I have no idea what else (but juice twice a day, every day - Eek!). Let's just say that if I think about it too hard, my head might explode.

And I balance our budget with health and risks. I buy non-organic, regular canned vegetables (sometimes no Salt Added but sometimes with salt). I rinse them. I don't worry too much about BPA because, dude, we're eating veggies! We eat more frozen veggies because I like them better, but cans are still a part of our lives.