High-Fructose Corn Syrup: Safe as sugar?

I just loaded up on several drums of high fructose corn syrup and a case of Chesterfields. I'm ready for the apocalypse!

No, CI, ordinary old corn syrup is not all so bad, it's the high fructose stuff we're stuffed with...

Really, eating an ordinary fruit is not apt to whap you.





Usually.

Nope.


But yu're ready to cause one.

Another good reason never to touch the stuff then.

I can absolutely see how soda could be a big part of the american diet and where the majority of people get their calories from.
Soda is like water to some, and even more people will out right tell you " I cant do with out my diet coke, or Mountain dew, or Coke," or what ever they drink.

Most sodas have servings that according to the can can number 2-4. And each serving is about 100 calories.
People drink that instead of water. Constantly.

If you go to a fast food place, well you are going to eat several thousand calories at once there no matter what, BUT, if you want to count the servings in the soda alone I would be willing to bet it would be close to 500 for a medium drink and twice that for a large/supersize/giant drink.

It is also common for people to order 'diet' drinks with fast food. Sometimes , ( not always) the diet drink can have MORE calories and sugar substances in it then regular.

but, thats american soda consumption for you.

So....things that say sucrose are okay. It is the fructose I should be concerned about? I mean - sucrose - is sugar right? And of course in moderation.

Ya know what tips me off the most about something from the FDA, or any other questionable chemical is the term 'used in moderation'

You dont hear that about whole foods.
You dont hear that about healthy foods
You dont even hear that about normal , raw sugar

Chemicals? Dyes? High proc essed oils and fats?
Oh yeah. "moderation is the key"- I always end that statement in my head with
Moderation is the key to survival...

In moderation is hard at times.

Almost EVERYTHING you pick up at a regular grocery store has something in it that will harm you it seems.
HFCS sweetens even frozen fruit as if it needs it .
Beef, pork, milk , breads, crackers, jelly, jams, peanut butter, even some coffees have it in there and you wouldnt even know because it doesnt 'taste' sweet.

MSG is another example.
Moderation is an understatement for that stuff. Yet, it is in everything and sometimes hidden under different names.. or.. the last public gimmick was to tell people to watch out for just the letters MSG. With no further explanation of the words. I dont know very many people who can spell monosodiumglutomate.. (?) or know that that one big word IS msg.
Again.. it is in a huge amount of food products and even some that are labeled "healthy" "whole" or even "organic"

I thought moderation was the key to eating period. Damn. I am missing left and right here.

so sucrose. sugar - if I see it on a label - I can eat it and be fairly okay with it?

hang it. I am not going to worry...going with what Osso said.

Well, I was referring to the apparent penogenerative properties of Mountain Dew, as attested to by Shewolfnm.

I don't want a penis.

But, personally, I avoid sugary stuff...whether fruc, suc, or any other damn rose....except as the occasional treat

sure you do - doctors even say it about water (it just came up in a friend's pre-op instructions)

my great-grandparents were talking about balanced diets and all types of food "in moderation" over a hundred year ago (or so my grandparents told me) . In moderation. In balance. A diet too heavily freighted with anything is a problem.

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mismi, the current state of knowledge is that sucrose is safe.

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I'm curious why it's taken so long for the hfcs discussion to get to the point that the corn lobby decided to 'go public'. We were studying this in university in the late 1970's. It's been many years of label-examining for me.

wolf wrote :



reminds me of the old jackie gleason story where he made fun of people that eat a huge meal but insist that they make up for it by ONLY USING ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER with their coffee .
thereafter he would usually lift a cup to his lips , take a sip and declare : " AH ! that is good coffee ! " .
(everyone knew it wasn't coffee <GRIN> ) .
hbg

mismi wrote :



if you buy PLAIN ORDINARY yoghurt the label should say :
milk ingredients (with about 3 % milk sugar - aka lactose , i believe) and
bacterial culture .

i hope you don't buy the stuff with all kinds of "guck" in it . put some freah or even preserved fruit in yourself .
hbg

shewolf, What I'm finding (personally) is that it's very difficult to find foods today that does not have HFCS or other harmful ingredients. If somebody has info on how to find foods that are considered "healthy" or safe, I'd like to see a list of those foods that most of us consume on a regular basis.

Yes, we now eat more fruits and veggies, but what about that other stuff we eat in restaurants and at home.

I rarely drink soft drinks, but will consume something like tea-flavored drink, but I bet even that has HFCS - probably over 20 g.

Anyone?

I know I'm kinda simple, and my diet HAS to be this way, but I prepare my own food from natural ingredients. Meat, veggies, flour, fruit. I don't use pre-packaged, or boxed stuff, and I use honey mostly for sweetness.(lotsa herbs)

No sodas, and natural juices.

It's not exciting, but it is healthy enough for me that reataurant food now disagrees with me at times.

Rockhead, Most of us "should" eat more healthy foods, and even those who 'HAS' to eat "your" way don't for various reasons. Often times the parents are guilty of feeding their children unhealthy foods, and kids are not aware of it.

It's a huge problem for most of us, and trying to eat healthy is difficult to impossible. As I've said, we eat more fruits and veggies, but it also includes all those unhealthy stuff by choice or ignorance. It's a problem for most of us.

Stop eating processed foods or buy foods at a health food supermarket. I don't think I've consumed HFCS or partially hydrogenated oil for 20 years (not including restaurant food, but you can't control everything).

Just read the labels. Paul Newman and Annie's salad dressing doesn't use HFCS. Everything made by Kraft does. Ice cream made by Ben and Jerry's and Breyers uses real ingredients, brands like Healthy Choice and Turkey Hill use crap.

Pasta sauce is another product that can really vary. For one extra dollar you will get a much better product. Why anyone eats sauce with soy oil, HFCS and "added flavoring" I will never know. Look for brands like Bertolli (their organic line), Paisane, Victor's, and Muir Glen. Better yet, buy a can of organic plum tomatoes and make your own with fresh garlic, onions and a splash of good wine. Freeze the extra.

Want iced tea? Put a bunch of tea bags in a pitcher fill with cool water, put in fridge Viola! iced tea. Use fruity teas for different flavors. Costs pennies compared to the powdered junk that is mostly sweetner and atificial flavoring and color.

Most people have stopped making things from scratch and end up buying pre-done products without comparing the quantity and taste. It really doesn't take that much more time to use good ingredients and make you own, if you do a little planning.

Thank you! Some of the things you listed like "processed foods," was already in my memory bank, and hate the stuff anyway. My wife knows I hate pre-packaged/pre-frozen foods. I've hard of Paul Newman's stuff, and will start buying his salad dressings.

My wife and son cooks spaghetti quite often, and uses the prepared sauce, that I like. I don't even know how much "bad" stuff is in it, but I think it's okay in moderation.

We shop at Trader Joes quite often, and think most of their foods are okay health-wise.

Thanks again.

Lord - the only way I drink Ice tea is brewing it myself. That powedered stuff might as well be Kool-Aid and I abhor Kool-Aid. Yuck. And I won't put chemical sweeteners in it either. If I am going to drink iced tea - it will be the old fashioned way.

HOLY SHITE - There is HFCS in my LIGHT yogurt. My heart is broken. I love my yogurt. I have failed you miserably Mr. Hamburger.