Sorry, high fructose corn syrup is still bad for you despite marketing efforts
It looks like the Corn Refiners Association is starting to fight back against the slew of bad press that high fructose corn syrup has gotten over the past few years. This, coupled with high corn prices thanks to the push for corn-based ethanol, has put a serious dent in the consumption of high fructose corn syrup based foods. I don’t watch much television, but I managed to catch two of their ads this weekend.
And the second ad:
First off, I wouldn’t go out of my way to tell someone how to eat or how they should feed their children (except for now of course, but hey, you could stop reading right now if you wanted). But in my opinion high fructose corn syrup is something to stay away from.
In case you ever find yourself in this situation, here are a few of the problems associated with high fructose corn syrup:
1. High fructose corn syrup does not trigger the “I’m full” response in our body. Think about the last time someone baked cookies or brownies and you ate too many. Did you feel sick afterwords? That is your body telling you that too much sugar is bad for you. But how often do you feel like that after drinking a huge amount of high fructose corn syrup sweetened soda or eating a ton of Oreos? From The Seattle Times:
Fructose adds to overeating because it does not trigger chemical messengers that tell the brain the stomach is full and no longer hungry, like food and drinks that contain regular refined sugar do.
So besides the fact that sugar is bad for you, consuming foods sweetened with hfcs does not actually satisfy a sweet tooth the same way sugar does.
2. It is generally found only in the United States, where excessive lobbying has decreased the cost of corn to an artificial low, and the tariffs on sugar has increased the cost of sugar for food producers.
3. It is not “all natural.” All natural implies that you could go outside and find it. High fructose corn syrup is a processed food, and is thus unnatural.
In fact the FDA has said specifically that high fructose corn syrup is not natural:
The use of synthetic fixing agents in the enzyme preparation, which is then used to produce HFCS, would not be consistent with our (…) policy regarding the use of the term ‘natural’
Again, not my business what parents do, but I wouldn’t want my children eating excessive amounts of processed foods.
4. High fructose corn syrup is everywhere. The amount of products that use high fructose corn syrup is staggering. A partial list can be found over at the Accidental Hedonist website. It’s interesting to see how many foods that are not considered ’sweet’ have high fructose corn syrup in them, probably as a perservative. Wheat Thins, Salad Dressing, and Oscar Myers Lunchables are standouts for having hidden sugar content.
Both commercials use the line “fine in moderation,” but thanks to high fructose corn syrup being so ubiquitous it’s easy for the average shopper to consume too much,.
I think the majority of the backlash against high fructose corn syrup isn’t necessarily due to it being unhealthy for you (although thats part of it). The backlash comes from the fact that consumers are given little choice in whether they consume it or not. In situations where you do have a choice, such as natural sugar sodas, the all-natural sugar alternative tends to be more expensive.
How does this affect you?
What you eat fuels your body and affects your health. Health care costs keep getting higher and form a significant portion of most senior’s budgets, so it makes sense to eat a healthy diet now to save money later. Food expenses also tend to be a significant part of most family’s budgets, so it’s important to make smart choices when you shop. Cutting out processed foods, sugary sodas, and candies is an easy way to save money.
If you have kids keeping them away from excessive amounts of sugar should be common sense, whether it comes from corn or if it comes from sugar cane.
If you’re interested in learning a little bit more about high fructose corn syrup, here are a few links to check out:
