I am so tired of seeing this “Sweet Surprise.com” commercial in defense of high fructose corn syrup. It is a bit sugar coated. Yeah, the irony. Their big argument is that it is “fine in moderation.” Ha! So is salt but manufacturers of mass produced pre-prepared food are killing us with that too. The problem here is not with the high fructose corn syrup in an occasional treat. The problem is that they put the stuff in everything. Even savory freezer meals contain high fructose corn syrup. In order for us to have it “only in moderation” would mean purchasing much, much less of products that contain it. The truth is that they are hoping we are too dumb to figure this out for ourselves.
And I don’t buy the whole gimmick that these pre-prepared foods, snacks, and drinks only contain a bit of high fructose. It is typically within the first three ingredients listed. That means it is loaded with the stuff. Why can’t they just be honest and say that the high fructose corn syrup earns them more money in the long run and they aren’t willing to risk their lifestyles for our health?
Yeah. I am a bit irritated by this. What do you think?
I agree w/ you totally. i buy very few processed food items. we don’t eat cereal at our house or any other frozen items. we mostly buy ice cream made w/ sugar – Breyers is a great brand.
pasta sauce only Newmann’s Own because they use sugar in it and it’s delicious. Frozen waffles made by Eggo Nutri-gram – they use sugar in it instead of high fructose corn syrup.
you know that saying “if you tell a lie enough times people start believing it’s true” ? I think that is the concept behind that commercial. High fructose corn syrup is NOT the same as sugar even in moderation it is NOT the same. It causes major damage in your body.
thanks for posting this.
I wish I had paid more attention to the food we ate when my kids were little, I’m sure we have consumed massive amounts of this stuff. I remember my mother warning me about it, but I really didn’t pay much attention.
( It’s not that we all junk all the time, but I was not a good label reader. Things have changed over the past few years, especially this year. My 16 year old daughter has severe allergies to something, but we don’t know what. It is bad enough that she has an epi pen and has had to use it on one occasion. 
( She is scheduled to see an allergist, but not till the middle of November. We know it is mostly with processed foods, and so we do not eat them. She was out with her friends and had about three ff and a couple of sips of an Oreo shake and that was all it took!! We never, ever eat processed foods at home…ever. We stopped that almost a year ago when she got terrible headaches. Any way, enough of my ramble. ;o) I totally agree that it is a money making scheme and the food corporations could care less about our health.
AMEN!
Several years ago we decided to see what would happen if we eliminated all high fructose corn syrup from our diet. If we bought prepared food it was organic. Our diet was fresh baked breads & organic produce. We were amazed! My son who had been on asthma meds since he was 6 months old had no asthma symptoms at all & didn’t need his meds anymore. My kids behaved, no more hyper activity or short attention spans. ADD & ADHD was gone! We felt really good & I lost 35 lbs. coincidence? When my son had a soda or junk foods with high fructose corn syrup his behavior changed & he would have an asthma attack. I mentor new homeschool moms. when a mom with boys is frustrated I ask what they eat & drink. I tell her to get her boys off of high fructose corn syrup & watch the difference. They will learn better.
Oh, I so agree. A lot of things are fine in moderation, but high fructose corn syrup is EVERYWHERE. I’ve also seen a study finding that a lot of the time, the high fructose corn syrup is contaminated.
We recently watched “Food, Inc.” …yeah.
~Luke
I’m going to be totally honest here and admit that I don’t really pay attention to it. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing. Sometimes it’s hard to focus on that kind of stuff when you know you have other things to work on– like the simple act of eating veggies (which they’ll do when I force them– “they” meaning my boys and not my hubs. david doesn’t eat any veggies or fruit. seriously.)
As a registered dietitian who counsels patients, has worked in a school district providing nutrition education to K-8 students and who consults with the food and beverage industry including the Corn Refiners Association, I have made it a best practice to not focus on one food, beverage or ingredient as the cause for increase rates of obesity, diabetes or any chronic illness. Consumers need the knowledge on how to make wise food choices and balance their daily intake with physical activity, not pick and choose certain ingreidents or foods to avoid or eliminate from their diets. In terms of nutrition and metabolism, a sugar is a sugar, whether it’s honey, high fructose corn syrup, table sugar or fruit juices and no one should consume too much of any of these items. I applaud this conversation and as a mother I have always taught and modeled moderation in my household and emphasized and encouraged intake of whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and whole grains as part of a healthy diet. Consumers choose certain foods for mealtimes for a number of reasons including time, convenience, cost and flavor. High fructose corn syrup is in many foods we eat in small or larger amounts to, for example, add flavor, keep items moist and to help preserve shelf life. I agree that many consumers need to decrease intake of low nutrient foods that are highly sweetened and replace them with vegetables, low or non fat dairy and whole grain high fiber choices, but as mentioned above, we need to educate, so people can make independent informed choices that are based on science, not scare tactics or strong personal opinion. This conversation can help me and other health professionals share correct information with the public to improve their lives.
In regard to this comment relating high fructose corn syrup intake and asthma, in a review of the literature I found no science based evidence in linking the two, however that is great that you have found a diet regime that has shown positive results for your family. I work as a registered dietitian counseling patients and as a consultant for the Corn Refiners Association. Encouraging a client to eliminate or avoid one specific food or ingredient usually does not have such positive results. Rather, moderation, portion control, daily physical activity can be part of a model for a healthier lifestyle.
Carol,
I must say that you are the first dietician that I have ever heard say that. I’ve also spoken with many doctors who would greatly disagree with you. We see many of these professionals due to my son’s condition and diet is one of the biggest topics we cover. I am going to have to respectfully disagree with you – on many levels.