How to Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup
Be clear about your reasons for avoiding high fructose corn syrup., Avoid fast food., Read food labels., Understand what "natural" or "organic" means on labels with regard to HFCS., Avoid canned or bottled beverages., Lower your sweetener...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Be clear about your reasons for avoiding high fructose corn syrup.
Reasons cited for avoiding it are:
Beverages containing high fructose corn syrup have high levels of reactive carbonyls which are linked with cell and tissue damage that leads to diabetes, although there is no evidence so far that high fructose corn syrup consumption directly leads to diabetes.
No significant metabolic differences exist between high fructose corn syrup and regular sugar.The corn from which high fructose corn syrup is derived may be genetically modified.
There are increasing concerns about the politics surrounding the economics of corn production (subsidies, tariffs, and regulations) as well as the effects of intensive corn agriculture on the environment.Some people are allergic to products derived from corn.
Although the enzymatic process used to create high fructose corn syrup is a naturally occurring process, it is an additional processing step that sugar refined from beets does not undergo.Some people prefer to avoid additionally processed foods and ingredients as much as possible.
Some people believe that sugar satiates, or creates the feeling of "full"
faster than HFCS, which, if true, would likely lead to reduced caloric consumption.Some argue that sugar simply tastes better than high fructose corn syrup. , Fast food often contains high fructose corn syrup. , This is the easiest and most sure-fire way to know if there is high fructose corn syrup in your food.
High fructose corn syrup can be found even in products which aren't sweet, such as sliced bread and processed meats like sausage and ham.
Some other names for High Fructose Corn Syrup include:
Maize syrup Glucose syrup Glucose/fructose syrup Tapioca syrup Dahlia syrup Fruit fructose Crystalline fructose , The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't regulate the use of the word "natural".
Foods and beverages can be labeled as "natural" even though they contain high fructose corn syrup, because fructose is a naturally occurring sugar.
The word "organic" is heavily regulated, and basically, only foods labeled as 100% organic can be assumed to be HFCS-free.
For a more detailed explanation, see the Tips below. , Soft drinks, sports drinks, lemonade, iced tea, and almost every sweet drink you can think of contains high fructose corn syrup.
Buy from small bottlers who use sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.
Some smaller brands, such as Jones Soda and Dublin Dr.
Pepper, have switched to pure cane sugar.Buy soft drinks from across the border.
If you must have your fix of certain soda brands and you happen to live near Canada or Mexico, look into buying in bulk from those countries, which use sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.
Check the Passover section of your supermarket.
Some soda companies produce a sugar/sucrose-based version of their products around Passover for Jews who are restricted by custom from eating corn during this time.
Coca-Cola produces a version of Coke without corn syrupthat can be identified by a yellow cap and is considered by some to taste better than Coke Zero, which is also free of corn syrup but contains artificial sweeteners, not sugar., It's been suggested that the supposed link between high fructose corn syrup and obesity is not due to the high fructose corn syrup itself, but to the increasing consumption of sweeteners in general, especially soft drinks.In fact, where the fructose comes from doesn't seem to matter.
The fructose found in fruits could be just as bad as that added to soft drinks.
The USDA recommends that a person with a 2000 calorie, balanced diet should consume no more than 32 g (8 tsp) of added sugar per day.Here are some sweet foods and the percentage of the daily recommended amount of sweeteners they provide: typical cup of fruit yogurt
- 70% cup of regular ice cream
- 60% 12-ounce Pepsi
- 103% Hostess Lemon Fruit Pie
- 115% serving of Kellogg's Marshmallow Blasted Fruit Loops
- 40% quarter-cup of pancake syrup
- 103% Cinnabon
- 123% large McDonald's Shake
- 120% large Mr.
Misty Slush at Dairy Queen
- 280% Burger King's Cini-minis with icing
- 95% , The real problem is too much refined and processed food, not any one particular ingredient. , Many products on the market are meeting this demand by taking the ingredient out of their food.
Bread.
Nature's Own and Sara Lee are free of high fructose corn syrup.
Cereal.
Any of the Kashi cereal brands do not contain high fructose corn syrup.
Cheerios, Grape Nuts and Life cereal are also good options.
Condiments.
Any of the Annie's Naturals products and Welch's fruit spreads are free of HFCS.
Hellman's Mayonnaise is also a good option.
Ice cream.
Breyer's All Natural ice creams are free of HFCS but be careful; Breyer's is now marketing "Frozen Dairy Dessert" in the same familiar flavors, and these do contain HFCS.
Many of the Ben and Jerry's flavors also meet this requirements, although a couple of the ones that contain candy or chocolate may have minor amounts.
Chocolate.
Most Cadbury and Dove chocolates are free of HFCS.
Applesauce.
Mott's Natural Applesauce is the only main brand applesauce free from HFCS.
Soda.
Although these are more difficult to find, lesser known soda brands like China Cola and Blue Sky soft drinks don't contain HFCS.
Pasta sauce.
Any of the Ragu flavors and most of the Classico brands will not contain HFCS.; -
Step 2: Avoid fast food.
-
Step 3: Read food labels.
-
Step 4: Understand what "natural" or "organic" means on labels with regard to HFCS.
-
Step 5: Avoid canned or bottled beverages.
-
Step 6: Lower your sweetener consumption altogether.
-
Step 7: Buy fresh produce and learn to cook it.
-
Step 8: You don't have to go without your favorite foods to avoid high fructose corn syrup.
Detailed Guide
Reasons cited for avoiding it are:
Beverages containing high fructose corn syrup have high levels of reactive carbonyls which are linked with cell and tissue damage that leads to diabetes, although there is no evidence so far that high fructose corn syrup consumption directly leads to diabetes.
No significant metabolic differences exist between high fructose corn syrup and regular sugar.The corn from which high fructose corn syrup is derived may be genetically modified.
There are increasing concerns about the politics surrounding the economics of corn production (subsidies, tariffs, and regulations) as well as the effects of intensive corn agriculture on the environment.Some people are allergic to products derived from corn.
Although the enzymatic process used to create high fructose corn syrup is a naturally occurring process, it is an additional processing step that sugar refined from beets does not undergo.Some people prefer to avoid additionally processed foods and ingredients as much as possible.
Some people believe that sugar satiates, or creates the feeling of "full"
faster than HFCS, which, if true, would likely lead to reduced caloric consumption.Some argue that sugar simply tastes better than high fructose corn syrup. , Fast food often contains high fructose corn syrup. , This is the easiest and most sure-fire way to know if there is high fructose corn syrup in your food.
High fructose corn syrup can be found even in products which aren't sweet, such as sliced bread and processed meats like sausage and ham.
Some other names for High Fructose Corn Syrup include:
Maize syrup Glucose syrup Glucose/fructose syrup Tapioca syrup Dahlia syrup Fruit fructose Crystalline fructose , The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't regulate the use of the word "natural".
Foods and beverages can be labeled as "natural" even though they contain high fructose corn syrup, because fructose is a naturally occurring sugar.
The word "organic" is heavily regulated, and basically, only foods labeled as 100% organic can be assumed to be HFCS-free.
For a more detailed explanation, see the Tips below. , Soft drinks, sports drinks, lemonade, iced tea, and almost every sweet drink you can think of contains high fructose corn syrup.
Buy from small bottlers who use sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.
Some smaller brands, such as Jones Soda and Dublin Dr.
Pepper, have switched to pure cane sugar.Buy soft drinks from across the border.
If you must have your fix of certain soda brands and you happen to live near Canada or Mexico, look into buying in bulk from those countries, which use sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.
Check the Passover section of your supermarket.
Some soda companies produce a sugar/sucrose-based version of their products around Passover for Jews who are restricted by custom from eating corn during this time.
Coca-Cola produces a version of Coke without corn syrupthat can be identified by a yellow cap and is considered by some to taste better than Coke Zero, which is also free of corn syrup but contains artificial sweeteners, not sugar., It's been suggested that the supposed link between high fructose corn syrup and obesity is not due to the high fructose corn syrup itself, but to the increasing consumption of sweeteners in general, especially soft drinks.In fact, where the fructose comes from doesn't seem to matter.
The fructose found in fruits could be just as bad as that added to soft drinks.
The USDA recommends that a person with a 2000 calorie, balanced diet should consume no more than 32 g (8 tsp) of added sugar per day.Here are some sweet foods and the percentage of the daily recommended amount of sweeteners they provide: typical cup of fruit yogurt
- 70% cup of regular ice cream
- 60% 12-ounce Pepsi
- 103% Hostess Lemon Fruit Pie
- 115% serving of Kellogg's Marshmallow Blasted Fruit Loops
- 40% quarter-cup of pancake syrup
- 103% Cinnabon
- 123% large McDonald's Shake
- 120% large Mr.
Misty Slush at Dairy Queen
- 280% Burger King's Cini-minis with icing
- 95% , The real problem is too much refined and processed food, not any one particular ingredient. , Many products on the market are meeting this demand by taking the ingredient out of their food.
Bread.
Nature's Own and Sara Lee are free of high fructose corn syrup.
Cereal.
Any of the Kashi cereal brands do not contain high fructose corn syrup.
Cheerios, Grape Nuts and Life cereal are also good options.
Condiments.
Any of the Annie's Naturals products and Welch's fruit spreads are free of HFCS.
Hellman's Mayonnaise is also a good option.
Ice cream.
Breyer's All Natural ice creams are free of HFCS but be careful; Breyer's is now marketing "Frozen Dairy Dessert" in the same familiar flavors, and these do contain HFCS.
Many of the Ben and Jerry's flavors also meet this requirements, although a couple of the ones that contain candy or chocolate may have minor amounts.
Chocolate.
Most Cadbury and Dove chocolates are free of HFCS.
Applesauce.
Mott's Natural Applesauce is the only main brand applesauce free from HFCS.
Soda.
Although these are more difficult to find, lesser known soda brands like China Cola and Blue Sky soft drinks don't contain HFCS.
Pasta sauce.
Any of the Ragu flavors and most of the Classico brands will not contain HFCS.;
About the Author
Jack Ford
Specializes in breaking down complex creative arts topics into simple steps.
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