The television was on as I was concocting my juice. My counter was piled high with beautiful purple kale, crisp light green lettuce, savory ginger, tangy yellow lemons and plump red apples. As always, I was relishing the beauty of real food when on the screen there was a couple, and the girl was eating a popsicle. She asked the presumed boyfriend if he wanted a bite, and he said "don't you love me?" And then it went on to say that there is NOTHING wrong with high fructose corn syrup and that you should be eating popsicles. (Well, I am not sure what actually was said because I was in shock).
Yes. Shock. But why should I be? A billion-dollar industry is being threatened by consumers who are starting to get a clue. And they aren't going to sit idly by and let such a thing happen. The fact that many people will be swayed by a commercial telling them that popsicles are good food is beside the point. The point is, this is an insane world and it's tough to remain sane within it.
I mean, seriously? Money is that important? For what? It's so sad.
Their main argument is that high fructose corn syrup is the same as table sugar. Okay, fine. Do I want loads and loads of table sugar in everything I eat? No, I don't. But to say it is natural infers that it occurs in nature.
It does not. Basically white cornstarch is turned into a crystal clear syrup. But you don't get this crystal clear syrup out of a tree. First the cornstarch is treated with a purified enzyme, alpha-amylase, which produces shorter chains of sugars called polysaccharides, which are then broken down further by adding a second enzyme called glucomylase, which then yields the simple sugar glucose, known as High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).
Alpha-amalase and glucomylase are genetically modified to make them more stable. And HFCS is made from genetically modified corn and then processed with genetically modified enzymes.
Which, according to the FDA, is sure, natural, because right now they are very busy and can't definitively deal with the issue right now. (Good one, huh?)
The sweetener flooded the market in the early 80's at coincidentally the same time that the nation's obesity rate started its unprecedented climb. There is no scientific "proof" that HFCS has had any negative effect on us. I mean, people gaining weight could be from a million other things BESIDES THE FOOD THEY EAT.
Geesh.
And for a long time no one could avoid it because they didn't realize how it had crept into most everything we ate on a daily basis. It's in everything. It helps to prevent freezer burn, so it's in frozen foods. It helps keep bread brown and soft, so it is in most bread products. It's in most cereals, snack foods, sodas, fruit drinks, and did I mention bread? Personally that was when I freaked out -- I mean, junk food is one thing, but bread?
How did this happen?
In the 70's federal policies aimed at stabilizing food prices and support of corn production led to a glut of corn. The subsidies are structured so that corn is very, very cheap which encourages (forces?) farmers to plant more to make the same amount of money. And due to the subsidies -- the same farmer who has to plant more corn to make the same amount of money doesn't want to take the risk of planting something else because there are no subsidies for that.
Anyway, you can't blame the farmer. He gets money to plant corn, corn he plants. Then there was a glut of corn which led to it being really cheap, and well, HFCS entered our diets (and cows diets) in full force. Oh, and this led to increased profits for those that produced the crap we eat.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published, in 2002, research that showed teenage milk consumption decreased between 1965-1996 by 36 percent, while soda consumption increased by more than 200 HUNDRED PERCENT. (But remember, it's not what we eat or drink that causes obesity. There is no SCIENTIFIC PROOF of this.)
Dr. George Bray, principal investigator of the Diabetes Prevention Program at Louisiana State University Medical Center told the International Congress on Obesity that in 1980 (just after HFCS was introduced to the unknowing and unsuspecting masses) in mass quantities, relatively stable obesity rates began to climb. By 2000 they had doubled. (But remember, it's not what we eat or drink that causes obesity. There is no SCIENTIFIC PROOF of this.)
Bray argues that these teenagers who replaced milk with soda also removed calcium from their diets, which can help regulate weight. He says that he can find no other combination of environmental or food changes that were as significant to the rise in obesity.
If you visit Sweetsurprise.com, you get to view a rather succulent piece of corn. Hey, I like corn. I love it dripping in butter hot off the grill. I love it in salads and various other recipes. Is it too much to ask that it not be in my bread?
According to the web sites FAQ's, the American Medical Association recently concluded that HFCS does not appear to contribute to obesity more than any other caloric sweeteners.
Okay, sorry. I was Rolling on the Floor Laughing. I mean, what does the AMA do exactly? Is that supposed to make me feel better?
Also stated:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted HFCS "Generally recognized as safe" status for use in food, and reaffirmed that ruling in 1996 after a thorough review. (Though now, the FDA is "too busy" to delve into it further, which sounds to me like avoidance, but that is just me!) Seriously, it is TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHT. I don't want a ruling from 1996 on how safe my food is thank you very much.
And this:
HFCS offers numerous benefits. It keeps food fresh, enhances fruit and spice flavors, retains moisture in bran cereals, helps keep breakfast and energy bars moist, maintains consistent flavors in beverages and keeps ingredients evenly dispersed in condiments.
Well, gee, when you put it that way. That is numerous benefits. NOT FOR MY HEALTH though. For the longevity of the food, therefore ensuring more profits for those that care so much about me. BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA.
This is a $2.6 billion dollar business and they are launching a $30 million campaign to defend high fructose corn syrup, and THAT is the best they can come up with? The website is pathetic. Their other defense is comparing HFCS with other sweeteners, like table sugar and honey. Ummm, do they use these other sweeteners in everything in the grocery store? No, they don't. Too expensive.
The only sweet surprise that HFCS has ever given me is discovering that it's in everything -- and that while there is no SCIENTIFIC PROOF that is does anything, you can just about guarantee that when you see a person's cart filled with the food one purchases at a grocery store in the middle aisles, and no fresh vegetables and fruit, that there will be a little tubby child attached to it. Not scientific. No.
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