Health, Taken Seriously

A friend of mine recently commented on the two ads produced by the Corn Refiners Association promoting high fructose corn syrup (you can see them here and here).  Both ads showcase someone trying to share a drink/food with another person who says “you know what they say about high fructose corn syrup” but then can’t produce a single thing that is said about the ingredient.  The person providing the food item then goes on to say “what?  That it’s made from corn and fine in moderation.”  One ad also says that it contains no artificial ingredients and the other points out that it has the same number of calories as sugar.

So is HFCS really okay?  I think it’s interesting that the two food items shown in this commercial offer absolutely zero nutritional value–one is some bright red beverage and another is a popsicle.  HFCS may in fact not be that bad for you, but the foods that it is added to are not things I want in my diet.  Not even in moderation.  I’ll take orange juice squeezed from an actual orange (which also contains vitamins and antioxidants) over the artificially colored and flavored “juice” sweetened with HFCS any day.  Other foods that contain HFCS include sodas, breakfast cereals, pancake syrups, ketchup, etc.  Even if HFCS were a decent ingredient, I still would not consume the fruit drinks, popsicles, sodas, and highly sweetened processed foods it comes in.

Why does the Corn Refiners Association feel obligated to defend HFCS?  Most likely because researchers have noticed a correlation between increased consumption of the ingredient since it was introduced in 1970 and rising obesity rates, as pointed out in articles like this one from the San Francisco Chronicle.  But that doesn’t necessarily mean that HFCS is to blame.  Perhaps HFCS really is okay in moderation, but is it possible to moderate an ingredient that is so ubiquitous in our food supply?  That’s exactly what my friend pointed out in her blog and I think that’s what a lot of nutritionists believe as well.  This stuff is everywhere, so how does one go about consuming it in moderation?  Probably by trying to avoid it all together and having your moderate intake of HFCS be from the places you didn’t even know it existed (like your fruit-flavored, sweetened yogurt.)

One of the ads points out that HFCS contains no more calories that sugar.  Fair enough.  But sugar is a fairly expensive ingredient and the sheer cost of it prohibited manufacturers from using too much of it.  Not so for HFCS (don’t even get me started on the government subsidies given to corn farmers!)  It is cheap to produce and in addition to sweetening foods, its manufacturers claim that it also moistens goods, extends their shelf life, provides soft textures, reduces sugar crystallization in baked goods, etc, etc.  Of course a cheap sweetener with all these added benefits is going to be readily added to many more processed foods than regular cane or beet sugar would have been.

But wait?  Doesn’t fruit also contain fructose?  (Actually, fruit contains sucrose, which is a molecule of glucose bound to a molecule of fructose).  If so, then what’s the big deal with HFCS?  The problem is very much like the problem with refining flour.  Whole wheat flour provides fiber and nutrients.  The fiber slows the absorption of the carbohydrates found in flour, making it easier on your liver (which needs to produce insulin to deal with blood sugar spikes) and waistline.  The fiber in the flour also fills you up and helps prevent overeating.  This is the same for fruit vs. HFCS.  A piece of fruit may have fructose as well, but it also has fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and other nutrients important for good health.  The fiber in fruit also slows the absorption of the sugars, something that HFCS lacks.  And which are you more likely to overdose on–the orange or the “orange fruit drink?”

The ad also claims that HFCS is made from corn and contains no artificial ingredients.  While the final product of HFCS may contain “no artificial ingredients,” the process of making it is far from natural and in fact uses several artificial agents.  I think it’s deceiving to try to call HFCS natural or say that it contains no artificial ingredients.

Regular readers of this blog know that I do not like processed foods.   I think you’re better off eating nutrient dense foods in their most natural state.  HFCS doesn’t fit into that description in the least and you’d be hard pressed to find HFCS anywhere in my kitchen.  I honestly don’t think my family or I am missing out.  If you’re interested in trying to avoid HFCS, here are some suggestions:

• Avoid sweetened beverages, from fruit drinks to lemonade to ice tea.
• Never drink soda.  It is sweetened entirely with HFCS.
• Avoid fast food.
• Buy organic ketchup and real maple syrup.
• Read food labels for the processed foods you buy, including BBQ sauce, pasta sauce, salad dressings, crackers, cereals, and snack foods.
• Buy bread from a real bakery.  I’ve seen HFCS listed as an ingredient in many breads sold at the grocery store.
• Buy 100% organic foods.  Since there is no 100% organic HFCS, it can’t be an ingredient in any food labeled 100% organic.
• Try to eat a more natural, whole foods diet and you will ultimately avoid HFCS.  For more information on why a whole foods diet is good for you, read Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food.