High Fructose Corn Syrup

High Fructose Corn Syrup is a term we have all been hearing a lot of lately but what is it and why is it discussed so much? I'm going to tell you...

High Fructose Corn Syrup or HFCS is an alternative sweetener that is used in most foods to replace sugar. Now this doesn't sound too bad since people often cut sugar out of their diet to live healthier lives hence the reason we have Splenda and Sweet n Low. However, HFCS is obviously made from corn which is an iffy subject as far as American foods go.

Most corn that Americans eat and buy is grown buy large corporations who have bought land in other countries. The corn that these companies typically grow is genetically modified. Not sure what that means? I'll briefly explain. Scientists who work for these large companies such as Monsanto or Del Monte have been genetically modifying food so that it repels insects and they don't have to use as much pesticides. This is simply another way around the "We need to eat healthier" lifestyles that many Americans are trying to adopt. Something that is genetically modified but not sprayed with pesticides could be considered "organic" by some standards even though it's obviously not. Genetically modified foods and HFCS are mainly used in America and aren't seen elsewhere.

Another reason to avoid HFCS is it contains reactive carbonyls which are linked to tissue and cell damage that lead to diabetes even though there is no direct evidence that leads HFCS to diabetes. But hey! There is also no direct evidence that leads smoking cigarettes to lung cancer and we all know that many lifelong smokers get Emphysema!

Also, because so many large companies produce high amounts of corn for corn products that go into every other product it has a large impact on our poor environment.

The last and final reason that I researched to avoid HFCS is there is no significant metabolic difference between sugar and HFCS.

Hopefully by now you are saying, "Get that crap outta my cupboards and outta my life!" Sadly it is not that easy...because Americans are hypnotized by corporations advertising or lack thereof people don't have much control over the foods that are being sold on our grocery shelves. Where other countries are protesting mass-produced and mechanically separated beef or genetically modified corn we simply sit back and let million dollar companies give it to us. Almost %80 of grocery store foods contain HFCS. Lucky for you I am including a list of foods that do not contain HFCS...if you don't see a food on here that DOES NOT contain HFCS let me know and I will add it.

Sources for this list and information are at the bottom of the blog.

Foods that do NOT contain High Fructose Corn Syrup:

Baking and Cooking ingredients

Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumbs
Nabisco Oreo Cookie Crumbs
Shake n Bake - Tangy Honey Glaze
Shake n Bake - Honey Mustard Glaze
Stove Top Stuffing
Beverages:

A&W Root Beer
Capri-Sun Iced Tea
Capri-Sun Juice Drink
Capri-Sun Refreshers
Capri-Sun Sport Drink
Darigold Chocolate Milk
Hanson's All-Natural Soda (all flavors)
Hanson's Tonic Water
Jones Soda
Newman's Own Pink Lemonade
Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice
Orangenia
PowerAde
Snapple -Cranberry Raspberry Juice Drink
Sprite
Starbucks' Frappuccino
Thomas Kemper Soda's
Tropicana OrangeAde
Tropicana Smoothies
Village Lemonade

Breads:

Brownberry Breads
Pepperidge Farm's line of 100% whole grain breads
Sara Lee Heart Healthy Whole Grain Bread.
Thomas English Muffins
Wonderbread
Amana Multi Grain Bread
Aunt Millie’s Old Fashioned Butter-Top Wheat
Brownberry’s Arnold Natural Health Nut Bread
Country Hearth 12-Grain Bread
Earth Grains 100% Natural 7-Grain Bread
Milton’s Bread (most, if not all)
Natures Own 100% Whole Wheat bread (note, other varieties do contain HFCS, but not this one)
Oroweat Mult-Grain Bread (but watch out for HFCS in their other varietes)
Martin’s Breads & Rolls (including hot dog buns/rolls and such)
Pepperidge Farms 100% Natural Breads
Pepperidge Farms Whole Grain Wheat Bread
Rudi’s Organic Bakery Buns
Vermont Bread Company breads

Breakfast Cereals

Cheerios
Most Kellogs products
Giant brand Instant Oatmeal - most flavors
Kashi (most, if not all)
Kix
Life ceral (regular and cinnamon)
Nature’s Pride Organic (most, if not all, varieties)
Kellogg’s Reduced Sugar Froot Loops
Trader Joe’s Graham Bites Cereal
Kellogg's Cran-Vanilla Crunch
Post Blueberry Morning Cereal

Breakfast Pastries

Eggo Pancakes Buttermilk
Eggo Waf-Fulls Blueberry
Eggo Waf-Fulls Strawberry

Candy Bars:

Hershey's Watchamacallit
Most lifesavers
Optimum Opti-Pro Meal Lite Bar
PowerBar
Cadbury - Most Varieties
Hershey’s Symphony
Hershey’s 100 Calorie Wafer Bar
Hershey Skor Candy Bar
Hershey Special Dark Candy Bar
Dove - Most varieties

Condiments:

Heinz 57 Sauce
Heinz Ketchup
Hunt's Catsup
Miracle Whip
Annie’s Naturals Organic Ketchup
Annie’s Naturals Organic Honey Mustard
Annie’s Naturals Smokey Maple BBQ Sauce
Cascadian Farms Sweet Pickle Relish
Frenchs Honey Dijon Mustard (I don’t think most regular mustard contains hfcs, but a lot of the “honey” mustard does, which is why I’m listing some honey mustards here that don’t.)
Frontera BBQ (Barbecue) Sauce
Gates BBQ Sauce (a barbecue sauce mainly found in the Kansas City area)
Heinz Organic Ketchup
Hellman’s Mayonaise
Meijer Organic Sweet Relish
Nature’s Best Organic Tomato Ketchup
Vlasic Sweet Gherkins
Woeber Sweet And Spicy Mustard
Consorzio Bbq Sauce Organic Original
Trader Joe’s Hot and Sweet Mustard

Cookies and Cakes:

Mos Kellogs products
Nabisco
Nutri-Grain
Grandma's Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies

Cough Syrups:

Delsym
Children's Dimetapp Decongestant Infant Drops
Children's Dimetapp Decongestant Plus Cough Infant Drops
Robitussin
Vicks
Pediatric Vicks 44E Cough & Congestion
Pediatric Vicks 44M Cough & Cold
Vicks Casero

Crackers:

Kraft Cheese Nips
Nabisco
Dare Vinta Crackers
Milton’s (most, if not all)
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish

Dairy:

Breakstones Cottage Cheese & Toppings - Peach
Breakstones Cottage Cheese & Toppings - Pineapple
Breyer's Yogurt -Fruit on the Bottom - Strawberry Lowfat
Cool Whip
Knudsen


Drink Mixers:
Saratoga Salsa Bloody Mare Mix (spelling is correct)
El Paso Chili Key Lime Margarita Mix

Frozen Foods:
Ben & Jerry’s (most, if not all, varieties, but watch for the kinds that add bits of candy bars and cookies)
Breyer’s All Natural Ice Cream
Dreyers/Edys Strawberry Fruit Ice Cream Bars
Haagen Dazs Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Bars
Breyers Pure Fruit Strawberry Fruit Bars
Stoneyfield Farms

Fruits and Vegetables:

B&M Original Baked Beans
Contadina Tomato Paste
Claussen Pickles
Del Monte canned petite diced tomatoes with italian seasonings
Del Monte Fruit Naturals Red Grapefruit
Heinz Pickle Relish
Mott's Applesauce
Mt. Olive Sweet Relish
Mt. Olive Bread and Butter Pickles
Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce

Jams, Jellies, and Syrups

Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
Knott's Boysenberry preserves
Smucker's Grape Jelly

Meats

Oscar Meyers

Pastries

Nabisco Nilla Wafer Pie Crust
Nabisco Oreo Pie Crust
Jello No-Bake - Chips Ahoy
Jello No-Bake - Oreo
Pepperidge Farm's Puff Pastry sheets

Salad Dressings:

Emeril's Italian Vinegrette
Kraft Salad Dressing
Maple Grove Farms Caesar Fat Free
Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
Wishbone Ranch Dressing
Wish-Bone Classic Caesar
Annie’s Naturals Goddess Dressing
Annie’s Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
Blanchard & Blanchard (Country Italian & Caeser Parmesan)
Brianna’s Blush Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Drew’s Salad Dressings
Olde Cape Cod Traditional Caeser Lite

Sauces:

A1 Steak Sauce Marinade
Bull's Eye BBQ Sauce
Crazy Jerry's Alotta Bull BBQ Sauce - Torrid Toro (Hot
Holy Smoke - Sticky Wings Glaze
Holy Smoke - Bar B Q Glaze
Jim Beam Steak Sauce
Jim Beam Herb & Garlic Gourmet Marinade
Jim Beam Lemon & Herb Gourmet Marinade
Kraft Barbecue Sauce
Penn State Nittany Lions Lime Grilling Sauce
Pork Rubbers Original Competition BBQ Sauce
Tuttorosso
Virginia Gentleman Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Snacks:

Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese Strawberry Cheesecake Bar
Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese Chocolate covered Strawberry Cheesecake Bar
Oscar Mayer Lunchables
Soda Pop
Bawls Guarana Soda (most varieties)
Boylan’s Sodas
Cheerwine (the glass bottle varieties)
Jones Pure Cane Soda
Goose Island
Dublin Dr. Pepper (Dr. Pepper from a bottling plant in Dublin, Texas)
Nantucket Nectars
Virgil’s Sodas (the cream, cherry and root beer varieties)

Soups
Campbells Vegatable soup (in microwaveable bowl)

Yogurt
Breyer’s
Brown Cow
Dannon All Natural Vanilla Yogurt
Dannon All Natural Coffee Yogurt
Dannon Lite & Fit Vanilla Yogurt
Great Value Light Nonfat Yogurt (most varieties, if not all)
Horizon Organic Fat Free Yogurt
Nancys Reduced Fat Plain
Nancy’s Whole Milk Honey Yogurt
Stoneyfield Farm Yogurt
Stoneyfield Farm Yobaby Yogurt
Tillamook yogurt

~http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-High-Fructose-Corn-Syrup
~http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/index.php/2005/06/09/foods_and_products_containing_high_fruct
~http://cookingschmooking.blogspot.com/2008/05/food-beverages-without-high-fructose.html