10 Things you should never feed your kid - Number 8

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The culprit – High Fructose Corn Syrup (HCFS) 

The problems – Prior to the 1970’s all sugar was extracted from either sugar cane or sugar beet .Then in the mid 70s a combination of high sugar prices , a glut of corn on the market due to farm subsidies and a recent development by the Japanese for industrial production saw the beginning of the meteoric rise in HCFS. It is produced from corn through a series of complex chemical conversions and we now consume more of it than natural sugar. The debate around this product is fierce. Many scientists believe that its introduction correlates to the rapid increase in obesity rates which began in the 70s.      Its primary component is Fructose which is not metabolized in the same way that natural sugars are. It does not stimulate insulin or two of the hormones which curb hunger and appetite. One thing that is for certain is that the food industry has made billions of dollars from it because even though it is complicated to make is cheaper than sugar and can be transported as a liquid. HCFS is almost entirely controlled by 4 major companies here in the US who lobby continually to keep corn production subsidized and prices for its raw ingredient down. Coke is a major buyer and also encourages low pricing as low pricing means bigger portions and therefore bigger profits. Coke sells around 125 billion servings of its products a year so a 1c increase in HCFS would mean 1.25 billion off the bottom line. Whether the science is correct and HCFS is a major factor in the rise in obesity rates or whether the corn industry is correct in denying this is up in the air. What is an issue for me is that it is a sugar and therefore should be taken in moderation. Obviously you know what your getting with a 64oz Big Gulp but HCFS is in almost anything processed that you eat from yoghurt to ketchup to low fat salad dressings. The list is huge and it will probably come as a shock to see how much you are consuming without necessarily being aware of it. It is used in products to extend shelf life, helps soften bread and prevents freezer burn in addition to being used as a sweetener.

 The solution – No easy one. Look at the labels no matter what the claim is. Low fat does not mean low sugar. Natural does not mean no additives. Organic should mean no HCFS as it contains non organic ingredients but double check. Food cooked from scratch is probably the best way to being able to monitor your sugar intake.

 This is a long, long list of a number of products that contain HFCS