The Post-It Place

High Fructose Corn Syrup. This has been a hot topic for awhile now. And let me start by saying that I am not here to tell you what you should and should not feed your family. That is a personal choice and one that you have to make. I personally do feed my family products with High Fructose Corn Syrup. I mean really, it is just a form of sugar that comes from corn that has undergone an enzymatic process that converts some of it’s glucose into fructose. It isn’t scary and it isn’t dangerous. It is just a different form of sugar that comes from corn instead of cane. Here in the United States it was introduced in the 70′s, consumer foods and products typically use high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener. It has become very common in processed foods and beverages in the U.S., including breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments just to name a few.

Some say that HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) is so bad because it:

• Contributes to fat deposits in your liver, increasing buildup of lipoproteins,
  and
• Leads to plaque buildup and narrowing of blood vessels

Well, so does cane sugar. So does lots of carbs. So does LOTS of other foods. I mean really, most anything can be bad when you over-indulge on a regular basis. It is all about moderation. And it is easier to blame a certain product than it is to accept accountability for our own actions.

Just so you know…Yes, I have done my research. You can read what the Mayo Clinic has to say, you can see what Sweet Surprises has to say about how HFCS compares to other forms of sugar or you can search tons of other articles that will lay out the pro’s and con’s. There are thousands out there because it is such a volatile subject in the minds of so many. HFCS was never considered a “bad” product until someone launched a campaign against it. This has happened with many products and foods over time and it will continue to happen, because we buy into the propaganda and allow it to continue. Remember when tomatoes caused cancer? Now they are thought to help prevent it. I personally think it is all about marketing to make one product sell over another. And again, which product you buy is up to you.

The thing to remember in my mind? Sugar is sugar. Doesn’t much matter where it comes from. If you are worried about obesity, consume less of it…no matter what form it comes in…but you shouldn’t be blaming one product for the problem.

Why am I writing this now? Well, I was recently invited to Iowa to learn about corn and corn by-products by Iowa Corn . HFCS kept coming up when I would mention what I was doing and where I was going. When I mentioned that I do still feed my family products with HFCS people would jump back and gasp like I had the plague. While I was in Iowa I talked to farmers, I talked to a professor and nutritionist along with others who know corn and products made from corn. I researched. I studied. And nothing I read changed my mind. SO yes, we do consume products with High Fructose Corn Syrup! I say it proudly. I provide a job to at least one farmer in this country that has so many other problems that need addressed much more desperately than whether or not corn sugar is worse than cane sugar. Like I said, sugar is sugar.

If you would like to know more you are welcome to visit Iowa Corn on their website, Facebook Page or on Twitter.