Corn Syrup

High Fructose Corn Syrup Lobby Group Hopes to Change Name to Corn Sugar
Food

New Name, but Same Sweetener: HFCS = Corn Sugar

The folks that brought you those Sweet Surprise commercials defending high fructose corn syrup a couple of years back are at it again.
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The folks that brought you those Sweet Surprise commercials defending high fructose corn syrup a couple of years back are at it again. The Corn Refiners Association is hoping to change the name of the sweet and corny syrup from the much maligned term high fructose corn syrup, to "corn sugar."

The lobby group petitioned for the name change today with the Food and Drug Administration for use on food labels. Although approval for food labeling could take up to two years, the term "corn sugar" is already being used in advertisements. The name makeover is the group's response to a 20-year low in sales of high fructose corn syrup, which has been blamed for the obesity problem. The new ads feature consumers stating, "whether it's corn sugar or cane sugar, your body can't tell the difference. Sugar is sugar." Although the two sweeteners are essentially the same nutrition-wise, HFCS has been linked to hypertension. Research also shows that the body may metabolize HFCS differently than sugar in a way that increases liver disease and diabetes.

What do you think of the name change? Are you buying it?

Corn Syrup Hopes to Change Its Name to Corn Sugar, and Other Food Fun From the Web
Link Time

Yummy Links: From Lady Gaga's Meat Dress to Corn Sugar

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High-Fructose Corn Syrup Linked to Hypertension
Food

High-Fructose Corn Syrup Linked to High Blood Pressure

No matter how much the Corn Refiners Association tries to convince us that high-fructose corn syrup is healthy, I'm not buying it.
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No matter how much the Corn Refiners Association tries to convince us that high-fructose corn syrup is healthy, I'm not buying it. Now I have another reason to avoid it: new findings have linked high-fructose corn syrup to high blood pressure, aka hypertension.

In the past 20 years alone, Americans have increased fructose intake by 30 percent, and that increase tracks closely to the rise in obesity. But it may also be contributing to high blood pressure. A team of doctors at the University of Colorado Denver studied more than 4,500 adults with no prior history of hypertension and tracked their fructose intake with a dietary survey. The results are pretty persuasive, so read all about it.

Does It or Doesn't It Contain Corn Syrup?
Food

Does It or Doesn't It Contain Corn Syrup?

Corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are used by many companies instead of sugar because they're less expensive.
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Corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are used by many companies instead of sugar because they're less expensive. Even though they're made from corn, they're also highly processed, so your body processes them differently than regular sugar. HFCS and corn syrup also contain more calories and carbs than sugar, and since eating them can lead to type 2 diabetes and obesity, it's best to enjoy these in moderation. Do you know which foods contain them? Take this little quiz to find out.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup vs. Sugar
Food

High-Fructose Corn Syrup vs. Sugar

You've probably seen those commercials boasting that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) isn't as bad for you as you think, since it's made from all-natural corn.
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You've probably seen those commercials boasting that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) isn't as bad for you as you think, since it's made from all-natural corn. It's misleading though because just like refined white sugar, HFCS is a highly processed sweetener. Both sugar and HFCS provide zero nutrition and loads of empty calories.

Check out the chart below to see how the two compare.

Calories Carbs (g) Sugars (g)
1 tbsp. white sugar 46 12 12
1 tbsp. high-fructose corn syrup 53 14.4 5

To find out if one is healthier than the other read more

King Corn: A Food Documentary to Watch
Movies

King Corn: A Food Documentary to Watch

"Everything on your plate is corn."
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"Everything on your plate is corn." That line, uttered by an interviewee in King Corn, is essentially the premise behind this new food-focused documentary. Much the way that Super Size Me uses a clever gimmick to take on the fast-food industry, King Corn follows two friends, Ian Cheney and Kurt Ellis, who move to Iowa to find out how this unassuming crop has made its way into so many grocery-store staples in the form of corn syrup, malodextrin, and other not-so-healthy ingredients.

With humor and a vagabond attitude, Cheney and Ellis establish a one-acre corn farm so that they can follow the life cycle of their crop. Along the way, they visit the Midwest's sprawling corn complexes and interview experts about how the highly subsidized crop has become an easy target in the fight against obesity. The movie opened this weekend in New York, and over the next few weeks will be showing in other cities, including LA, San Francisco, Austin, and Chicago. (Check the King Corn site to find out if it's coming to your city.) Watch the trailer and tell me what you think when you read more

Sugar By Any Other Name
Sugar

Sugar By Any Other Name

Just because you walk into a health food store doesn't mean you're going to get something healthy.
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Just because you walk into a health food store doesn't mean you're going to get something healthy. You've still got to read the labels because unwanted sugar can still sneak into your food, cleverly disguised under other names.

Here's a list of sweeteners:

cane juice crystals
corn syrup
high fructose corn syrup
evaporated cane juice
unbleached sugar cane
organic dehydrated cane juice
malted barley extract
brown rice syrup
sucrose
fructose

The thing is, once any form of sugar gets into the body, there is little difference in how the body uses it. Sugars are a kind of carbohydrate, which your body needs for energy.

When you eat foods that are mostly sugar, like soda and candy, they are absorbed quicker which causes your blood sugar levels to quickly rise, and then fall. When you eat whole foods like fruits, sugars are released slowly into the bloodstream.

Fit's Tips: If you're concerned about your sugar intake, and you don't want to bother with deciphering the ingredients, just look at the amount of sugars on the label.