When a Vegetable Goes Bad

High-fructose corn syrup. We’ve all heard of it. And, we all know that it’s probably not good for us. But do we know what it is? And how much we consume? And maybe most important, do we know which foods contain it? The answers may surprise you.

In the 1980s, high-fructose corn syrup surpassed refined sugar as the most-used sweetener in the US. Derived from cornstarch, it is usually a combination of 55 percent fructose and 45 percent sucrose.

Fructose is commonly found in fruit and honey, and is considered the sweetest natural sugar. Sucrose is cane sugar and usually used as table sugar. High-fructose corn syrup is treated with an enzyme that converts glucose to fructose, which results in a sweeter product.

High-fructose corn syrup surpassed cane sugar as the most popular additive sweetener primarily for two reasons. Manufacturers liked that it gave their products a sweeter taste, and really liked that it was as much as 60 percent cheaper to use than sugar. Yearly consumption of high-fructose corn syrup per person in America rose from 0.6 pounds in 1970 to 73.5 pounds in 2000.

As profit margins rose for the manufacturers, waistlines were rising for Americans. Nutritionists don’t think it’s a coincidence that the soaring popularity of this sweetener coincided almost exactly with the nations rise in obesity rates. According to the CDC, obesity doubled among adults from 1980 to 2004. More than 1/3 of American adults are now considered obese. The obesity rates among children tripled in the same time period with 15 percent of children (ages 2-17) considered obese in 2004.

For most of us, nutritionists recommend no more than 10-12 teaspoons of sugar a day. Unfortunately, most Americans consume more than 30 teaspoons a day with more than 60 percent of that coming from beverage consumption according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The problem is that most people don’t know when they are consuming high-fructose corn syrup. We can all guess that soda is a major culprit. In fact, there are more than 10 teaspoons of high-fructose corn syrup per can of soda. But did you know that some yogurt contains the same amount as soda? Yogurt with fruit on the bottom is particularly bad in most cases.

And other so-called healthy products are laced with high-fructose corn syrup too. Fat Free Fig Newtons have it. In fact, you can get your recommended daily sugar intake from about four Newtons. You can find significant amounts of it in fat free salad dressing, baked beans, pickles, granola bars, graham crackers, frozen waffles, breakfast cereal, bread, ketchup and applesauce. And, sadly, even my favorite snack, Reduced Fat Wheat Thins, has a trace of it.

High-fructose corn syrup is such a hot topic that there is even a documentary about corn and its less pure uses. King Corn was released in 2007 to critical acclaim. The documentary features two friends following a crop of corn from planting to the corn’s ultimate destination in a high-fructose corn syrup factory.

The filmmakers contend that farmers receive more federal subsidies to plant corn than any other crop. Because the subsidies promoted production beyond market demand for the pure vegetable, corn was readily and cheaply available for food producers to produce high-fructose corn syrup to replace less-available and more expensive sugar.

One speaker in the film makes the point that even when we eat a meal at McDonalds, we are eating pure corn the beef is from corn-fed cattle, the fries are prepared in corn oil and the soda is almost purely high-fructose corn syrup.

According to the films web site, King Corn brought these issues to light just as Congress was set to debate the 2007 Farm Bill, a once-in-seven-years opportunity to change what our tax dollars subsidize and how we eat.

So why is high-fructose corn syrup worse for us than sugar? The research is still out, but some health experts argue that the body processes fructose differently than it does basic sugar. Some believe that the sweetener acts unnaturally in our system causing the liver to kick more fat into the bloodstream while signaling the body to eat more.

Others believe that the nation’s obesity is caused by the fact that this versatile sweetener has crept into foods that we would never think of as being sugar-laden. Because high-fructose corn syrup mixes easily and extends shelf-life, many large-scale food manufacturers use it in non-traditional sugar products. High-fructose corn syrup is even used to help bread brown and prevent freezer burn in frozen food entrees.

So, what’s the bottom line? Because high-fructose corn syrup is everywhere, we can’t easily avoid it all together. However, there are several ways to lessen its hold on your family’s diet.

Read labels and don’t assume healthy-sounding foods are healthy. Start with the sugar content per serving. If it’s over 3-5 grams per serving, its suspect. Next, look at the ingredients. If high-fructose corn syrup is listed in the first few ingredients, avoid the product. If it’s listed at all, think twice about it.

Pay particular attention to beverages. Sports drinks, fruit juices and fruit smoothies usually contain a lot of high-fructose corn syrup. Check the label.

Basic sugar isn’t good for you in high doses, but at least it’s natural. If you are buying sweetened products or even just sweetening your iced tea, think about using natural sugar over chemically produced sweetener.

Manufactured baked goods are usually very bad because they not only contain high-fructose corn syrup, but also contain partially hydrogenated corn oil which contains high levels of trans fats.

Organic products aren’t always the answer. Check the label for sugar content. It can be just a high as non-organic products.

Donna lives in Prairie Village and refuses to give up her Wheat Thins entirely, at least for now.