A New Name for High Fructose Corn Syrup?

The U.S. FDA has been petitioned by the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) to allow high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) manufacturers the option of using the term “corn sugar” instead of “high fructose corn syrup.”

The CRA feels that “independent research demonstrates that the current labeling is confusing to American consumers.” They blame “inexact scientific reports and inaccurate media accounts” for the bad rap HFCS has gotten.

Now I'm not a scientist, so I won't debate the health effects of HFCS over other sugars. What I can state is that Americans are consuming way more sugar than they think they are (HFCS is in so many products), and way more than is healthy. Also, most corn in this country is Genetically Engineered (GE) corn which gets us into a whole different discussion.

What to do? Limit your intake of HFCS by reading labels, and work toward reducing your overall sugar intake. And lest you think artificial sweeteners may be a safer choice, check out this article by Dr. Oz.

To avoid HFCS completely, we choose products that are 100% juice or organic, neither will have HFCS.

Best of Health,
Susan

Shopping GMO free

GMO, three little letters that truly frighten me.

They stand for Genetically Modified Organisms or more specifically, genetically modified food.

I've written before about the GMO process and I've recommended some books on the topic so that you can form your own opinion. For me, I've made up my mind that I DON"T want to feed GMOs to my family!

So just how does one avoid GMO foods. Well it's not all that easy unless you can buy everything organic, but there are steps you can take. First, whenever possible, shop local. That means shopping at your local farmers market. Not sure where to find one, visit the Consumer Supported Agriculture site.

If you can buy organic, always look for the USDA Organic label, that means it's "certified organic". If you can't buy organic, and lets face it, not everything is available as organic, the next best is to choose foods with "Non-GMO" labels. Also avoid most packaged foods which are loaded with GMO ingredients.

And last but surely not least, avoid the most common GMO foods, which are corn (including frozen and canned), soy, sugar beets (and sugar made from sugar beets), canola oil, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil. Obviously this means reading labels as many of these common GMO foods are in packaged ingredients, like those corn tortillas you bought for dinner.

Eating green, clean food takes a little effort, and yes, it does cost a bit more, but the flavor and aroma of organic and foods grown locally are so worth it!

GE alfalfa - should you be concerned?

Alfalfa in the USA may soon be available in a Genetically Engineered (GE) variety. Alfalfa, a grass fed to animals and humans alike. Wonder if this should concern you? Here's an easy to understand explanation on the difference between selective breeding and genetic engineering.

Some additional comments from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

I also highly recommend the book Seeds of Deception by Jeffery Smith, but before you run out and read the book, take a moment to visit The True Food Network and and send an email to the USDA. In my opinion this is one of those things where I feel we need to be extra cautious - you can't put the genie back in the bottle after it's been released...

USDA comment period ends March 3, 2010.