Moved from the Budget Board: anyone else eliminating High Fructose Corn Syrup

[Sehsun]

Where are you guys finding the Kashi on sale?

They are having a Buy One, Get One Free sale at Publix. This sale started on October 25th and will end on the 31st (Wednesday).

 

[mom2grace]

They are having a Buy One, Get One Free sale at Publix. This sale started on October 25th and will end on the 31st (Wednesday).

Thanks! No Publix here.

 

[christinadei]

Thanks! No Publix here.

Don't feel bad. Publix is the ONLY thing I have. No Trader Joe's, no Whole Food, nothing except Publix and a few tiny health food stores.

 

[Elvis1515]

I just bought Organic Heinz ketchup at the health store. It's out now.

 

[christinadei]

Oh yeah and I didn't see this mentioned before, but I found the Publix Greenwise ketchup w/o HFCS!

 

[kfeuer]

I can't wait for Whole Foods to open near me. Well, "near" being about 30 minutes, but it beats not having one!

Just my .02, but I'll take TJ's over Whole Foods any day. Whole Foods does have a bigger selection and they have things like cage-free/hormone-free free-range chicken, but it's so expensive! Their produce is sky-high. I simply can't afford to shop there. All the Whole Foods in Atlanta are in ritzy areas, which says it all.

Unfortunately for me the nearest TJ's is 30 minutes away if traffic is light, so it's hard for me to get over there as often as I'd like. I love it, though! I just tried their cherry preserves this weekend and they're so good. I'll never buy Smuckers again.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

Well, I have totally eliminated the HFCS in our house a few weeks ago, and I have to tell you, I DEFINITELY notice a change in the way I feel. I've been shopping mostly at Trader Joes and Whole Foods, but sometimes I hit up the SFW across the street, I read ALL my labels. I don't think it's JUST the fact of getting rid of HFCS, but the fact that shopping at those stores and avoiding the HFCS stuff, just naturally means you eat healthier. I've noticed that I've been getting LOADS of Fiber, which is really good for my Pre-Diabetic self AND.......I'VE LOST WEIGHT!!!!! It's only 3 or 4 pounds, b/c I haven't been to the gym in a few weeks...., but I'm ecstatic, that I lost any at all

I'm SO thankful for Trader Joes, their stuff is so yummy, it's hard to believe it's so healthy. I'm actually able to buy frozen appetizers and stuff (something I never even LOOKED at while at the grocery store, that stuff is LOADED with crap), and get things from the bakery section at Whole Foods. Anyways, just wanted to check-in and encourage everyone to give this stuff up and keep it up, you'll definitely notice a change!!

 

[kfeuer]

Well, I had a parent teach conference last week and the teacher thinks DS7 may have ADD. I did some reasearch and it's the calmer form of ADD, which causes kids to have a hard time concentrating. After thinking long and hard and doing reasearch on ADD treatments, I've decided not to get him tested (for now) and to try to change his diet instead. I would not put him on meds if I didn't absolutely have to, so even if they said he had ADD, this is what I'd try. Plus, it's good for all of us and certainly won't hurt. We already follow a lot of the other behavioral type treatments, so we'll continue those as well.

I could have written the above, we're having the same issues with my 6-year old DS. He's not hyper and doesn't have behavioral problems, but has alot of trouble focusing. It would take us over an hour to help him do his homework that was supposed to take 15-20 minutes.

I've been working on improving his diet along with giving him DHA supplements for the past 6 weeks or so, and we're seeing improvement! For the first time last week he got an E on his weekly progress chart and he completed all his work. I think the DHA supplements have really made a difference.

I just got Jessica Simpson's Deceptively Delicious cookbook (the one about hiding veggies in kid-friendly foods, DS won't go near veggies) so I'm hoping we'll see even more improvement soon.

I'm getting as many organic products as I can afford, and I want to start using cleaners without chemicals, too. I'm also on a mission to get his room deep-cleaned in case allergies are playing a part.

Sorry for hijacking the thread for a moment, I just wanted to post encouragement for anyone else in our shoes who's thinking about making these changes.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

Just my .02, but I'll take TJ's over Whole Foods any day. Whole Foods does have a bigger selection and they have things like cage-free/hormone-free free-range chicken, but it's so expensive! Their produce is sky-high. I simply can't afford to shop there. All the Whole Foods in Atlanta are in ritzy areas, which says it all.

Unfortunately for me the nearest TJ's is 30 minutes away if traffic is light, so it's hard for me to get over there as often as I'd like. I love it, though! I just tried their cherry preserves this weekend and they're so good. I'll never buy Smuckers again.

I agree about Trader Joes. I find their products to be not only cheaper, but tastier. I still shop at Whole Foods, but not as often as Trader Joes. About the meat...do you have a local butcher? We're in the city suburbs too, but I have an awesome butcher down the street. He gets all of his meat from a local farm, and they don't use hormones and stuff. They aren't as "free of stuff" as Whole Foods, but it's a lot better than where most grocery stores get their meat. I buy all the meat I can from him, and he can cut it anyway I like, and give me only as much as I want, plus they vacuum seal it if you want. You should check the yellow pages, or the internet or something to see if you have one

 

[christinadei]

I could have written the above, we're having the same issues with my 6-year old DS. He's not hyper and doesn't have behavioral problems, but has alot of trouble focusing. It would take us over an hour to help him do his homework that was supposed to take 15-20 minutes.

I've been working on improving his diet along with giving him DHA supplements for the past 6 weeks or so, and we're seeing improvement! For the first time last week he got an E on his weekly progress chart and he completed all his work. I think the DHA supplements have really made a difference.

I just got Jessica Simpson's Deceptively Delicious cookbook (the one about hiding veggies in kid-friendly foods, DS won't go near veggies) so I'm hoping we'll see even more improvement soon.

I'm getting as many organic products as I can afford, and I want to start using cleaners without chemicals, too. I'm also on a mission to get his room deep-cleaned in case allergies are playing a part.

Sorry for hijacking the thread for a moment, I just wanted to post encouragement for anyone else in our shoes who's thinking about making these changes.

thanks for the info! I'll look into DHA, I'm not sure what it is. I have no trouble getting DS to eat his veggies (thank gooness) but he does have allergies. I didn't know that coudl be a factor. I'll have to look more into it. We'll see how it goes. I have noticed that when he comes back from his father's, it is so hard to get him focused and on track and I know he eats a bunch of junk there, so there truly may be a link. We shall see. Today is his first day w/o the junk as he was at his father's over the weekend. I can't wait to see if his diet causes an improvement.

 

[kfeuer]

I'll look into DHA, I'm not sure what it is.

DHA is a fatty acid that supports brain function. There's studies that have shown that ADD children tend to have DHA deficiencies. Here's a good link that explains it:

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040900.asp

If you go to any health food store they'll have it. DS takes it in liquid form, and he says it tastes fine (which I was worried about). I can't remember the brand, but it's in a blue bottle and strawberry flavored. PM me if you need more info.

 

[christinadei]

Thanks for the info. I should've known what DHA was. I read up on it and on allergies. I guess there may be a link. I'll get him some DHA and continue wtih his diet and hopefully that will eliminate the problem. How long ago did you start these changes with DS? I'm eager to see results!

 

[kfeuer]

How long ago did you start these changes with DS? I'm eager to see results!

We started the DHA/healthier eating about 6 weeks ago (I think). We started seeing a few changes at home within a couple of weeks, but this is the first week he's shown some improvement at school. Don't expect overnight improvement, I've heard it can take a few months to see the full effects. We're going to wait and see where we are at the end of the year, if he's still having problems I've found an ADD specialist I'm going to take him to. Unfortunately this specialist is not in our insurance network so it will be pricey, but if he needs it we're going to do it.

 

[bumbershoot]

kfeuer, I have a book called Organic Housekeeping, by Ellen Sandbeck. It would be a really good read for you, since you are trying to clean without chemicals. Lots of options on how to clean (did you know that cleaning chemical residues actually *attract* dust, etc, to stick to the cleaned surface?).

When DS has had HFCS, his behaviour, I'm sure, prompts strangers to think he needs to be on medication. With him, the change is immediate, though we sure did delay our acknowledgment of the problem for quite awhile! It took an absolute meltdown that ended with his attacking me at a festival, directly after eating a lollipop, that finally got me to admit that we had to make a change. In a way I'm lucky that he is THAT sensitive to it...if it were just low-level symptoms I might still be in denial about HFCS.


I'd love to go to the WF in the Atlanta area, just for the possible chance of seeing Alton Brown.

 

[buckler]

I just got Jessica Simpson's Deceptively Delicious cookbook (the one about hiding veggies in kid-friendly foods, DS won't go near veggies) so I'm hoping we'll see even more improvement soon.

Thanks for the chuckle. It is Jessica Seinfeld, not Jessica Simpson. Although, Jessica Simpson did wonder if Chicken of the Sea was chicken or tuna so it probably wouldn't be too hard to deceive her with those recipes!

Another cookbook about hiding veggies in kids food is The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine. I haven't seen the Seinfeld or Lapine cookbooks yet but I have them on reserve at our public library.

Here are some sample recipes from The Sneaky Chef book:
Sneaky Chef Recipes

 

[kfeuer]

Thanks for the chuckle. It is Jessica Seinfeld, not Jessica Simpson. Although, Jessica Simpson did wonder if Chicken of the Sea was chicken or tuna so it probably wouldn't be too hard to deceive her with those recipes!

Can you tell it's been a long Monday?!?!?

bumbershoot, thanks for the heads up on that book, I'll have to see if the library has it.

 

[ZPT1022]

Where are you guys finding the Kashi on sale?

I LOVE the cherry chocolate chewy granola bars!

If you live in CT, Shaw's has the Kashi cereals on sale 2/$4 right now

 

[powellrj]

we started eliminating food items due to health issues and this is one we are eliminating. I was shocked that even so called healthy diet food like special K list it as an ingredient.

I have become a label reader and have found that many of the smaller no name food items tend to be the best when it comes to no added ingredients. I was also surprised to find that I do really well at Aldi. I use to do almost all of my shopping at Kroger, but now I do it between Aldi, Meijer and Trader Joes. I would love to go to Trader Joes more often, but its almost an hour away and its too far for a weekly trip.

I have also found if you get the basic item without the extra like the traditional spaghetti sauce they tend not to include HFCS. Its when you add the cheese flavors that you get the HFCS.

I have really learned a lot from this thread and I think as more people become aware of the dangers of different foods, it will be easier to find healthier foods. I was glad when Aunt Millies started marketing their breads without HFCS. That was another item I couldn't believe was had to find without HFCS. Who would have thought it would be in so called diet/healthy breads?

 

[dizzy duck]

I am not very computer savy, so I don't know how to do this or even if it can be done, but, since there are so many of us interested in trying to cut back or eliminate HFCS, is there a way we can make list when we find a food that does not have it as an ingredient? If enough people find a couple of items and add it to the list, it will save us all a lot of time reading labels.

I just read my Cheerios label and it does no list HFCS, but it does list corn starch??? Same thing or not?

diz

 

[christinadei]

Okay, I have been shopping and have found tons of things. Both Publix (Greenwise) and Target (Archer Farms) brands have a lot of items that are all natural. Here is a list of the top of my head. Most items are all natural, some are organic. All are also free of trans-fats (hydrogenated oils).

Archer Farms
Organic key lime, organic chocolate chip and reg. dark chocolate wafer-think Pep. Farms Milano cookies - $2.50 on sale, reg 2.99
Gormet pretzels - I got honey mustard and onion - 1.99
Chips- like kettle chips - $2 on sale
Fruit Leather bx of 10 - $2.50 on sale, reg 2.99
Archer farms had lots of other crackers, cookies, granola bars, etc. too

Annies - Cheddar cheese bunnies and honey graham bunnies - 2.09
Natures Own - All natural breads, 12 grain and wheat berry (bogo at publix this week)
Jones Soda- made w/cane sugar - (but lots of sugar) 3.59
Minute Maid Water Falls - juice pouches, sweetened w/fruit juice
Orville Reddenbocker Natural popcorn - so good! (bogo at publix this week)
Pasta Roni - Nature's way 1.45
Kraft Mac'n'cheese - Organic 1.45
Far East, whole grain rice & couscous (bogo at publix this week)
Publix natural pnut butter 2.29
Greenwise ketchup 2.59
Rays New York Bagels 2.59
Friendship cream cheese 1.99
Wasa Crackers
Barilla Pasta 1.67
Barilla and some Ragu jarred spagetti sauce (Ragu is bogo at publix this week)
Barilla Pesto (sundried tomato is great)

That's all I can think of for now, but I freaked out at first thinking we'd have nothing to eat, but it's been fine. I've been getting lots of fresh fruit and veggies to snack on/cook with and also nuts, cheese, etc. for snacks. If anything we've been eating less.