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

[Mono~rail]

The only thing that is really more expensive is bread. I can buy a loaf of store brand white bread for a little over a dollar, but Nature's Own is about $3 a loaf.

Overall, I'm finding that more name brands use HFCS than store brands. It is easier to find HFCS free store brand items. We do the majority of our grocery shopping at Kroger. I go to Whole Foods when dd has an appt in Baton Rouge or when we go to Houston (both are 2 hrs away in opposite directions). Since we don't go to WF often, I stock up on what we need that I can't find locally.

I didn't throw any food away. I simply stopped buying foods that contained HFCS. Most of what we had is gone now.

 

[Mono~rail]

1 1/4 c. warm water (*1 1/2 c. if food coloring is not added)
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. honey
2 c. bread flour
1 2/3 c. wheat flour
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. instant coffee
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. yeast (1 pkg)

Food coloring (optional; adds visual appeal by giving a dark brown color):
1/4 c. warm water
75 drops red food coloring
45 drops blue food coloring
30 drops yellow food coloring

Add ingredients to the bread machine in order listed. Use the basic setting on bread machine. Drizzle in the colored water.

*Note if food coloring is not added then add the 1/4 c. at the beginning.

It is normal for the dough to be sticky. It will have the look and texture of a thick cake batter.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

They tossed the strawberry milk syrup, the first thing listed is HFCS. And they are giving some of the canned goods to charity. Not that we want people with no choice to have to eat the bad stuff, but can't see tossing away good money either.

We were really surprised at just how much we do have left that is still good. Like the Betty Crocker instant muffin mix. It has sugar and corn syrup solids and it looks like dextrose. But no fructose or HFCS. Thought for sure that would be a bad one. They had muffins & cheese stix for breakfast this morning.
Goldfish chedder & preztel are good to eat.
Ragu alfredo sauce, good.

And my youngest is now showing a stronger interest in learning to read the labels. So double thank you there. He has resisted reading.

 

[brockscandy]

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.

I'm going to highjack for a moment too. The last nine weeks of the school year last year, the teacher started telling me how she couldn't get my 6 year old to do her desk work and she was always looking around. We did some testing including food allergies and found out that she has a slight form of dyslexia. Our homework that is suppose to take 15 minutes takes us much longer as well. Her eyes get tired and that is how she rests them by looking up. I am so happy we found out now and can help her than her getting frustrated in school and end up with low self-esteem.

 

[IluvKingLouis]

Have you noticed a sharp increase in your grocery bill or does it even itself out because you aren't eating as much as before?

I think mine has actually gone down. DD4.5 and I eat a lot of old fashion oatmeal for breakfast, and occasionally an organic cold cereal. I alternate between making bread machine bread and buying the higher priced "good-for-you" bread. I figure my homemade bread runs about 35cents a loaf, so if I average the two it's not that bad.

I'm making more from scratch too which saves money. My dd4.5 and I made oatmeal cookies yesterday. I've relearned how to make a good white sauce and can add different herbs, cheeses, etc to customize it to suit whatever dish I'm making. I'm thinking about making my own salad dressings (something my mother always did when I was growing up). My goal is to severely reduce the amount of "pre-packaged" foods I buy. I've pretty much eliminated HFCS but now I'm inspired to knock out as many chemicals as possible.

Our portions are smaller too. Several days ago, the three of us shared an Ahi steak that was roughly 2/3rds of a pound. In the past dh and I would have had a piece close to 7-8 ounces each (yikes!).

It hasn't been that bad from either a $$ standpoint or time standpoint. I'm finding alot of "scratch" cooking really only adds an additional 5-10 minutes to my time.

My challenge today is to make stuffing from scratch.

Thanks Mono-Rail for the bread recipe. I'll probably tackle that one later in the week!

 

[50sjayne]

It seems every time I turn around someone is talking about HFCS. I am just started to investigate the stuff and how we can eat healthier. Any suggestions on books/articles to read?

Do we need to cut it out altogether or modify? Hmmm.

I know I need to do this, but I'm feeling pretty lazy about it.

I would recommend Don't Eat this Book by Morgan Spurlock-- very informative and entertaining ;-) (the guy that did supersize Me)

 

[ZPT1022]

1 1/4 c. warm water (*1 1/2 c. if food coloring is not added)
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. honey
2 c. bread flour
1 2/3 c. wheat flour
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. instant coffee
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. yeast (1 pkg)

Food coloring (optional; adds visual appeal by giving a dark brown color):
1/4 c. warm water
75 drops red food coloring
45 drops blue food coloring
30 drops yellow food coloring

Add ingredients to the bread machine in order listed. Use the basic setting on bread machine. Drizzle in the colored water.

*Note if food coloring is not added then add the 1/4 c. at the beginning.

It is normal for the dough to be sticky. It will have the look and texture of a thick cake batter.

Do you know what setting to use? I know you said basic but my bread machine asks me if I want 1 lb, 1 1/2 lb, or 2 lb. Also, should I bake it in the bread machine or use the dough setting? Which has the best results? It sounds yummy and I'm planning to try it tomorrow

 

[Mono~rail]

Do you know what setting to use? I know you said basic but my bread machine asks me if I want 1 lb, 1 1/2 lb, or 2 lb. Also, should I bake it in the bread machine or use the dough setting? Which has the best results? It sounds yummy and I'm planning to try it tomorrow

Take a look at these directions. Maybe these will be better for you and everyone else who doesn't have a basic setting on their bread machine.

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/394/OutbackSteakhouseHoneyWheat64760.shtml

I got the recipe years ago from topsecretrecipes.com before they started charging a fee. I still like to use their recipes to make food from restaurants since we don't go out to eat much anymore.

 

[ZPT1022]

Take a look at these directions. Maybe these will be better for you and everyone else who doesn't have a basic setting on their bread machine.

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/394/OutbackSteakhouseHoneyWheat64760.shtml

I got the recipe years ago from topsecretrecipes.com before they started charging a fee. I still like to use their recipes to make food from restaurants since we don't go out to eat much anymore.

Thanks! I totally hear you on the making restaurant food at home. When we were in college and DH was still just a boyfriend, he worked as the supervisor in the copy center at Office Max. One day someone came in from Olive Garden and dropped off a cookbook to be copied. He made me a really nice bound copy of the Olive Garden cookbook. I still have that thing

 

[smiller]

I enjoy bran flakes, but I've had to give them up because I couldn't find any that are HFCS free. Anyone know of any?

I buy the Aldi Millville-brand bran flakes. Very cheap and very simple ingredients, sugar and corn syrup but no HFCS. Their raisin bran does have HFCS which is a bummer cuz I love it, but it's really easy to add my own raisins to their bran flakes!

IKEA jams are very yummy; I always have lingon in my fridge! (Being the good Swede I am. ) I really like the Queens Blend, too.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm going to highjack for a moment too. The last nine weeks of the school year last year, the teacher started telling me how she couldn't get my 6 year old to do her desk work and she was always looking around. We did some testing including food allergies and found out that she has a slight form of dyslexia. Our homework that is suppose to take 15 minutes takes us much longer as well. Her eyes get tired and that is how she rests them by looking up. I am so happy we found out now and can help her than her getting frustrated in school and end up with low self-esteem.

Did anyone mention getting an eye exam as well?

My youngest will thank you too when he realizes that we can keep the Princess Cereal. It corn syrup & dextrose in the marshmallows and sugar & corn syrup in the oat part.

The only thing that *might* mar that is if anyone in the family has a sensitivity to corn, not just HFCS (personally I think everyone should be sensitive to that! ). It's why we try to keep corn syrup and even corn syrup solids, from DS, b/c it's just not worth it to us (including him) to chance it. So we haven't really done a test to see what turns him into a dragon, as we put it, b/c for now it's easier to just avoid it all.

Luckily, most of the products we buy as staples are the Safeway brand of organics, and they are lovely, no naughty ingredients at all!


And that main Trader Joe's stuffing might not have HFCS but it has chicken fat, so it's not on our list. (we do "dressing" along with mashed potatoes and whatever non-beastie type of food we have at Thanksgiving)

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

I wish we had a Trader Joes close by. I'm stuck with a choice of Kroger or Walmart. If I want drive the extra bit I can find a Wild Oats, but with gas prices, I need to stay closer to home.

Luckily we have no food allergies. And the little guy really loves his Princess Cereal. He only eats a bowl every few days, so I know that even though it isn't the healthiest choice, it's okay as a treat.

Went to Steak & Shake last night to grab some food and nobody asked for soda. They are off to a good start. Just cheesesteakburgers & fries with NO ketchup.

 

[Mono~rail]

DH stopped by the grocery store for me on the way home from work. He said ALL the Kroger pasta sauces are HFCS free. He said it was the only brand that was HFCS free.

 

[IluvKingLouis]

I bought the Kroger brand creamy horseradish sauce today. It was also the only one without HFCS.

I bought HFCS free cranberry sauce and stuffing mix at Whole Foods yesterday (their 365 brand).

My mother (who is also doing this) has had to moniter her glucose levels, she is borderline pre-diabetic. Her numbers have dropped considerably since eliminating HFCS and she's lost 14 pds.

 

[Evi]

As an adult my allergies enviromental and food seem to get worse with every year. We are trying to get rid of alot of processed foods and frustose. Its been difficult but this year I have joined both a summer and winter csa both organic. I've also blanched veggies from summer csa and then frozen them in food storage bags the kind that sucks the air out lol its late I have no clue what its name is right now. hehe but I've also began to purchase meats and eggs from a local farm that is organic and Im buying milk that is hormone free. Its hard though when you have to go through hoops to eat healthy and save money. But we try. It definatly is worth buying from a local csa or farmers market you can't beat quality or price.

 

[powellrj]

I wish we had a Trader Joes close by. I'm stuck with a choice of Kroger or Walmart. If I want drive the extra bit I can find a Wild Oats, but with gas prices, I need to stay closer to home.

Luckily we have no food allergies. And the little guy really loves his Princess Cereal. He only eats a bowl every few days, so I know that even though it isn't the healthiest choice, it's okay as a treat.

Went to Steak & Shake last night to grab some food and nobody asked for soda. They are off to a good start. Just cheesesteakburgers & fries with NO ketchup.

I noticed you were from Ohio. If you are anywhere close to Hamilton, have you tried Jungle Jims. While I haven't been specifically for HFCSless foods, they have everything else you could want! We live about 2 hours from there and my dad and his sisters take a trip there every couple of months to get things we don't sell around here.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

I used to make the almost two hour pilgramage once a month also, before both kids went to school. There is no way to get there and back before either get home from school now. One is 1/2 day and one is all day. And there is no way I'd go on a weekend. Eww, hate crowds.

I did love their variety of ethnic foods.
Once summer arrives again, I can do the monthly trip again.

 

[ZPT1022]

As an adult my allergies enviromental and food seem to get worse with every year. We are trying to get rid of alot of processed foods and frustose. Its been difficult but this year I have joined both a summer and winter csa both organic. I've also blanched veggies from summer csa and then frozen them in food storage bags the kind that sucks the air out lol its late I have no clue what its name is right now. hehe but I've also began to purchase meats and eggs from a local farm that is organic and Im buying milk that is hormone free. Its hard though when you have to go through hoops to eat healthy and save money. But we try. It definatly is worth buying from a local csa or farmers market you can't beat quality or price.

How did you find your CSA's?

 

[brockscandy]

Did anyone mention getting an eye exam as well?

Uh, yeah. We did that first and then had her tested for dyslexia and allergies. Being a teacher myself, it made it easier to notice the symptoms.

 

[bumbershoot]

I asked b/c some weird testing that was never explained ahead of time is actually what diagnosed my vision problems; no one had ever thought to check my vision before then. It was really weird. When I was 15 I was wearing bifocals, my vision was so weird (and then the farsighted-ness went away and I was only near-sighted).