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

[bumbershoot]

Hidden HFCS...NyQuil. Cherry flavored cold and flu formula.

Makes me think back to DS's behaviour after downing a prescription benadryl-like medicine, on his dentist's request, and his abhorent behaviour after. Makes me wonder if the "opposite" reactions to those sorts of drugs might be HFCS reactions...if HFCS is in them like it is in the NyQuil I was taking the last 24 hours so I could just sleeeeeeeep.

 

[wowsmom]

Kind of interesting how things work...I've been following this thread and have read everything posted...and was kind of trying to eliminate the HFCS from our diet but not too actively, but now my son's doctor has said no HFCS and no trans fats, so I'm glad this thread is here to help me - cuz I'm going to have to find "replacements" for a lot of his foods.

 

[Motherofboys]

We've been reduced HFCS for a month now. Can't get the boys (DH included) completely off the white bread. But I've reduced the intake to about twice a week for the bread.

Haven't noticed a change yet, but I'm not expecting there to be a sudden glow about us. Just knowing we are eating healthier is a good start.

Just wanted to let those of you who are looking for a white bread without hfcs know that I found Aunt Millie's Buttermilk Bread now has "Contains NO High Fructose Corn Syrup" featured in bold on the label.

So some food manufacturer's are listening!

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

Thank you so much!

I will be looking for that next time I go shopping.

 

[bumbershoot]

How is everyone doing?


Hubby discovered that when he eliminates HFCS soda from his diet, his weekly weight loss triples. Went from .2 a week to .6 a week.

Then we found the Mexican-bottled coca cola made with cane juice, and man that tastes so good, but it added those daily calories back to his diet, and his loss went to .4 per week (interesting that the same # of calories resulted in more loss than with "normal" soda, but he still did lose despite those calories). Once that box of 18 bottles were gone, he went back to .6ish again.

Looked at the ingredients on two of my fave kinds of girl scout cookies. For DS's sake, that was good. For myself, I just keep thinking of what Hagrid says in Harry Potter, "shouldn't have done that".

Have found out that we can trust DS to know, innately, when something he's eating isn't OK. Found that out with some Morningstar Farms breaded products, when he just stopped eating them and refused to explain or eat more. Finally went to the freezer and read the ingredients, and he was right, there were corn products, so we didn't push him anymore about it.


Oh, back to Coke. A friend of ours is a collector of the genre (ha), and we had him look back at various cans and bottles that he had. And he verified for us that the Coke before the whole New Coke Classic Coke thing was sweetened with sugar, but following that whole thing, HFCS made its debut. Since "we" only had New Coke for awhile, only collectors had the old cans, and they likely weren't drinking the old Coke...so when Classic Coke came about, we didn't have that immediate notice that they tasted different. Anyway, there's a whole conspiracy theory that many could get into, but I liked that we had this source of ingredient labels from the "old" days so I could just verify for myself that the Coke I "grew up with" just used sugar, but then later switched over.

 

[Rozzie]

Thanks bumbershoot for the bump...

With no Whole Foods or Trader Joe's within a 200 mile radius, it is impossible to find Ketchup or Hot dog buns, or hamburger buns HFCS free.

Other than that, we are almost 95% free, and DH's latest cholesterol level was 40 points lower. Just 6 months of reading labels!

 

[wowsmom]

We're doing fairly well at being HFCS-free. Well, except for my daily Coke or Dr. Pepper.

I consider myself very lucky to have Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Henry's and Sprouts all within driving distance. It has made it a lot easier to change over to no HFCS (and no partially hydrogenated vegetable oil).

Unfortunately, I haven't noticed any weight loss, but that could be due to all the yummy baked things I have found at Whole Foods.

I was thinking of this thread a week or two ago when the family went to Trader Joe's to pick up more Chicken Teriyaki rice bowls for my 10 year old. My 13 year old looked over my shoulder as I picked them up and said "They have HFCS in them!" This was DS10--> . So we bought one bowl (kind of as a farewell) and I'm now in search of a rice bowl without HFCS. The ones at Whole Foods don't have it, but they have tofu instead of chicken.

Very interesting about the whole Coke/New Coke/Classic Coke. DH claims to have known that way back then...

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

This has been an interesting thread. I think my weight issues are attributed to HFCS. I don't eat a lot but I do tend to eat junk. We went shopping today and spent forever at Wal-Mart reading labels. Man, they make some of those labels so small!

I looked on the Trader Joe's website and one is coming soon!

 

[bumbershoot]

With no Whole Foods or Trader Joe's within a 200 mile radius, it is impossible to find Ketchup or Hot dog buns, or hamburger buns HFCS free.

We've been reduced to using bread as a "bun" nowadays. It's just not worth DH's passing out reaction to HFCS, or DS's flipping out reaction. If it were only general health, or weight, I'm sure we would still be eating them, but...

Make sure you continue to check your local stores, b/c new things are being made every day. There have been reports on this thread of even organic stuff having HFCS in them, but I haven't experienced that, so definitely check for organic ketchups and things like that (ketchup is one DH almost always forgets and gets sad about all over when he remembers, when we're at a restaurant). We are just so lucky to have Safeway here, b/c their line called O Organics is so great for avoiding the stuff. It's still processed, quite a bit of the foods, but it's better than processed + hfcs!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Just wanted to join in! We have eliminated it too! (along with dairy but that's for other reasons) Arnolds makes bread without hfcs. It's not bad. Newmans cookies also do not have it in it and they taste so good! Fruitabu makes great fruit by the foot type fruit snacks that the kids love and they are real fruit not fake stuff.

 

[cdrn1]

but its in EVERYTHING - even what they call organic or natural.

I have found bread but not ketchup. even heinz refuses to take it out of their so called organic ketchup.

Stonewall Kitchen Country Ketchup is sooooo good and made without corn syrup. You can buy it online at their website.

 

[Carrie Ellis]

At Krogers in the organic section there is a catsup that is really really good. It is around $2.50/bottle. No corn syrup.

I make our bread. I have a kitchen aide w/ a grain grinder attachment. I grind the wheat and use a very simple recipe that is sweetened by honey.

I think it boils down to going back to the basics.
I also make yogurt for us. Very easy and you can buy the machines (or use a thermos) on amazon.

Just google for instructions.

Two books that I am reading are:
Nourishing Traditions
http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Tr...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205724042&sr=8-1

The Untold Story of Milk
(we buy our milk raw from a dairy)

 

[mickey'sbud]

I haven't read all 29 pages here....but I'm curious after reading about the coke.---->>>>>
Has anyone lost weight by simply cutting out sodas and replaced them w/ sweet tea? I'm talking calorie for calorie.
I'm trying to get DD to cut out sodas---but she will only substitute sweet tea and up till now this seemed pointless. What do you think?

 

[JacobsMommy11002]

Just an FYI...let the festivities begin, PEEPS are hfcs FREE! I've been checking out the labels in the house, and this struck me as funny.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

I haven't read all 29 pages here....but I'm curious after reading about the coke.---->>>>>
Has anyone lost weight by simply cutting out sodas and replaced them w/ sweet tea? I'm talking calorie for calorie.
I'm trying to get DD to cut out sodas---but she will only substitute sweet tea and up till now this seemed pointless. What do you think?

I think the thought process is that your daughter will consume less beverage total if she switches to the HFCSless item. Thus in the long run, there will be less calories total and that will help with the weight loss.

We have switched to Jones Soda. No HFCS. We do drink less of them then we did of the other soda & the lipton iced tea (that had hfcs). So the even though that soda costs WAY more, it doesn't impact the budget the same way as we are drinking less of them.

Since we have started this, I have lost 8 pounds (and I wasn't that heavy to begin with) and my eldest 5. We have not done anything else. Next will be exercising. Hoping to do daily walks with the nicer weather approaching. Help us keep healthy and get ready for WDW in the summer.

 

[wowsmom]

I think the thought process is that your daughter will consume less beverage total if she switches to the HFCSless item. Thus in the long run, there will be less calories total and that will help with the weight loss.

We have switched to Jones Soda. No HFCS. We do drink less of them then we did of the other soda & the lipton iced tea (that had hfcs). So the even though that soda costs WAY more, it doesn't impact the budget the same way as we are drinking less of them.

I can easily drink a 32 oz Dr Pepper, no problem but when I have a 12 oz Boylan's Root Beer (no HFCS), I can barely even finish it - it does fill you up faster.

So you'd think I'd be making the change and getting off the Dr Pepper and Coke, now wouldn't you? I'm trying, but I love the flavor of those. I decided yesterday, though, that once the supply in the house is gone, I need to just stop...take a few days with no soda...and then, if I want it, drink the sugar/cane sugar-sweetened stuff.

 

[crisi]

We have switched to Jones Soda. No HFCS. We do drink less of them then we did of the other soda & the lipton iced tea (that had hfcs). So the even though that soda costs WAY more, it doesn't impact the budget the same way as we are drinking less of them.

Another thing to consider to to make simple syrup (1 part sugar, 2 parts water, microwave for about two minutes) and add to concentrated lemon juice/lime juice for a good lemonade/limeade. If your kids like the fizz, mix with a cheap carbonated water (or get your own C02 charger). With simple syrup and a cupboard full of extracts (or koolaid powder), you can make your own pop at home pretty easy, and not expensively.

And remember Koolaid. Its how OUR mother's saved money when we were kids. Think about it - how often did you get soda? No, we all drank koolaid. Which mom controls the sugar in - and its real sugar.

If you take the time to bake a few cookies every week, skip prepared foods and don't keep soda in the house (or at least keep it in a "restricted" category) limiting high fructose corn syrup isn't actually that tough. Eliminating it completely is harder, but I'm a fan of the "moderation" approach - if you can get rid of 80% of it (and the other crap) that is in your diet, you'll be healthier. Getting rid of 100% - that will be a LOT more work for an incremental difference.

Mexican markets around here carry Mexican Coke - made with sugar.

 

[budbeerlady]

I have read thru over 1/2 of the thread, what does your child take to school for snacky items? DD usually has yougurt, fruit snacks, a little debbie cake and a sandwich. (I know, mother of the year but that is what I grew up with and so did Dh.) What wouldnt have the HFCS in it for lunches for kids? It shouldnt be this hard to think of anything but my brain is blocked!

 

[gonemousin']

I have read thru over 1/2 of the thread, what does your child take to school for snacky items? DD usually has yougurt, fruit snacks, a little debbie cake and a sandwich. (I know, mother of the year but that is what I grew up with and so did Dh.) What wouldnt have the HFCS in it for lunches for kids? It shouldnt be this hard to think of anything but my brain is blocked!

My DD8 takes fresh fruit, (like an apple cored in half with a dollop of all natural peanut butter in it - her favorite, or grapes, plums or strawberries), baby corn, apple sauce (all natural), baby carrots, cheddar cheese squares & Trader Joe crackers or sometimes an all natural cereal bar. Lunch is always PB&J on whole wheat Martin's Potato Bread (no HFCS), one of the above snacks, and a bottle of water or she'll buy skim milk...it's more than enough for her. We typically stick to one dessert/sweet per day and both my DD's prefer to enjoy it after dinner.

We were forced to eliminate HFCS from my youngest DD's diet for health/allergy reasons, so ultimately we eliminated it from the whole household's diet, LOL, and it's been very easy. I do miss Coke though...LOL!

 

[crisi]

I have read thru over 1/2 of the thread, what does your child take to school for snacky items? DD usually has yougurt, fruit snacks, a little debbie cake and a sandwich. (I know, mother of the year but that is what I grew up with and so did Dh.) What wouldnt have the HFCS in it for lunches for kids? It shouldnt be this hard to think of anything but my brain is blocked!

Sandwich on homemade bread or bread bought at a natural food store that doesn't have HFCS in it. Fruit. Cookies (homemade or purchased from the coop or Trader Joes or some such place). Brownies. Pound cake (from a box). Milk. String cheese. Pretzels. Raisins. Dried fruit (mangos are a favorite around here).

A big step for us in reducing the intake of junk was to start looking at fruit snacks as CANDY which is what they are, and not as snacks or, God forbid, fruit. (Fruit leather is actually made with fruit, but needs to be found in the natural foods section usually) My kids are allowed either one soda or one piece of candy a day. And I'm a far more indulgent mom in that than I feel I should be. Also, one of my girlfriend gave me important advice - when buying snacks think "do I want my kid to reach for this when they are hungry?" - her house is filled with dried fruit, nuts, baby carrots, sliced apples (sitting in water and lemon juice) and cheese curds - potato chips and junk food are reserved for special occasions.