We have a national obsession with the issues of Phthalates, BPA, Lead and more. And understandably so, because it affects what goes into our children's bodies from their bottles, mattresses, and even the air. But, before these issues surfaced, I had my own personal obsession with corn syrup. From everything I read and saw on TV, you would think that High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)was one of the worst ingredients we can give ourselves and our kids.

I embarked on a crusade to eliminate it from our lives, but quickly found that you can hardly avoid it without going 100% organic (at significant expense). I went through every granola bar, fruit strip, and cracker on my grocery store shelves and found very few options. I even discovered that almost all ketchups have corn syrup as a key ingredient. I did find a few key products that have become staples in my kitchen including Organic Heinz Ketchup, Archer Farms Fruit Strips, etc.

Then I decided to write a blog article about my attempts to avoid of HFCS and went to do some research online. To my surprise, I couldn't really find any evidence to support what I have been hearing all these years. Here are a few pieces I found online:

A Wikipedia posting, which cites some of the anti-HFCS studies, most of which have been refuted.

The conclusions of these articles basically say that HFCS is not worse than the "natural" sugar it replaces. In fact, since it is made from corn, it might be as natural as sugar or honey, just less expensive to make. In fact, taking it a step further, you might even say that it is better for the environment because it can be produced locally in most places.

The conclusion might just be that it is just that sugar, in general, is bad for you,not HFCS specifically. Wow. This makes me re-think my hunt for non-HFCS foods.

And then, the other night, I came across a campaign from the Corn Refiners Association. They pointed to this website: www.sweetsurprise.com. I know you have to consider the source, but facts are facts and, in this day and age, I can't believe that any association would make themselves liable by posting inaccurate information.

So, in the end, maybe this posting is less about sharing my great finds and more a cautionary note to do your research before jumping to conclusions about things.

If you have more information on HFCS, I welcome comments and input!