Not quite randoms, starting with 6

[kinzel]

So, before I forget, 6 is the day's lily count. Six.  Also, a quick scan shows on the order of 70 additional buds -- guess this is a good season.

So the other day I was buying some canned baked beans -- and put them back on the shelf. Ingredients (besides the pea beans) --  included molasses and brown sugar, which I was OK with, and -- HFCS, elsewise known as high fructose corn syrup.  WTF? I mean, why, people? Why?

I should note that as part of the rebuilding of my mouth that went on a few years ago I needed to keep watch on blood pressure -- they were giving me painkillers in between the actual cutting, shaping, bone-shaving and there was the potential for problems given that my pressure ahd been on the high side, in recent memory.  In fact my doctor had been a little concerned with my triglycerides before we started and offered to put me on drugs for life to deal with it, and I declined and changed diet.  So I'd worked off 20 lbs or so and have tried to keep it off and the blood pressure check has become a daily thing, with Sharon and I both doing it as a matter of course. Over the last two years there's been a slow rise, in both of us.  We figured that was a mix of tension (yes, we're in publishing during the zombie apocalypse!) and aging until, until I say -- until I saw an article linking HFCS to both increased blood pressure and weight gain.  As we'd done while I was reducing weight and such before, we did an inventory of the food in the house and this time looked for and found HFCS in the oddest places. Like, you know, baked beans. Like, maybe you didn't know, in the non-fat half-and-half we'd adopted to help with cholesterol. In the brand of chocolate milk we mixed with our morning coffee (more on this later), in, well -- all kinds of stuff. Even in my Pepsi! 

Once again we did some winnowing, discovering along the way that certain sizes of (for example) chocolate milk contained HFCS and other sizes don't, they just have sugar.  Other than the note in the ingredients list the packaging and marketing appears identical.

And so, yes, on the average, our blood pressures both seem to be running a10 to 15 points lower now. FWIW. I think I need new glasses though -- reading all those labels is taking a toll on my eyes.

Nope, this is not a double blind study. And the change may be something else -- maybe in eating an extra tomato every other day or so because of summer eating patterns, or maybe because I'm cooking more carrots than I used to, or, whatever.

Anyway, food for thought.

Comments

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

HFCS is nasty stuff and it shows up in all sorts of unsuspected places. I've been trying to avoid it for years. Besides its links to health problems, I just plain don't like the taste of it. My family members scoffed at me for taking the opportunity to drink coke with real sugar in it when I was in Japan a number of years ago. Then my sister spent some time in England and Ireland the next summer and discovered how much better the coke there tasted and I had another convert.

I suspect that banning HFCS would do more to improve health in this country than any of the various other campaigns the government has been conducting.

HFCS in Coke

[(Anonymous)]

When I drink soda, about once every 6 months, I like Classic Coke. I go to the Hispanic markets where the Coke is imported from Mexico and contains cane sugar.

Rosemary

Re: HFCS in Coke

[kay-gmd.livejournal.com]

Our local Costco also caries Mexican Coke. It's the only soda we buy.

[mardott.livejournal.com]

I promise I will behave and not write an epistle here. But one of my goals in life is to rid the world of HFCS. I will simply quote Michael Pollan: "Eat real food. Mostly plants. Not too much."

It's better to use real cream in your coffee, and real butter on your pancakes than the fake replacements of fat-free half and half or margarine. If you're in the habit of slathering half a cup of margarine on your pancakes, you might need to cut back the butter to a tablespoon or so. Me, I just put some fruit on mine, and let it be.

Oh, and make your pancakes from scratch. That doesn't mean with Bisquick.

Darn, I promised I wouldn't get carried away. Shutting up now...

Eat REAL food

[joythree.livejournal.com]

Organic chemistry classes at Columbia University cured me of tolerating "fake/altered" foods. Fresh foods, whole foods, real-sugar foods seem much safer to me. And some of these "sugar-substitutes" have only one or two calories less than cane sugar per serving.

It is a pain to have to read the small print, though.

[nephir.livejournal.com]

It amazes me that the FDA continues to allow the use of HFCS, but the corn industry has deep pockets and is willing to spend any amount of money to prove that HFCS isn't harmful. For every study showing links to issues of health I think the sponsor three disproving it.

Like you and Sharon, I try to limit what comes into my house with it included. I was shocked to find it in the sour cream I used to buy. Can anyone please explain to me why sour cream of all things need HFCS?

Good luck on the continuation of limiting it in your diet and the lowering of your blood pressure.

And Happy Birthday! as well. I know its coming up shortly!

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

Pepsi without HFCS:

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2009/02/natural-food-lovers-are-rejoicing-this-week-as-pepsico-announced-it-will-be-introducing-a-new-line-of-pure-sugar-soft-d.html

Cooked carrots?

[(Anonymous)]

I find myself wondering, does cooking the carrots make a difference? Or do you eat them too?

And it's off to the grocery store with me, to look for unprocessed dinner type stuff.
Erik,