Last week, I shared a bit of background of what I’ve been reading and why we’re rethinking some of the foods we have in our house and the baby-steps we are taking to change.
First, we’ve made the switch to full-fat milk, organic dairy products. And we’ve also been eliminating two more things from our diets in step two:
Food Dyes
Why did I pick food dyes? Well, from what I’ve read, they not only have they been linked to long-term health problems, but these chemicals often have immediate and devastating effects on children’s behavior and ability to learn. (Now my kids don’t seem to have reactions to food dyes, but I have many friends whose kids have insane reactions to dye.) What really sealed the deal for me was that in Europe foods containing artificial food dyes require warning labels on them that tell parents of these risks to children. WARNING LABELS.
And, well, frankly – the dyes are generally in food that probably isn’t really all that healthy anyway, so this has been an easy change to make. Two great reads:
The Color of Trouble on Spoonfed
Food Dyes’ Favor Fades as Possible Links to Hyperactivity Emerge in the Washington Post.
HFCS
Now, a somewhat controverisal issue, High Fructose Corn Syrup. AKA “corn sugar.” That’s right, it’s no longer “high fructose corn syrup,” but “corn sugar”— that the corn industry hopes will subtly convince you that “sugar” and “corn sugar” are interchangeable ingredients. Wrong.
It’s argued that HFCS is fundamentally identical to sugar with similar amounts of glucose and fructose. But scientists have expressed doubt over this argument, citing a Princeton University study in which lab rats became obese drinking HFCS (which has a higher proportion of fructose than glucose) while other rats that drank an equal amount of sucrose (which has a 50-50 proportion of fructose and glucose) remained at a normal weight.
Here’s the thing about HFCS, regardless of whether it has any independent association with weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc: this ingredient is essentially (to borrow a term from Michael Pollan) a “food item” — something that looks like food, something that companies want us to think is food, but which is in fact a creation of science. Corn sugar is not found anywhere in corn. It is made in a lab, where they must change the molecular structure of the corn.
The article A Sweetener With a Bad Rap in the New York Times give a good two-sided version of the story, basically while the charts seem to really link the huge rise in obesity and diabetes to the introduction of HFCS, its not technically proven.
What concerns me most about HFCS is that it is everywhere, in so much that we eat. And not just sugary drinks or candy – because not only is HFCS is cheaper than sugar, but it’s also a preservative and stabiliser in food products to enhance and prolong their shelf life on grocery store shelves. Its in that whole wheat bread you’re buying because its healthier. Its in tomato sauce, ketchup, crackers, salad dressing, soup, juice… even things we don’t think of like pretzels and chips!
And I have to add – its not just HFCS. We are all getting too much sugar – in any form – so reducing our sugar intake in general is important. So, I’m trying to look for products that use pure cane sugar—or better — that have no sugar at all. I’m especially looking to cut HFCS from things that do not need extra sweetening, like bread, salad dressing, crackers, etc. And I’ve been pleased that it has not been nearly as hard as I thought it would be.
How I’m doing this:
I went to the grocery store – by myself – one afternoon and took the time to read the labels of the products we buy. There are 10 varieties of ketchup and my kids LOVE ketchup – and I found that Heinz now makes a Simply Heinz Ketchup that tastes exactly the same, but has all natural ingredients – no HFCS. (Their organic variety is the same.) So now, that’s the ketchup I buy. Easy!
There was very little we had to actually give up (‘fruit snacks’, being one) – we mainly just changed a few brands and my kids barely noticed.
For example, My kids favorite snacks are:
1. fruit (obviously no dyes or HFCS there)
2. Goldfish Crackers (sticking to regular varieties or whole grains. Avoid the the colored version, as they have food dyes.)
3. Pretzels (finding ones with simple ingredient lists. While Rold Gold Pretzel Sticks have HFCS, Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzel Sticks have no sugar at all and only 7 ingredients, all of which I can pronounce.)
So they still have their 3 favorite snacks, just healthier versions.
So far the dairy switch and the food dye and HFCS switches have been relatively painless. Our grocery bill has gone up a bit as we added organic yogurt and cheese to the milk we were already buying and I’ve been buying more produce, but its been manageable.
I’ll keep you posted on our next baby step!
