We successfully went a year without buying food from grocery stores, restaurants and convenience stores. Now we're going for another year.
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Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Why We're Doing This Reason #4
Mmmmmm, high fructose corn syrup. It's in everything. It's hard to eat it in moderation if you're the average American. In my opinion, however you shouldn't ingest any of it. But the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) is putting a lot of money into advertising trying to tell people that it's chemically the same as table sugar - which it is not. I'm sure you've seen their Sweet Surprise ads. As it turns out some products, mainly soft drinks, are much higher in fructose (which shouldn't be confused with the low levels of fructose in fruit which is better regulated by the body because of the addition on nutrients and fiber) than touted by the CRA. Sweet Surprise indeed.
It is becoming easier to find basics made without HFCS, but unfortunately we have to pay a premium for those products. These CRA ads make me sick. Actually, I have a question for you: clearly the FDA is not in the business of actually looking out for our interests (as evidenced by the recent HFCS studies). Any thoughts on where to find reliable information on medications, foods, etc?
ReplyDeleteOh, and another question: what are you guys doing about coffee and tea? Are you just not drinking it this year? Or does it fit with your criteria as long as it's purchased from a local store? =)
Hey Anna! I was just about to drop in to the Pixie page this morning because I've been MIA for so long.
ReplyDeleteFinding reliable information is difficult because so many places run ads (are sponsored) by those that are poisoning us so they mislead people in their articles. I try to find info on sites such as the Organic Consumers Association, Change.org's sustainable food blog, Grist and various books, like the Omnivore's Dilemma. Dr. Mercola's website is pretty good as well, you just have to filter his ads for the stuff he sells. He does post a lot of articles from other people that aren't vested in him though, so that can be useful.
We aren't big tea drinkers. If we do want tea, though, there is a small, local place near us that specializes in tea. As for coffee, we are now buying green beans and roasting it ourselves. It is so much better than the pre-roasted stuff - it doesn't even compare.
Those ads are disgusting. Seriously. I haven't seen one in awhile, but for heaven's sake. I'm just grasping the horrible mind set that people have. The attitude I see in commercials and stores is that our bodies are bad because they get fat, tired, etc when we eat foods we like, when really we're eating crap that is hurting our bodies. So yea, trying my damnedest to avoid HFCS. I like soda here and there, so I found a mexican soda that uses real sugar at the orchard we go to. Joy!
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