Happy Holidays from snowy Colorado!

Thanks for a fun-filled year, everyone.

In good health and happiness,
Melissa

Okay, I almost promise this will be my last HFCS post.

For some reason, this subject won’t leave me alone. I was minding my own business reading some online news sources about what’s happening with the auto industry bailout. Nothing about nutrition, nothing about HFCS, nothing about sugar. I just wanted to know what was going on in Washington. Seriously, would you expect to run into HFCS on forbes.com?

Forbes — like in money, business, and investing — not corn syrup and sugar.

Well, surprise, surprise. I’m reading about the economy and here’s this side column with a teaser, The Skinny On Sugars And Sweeteners. I couldn’t resist. With one click I was knee-deep in artificial sweeteners and soda pop again. I don’t even drink the stuff and I can’t get away from it.

So, what do the people at Forbes have to say about sugar? Keep in mind that this isn’t exactly a website for food critics and nutritionists. These are business people (capitalists no less), not holistic health advocates.

According to this article (on forbes.com), “Americans now eat less table sugar than they did in 1970, but the advent of corn syrup as an additive in everything from ice cream to ketchup means we consume more sugars than ever before. In 2007, Americans consumed 44 pounds of refined cane and beet sugar and 40 pounds of HFCS per capita.”

What? Are you kidding me? Eighty-four pounds of sugar per year? Per person? No way. I didn’t realize it was that much. I used different data when I posted my second (or was it third) HFCS/sugar post. (If you didn’t see that one, click here.) Or here for a diatribe on soda pop with more stunning consumption figures. Regardless of the exact numbers or how the data is communicated, Americans eat way too much sugar and it’s contributing to the increase in obesity and chronic disease. (For my complete glossary of everything sugar, click here.)

I also did a post back in September on the HFCS commercials by the Corn Refiner’s Association. If you want to see their deceivingly sweet commercials and read my take on them, click here. You need to understand what their diabolical plans are to understand this response from the King Corn guys.

Now, on to the fun stuff. If you haven’t seen King Corn, you must do that. In the meantime, enjoy this spoof of the HFCS commercials from Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, the creators of King Corn.

No more HFCS stuff. I must get on with my life.

Go forth and eat healthy food. Real food. I’ll take a hiatus from my ranting and start posting recipes for the holidays. How’s that?
Melissa
P.S. I’m not knocking good, organic corn. I love a nice grilled corn on the cob with butter dripping from the kernels (in my case Earth Balance vegan spread), but I’m not crazy about the fact that cheap, crappy, unhealthy corn is in everything we eat. If you eat fast food, you’re eating corn, corn, and more corn (in the form of HFCS). Ugh!

I warned you.

You can’t see me, but I’m dressed in black from head to toe.

Like some veiled matriarch whose sullen soul wanders the night, I too, drift in despair. My FINAL Grant Family Farms CSA box, the sine qua non of my existence, was delivered last night. I feel abandoned and filled with dread.

Now I’m left with 2 sugar pumpkins, a delicata squash, a bag of potatoes and a faint will to live. It’s only been 24 hours and already the simple pleasure of farm-fresh kale is but a bittersweet memory. Entwined garlic scapes a thing of the past. And my downfall, an earthy ménage a roots, all but gone with the freshly fallen snow.

What am I to do?

Troll the aisles at Whole Foods?

It’s not the same. I want to know where my food came from. Who took the time, care, and love to grow it. I want to be surprised each week when I open my big red box.

(And contrary to what you might think, it often costs more to buy your food from a grocery store. Not to mention the cost to the environment. Oops, that was out of character. I’m in mourning, black tights and all. Filled with angst.)

Back to my woebegone produce eulogy.

On second thought, I should probably get a grip. I’m sounding a bit nutbar-ish. I don’t want my own personal CSA farmers to contemplate a restraining order. Anyway, I’m hungry and now that I think of it, I do have some dark chocolate with almonds and cherries hidden away in my half-empty veggie drawer.

Veggies? What veggies?

Check in with me in a day or so, I’ll have something more uplifting for you.

Go forth and — and — eat dark chocolate.

In mourning,
Melissa
P.S. Support your local CSA.

This is for you Herbie and I really mean it!

Do any of you know who Art Linkletter is? He had a TV show back in the 1950s and 60s called Art Linkletter’s House Party. Later in his career he co-hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things with Bill Cosby. If you have an extra 7 minutes and want a good laugh, check this YouTube video of highlights from these early shows. He certainly brought the best out in kids — or at least the funniest. If you recognize yourself, let me know. And if you know where I can get a pair of glitter glasses like the ones Karen is wearing, please tip me off. I love those.

What does this have to do with anything, you ask? Especially a nutrition blog?

Art Linkletter did his show in front of a live audience. Although not part of this video clip, legend has it that he once asked a cute, freckled-face little boy if he wanted to say something special to one of his friends at home watching him on TV.

Hey Tommy. Look at me, I’m on TV and you’re not.

You know, something like that.

The kid thought for a moment, then looked directly into the camera, stuck his hand up in the air, vigorously flipped the bird, and said, “This is for you Herbie, and I really mean it.”

Yes, kids say the darndest things.

Again, what does this have to do with my nutrition blog? I’ve been inspired by a friend to write a post on soda pop. Inspired by his refusal to give the stuff up, not because he asked me to share my evangelical ranting with him. In fact, quite the opposite. But that’s never stopped me before.

So, this is for you Don and I really mean it!

(No accompanying hand gestures necessary.)

Pay attention. And yes, I do realize I can be bossy and annoying.

First off, if soda pop is an occasional treat, that’s probably okay, although I suggest eliminating it altogether. It has ZERO nutritional value and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is a common ingredient. New research published in the Journal of Nutrition suggests that the ratio of fructose to glucose (chemical names for sugar) in HFCS converts to fat in the body more efficiently than other forms of sugar. The study found that as the fructose concentration went up, so did the rate of lipogenesis (the process in which sugars are converted to body fat).

According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, soft drink companies produce enough soda pop to provide each and every one of us with 52.4 gallons per year. That’s 557 12-ounce cans each. According to the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA), the number is closer to 600 12-ounce cans per person, per year. Who’s drinking my share? And that’s not even counting all the other junk drinks like Red Bull, sugar-sweetened iced tea, diet drinks, and so on.

The NSDA also claims that carbonated soft drinks are the single biggest source of calories in the American diet (are they bragging about that?). How can that be? I suppose if you’re drinking two 12-ounce cans of Pepsi per day, you’re getting 320 calories and that comes out to about 16% of caloric intake (in a 2000 calorie per day diet). That pushes out goodies like broccoli and kale. (Yes, you should be eating broccoli and kale.)

Okay, how much sugar is that? If you drink two 12-ounce cans of soda pop, that’s 80 grams of sugar. Four grams equals 1 teaspoon, so that’s 20 teaspoons of sugar per day in soda pop alone. Yikes!

The stuff is cheap because it’s mainly water and corn syrup, so no wonder the kid behind the drink counter at the movie theater encourages you to buy the 36 ounce soda for an extra 25 cents. Wait, that would be 30 teaspoons of sugar, wouldn’t it? Not only that, but a certain type of sugar that converts to fat more efficiently. And you’re not expending many calories while sitting there watching Kung Fu Panda. It’s not surprising that obesity is on the rise.

As Marion Nestle points out in her wonderful book, What To Eat, soda pop is inexpensive because, “water is practically free, and your taxes pay to subsidize corn production.” Does that mean that as tax payers we’re directly contributing to the obesity problem in this country? I want to personally choose where my tax money goes. Wouldn’t you be more willing to cheerfully pay your taxes if you could specify what program your money went to? “Cheerful” might be a leap, but I prefer my contribution not be part of the HFCS subsidy.

Okay, I’m not picking up that “food politics” rope. But I will say, #*^@!

Back to soda pop and HFCS. The above mentioned article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition explains, “Fructose is a simple sugar found in honey, fruit, table sugar (sucrose), and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Because of the worldwide increase in the consumption of these sweeteners, fructose intake has quadrupled since the early 1900s. The past 30 years have witnessed an even greater acceleration in consumption, in part because of the introduction of HFCS; this phenomenon parallels the rise in obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease.”

Studies show that excessive fructose ingestion can cause inflammation, promote hyperactivity, induce insulin resistance, cause cavities, elevate blood pressure, contribute to fatty liver and renal injury, cause oxidative stress, and contribute to obesity.

Gosh, they had me at inflammation. I’ve got an autoimmune disease (celiac), so increasing inflammation is not on my “to do” list. It shouldn’t be on yours either.

If that’s not enough, phosphoric acid, added to give soda pop its “zip” causes calcium loss. We don’t want that. Pure phosphoric acid can eat its way through almost anything (metal, cement). Household hints columnist, Mary Ellen, suggests using Coke to clean your toilets, bathtubs, and sinks. Heloise, another hints queen, suggests pouring Coke over car battery terminals to get rid of the corrosion. And we’re drinking it by the gallon. Ugh!

Most soda also contains caffeine. High amounts stimulate the adrenal glands causing chronic low grade stress and poor quality sleep. Not good. Caffeine also contributes to gastric inflammation and increased stomach acid levels.

Bottom line?

“From the health point of view it is desirable especially to have restriction of such use of sugar as is represented by consumption of sweetened carbonated beverages and forms of candy which are of low nutritional value. The Council believes it would be in the interest of the public health for all practical means to be taken to limit consumption of sugar in any form in which it fails to be combined with significant proportions of other foods of high nutritive quality.”

The above statement was released in 1942 by the American Medical Association’s Council on Food and Nutrition. We should have paid attention. But it’s never too late to dump the stuff in your toilet, scrub well, and flush.

Go forth and drink water.

In good health,
Melissa

Sorry, but I can’t seem to let go of this HFCS thing. After I published my original sugar post, I thought I was finished with that subject. But no, the Corn Refiner’s Association had to come up with those deceptively sweet commercials and I got caught up in it again. And now, with Halloween right around the corner — well, I just can’t help myself.

What prompted this revival of my HFCS interest (obsession)? I recently read that twenty million pounds of candy corn are sold in the United States each year, most of it around Halloween. What? How can that be? And what is candy corn, anyway?

Before I launch into part 3 of my sugar diabtribe, imagine this. I’m at K-Mart this morning sneaking around the bulk (and I mean BULK) candy isle (now called Seasonal Favorites), which by the way, is several miles long and conveniently located next to the Health & Beauty section. I’m wearing a tattered London Fog trench coat, a Blondie wig, and Jackie O sunglasses. Why? Because I’m a nutrition therapist on an anti-HFCS rant and here I am buying candy corn by the 5 pound bag. Hypocrisy aside, that just doesn’t look good.

But I digress. Back to the mission at hand. What exactly is candy corn and how could we possibly consume 20 million pounds of the stuff each year?

According to my sources (Wikipedia and the National Confectioners Association), candy corn is made from sugar, corn syrup, honey, carnauba wax, fondant, and marshmallows. Okay, so we’ve got sugar, sugar, and sugar for the first 3 ingredients. Carnauba wax and fondant? Does that sound nasty to you?

Carnauba wax is what gives candy corn its glossy look. The wax is collected from a plant, then refined and bleached. It’s used in car wax, furniture polish, shoe polish, and candy corn.

Now we have sugar, sugar, sugar, and bleached wax. Yum!

On to fondant, which is sugar and water cooked to a “soft-ball” stage.

Sugar, sugar, sugar, bleached wax, and sugar.

Aaah, some redemption in the last ingredient. Marshmallows. We all know what marshmallows are, right? No? Well, guess what? Marshmallows are made from sugar, corn syrup, water, gelatin, dextrose, and flavorings — whipped to a spongy consistency. Before I wrap this up, you need to know two more things. Gelatin is usually made from collagen extracted from the bones, connective tissue, intestines, and organs of cows. And remember when I mentioned in sugar post #1 that words ending in “ose” usually indicate — you guessed it — sugar!

If I’m correct, candy corn is made from (drum roll, please), sugar, sugar, sugar, bleached wax, sugar, sugar, sugar, cow connective tissue, sugar, and flavorings. “Flavorings” being the mystery ingredient as I couldn’t figure that one out. Maybe we don’t want to know.

Bottom line? Skip the candy corn and here’s why.

First off, much of the sugar in candy corn is in the form of HFCS. New research published in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition shows that the ratio of fructose to glucose is important in how efficiently we turn sugar into body fat. Three different test groups were used. One group drank a 100% glucose drink, one group a 50% glucose/50% fructose mix, and the final group a 25% glucose/75% fructose mix. All three groups consumed the mixture in the morning. To make a long and rather complicated story short, body fat synthesis was measured immediately after these sugar drinks were consumed showing a significant increase in lipogenesis as the fructose concentration went up. Lipogenesis is the process in which sugars are converted to body fat.

The higher fructose mix given at breakfast also impacted the way the body dealt with lunch fats, increasing the storage of converted fats rather than using them for other purposes. Once the process was kick-started in the morning, it continued. Dr. Elizabeth Parks, the lead scientist conducting the study, noted that people trying to lose weight shouldn’t eliminate fresh fruit from their diets (the sugar in fruit is fructose), but should eliminate processed foods containing refined sugar and HFCS. The relatively small amount of sugar in fresh fruit is mixed with fiber, bulk and other good things which minimizes the lipogenesis potential.

As I mentioned in my first sugar post, sugar is not inherently evil and is not the sole cause of our obesity epidemic, but it does contribute. Americans eat too much fat, too much sugar, too much protein, too many calories and we don’t get enough exercise. Obesity is the result of a combination of things. And although those recent HFCS commercials suggest it is a natural substance and is fine in moderation, this new study indicates this version of sugar might put you on the fast track to weight gain. HFCS may be “natural” but it boosts fat storage, so eliminate it from your diet. Instead, use honey, maple syrup, or molasses in moderation.

And don’t touch that candy corn.

In good health,
Melissa

Sugar Post #1
HFCS Post #2

The government has made an effort to let us know what we should be eating on a daily basis by creating the Food Pyramid. Rather ironic, wouldn’t you say? Here we are at the top of the food chain and we’re the only animals in need of eating instructions.

And in light of more and more evidence of poor decisions made by our elected officials, maybe we should educate ourselves and figure out what we should eat on our own.

Okay, having said that, I’m going to throw my two cent’s worth into the mix. More irony, you say? I suppose so, but at this point, there’s an overload of complex and confusing information from too many sources. It’s time to slow down and rethink things. We all have to eat, why is it so confusing to choose a healthy diet? Why are we so obsessed with food and yet so unhealthy as a culture? Part of the problem is too many choices in a world of food politics and an industry worth billions of dollars a year — in the United States alone. That can make eating complicated and even stressful.

It doesn’t have to be.

Here are a few tips for healthy eating and a simple recipe for snacking.

1. Eat whole, fresh food (preferably organic).
2. Make whole plant sources, especially vegetables, legumes, and fruit your foundation. You can even eat veggies for breakfast — it’s okay, trust me. Use gluten-free whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, and teff.
3. For the most part, choose foods you can hold in your hands and wash. Can you wash a box of Kraft mac and cheese or a package of ding dongs? You can wash a tomato and you can rinse brown rice. See how easy that is?
4. Don’t eat food that never spoils. Remember my HFCS post? The pink snowballs and the chocolate hockey pucks? As I mentioned, I’ve had those on my closet shelf for over a year. If it doesn’t rot, it’s not food.
5. If animals, insects, and bacteria won’t eat it, maybe we shouldn’t. Food that has been sprayed with chemicals to repel critters is not a good choice for people either. Whoa, that doesn’t mean bugs are smarter than we are, does it? Yikes, maybe so.
6. You’ve all probably heard this one before — don’t eat foods from the middle of the grocery store. Stick to the periphery where the real food is located.
7. Make it yourself. Learn from your grandmother. Enjoy the cultural wisdom of food. My mother grew up in a very poor family in the south during the depression. I mean dirt-floor poor. They had few food choices, but somehow the family was fairly healthy. All they could afford was assorted beans, cornbread, dandelion greens, whatever fruit or nut tree was around, some oatmeal and an occasional pig, chicken, or fresh-caught game (birds, fish, rabbits). My grandmother also made them all take a dose of cod liver oil regularly. Hmmm? When you think about it, you’ve got some very healthy food choices there. They either grew or caught everything they ate. I know things are different now and you just don’t have time to go rabbit hunting on your lunch hour, but it doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.
8. To sum it up: eat less, eat slower, use smaller plates, choose fresh ingredients, eat more vegetables, skip the junk food, and savor your food. Part of eating healthy is enjoying what you eat, how you prepare it, the cultural variations, and sharing it with others.

Gluten-free, dairy-free yummy hummus to eat with all those veggies

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (15 ounce can — preferably organic)
3 cloves peeled garlic
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup water (add slowly so you don’t end up with sloppy hummus, you may not need all of it)
1 teaspoon wheat-free tamari (I use the San-J brand as they routinely test for gluten) *
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or omit if you don’t want zingy hummus)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

This is another one of my “launching pad” recipes. You can customize this any way you want. Switch out the garbanzo beans for pinto or cannellini beans, add minced chile peppers, parsley — whatever your heart desires (or whatever ingredients you have on hand).

Mince peeled garlic in the food processor until finely pulverized. Add beans, tahini, lemon juice, water (a little bit at a time), tamari, salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper and blend until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate. Remove and let hummus reach room temperature before serving. Blend in cilantro and serve with fresh veggies. Carrots, celery, broccoli, jicama, gluten-free crackers (Mary’s Gone Crackers original flax seed crackers are a favorite of mine), olives — whatever you can think of.

* San-J Wheat-Free Tamari is gluten-free, but contains soy and corn.

Enjoy!
In good health,
Melissa

Yeah, I know. My photos are usually of natural things. Like real food. No, I haven’t lost my mind (not totally, anyway).

Let me explain. I just received an email from one of my blog readers asking me what the deal was with the High Fructose Corn Syrup commercials. I hadn’t seen them, so I did a little research and while I’m not going to jump all over the Corn Refiners Association (well, maybe a little) — sure enough, they’re pulling out what they’re calling the “Sweet Surprise” campaign. And on the surface, they’re not fibbing about the facts. No, they aren’t lying, BUT (the famous “but”) they’re also not telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God.

They suggest that HFCS is fine in “moderation.” Moderation is a bandwagon I continually jump on, BUT my definition of moderation and theirs is probably very different. There are also many things I wouldn’t consider eating — even in moderation. Plus, foods that contain HFCS are usually highly refined junk foods that often contain other forms of sugar and non-food additives. HFCS pals around with hydrogenated fats, artificial flavors, strange dyes, and other questionable friends. As I mentioned in my prior sugar post, highly refined sugars (white table sugar, HFCS) have had all the nutrient value stripped through the processing, leaving a nutritionally void source of calories.

So, as I sit here reading the ingredient list that accompanies these little treats pictured above, I stick with my original story. Use natural forms of sugar such as honey, pure maple syrup, or molasses and use those in moderation. Skip the processed stuff and eat real food, which is usually lower in calories and comes with the nutrients and fiber your body needs and wants.

Thanks, but no thanks to the Corn Refiners Association and HFCS — even with this new and “enlightening” information.

Check out these commercials and tell me what you think.

These little snacks pictured here have been hidden away on my closet shelf for over a year. I’ve been saving them for something special. Today’s the day! Don’t worry, even though I’d do just about anything for a few organic jelly beans right now (I’m doing a sugar cleanse), I’m not tempted to eat these things. Even if they were gluten-free. I bought them because I wanted to see how long they’d last. They’re back in the closet again. Look for another post using these same models next year.

The label list on the pink treats (I won’t name any names) is about 45 ingredients long, with 3 forms of sugar, 2 being at the top of the list. There’s not much nutritional value there. The best thing on the list might actually be the pork gelatin (yes, that’s an ingredient). Or maybe the beef fat. Ugh!

You get the idea. Now, go eat a peach. Yum, that’s a real sweet surprise!

I’m going to skip the nutrition, put off the recipe posting, and share with you a few of my favorite YouTube videos and one very entertaining audio clip. So, if you have nothing exciting happening tonight, make yourself a cup of green tea with agave (or, pour yourself a glass of red wine) and enjoy!

And remember, laughter and wonder are as good for your health as asparagus and broccoli.

1. This will make you smile no matter how cranky you are that you have nothing to do on a Saturday night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnVDHzUAj30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTSFhIv9bYg

2. This one will leave you absolutely astonished – amazing strength and flexibility on display.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5lN96dgt_Y

3. This was from an older post of mine, but it always makes me laugh. Bill Maher, with this anti-pharma rant of his, makes some good points.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHXXTCc-IVg

4. And just so you know I haven’t forgotten that this blog is also about food, I’m sending you to one of my favorite culinary websites and blogs, Leite’s Culinaria, for an audio by Jess Thompson about dining in Chicago. Snicker, snicker.

http://www.leitesculinaria.com/media/thomson_audio.html

I have more, but I’ll spare you the skate-boarding dog and the tsunami surfer. Have a nice weekend!

In good health (and laughter),
Melissa

I thought I’d end January with a contest, this time double food-related. Last time the contest was about animal tracks, this version will be about spore-bearing fruiting fungus bodies. Doesn’t that sound appetizing? I’ll fill you in on the nutritional aspects of fungus in a day or so, but for now, I’ll just open the door to guesses.

So, what is this? Be specific, no general answers. This is a two-part question; identify both versions. I’ll give it a week and the winner will be the lucky recipient of something kitchen or food related. And although I hate to discriminate, I can only ship to U.S. addresses. But I invite answers from anywhere on the planet. Even from Karen, my favorite ramblingspoon, who is off wandering around somewhere in northern Thailand.

The grand prize isn’t all that grand, but it is a fun little culinary-related gadget. It’s not worth shipping very far though, certainly not half-way around the world.

I’m thinking maybe Cindy, my busy little rocket-scientist/food-chemistry neighbor at cindalouskitchenblues will figure this one out fairly quickly. But who knows, she might be off messing with microquasars or busy unlocking galactic mysteries, so hurry and give it a try before she gets back.

Good luck!
Melissa

Weird thing #1

Weird thing #2

The fork is for size perspective only. I wasn’t eating these things like this, but stay tuned for a recipe once we figure out what they are.

Merry Christmas! Snow has been falling steadily since sometime last night – it’s a white Christmas in Colorado. I’ve got green chile stew simmering on the stove and a fire burning in the fireplace. Much to be thankful for!

Warm wishes to all, goodwill towards men, and peace on earth.

From Fairbanks’ house to yours . . .

Cheers!
Melissa