Ridiculous and Hilarious High Fructose Corn Syrup Commercial

This commercial is just too funny not to write about. You probably have been seeing this ad a lot lately, and it is because the corn growers are getting nervous that the country has caught onto the fact that HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup), is bad for our health - even worse than refined white sugar (which is also bad for our health). 

First of all, the acting is so bad in this clip you'll probably pee yourself watching it. I can't imagine some Mom randomly walking up to another Mom that's pouring juice for her kid and saying "wowwww, you don't care what the kids eat, huh?..." Most Mom's I know would pour juice on her with a comment like that. The argument the commercial tries to make is even funnier. Sorry Corn Refiners Association - we're onto you. 

HFCS is more dangerous than sugar because it causes spikes in insulin levels... the speed at which HFCS enters your bloodstream is higher than regular sugar. Unfortunately HFCS has found its way into everything from Ketchup, breads, cheese, soda, juice, cereals, beef jerky, iced teas, pretzels, snacks, almost all processed foods... literally anything and everything in place of sugar.

Why you ask? Well it isn't some evil government conspiracy to kill off our population... it's because corn based products are dirt cheap because they are subsidized by the government. Move over big oil, big corn is here! This makes it much less expensive for companies like Heinz to use HFCS in place of sugar. Also, HFCS extends the shelf life of products, so it acts as an additional preservative on top of its sweetening effect. 

The Mayo Clinic recommends limiting the quantity, and also suggests that the new research coming out in favor of HFCS is supported by the beverage industry (big shocker - I've never heard of anything like that ever happening before!) 

So what to sweeten with? I recommend following the advice of the article from the Mayo clinic. Limit sugary foods to as little as possible... stick with unsweetened products always (like iced tea, etc). Eat fresh fruit, limit soda and fruit juice drinking. My favorite sweetener is Blue Agave Nectar. It looks like honey, and is the healthiest sweetener available. It is all natural, low in sugar, and very low in the glycemic index. English translation: the sugar enters your blood stream slowly, which is good, because when things enter your blood stream quickly you get fat, that's all you need to know.

Even natural fruit juices are loaded with sugar. Fruits naturally have a lot of sugar, and while it is much healthier than refined sugars - we should still drink fruit juices in moderation because there is A LOT of fruit in juice. Eat fruit instead, you're unlikely to eat as much as you would drink - so it works out better for your health. 

Anyway - let me know what you all think. I know seeking out food without HFCS is a pain, but I think it's worth the second it takes to read the ingredients. I'm glad to see that companies are starting to advertise that they are not using it, and some are using cane sugar instead. My advice is just to not eat sugary foods, it's a huge cause of obesity and one that's often overlooked. 

It's amazing how much sugar is in that you wouldn't thing of (yogurt, milk, etc). If you're a high fructose fan, check out their website. You'll see lots of kids eating sweet sugary HFCS... on their way to a childhood of ADHD and other issues. While the "sweet surprise" for us adults will be a spare tire around our waist. good times!