Princeton News: A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain

Princeton News: A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain

Product Review: Clamato Tomato Cocktail

Earlier today, I was planning to cook cioppino for my family's Sunday dinner. I skimmed through various recipes online, to remind me what ingredients to buy and the basic cooking methods involved. I noticed some recipes called for clam broth and at least one mentions using Clamato tomato cocktail as an alternative. While I was at the supermarket, I was a bit pressed for time, so I wasn't able to find bottled clam juice, but I was able to buy fresh clams, and I also quickly grabbed some Clamato.

Orowheat Breads Stops Using HFCS

I just noticed that Orowheat brand bread, which is widely available in supermarkets in the San Francisco Bay Area, has recently stopped using high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a key ingredient.  For years, I ate Orowheat bread, but then I stopped when I realized HFCS was a commonly used ingredient in its various bread varieties, except for its organic specialty breads. I am glad to see Orowheat has responded to market pressures to stop using the nasty stuff.

The product labeling highlights both the omission of HFCS as well as the now popular claim of "0 grams trans fat".  I actually don't recall if partially hydrogenated oil was in the ingredients list in the past.  I'll guess it was and now it too is gone due to market pressures.

I would suspect there are still other questionable ingredients involved, given the likely need for a major brand to keep production costs down, but for now, we'll count this as a big win for the elimination of HFCS and trans fats from store shelves.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Propaganda

The TV ads put out by the Corn Refiners Association in support of high fructose corn syrup continue to drive me and many others crazy over how blatant commercial propaganda is spewed to the public. I've read online that the mere mention of HFCS in an online article, or perhaps even a blog entry like this, will result in the receipt of a stern and lengthy email or letter from the corn refiners touting the so-called misperceptions of the highly processed sweetener. The propaganda campaign is clearly serious business for these guys.