IN a PICKLE???? HFCS frustration.

It's everywhere and I believe its a large part of the reason I struggled for so many years to become healthy. High Fructose Corn Syrup has been around since I was two years old.  I might not be a registered dietitian or a Doctor (not that Dr's seem to know much about nutrition).... but I do have extensive experience with sugar and HFCS. If 42 years worth of experience isn't enough for you then you might just want to stop reading right now because what I have to say means little.

I was given corn syrup as a baby (for digestive reasons), so its no wonder that I feel better today than I ever have in my life! 42 years of sugar addiction, that effected everything from my moods, to my pregnancy's, my hormones, my waistline and overall health (headaches, feet aches, stomach aches).... NO wonder I feel so great now!!!! wooowhooo... Praise God for helping me break away from processed sugars and leading me towards the whole wonderfully sweet beautiful food he made for me!

We read labels in our family. I began homeschooling my kids years ago and have a educational philosophy that in every situation there is a learning experience to be found. The grocery store is no different. My children have been reading labels before they could read. Today shopping with the kids is still just as fun as ever and the things they discover often shocks me. Yesterday my DD decided she would like to get some pickles to go with supper. We aren't big pickle eaters so we had none at home. I was looking at the Larabars when my DD called to me..

"HEY MOM... Guess what THIS has in it?" 

 What's even more nuts is the label:

The label says HFCS in the ingredients... so if thats the case where is the sugar on the nutrition fact label? It says "less than one gram of carbohydrates" .. ok. So when I eat this jar of pickles then it has HFCS then I don't need to worry because its less than a gram per serving. 

OK... 

so I did some more looking on the Internet and did a search for Vlasic Ovals 32oz pickles. Whats interesting is these sites list the sugar content from 1g to 2g per serving. Let's say that the sugar content is 1 gram... that means for every 3 pickles I eat I am getting 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. 

THIS STUFF DRIVES ME CRAZY YOU KNOW!! 

I hate how the food industry seem to be set up to just lie to the consumers! I do know that the labels are just guides and are approximations of the contents value.. but if can put a man on the moon can't we figure out exactly what is in the food we are buying? 

The other question is... WHY DO WE NEED HFCS IN PICKLES????

Here's a recipe to make your own..........

pickling cucumbers
whole heads of fresh dill
whole garlic cloves (large)
whole small hot peppers
2 qt. water
1 qt. white or cider vinegar
1 c. canning salt

Where's the sugar? hum. 

Sometimes I feel its just a big conspiracy ... put HFCS in everything and when the population gets fat or has high cholesterol because of it we can make  money off them again through the medical industry.  Cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure... what if WHAT WE EAT MATTERS MORE THAN WE REALIZE???

Princeton University says this: 

"These rats aren't just getting fat; they're demonstrating characteristics of obesity, including substantial increases in abdominal fat and circulating triglycerides," said Princeton graduate student Miriam Bocarsly. "In humans, these same characteristics are known risk factors for high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, cancer and diabetes.".............

"In the 40 years since the introduction of high-fructose corn syrup as a cost-effective sweetener in the American diet, rates of obesity in the U.S. have skyrocketed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1970, around 15 percent of the U.S. population met the definition for obesity; today, roughly one-third of the American adults are considered obese, the CDC reported. High-fructose corn syrup is found in a wide range of foods and beverages, including fruit juice, soda, cereal, bread, yogurt, ketchup and mayonnaise. On average, Americans consume 60 pounds of the sweetener per person every year.

"Our findings lend support to the theory that the excessive consumption of high-fructose corn syrup found in many beverages may be an important factor in the obesity epidemic," Avena said.

You can read the whole article HERE...

WHAT IF: 

We could cure ourselves of illness by changing our eating habits. What if God designed our body's for whole, natural foods.... not foods from a box or a chemical plant? What if we were designed to live full, happy, physically fit lives ... until the day we die?

What if the HFCS in our foods (baked goods, sodas, sauces, dips, desserts, frozen treats, juices, yogurt, pickles and MUCH MORE).... had things in it like mercury.. would you want to give it to your kids? or yourself? .... CLICK HERE to read more and a list of food that contain HFCS. 

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Just so you know... my DD chose a different brand of pickles from the self that included ingredients closer to home made :).. NO HFCS for us thank you very much :)