What I Like About the Corn Syrup Commercials
No, really. The message I like is that you should do your own research and make your own decisions about what's good for you and what isn't. In a way, they're saying that you shouldn't just parrot what you've heard, but take some time to look into the facts. Don't buy the hype. Know what you're eating.
In the case of corn syrup, my research tells me that I'm happy to avoid it most of the time. Which isn't the message they were trying to send.
It soooo annoys me when people follow the hype about food. Bad enough when it's slightly scientific, but much worse when it's a commercial message they're sheepfully following.
You know anyone who's fallen for the corn syrup commercials? Any other food hype that drives you nuts?
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35 Comments:
I like the mock ones on youtube. My favorite one makes fun of corn syrup and nazis at the same time!
gingercookiewithlime at 7:49PM on 03/17/09
The fiber and whole grain things get me.
Whole grain poptarts are STILL poptarts. They will always be high calorie, squares of sugary deliciousness. I ate them through my childhood and I am not fat, nor do I have health issues. Same with sugary cereals and cookies. They are still TREATS.
And adding fiber to EVERYTHING. Seriously. Why not just eat some fruits and vegetables? And please don't get me started on ANTIOXIDANTS! Drink this bottle of green sugar water ("green tea") infused with ANTIOXIDANTS that (may or may not) possibly maybe sort of aid in protecting you against cancer. or the flu. or maybe just make you look super cool because you bought into it.
Also vitamin water. My co-worker drank 2+ bottles a day. She got kidney stones and a bladder infection. Coincidence?
sweethunibabi at 8:11PM on 03/17/09
@sweethunibabi: i too cannot stand the 'add fiber to everything' and the sudden glorification of sugary treats. no matter how much whole grain or organic or WHATEVER-healthy-ingrediant you pack into a treat, it's STILL a treat.
i agree that it's good that they encourage people to do research in the corn syrup commercials...even if they point it at a website of their design. a LOT of people i know have no idea what HFCS even is or in how many things it is!
eggyzhe at 8:42PM on 03/17/09
adding omega-3 everything, yes they are good for you, but we are always headed for trouble when we start taking nutrients from their natural source and injecting them into processed foods and then claiming them as healthy. the fiber and vitamin water drives me crazy as well
ssultan23 at 8:57PM on 03/17/09
hey a little corn syrup probably won't kill you -- but when they put it into EVERYTHING .... and feed it to EVERYTHING we eat ... well, then, you can compare it to a little arsenic. a little won't kill you .... but if you keep ingesting it.... well.... dum dee dum dum.
pooch at 9:56PM on 03/17/09
@sweethunibabi - I used to think the same thing about vitamin water: what kind of moron thinks they should drink this stuff to get all their vitamins instead of a decent diet? And then I realized that when you can't stand pop and you want something non-water but non-grossly-sweet to drink on a road trip, vitamin water is a good find.
joyyy at 10:05PM on 03/17/09
The only problem with the HFCS commercials is that the tag line "like sugar it's fine in moderation," is a virtual Catch 22. It's not possible to consume HFCS in moderation because it's in so many food products an average shopper might not suspect.
A good rule of thumb is to remember that HFCS is generally found in extremely processed foods. Just avoid them and eat real food. Problem solved.
therealchiffonade at 10:31PM on 03/17/09
It's all marketing.
Ribster at 5:22AM on 03/18/09
Gatorade still gets me. In fact, it downright p!$ses me off how kids (and a lot of adults!) are brainwashed into thinking if they're thirsty, or do sports, Gatorade will quench their thirst better than water. No! It wont! In fact, it acts more as a diuretic and those electrolytes are bologna in this case. Alone, yes, they help you...but when you mix those with...imagine my surprise...high fructose corn syrup... well that's defeating the purpose. It makes about as much sense as putting flax seeds in a chocolate cake.
TroubleBaker at 6:17AM on 03/18/09
@therealchiffonade - My thoughts exactly. Well said!
Another one that gets me is the acai berry junk. Drink this magical, mystical berry only recently rediscovered in the tropical rainforest and, even if you eat half of that chocolate cake, and you'll be younger, wealthier, prettier and, of course, thinner. WhatEVER! If you like the way it tastes, drink it. It you don't, don't. It's not going to make you into a super model, though.
mollykate678 at 9:02AM on 03/18/09
Splenda is the one that still gets me. I have friends who bake and cook with Splenda because they think it's healthier for you.
Low-fat and Low-Calorie too. I develop recipes for my small-town local newspaper, and I can't tell you how many e-mails I've gotten asking if I could do more low-fat and low-calorie recipes. People are so brainwashed to thinking that low-cal and low-fat is the way to go- never mind all the chemicals and artificial ingredients that are in that product now instead. My standard reply to those e-mails is a gentle encouragement to try the recipe, and adhere to the serving size, and in that case, most of my recipes will fit nicely in a well-balanced diet.
ErikaWaz at 9:41AM on 03/18/09
@TroubleBaker - agreed that it doesn't make sense to drink Gatorade when you are just thirsty, but if you are playing an endurance sport, it helps very much to keep the salt-water balance in your cells. They'll really you avoid (or delay if you play way for too long, 6 hrs of basketball anyone?) muscle cramps, especially if you are playing under the sun. The HFCS covers up the salt taste and deliver some energy when you are already fatigued. Yes, they can use sugar instead of HFSC but the US government made HFSC cheap and it's another point altogether. Anyway, Gatorade does what it says it does, a good sports drink.
claypot at 10:05AM on 03/18/09
In addition to the note about Gatorade as having some benefits for atheletes, it is often recommended by doctors and nurses (at least I've had it recommended) when a person has a stomch virus. The minerals in water can cause more vomiting than the Gatorade would thereby putting a person at risk for dehydration. In an instance like that the benefits of keeping any fluids down outwiegh the risks of the HFCS (I'll take a little corn syrup over dehydration anyday).
Outside of that, I completely agree with the OP. The message is do your research (not that it helps the HFCS people if you do) and that's admirable!
erysheep at 10:54AM on 03/18/09
Just for the record, if I am dehydrated (and PNG will do that to you, even if you just breathe), I use Emergen-C. Okay, not exactly the best, but no HFCS.
@therealchiffonade: You know, although I fully agree with you, I did an experiment to see what would happen when I went to the local grocery store and did my normal routine, but eliminated all of the things that included HFCS. Now, I normally eat "real food" anyway (not a big processed food fan, but I admit to my moments), but for that week I couldn't even find *bread* with it! I was simply amazed!
Speaking of that, has anyone seen the film "King Corn"? These guys tried to live without corn (and thus, HFCS) for a year (I think that it was that long) and could barely find anything. It turns out that corn is even on the wax coating for apples! Imagine where HFCS and other things are lurking on our most basic of foods! Wah!
Traveller at 12:20PM on 03/18/09
Well stated, OP.
The ads for Total brand cereal have long irkedme. "You'd have to eat X bowls of this other brand of cereal to get as many vitamins as in one bowl of Total." So what?, I say. Vitamins are not a good reason to eat breakfast cereal. Packaged breakfast cereal's most promising nutritional contribution would be FIBER. So, eat a high-fiber cereal that may or may not be as packed with vitamins as Total, and supplement it with a multivitamin pill (or just eat a diet that otherwise provides the necessary vitamins).
Lorenzo at 12:42PM on 03/18/09
Regarding Gatorade, I find that it stays in my stomach when I'm queasy and need liquids. Better than just water. If I'm in that dire a need for liquid, I'm not too concerned about HCFS. There are probably other things that would work as well, but when I'm sending hubby to the store, it's easier to tell him to buy Gatorade than having him reading labels and bringing home a variety of things to see which ones will be better or worse. On a regular basis, yes, I'm skeptical, but I'm not a high-level athlete, so it's not in my radar. If I was consuming a lot of it, I'd look into it a little further. A couple bottles every few years isn't a big deal.
But it's not just advertising that people listen to. How many times have we had people tell us they're on some diet because their hairdresser told them about it? Or everyone at work is on it?
Worse yet is the mysterious "they" who say all sorts of thing. My MIL does this all the time. "They say salt is bad for you." I've started questioning her. "Who are they, when did they tell you this, and why do you believe them?"
dbcurrie at 1:05PM on 03/18/09
While I avoid it, HFCS performs several functions in commercial baking and sauce maunfacturing that can't be replicated with other sugars.These relate to texture, browning and shelf life.
The healthcare industry uses gatoraide for dehydration treatment. If you've ever had a child with the flu, you thank god for Gatoride and its cousins. Yes, excessive is bad, but in moderation it is harmless. Used as it is supposed to be it is very usefull and needed
THe same people who slam HFCS will drink engineered artificial sweeteners, bulked up with Low sugar carbohydrates to pretend they are eating healthier.
What irks me most though are the Idiots who believe naturally cured and uncured Cured meats are better for you than other processed meats. Through a loophole in federal law, these products are cured with unregulated levels of nitrates (which was banned in most meats 30 years ago) through the use of concentrated celery juice products standardized for how much NITRATE they contain (not by how much celery juice is in it), and do not necessarilly provide the same microbial inhibition that refined nitrites used in regulated amounts in cured meats do. This is a real Hazard that people don't want to see because they believe it doesn't exist. And there are parents who will feed these "natural" items to their kids and tell them Oscar Mayer is evil poison.
Processed foods are not evil if eaten with common sense. Most Food ingredients are safe when eaten in moderation, But we are Americans, we don't believe in moderation.
Meat guy at 2:00PM on 03/18/09
meat guy, I don't know specifically what the difference is, but I can tell you that if I eat a sausage, ham or bacon that has nitrates that are not natural, I will experience a massive migraine that will have me out cold for an entire day. When I eat the bacon, sausage and hams labeled "all natural" I don't have these problems. Same two strips of bacon either way, but one will wreck me, while the other doesn't.
ErikaWaz at 2:52PM on 03/18/09
I think its just as much about being an informed consumer. So many people don't realize what is in the food they are consuming in the first place, it baffles me. I thought Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food were great at summarizing this and not going overkill. I recommend them to people all the time. And on top of that just stick with the "everything in moderation" idea.
MixedByHand at 3:22PM on 03/18/09
@mollykate678
About acai: I was in Brazil last year and my friends there said, "oh we have to stop at an acai stand so you can try some."
I told them how we have acai here and it is lauded as a superfood. The Brazilians said, "But you should only have acia occasionally, as a treat. Everyone here knows if you have too much it will make you fat and ruin your skin."
bonnie at 3:46PM on 03/18/09
Correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't there tow kinds of fiber? One being better for you than the other, yet no matter which one a product contains, it can still claim it has healthy fiber benifits. I swear I saw something of the sort jsut the other day on TV. They were saying a lot of foods that claim to have all these benifits from added fiber, really dont' have the right kind of fiber our body needs.
On the Gatorade issue. I like the stuff, but don't drink it for sports and such. I mainly used to complement my waster intake on really hot days when working outside.
Vitamin Water? I enjoyed a few of those from time, but stoped when I found out they have almost as much sugar in them as a soda. I avoid soda as nuch as possible. I only use to mix with Iri
Raiders757 at 4:47PM on 03/18/09
The real issue I have is that the Nitrates in the celery juice can produce carcinogens in meat if grilled, or cooked at high temperatures, which is why nitrates were made illegal in sausage hams and bacon in the US in the 70's. Also, if the curing reaction is incomplete, as is often the case, the iron in the meat, does not become saturated by nitrogen componds which makes it available to Botulism and other bacteria. Several universities have discovered higher microbial activity in retail packages natural cured meats than comparable products using refined cures. Naturally cured products have higher residual amounts of nitrites and nitrates than products made with pure refined Sodium Nitrite, as it is regulated in use to allow the minimum needed to accomplish the curing and have as little residual as possible. This is the result of Nitrosamine rules enforced by USDA back in the 70's as residual levels of nitites at the time resulted in the formation of nitrosamines and other heterocyclic amines in bacon, grilled meats and sausage.
Perhaps it is not the nitrites that cause the illness, as they are virtually eliminated during the cooking process, but some other ingredients in the brands you consume. The chemical composition of Sodium Nitrate is the same if it is natural or refined, so other influences, ingredients, smoking, or maybe even what you eat as an accompaniment are more likely the issue. Depending where you go, and what brands you eat, there may be dairy, soy, wheat or other food allergens in the hot dog. I personally can not tolerate liquid smoke addition used by some companies. Also, a small portion of the population is sensitive to the naturally occurring hormones in meat. I am afflicted with the ability to taste sex hormones in pork. If I eat pork from extremely heavy sows, or uncastrated boars, it makes me physically ill, wierd but true, normal commercial pork isn't usually a problem.
This could be a major food safety issue developing, sooner or later there will be a recall for food safety reasons, Botulism, listeria, or one of the other nasties, and everyone will act surprised.
Meat guy at 5:27PM on 03/18/09
My favorite commercial was from a while back- pork: the other white meat. Like the true juvenile I was, I would start giggling uncontrollably. Which caused mi madre to think there was insidious intent in some sort of subliminal message directed at corrupting youth. In my case, it was too late.
Oh, and I was raised in a kosher household!
healthygirl78 at 6:12PM on 03/18/09
@Raiders757, there are soluble fibers and insoluble fibers.
It is believed that soluble ones, like beta-glucans from oats, are good for lowering cholesterol. Slimy foods generally contain more soluble "fibers".
"fibers" in a loose term means naturally occurring polysaccharides (=polymers of sugars) that a human being can't digest.
hmw0029 at 6:25PM on 03/18/09
@bonnie, i think there was a post about acai on serious eats recently. it spoils easily, so it has to be either frozen or cooked down into a puree for shipping to the u.s., and by doing so, removes almost all of the health benefits!
dmarina at 8:54PM on 03/18/09
How about the "Activia" scam? Do people who fall for this stuff have any clue how yogurt becomes yogurt in the first friggin' place?
buffy at 9:41PM on 03/18/09
@buffy, actually many bacterial species can make yogurt. Dannon discovered a strain (I assume it's patented) that is strong enough to survive gastric juice, digestive enzymes and bile, to reach the bowel.
hmw0029 at 11:06PM on 03/18/09
I'm well aware that Activia contains a different bacteria strain. I just fail to see how that makes it any better than any other yogurt, which in my own personal experience (and not just mine) works perfectly well at regulating a person's digestive system. Especially, say, when you're taking antibiotics.
buffy at 10:44AM on 03/20/09
My sister is in the cult of " but the tv/ ad in Family Circle told me to eat it" She shovels down Activia, believes HFCS is fine and swears by her ACAI berry smoothies. Meanwhile my nephews constantly have the scoots from only eating french fries and non- juice containing juice drinks. She is still chubby and can't poop. Forgive me..but ha-ha!
All these fads make me laugh. When asked if I eat shredded wheat for the fiber I simply say no, I eat it because it tastes good. And you can add 5 bushels of fiber to a pop tart but to me they still taste like sugar frosted dog biscuits.
Is the artificial sweetener in my diet soda is going to give me brain rot, the nitrates in my bacon make me glow in the dark? I have no idea.none of us really do.
TattooedCheese at 11:29AM on 03/20/09
Our bodies are not made to process HFCS. It hits the liver without being broken down at all.In addition, at least 1/3 of all HFCS on the market has mercury in it, most likely due to how it was processed. The FDA, the government agency that is SUPPOSED to keep our food safe, has known about the mercury issue for years.
HFCS is just a cheap sweetener that wasn't even considered "food" until the 70's.
notafoodie at 5:13PM on 03/20/09
@tattooedcheese - thanks for the laugh!!!!
mollykate678 at 7:57PM on 03/20/09
Two things that crack me up:
1) The idea that 100 calorie packs are good for you. Sure, eating a 100 calorie pack of dry oreo-flavored crackers may be better for you than downing half a bag of regular oreos. But that doesn't make a single thing about them healthy!
2) People who drink a can of Slimfast with their regular meal, like it's some magical calorie-negating drink, rather than a "meal replacement"
CassieRose at 10:25PM on 03/20/09
NYT has an article about sugar replacing corn syrup.
Like they say, I hope this kind of "sugar is healthier than HFCS" ad doesn't drive people to consume more sugar. ugh.
hmw0029 at 10:26AM on 03/21/09
@CassieRose--my patients are always stunned when I tell them they can drink SlimFast (one of my coworkers calls it SlimSlow...lol) or Carnation Instant Breakfast, or the generic versions of either, just like they would Ensure, since it is essentially the same thing.
buffy at 9:42PM on 03/21/09
@TattooedCheese- great nom de plume.
dmcavanagh at 10:00PM on 03/21/09