Fructose Debate

I was reading an interesting study by Princeton researchers which states that High Fructose Corn Syrup causes considerable obesity in rats. The study seems justified, but the Corn Refiners Association also had their own opinion which disputes the claim of the study.

Here’s my take… Does anybody dispute that colas are actually bad for you? Since I was a little boy, my parents limited the amount of cola I drank because it is bad for you, I was told. I preach the same thing to my kids and students 30 years later. I really don’t believe we need to study the effects of individual ingredients in a cola, because the answer is simple. Drink lot’s of cola = gain weight. Try it if you do not believe me. When you are done with this simple experiment, you may need to go hit the gym though.

Read here about PepsiCo and their decision to drop HFCS.

With obesity at all time highs in the US, I believe the answer is a reduction in processed food with specific ingredients related to saturated fats, sugars, and sodium. I challenge you all to go cook for yourselves. It is not that difficult and with a little practice, you will be creating culinary delights for your family daily.

An interesting side note to this… At one of our serveries we make home-made chicken fingers from scratch, but one day we subbed them with a frozen product. I received an email the next day from a student that stated that the improved chicken strip offered was much better. Yup! The frozen one with high amounts of sugar and sodium was preferred over scratch cooking… Why I believe this is happening will be a topic for a future entry.

David