Aisling.net

For me, every aspect of life has an effect on my art… and vice versa.  So, food — and how it makes us feel — is the subject of today’s diary.

For the past month or so, HT and I have been avoiding HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).  When I researched it and saw the receptors that it blocks, and the anecdotal evidence against HFCS… that was startling.

However, what really matters is how we feel, and — as they say — the proof is in the pudding.

My one-line summary is:  We won’t eat anything with HFCS ever again, if we have a choice.

Within 24 hours of cutting out HFCS, we felt lighter and happier.  Our food tasted fresher & better.  We both noticed a reduction in stress.  I was amazed when I recovered a lot of my ability to remember things; I thought that was long gone, since a 1987 car accident.

About ten days later, when I tried a day of “normal” HFCS diet again… I lost ground by mid-day.  It took several days to bounce back from that.

So, I’ll post more info, links, and a running summary of what foods are okay and what aren’t, if you’re avoiding HFCS… later.

Today, HT and I wondered: If subtle amounts of HFCS can make that much difference in how we feel, what else can we improve in our diets?

(Our food consciousness has also increased since watching Blood, Sweat and Takeaways on Planet Green.  Focusing on Fair Trade items will be in our future, as well.)

So, when I went shopping this morning, I continued to read labels to avoid HFCS.  I also chose natural and organic products when I could.

The prices for organic foods were about 10 – 15% higher than everyday foods, but I shopped for sale items, so that probably evened-out the bottom line.

When I came home, I made vanilla pudding (using Wayne Schmidt’s favorite recipe) with good milk and organic eggs.  The pudding tasted richer from the spatula, but I’ll see how it is when it’s chilled & set, later.

What I noticed right away was first, how much easier the eggs whisked, and then how much yellow-er the pudding is with these eggs.  There’s no reason to add food coloring for the classic “yummy vanilla pudding” look.

With the leftover egg whites, I made a cheese omelet.  (Three egg whites plus one whole egg, all of them organic.)  I don’t recall ever using organic eggs for an omelet before, and… it was practically an R-rated experience.  Seriously, it was amazingly hearty, fluffy and delicious.  I’m full, but it’s not a bowling ball in my stomach.  I feel energized, not ready for a nap.

Placebo effect?  I’m not sure.  I’ll see how I feel in about a week.

So, another adventure begins!

Today’s label-reading HFCS results

Here’s what I saw when I was checking labels as I shopped.  (Remember, some products vary from region to region.  Always read your labels.)

Most Pepperidge Farm whole grain breads have no HFCS, the same as most Arnold brand breads.  Both boast their no-HFCS content on the front of their labels.  (However about 95% of other brands of bread seem to contain HFCS.)

[April 2010 update: Every time I go to the grocery store, more breads are HFCS-free, and say so on their labels. Yay!]

The Ragu spaghetti sauces look like they have no HFCS, but I only checked a few.  (They were on sale.)  Hunt’s canned spaghetti sauce did have HFCS.

Freschetta Naturally Rising frozen pizza has no HFCS; some other brands do.

Some Breyer’s ice creams have HFCS, but most don’t.  Generally, the candy-bar-ish flavors have HFCS; it’s often used in caramel-flavored foods.

Cookies: Dark chocolate Piroulines (rolled wafers with chocolate in the middle) don’t have HFCS.  At our local grocery store, they’re now on the bottom shelf in the cookie department; they used to be at eye-level or on the top shelf.  Interesting.