Foods Without High Fructose Corn Syrup

Hi N.,

I haven't personally encountered this issue, but it made me curious and I started looking in my own cabinets. And WOW -I was amazed! It is everywhere. So I did a little checking and found a great web site. It has a list of foods that do NOT contain HFCS, a discussion forum, an upcoming recipes page (free of HFCS) and so much more. You might want to check it out. After discovering so many things with HFCS, I surprised at how many things that are not "organic" without the HFCS content. It includes everything from cake mixes, cereals, chips, candies, condiments, crackers, dairy, and so much more. http://www.stophfcs.com/list.html

Best of luck to you!

J. F.
The M.O.M. Team
www.4MeAndMom.com

4 moms found this helpful

Yep, we do this. There are lots of articles on the internets about it. Google "no high fructose syrup, foods" and you'll get articles and blogs.

1.) Point blank, buy organic. This will also cut out mainstream preservatives, nitrites and food dyes from his diet which should also improve his focus and behavior.
2.) Consider buying a bread machine and make your own bread. I know it sounds exotic and time consuming, but all it actually requires is the 10 minutes to measure off the ingredients and dump it in the unit. I'm a FT working mom--I don't have a lot of free time. Really, if I can find time to make bread, anyone can. I typically make a loaf each weekend. With quick rise yeast, it requires 2 hours start to finish. Loafs stay about a 4-5 days. We use TX honey for the bread's sugar base which can also is a good way to strengthen immunity against seasonal allergies (because the local environment's pollen is made into the honey; never realized the allergy-helper until I did some research!).
3.) You'll have to start reading labels... There are regular brands that use sugar instead of HFC... For example, Bush's baked beans instead of B&M Baked beans. Preggo Spaghetti sauce, Ben & Jerry ice cream. Dannon's "Naturals" yogurt. Email me and I'll try to put together a list of items in our pantry to save you the initial time investment of reading labels in the grocery store...

Ok, so here's the political and economic slant: Our government places a tax on sugar. We don't grow that much sugar in the U.S.; we import it. Hence, it costs more for companies to use sugar in their ingredients than sweetners derived from corn (aka: HFC syrups)... The U.S. is a major producer of corn; high fructose corn syrup is cheaper than sugar (which is why a bottle of Coca-cola in Mexico is made with sugar and its made with HFC in the U.S.). Food Companies that use sugar pass the additional cost onto the buyer. So, you should anticipate that groceries made with actual sugar will cost more than food made with corn syrup. Just wanted to let you know so you can plan your grocery budget accordingly.

I definitely must say that my daughter doesn't have nearly the tantrum, meltdown behavior that my other friends have with their children. I can only attribute it to the non-HFC diet that she has. Also, it will help you lose weight... Because you're body processess HFC differently than sugar.

1 mom found this helpful

Nance,
My son who is now 12 had and still has trouble staying on task. He eats healthy foods. Some kids just have a little more difficulty staying on task than others. What worked for my son was a task chart that was taped to his desk. After each assignment he was able to color the square blue if he stayed on task and red if not.(Let him choose his two colors) He was able to track his progress and also his teacher and I could see where and when in his day he had the most difficulty. As the school year progressed so did Colton's ablility to stay on task. He still does this in a different way now that he is in 7Th grade he keeps a daily journal. The chart and now the journal are listed on a daily basis and with each subject on there too. I gave small rewards for a good day such as a cookie or a Hot wheels and a slightly better reward at the end of a good week. Then at the end of a good month he got to choose a restaurant and it was just for Colton. No dad, no brother, no sister. Just a great dinner out with Mom. Of course you could include Dad if he wants to go. The chart gives them something to see and an extra sense of accomplishment when the majority of the squares are blue. Hope this helps.

Hi N.-

I have a son who cannot have wheat, milk or soy so I understand how difficult it can be to avoid certain things. If you have trouble finding bread without HFCS, try making wraps with tortillas instead of sandwiches for your son. There are a lot of cereals (not the sugary kinds, of course) that don't have it. As the previous poster said, any fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. will be fine. Check out the "health food" section of your grocery store. Most of the things featured there will not have HFCS in them.

Good luck,
K.

Hi N.,
Have you discovered Ezekiel Bread??? I recently started buying this healthy bread (no HFCS).
My four children LOVE it!! You can find it at Whole Foods as well as in the refrigerated Organic section at Kroger. It it has a low glycemic index and is a complete protein. There are several varities..Genesis bread, etc....

Read labels a lot. Give him fresh fruit & veggies. Shop the outside aisles of the grocery instead of the inner ones where all the packaged prepared food is. If his issues continue, consider having him tested for ADD or ADHD. Earlier intervention works well if that is his issue. Good luck.

Just read your labels!!! A trip to the grocery store takes 2x at long but it is worth it. We try to avoid it with my son too and bread is the most difficult to find. Mine is young so he doesn't have many preferences yet and I can still get him to eat dark rye bread, etc. You will probably have a battle on your hands but I bet it is worth it in the end. Good luck!

I make my son sandwiches using wheat tortillas to cut carbs. He was getting something like 50 for one sandwich (using whole wheat bread, meat and cheese), now it's down to something like 25. We buy individual juice from Sam's Natural Kids or something like that and I buy smooshed fruit or 100% fruit-by-the-foot for snacks. Target and HEB both carry quite a few health alternatives.

Good luck!

go to the organic or natural or soy section. I'm fructose intolerant and discovering that made such a huge difference in my health. If he's fructose intolerant he's likely to be lactose intolerant too. Good luck.

You may want to remove artificial colors and flavors from his diet as well. AFter that there are true food allergies that can irritate the system, including healthy brain function, like wheat, milk, eggs, soy, just to name a few of the most obvious ones in children.

I have removed all corn products such as syrup, starch.. from my sons diet due to his behavior. It is hard, but I have found that just by reading the labels of several brands of the food I have found alternatvies. Such as... Teddy Graham brand graham snacks have no corn syrup. Walmart brand cheerios has no corn syrup compared to the Cheerios brand. The organic milk that comes in juice box size of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry don't have corn syrup in them, but still taste flavored. There are several juices out there now that advertise right on the package that they have no corn syrup added. I have been able to find some brand just by reading labels of everything my son likes, including gummy bears that are made with sugar not corn syrup. I haven't had to shop at a health food store yet, and haven't increased the food expense much either. Good luck, the difference it has made in my 3 year old is amazing. he won't be going back on corn for a long time.

I dont know for the life of me WHY people think whole wheat is so good for you....go for the whole GRAIN.
Other foods without high fructose corn syrup......

Tomato, bananas, green beans, celery, cucumbers, beef, chicken, corn, lettuce, onions, pineapples, lemons, oranges, pork, cauliflower, carrots, cheese........
Essentially anything that doesnt come out of a "package"....go for natural foods...doesnt have to be "organic".
Live strong,
M. :)

Foods without HFCS are out there - you just have to be vigilant in looking. You might also spend a little more getting more natural alternatives. I refuse to buy things with it. Don't believe the commercials that are trying to say it's the same as sugar. Those are put out by the corn industry. If HFCS was the same as sugar, they wouldn't need an entire page or two to explain the process of turning corn into it!!!! It may have the same calories as sugar, but it has an entirely different effect on the metabolism and affects the triglycerides (sp?) differently.

Nature's Own bread makes whole wheat bread that is sweetened with molasses, not HFCS. There are many juices out there that don't have it. I only buy Simply Apple for my kids, because it's only pressed apples. Those little cereal bars that are supposed to be so healthy? They have it. I buy an organic kind for my 19 month old made by Earth's Best. Most jellies contain it, but the Polaner All Fruit (and Kroger has their generic version that is just as good) doesn't have HFCS, just sugar. My son prefers strawberry milk over white (when he weaned himself from breastfeeding strawberry was the only thing he would drink), so I only only only buy Promised Land strawberry, as it is flavored with strawberries and sweetened with sugar, not HFCS like all the rest. As for bagels, I'm not sure as we don't eat them, but you could even try making your own!

We like pita bread, and the brand I buy has three flavors: white, wheat, and onion. The white and wheat don't have it, but the onion does! The wheat is actually very good, ingredient wise.

These are just examples of sweet things that typically have HFCS. You have to be vigilant in looking at ingredients. But alternatives are out there. Often you'll need to shop in the natural/organic section, but not all the time.

If there are particular foods you are wondering about, message me and I'll try to recommend specific brands for the specific foods you want.

Hi N.,
HFCS does seem to be in virtually all processed foods. :~(
I have been HFCS free for months and I do it by carefully reading labels, purchasing foods from the health food store, eating more whole, unprocessed foods, and doing a lot of cooking from scratch. Here's a link to some info about High Fructose Corn Syrup, http://tinyurl.com/bje75c .
Best of luck to you as you try to make healthy changes for your son, he's definitely worth the extra effort! :~)
A. :~D
www.eatingwellbeingwell.net

your doing the right thing. keep reading the labels. treat it as if it were an allergic reaction. you will find yourself eating healthier foods, carrots, cellerysticks, and just all around good foods. Good luck.

This is a great question. I'm looking forward to some answers too!! I did just get some Thomas Whole Grain (English Muffins - they don't call them English muffins). They have 8g of Fiber and no High Fructose Corn Syrup! They taste great with some cream cheese or jam. All we can do is continually write companies who put this in their foods and ask them to find a healthier way. I know its a cheaper alternative for them, but its so bad in every way. I'm sure I consume way too much of it as well. :(

OH, here is a great article as to why its not good for us. I read this years ago. Sorry for the long string here, but the link should work!

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&...

I feel your pain. It takes a while to find the foods that are free of the junk. If you haven't shopped at HEB or Whole Foods, give them a try. It takes a lot of label reading. If you are doing this for your son to help attention issues you may want to check out the Feingold diet (feingold.org). There is a good book called "Why Can't My Child Behave" by Jane Hersey that goes into a good detail about this diet and explains why you should get rid of all artificial food additives. Stay in the organic food sections for the most luck. I've found making my own food is working for our son.

Whole Foods is less likely to have HFCS. If it's organic, it's not going to have it. Look at Annie's brand foods. Kroger has a good section of healthfoods. Read lables, but if you buy from the healthfood areas you will do better on the junk. Generally, the fewer the ingredients, the better the product.

My girls are sensitive to gluten, so we have to avoid wheat entirely. One child has behavior issues, another is a zombie (doesn't even respond to her name) and the third can't speak clearly. Eliminating gluten/wheat has helped tremendously.

We have been buying all organic for about a year. I don't have to worry about additives. I do buy Nature's Own Stoneground Wheat Bread. It doesn't have the HFCS. The killer for me was catsup...it was loaded with this...and my son puts catsup on everything. The switch to organic was easy and we actually like the taste better. Best wishes. It is a detailed process to check everything you buy, but after a while, it is a snap.

I cut out HFCS from our diets months ago, because we are trying to eat more healthy. It is difficult and it does seem like the HFCS is in just about everything (even Campbell's tomato soup!). I have to read the labels very carefully and I've noticed a couple of major bread brands now advertise "No HFCS". Also, organic food does not have the HFCS. I switched to organic where I can such as ketchup, cereal, soups etc. Also, I am trying to make more of my own foods such as breads, muffins, breakfast bars,soups etc. so I know the ingredients. I also serve lots of fresh fruits and veggies (organic when possible). I've joined an organic fruit and veggie co- op in my area and visit a Farmer's Market in Houston a couple of times a month. It hasn't all happened over night, but we are feeling better about what we are eating and serving the kids. They are 4 and 2 years old and actually ask to eat carrots and apples! Good luck!

I love Karen N's suggestion about making our own bread! I have been thinking about that and I think I will try it. This is a topic of great interest to me. I participate on www.mercola.com and he has a lot to say about hfcs and how unhealthy it is. The commercials say that hfcs is okay "in moderation." Okay, maybe so, but the problem is it is EVERYWHERE, and in EVERYTHING, so consuming hfcs in moderation is more difficult than they let on. I am gradually phasing out processed foods and trying to shop organic/local. That means I am also having to learn how to cook though, LOL! :)

C.
www.livetotalwellness.com/carolyns

I eat Ezekiel bread because it's also flourless, but my husband used to eat a name brand bread that used to have high fructose corn syrup and I notice now they are using raisin juice. I also see raisin juice listed in the HEB brand of 100% Whole Wheat with Honey bread. It looks to me that we will find more and more products without it.

I was told to cut out products with high red dye. Even red products like fruit snacks and fruit roll ups. It works when I stick to it. Hope this helps some

Buy Organic and it will not have HFCS in it.

The red dye in foods can also be the culprit but chances are if you avoid sugar and corn syrup, you will be avoiding the red dye. White flour is just as bad as sugar. It spikes the insulin level like sugar.

N.,
My daughter is allergic to corn (in all its forms) as well as artificial food dyes - they give her migraines. I have found every food we eat (cereals, breads, etc) that she can have. I primarily shop at HEB too, so it's not like I spend loads of money at Natural Food Stores. Although, I will say that if you're on the south side of Austin, Newflowers Market just opened at Wm Cannon and Manchaca. It is a (surprisingly) cheap natural foods store. It is actually very competitive price-wise with HEB, but has stuff that Sun Harvest, Central Market and Whole Foods would carry -- not quite the selection of the latter, but nowhere near the prices either.
All that said, keep label reading and I'm sure you'll find replacement brands for the ones you're accustomed to using.

HTH and if you have any questions for me, please don't hesitate...

K., mama to
Catherine, 5y
Samuel, 2y
EDD, 9/23

anything organic won't contain HFCS, look for cane sugar as the sweetner if it has one and keep reading labels, you will start knowing what to buy without even looking.