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Re: Corn in our food
Board: Health and Fitness
Reply to: #21163 by orion
May 1, 2006 8:52am
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote My brother makes his own spaghetti sauce and like he said, can you imagine making sauce and then pouring in corn syrup- Not me!!!


This reminds me of this great commercial spoof that was on Saturday Night Live a number of years ago. It was when the cola companies were making "clear" versions of their products--in other words, they didn't add any coloring, so the soda looked like 7-Up or Sprite in the plastic bottles. The spoof they did was for "clear" gravy. They used corn syrup, of course, to show on the food. So they show people pouring corn syrup on beef and mashed potatoes and gravy--you get the idea.

The one part that made me cringe when I saw it (laughing, too, of course) was when Julia Sweeney dips a chicken drumstick in the corn syrup and then takes a big bite of it, with this look on her face that says it is the best thing she's ever eaten.

It was hilarious.
Re: Corn in our food
Board: Health and Fitness
Reply to: #21237 by Pied Piper
May 2, 2006 3:27pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Got to love SNL. Remember the Bass O Matic? If I remember correctly, I think they used a real fish and Dan Akroyd drank it! EEEww! Orion
Re: Corn in our food
Board: Health and Fitness
Reply to: #21352 by orion
May 3, 2006 12:14am
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote Remember the Bass O Matic? If I remember correctly, I think they used a real fish and Dan Akroyd drank it! EEEww


I *do*. I loved that one. I actually have a Quicktime movie of that on a CD somewhere. I think that it was actually his assistant who drank it, but she didn't drink the real thing--they already had a glass poured, and it looked like it was probably tomato juice.

The idea itself, though, is still disgusting....
Re: Corn in our food
Board: Health and Fitness
Reply to: #21376 by Pied Piper
May 3, 2006 3:47am
Thread (disabled) Board
Thank God. That makes me sick just remembering it!

On another note, you mentioned that you were diabetic (sorry to hear). That runs in my family as well so besides not eating the high fructose corn syrup, I'm watching the carbohydrates I eat. My uncle was diabetic and I believe the nutrionist told him to have 60 grams of carbs X 3 meals and 15 carbs X 3 snacks. She also said that she's not diabetic but that's how she eats. Is this what you do as well (the carb numbers)?

Take care, Orion
Re: Corn in our food
Board: Health and Fitness
Reply to: #21052 by orion
May 3, 2006 4:23am
Thread (disabled) Board
I have a friend who is allergic to corn. It's kind of a strange allergy, but having seen the effects I can attest to its veracity. She participates in a weekly Bible study and potluck with me, and believe me, trying to make a corn-free meal for Laura can be very tricky!

Pretty much anything pre-made or processed - almost all "convenience foods" are out. If they don't have corn syrup, corn oil, or corn starch, they probably have "modified food starch" (with corn) or other corn by-products that don't easily identify. So we rely on "whole" foods - homemade chicken broth instead of canned (yup, it's in many brands of canned stock although some organic brands are corn-free), for example. Even baked goods are tricky - baking soda includes corn starch. We learn to make casseroles bound by something other than cream-of-mushroom soup, and read the fine-print on ingredient lists.

It's something of a challenge, to concoct something that "Laura can eat." She's very good-natured and wouldn't ever ask us to go to so much trouble, often she just brings her own food. But we hate to let her just eat a salad while the rest of us enjoy lasagna!

MoonBunny
Re: Corn in our food
Board: Health and Fitness
Reply to: #21382 by MoonBunny
May 3, 2006 10:20am
Thread (disabled) Board
Boy, are you right about that! I don't have an allergy to corn but sympathize with anyone who does. I've heard of others that share this allergy. I guess the thing that has shocked me is how the darn stuff got in so much of our food chain. Now that I don't want to eat the stuff, it's presented a real shopping challenge. Thank God for Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Wild Oats. I may have to pay a bit more more but I won't worry about metabolizing something that's so hard on our liver. Plus the food does taste better.

Take care, Orion
Re: Corn in our food
Board: Health and Fitness
Reply to: #21096 by TurtleMcQ
May 3, 2006 10:26am
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote It's The Omnivore's Dilemma by Berkeley professor Michael Pollan. He was interviewed on Fresh Air a couple of weeks ago:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5336252

It was a great interview and I'm looking forward to reading the book. His research added even more justification to our family's decision to avoid foods containing high fructose corn syrup whenever possible.

TurtleMcQ


I just started reading this book last night and could not put it down! At one point he said that we are essentially corn chips with legs, we have so much corn in our diets (if you count things like the corn that gets fed to the cow that you eat). His book Botany of Desire is also one of my all time favorites.

-- Princess Lea
Re: Corn in our food
Board: Health and Fitness
Reply to: #21394 by Princess Lea
May 3, 2006 12:29pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I can't wait to read it myself. The interview I heard was fascinating. What is "Botany of Desire" about? He's obviously a smart and talented writer. I'm glad he's opening our eyes!

Take care, Orion
Re: Corn in our food
Board: Health and Fitness
Reply to: #21400 by orion
May 4, 2006 4:05pm
Thread (disabled) Board
<What is "Botany of Desire" about? >

In a nutshell, it was about how plants have adapted to make themselves attractive to humans so that we will cultivate them and propagate their species. There are 4 chapters: apple, tulip, marijuana and potato. Potato dealt mostly with genetic engineering and was the most fascinating.

-- Princess Lea
Re: Corn in our food
Board: Health and Fitness
Reply to: #21521 by Princess Lea
May 11, 2006 5:48am
Thread (disabled) Board
I went to get Omnivore's Dilemma at the library and I'm #60 on the waiting list! I think I'll get Botany's Desire first.

I haven't had any high fructose corn syrup for a couple of weeks and I do feel better. Certainly no junk food and mostly organic and whole food. I've even lost some weight. I'm also eatting 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal and 15 per snack (3 a day).Feels good!!!

Take care, Orion
Re: Corn in our food
Board: Health and Fitness
Reply to: #22329 by orion
May 11, 2006 10:15pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote I haven't had any high fructose corn syrup for a couple of weeks and I do feel better. Certainly no junk food and mostly organic and whole food. I've even lost some weight. I'm also eatting 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal and 15 per snack (3 a day).Feels good!!!


Isn't it amazing? I was really shocked when I first tried that. Especially that I was able to feel very cool and calm most of the day--and I mean literally, physically cool, since I usually feel hot...
Carboyhdrate counting WAS Re: Corn in our food
Board: Health and Fitness
Reply to: #21380 by orion
Jun 2, 2006 10:07pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Wow, somehow I missed this one. Yes, that's what I do, although the nutritionist I saw told me to go for 46g for meals, 12 for snacks. (That's if my blood sugar levels are on target when I test. If I test before a meal and they're not, then it's 36g for meals, and 0 for snacks--which would mean something like going for a vegetable with few or no carbs.) But that is based on thinking of a serving of carbs as 12g. Some go for 15g, and that's not fine, too. It's mostly an estimate anyway--you figure that one apple may be slightly bigger or smaller than the next, so 3g either way isn't going to be horrible. It's when you end up with a lot more carbs that there are problems--like having a soda with a lunch with other carbs.

It's been very interesting to me to notice how many carbs the average non-diabetic eats in their day since I've been checking on my own. There are people, of course, who don't eat a lot of carbs--usually, these people aren't eating a lot of processed foods, and have diets with lots of fiber in them. I guess those who have to limit salt intake or with other diet restrictions probably have similar eye-opening experiences.

Good luck on the carb counting--here's hoping you "miss the bullet" with respect to diabetes!

Pied Piper