Sugar, get the HFCS out of my kitchen!!

I never thought I'd be reading the sides of food packages to MAKE SURE that they contain sugar - the real stuff. Not corn syrup. Not sacchrine. Not aspartame (yuck!!!). And, certainly not High Fructose Corn Syrup, a truly terrible invention that has oozed its way into practically every food item you can think of.

HFCS, as its known around our house, is worse than just empty calories. It actually goes further to harm your system by not registering a feeling of 'fullness' when you eat usually causing you to eat more. Or drink more Coke.

Go on - check your pantry, fridge and freezer - you'll be shocked how many foods contain HFCS. Heinz ketchup, waffles, pasta sauce, bread....on and on...its nearly impossible to avoid it. And, all those packages that catch your eye with 'Sugar Free', yep, its usually HFCS instead. I avoid them like the plague and search for that fattening (yes, but at least I know what I'm eating) SUGARY foods.

Interestingly (though not surprisingly), HFCS..

Currently, HFCS remains an almost uniquely American phenomenon.

In Europe, whilst HFCS is not specifically banned, the greater availability of cane sugar over maize would make it uneconomical to produce it there. American HFCS cannot usually be imported to the European Union because of the European Union's moratorium on the production and sale of genetically modified products.