And the reason why HFCS has been put on trial may have less to do with its metabolic differences from other sugars and more to do with its abundance and cost. It’s in everything from soda to soups and because it’s cheap, food manufacturers have been able to increase portion sizes at a fraction of the cost; thirty years ago the idea of something as large (and larger) as a Big Gulp would have been laughable.
The nutritionist might tell you to avoid all three of the above: drink sparkling water instead.
Natural Peanut Butter vs. Low-Fat Peanut Butter
Peanut butter has good fat, and is made simply from peanuts and occasionally salt. However, the low-fat version puts hydrogenated oils and sugar in place of the fat. Jiffy’s low-fat “spread” contains only 60 percent peanuts (real peanut butter has to contain 90 percent); the rest is corn syrup solids, soy protein sugar, and some fully hydrogenated oils. This is one of those instances where being blinded by the idea that fat is bad leads one to eat much worse. Jiffy also has “natural” peanut butter, which includes palm oil so you don’t have to stir it (wouldn’t want anyone to over exert themselves). Thanks, I’ll take the natural stuff and a spoon.
Fat vs. Olestra
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: it’s crazy that Olestra, with such terrible side effects, is still on the market. We really are fat-phobic and are willing to eat just about anything to avoid the stuff.
And despite its claims as a diet food, Olestra, like artificial sweeteners, is a chemical that may actually trigger greater consumption of food, not less. Researchers at Purdue University fed rats either full-fat potato chips or a mix of regular chips and chips containing Olestra. When confronted later on with a high-fat snack, the rats that had eaten the Olestra chips overate and were not able to alter their intake based on previous food consumption.
Naturally-occurring fat, in moderation, is better than Olestra.
Whipped Cream versus Cool Whip
I loved Cool Whip as a child, almost as much as I love whipped cream (made from whipping cream and sugar) now. So which is better for you? Cool Whip wins on the calorie/fat scale but loses big time on the ingredient list, which includes hydrogenated vegetable oils, HFCS, artificial flavors, guar gums, etc. Taste wise, I’d take the real stuff any day. Plus, because cream has naturally-occurring sugars, homemade whipped cream requires very little additional sweeteners.
Cheese vs. Cheez Whiz and Velveeta Slices
Velveeta, another product I loved as a kid, now seems like one of the strangest products on the market. The consistency, taste, and color are like nothing found in nature. Besides trying to decipher what’s listed on the side of these bright orange Kraft products (alginate, sodium phosphate), real cheese is more satisfying and certainly more natural. Of course, it’s much harder to cut in such a perfect square …
Real Maple Syrup vs. Syrup
The sad fact is that very few of the syrups on the market are really from a maple tree, and the ones that are tend to be quite expensive. Of course, most of us would prefer maple syrup, but the cheap stuff is well, cheaper, and not surprisingly, made out of high fructose corn syrup. They’re about equal on a calorie basis, but the real stuff would win any taste competition.
There are many more examples of “fake foods”: real chocolate versus the stuff made from vegetable fat, Crisco versus lard, foie gras versus faux gras, fruit juice versus water and HFC, butter versus fake butter flavor. But some people just really don’t care that food is fake, that what they’re eating comes from a bevy of chemicals, not the earth, and that it may someday lead to their demise. In that case, let them eat—high fructose, partially-hydrogenated soybean oil, sodium benzoate—cake!
