I agree and there even some commercials running on Tv claiming that corn syrups are fine, "when used in moderation" When I saw these ads on TV, I figured they must be trying to counter the bad rap these sweetners are having, and the bad raps are justified in my opinion. I just wonder why they are needed if non-sweet foods like the bologna and other products. Dottie

While you're checking your labels Kath,look as well at the amount of hidden dairy in foods...pretty much everything has fillers...not a great thing when you are allergic.

Also,you have to know what words are sugar/syrup/dairy that are not what we are familiar with--ie: casein is dairy

It's safe to assume anything ending in "ose" contains sugar. The one i forget is the 'lactose' in milk.

One of the largest reasons, that very little comes from cans, boxes or bags in my house.

Terri, I remember you telling us that you totally changed your family's eating habits by having only whole foods (is that right?) in your home. Have you noticed a difference in the way you feel?

kathsgrdn, make a goal for yourself to only buy whole raw foods - not processed.

If you feel you must buy processed foods and canned goods, shop at the health food stores. Warning: It's gonna be expensive.

Dilly Dally, that's my biggest problem, because of my work schedule and having kids. I try and make something like homemade spaghetti or whatever for them to eat on days I work, since I don't get home until around 9 pm. Somedays I don't do it or we are sick of eating those things so I buy some convenience foods for them to make it easier.

I think I'm going to start making up plates of better foods and putting them in the fridge so all they have to do is take it out and microwave them.

Kathleen, we've had alot of changes..and it's hard to pin point exactly what may or may not have made "physical" changes.
I cook/bake from scratch. The guys do take juice boxes/or cans to school/work. They also take chips in their lunches. Hubby and #2 son get Natural Kettle potato chips. It's potatoes, sunflower oil and sea salt. #3 loves Organic Corn chips. #1 doesn't really care for any of them most days. I also found an organic 'cheeto' type thing at Costco they just started carrying the last month or so. I portion control too..I actually weigh out their snack baggies. They also get some Annie's Naturals grahams or cheddar crackers. Again portioned.
I make all of their cookies, cakes and whatever, which have added things.
My Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is from Sol at the Cooking Forum, with some modifications.

1 c butter (only real fats used in my house)
1.5 c brown sugar (reduced from 2c)
2 eggs(farm fresh)
2 t vanilla
1 t sea salt (Real Salt minerals and all)
1 t baking soda
1.5 cups organic white flour
.5 c whole wheat flour
1/3 c almond meal (or ground almonds)
1/3 c barley or oat flour
2 c chocolate chips or white chips
(if using white, I also add in about 1/2 c chopped Macadamias)

Bake at 325 for about 12 minutes.
Personally I avoid wheat. I did that for about 6 months, and had no sugar swings, even if I ate a Gluten Free goodie I made with sugar in it. No cravings either when avoiding wheat.
There are somethings the family eats that are wheat free, and they don't know it..other things they can tell the difference.
I'm approaching my families nutrition for an "old" ways way. Whole healthy foods. Real Fats. Butter, coconut oil, EVOO, and occasionally Grape Seed Oil. We eat only nitrate free bacon and sausage. I use as much pasture feed and organic meats that I can afford. I'm now working on removing most of the refined sugars and using natural sweetners. Mostly because my kids were/are raised on sweets and goodies, and atleast with natural sweeteners, they have some minerals and other good properties..not bleached and processed sugar. So while I do still use C&H white and brown sugar..I've slowly been moving my use to organic unrefined sugars. (Can't tell a difference.)

Anything but cheese is organic dairy. I use full fat dairy too.

Here's what I personally noticed for myself going without wheat and using full fats, dairy and meats.

I lost about 25lbs. I had no sugar cravings, or blood sugar highs and lows. I eat eggs and potatoes almost every day, cooked in bacon fat and butter. I eat half an avocado almost every day. I use full fat dairy. Milk, sour cream, cream.
Even when I went back to eating wheat (but only things I baked and made with organic wheat), I still ate all that full fat and my weight stayed steady.. I did start creeping 3-5lbs..and my cravings started coming back and I was begining to have yeast candida issues again. So last week, I stopped the wheat again. And in a few days, things started getting back to normal. And 3lbs of "water" came off in 4 days.

It takes some time to get used to preparing ahead and planning, but once you do..things work out so much easier, and even though I was buying higher quality produce and foods, my budget didn't notice a huge jump, because there was no more fast food, and convience foods to eat up my budget.

If you are having sugar issues, I'd highly recommed looking at a Celiacs diet and try that for a few weeks. .I'm telling you, you will notice it within a few days.

email me, and I'll send you some blogs and information that have been very very helpful!

We are a nation hooked on salt and sugar and when prepackaged foods have these products in them to "enhance" the flavors, they make more money off the product. Putting this stuff in is very, very good for business.

The truth is, the only way you can be sure to get foods which are really healthy, is to make it yourself. Instead of buying deli products, bake up a large batch of boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cool, then tear it into strips, put it into individual freezer bags and use that as sandwich meat - or turkey - that freezes up well too. Personally, I don't care for beef fixed this way, but you could see for yourself if you like it.

Deli meat is filled with stuff you don't want to eat. Anything in a box, can or plastic container that has a good shelf life is going to contain stuff that is not at all good for you - and generally contains loads of sodium and sugar.

You can make really great soups and stews and gumbos in large portions and divide them up in proper single meal portions for the freezer - there are very many dishes you can make up in larger batches to freeze in portions and this will provide you the convenience of convenience foods without the trash that get included within them.

You can even pre- chop onions and bell peppers and put them in freezer bags for instant, ready use when you are cooking to eleminate the need for the time spent for chopping - but you can't use them as raw ingredients, they will have to be used in cooking. I keep big bags of both in my freezer - I will chop up three or four or more onions when Im going to chop one - then I can take out the amount I need from the bag -this saves so much future energy and time.

Break out your slow cooker on occasion too - it's a great way to have a meal prepared when you get home - but not too often because everything tends to begin to taste the same out of a crockpot if it's used constantly.

To get away from processed foods takes some thought and energy and planning, but you get used to this and it becomes your norm - and then you can have fast and healthy convenience in you own freezer.

I don't think that the sugar and salt content in pre packaged foods will ever change unless/until the companies can make more money by removing it than they can by keeping it. We have to be our own policemen in our diets.

my dh is deathly allergic to MSG and we have cut all processed foods for him out and mostly for me, thou i do eat some low-fat frozen dinners for lunches. a couple of yrs ago i read articles on how much sugar & salt is now in our canned, frozen and processed foods so i look at every ingredient now. i also think the ingredients we eat today plus our lifestyles w/ all the technology have added to our weight. we are eliminating most tv & internet surfing on weekends and trying to do more physical things everyday.

watch out for canned tomato products! i found Muir Glen tomatoes (paste, diced and fire roasted) virtually sugar & salt free and organic and taste WONDERFUL and are not alot more $. we basically went to making dinners and often have to make dinners on weekends and eat them during the week. i am at work right now but i will list some recipes (i use mostly cookinglight) tonight that fit my requirements. those requirements are low-fat/low-sugar/low-salt, must be fast, can be reheated for lunches and don't make many dirtly dishes lol. ~ liz

Corn Syrup is a super cheap filler...food companies can add CS to food and get more.

Take regular Jimmy Dean sausage..

INGREDIENTS: PORK, WATER, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF THE FOLLOWING: CORN SYRUP, SALT, SPICES, DEXTROSE, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE.

The last sausage I bought was their New Natural no MSG or preservatives. It is really good.
INGREDIENTS: PORK, WATER, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, SUGAR, BLACK PEPPER, SAGE, RED PEPPER, SPICE EXTRACTIVES.

I say that's why so many children have behavior problems today. Its all the hidden sugars that they eat on a daily basis..

littlebit

I've already switched to the organic chips for the most part, still buy regular from time to time because Lauren wants them. I also choose the organic canned beans if the store I'm in offers them, like black beans or refried vegetarian. I really can't tell the difference between refried beans made with lard and without.

I agree about the salt and sugar addiction, I can't even eat some of the meals in restaurants anymore because they are so overladen in salt. I don't know how anyone stands it, and when I see other people I'm eating with adding more salt to their foods I just cringe.

When this doctor put me on this diet, she told me no fat free products, so I bought real half and half for my coffee. Before tossing the fat free stuff I looked at the label and sure enough it had a form of sugar in it (can't remember which now), but I never thought to look before. I new companies were putting sugars in place of things in low fat foods but in half and half? I really miss the sugar in my coffee, though. ) :

I'll send you an e-mail Terri.

Not only sugar...but the preservatives, are bad for you, I think. I eat very few processed foods.

Liz, that was one of the first things I checked, my canned tomato products when I made spaghetti the other night. I was so sure it had some type of sugar in it, but it didn't. It's the Save a Lot brand. I make homemade because I can't stand the jarred stuff, they're too sweet. Will look forward to the recipes.

Littlebit, I love Jimmy Dean sausage but I don't buy it anymore.

WOW..I'm impressed that your Doctor did that. Low fat and fat free foods are notorious for additives and sugars (multiple kinds) to "boost" the mouth feel/flavor..actually I think your body is so hyped up on the sugars, it forgets that you didn't enjoy the mouth feel. LOL

I too have stopped putting sugar in my coffee, and reduce that amount I drink of that too. I use Full fat Organic Coconut milk as my "creamer". It's got just a touch of sweetness to it, and the coconut oils are good for you and the "fat" gives you the fullness and satisfaction you are looking for.

I'm not sure that it's Corn Syrup that is the problem. My doctor specifically said High Fructose Corn Syrup. High Fructose Corn Syrup is not a naturally occurring product. Here is a quote from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fructose-corn-syrup/AN01588

'High-fructose corn syrup is a common sweetener and preservative. High-fructose corn syrup is made by changing the sugar (glucose) in cornstarch to fructose another form of sugar. The end product is a combination of fructose and glucose. Because it extends the shelf life of processed foods and is cheaper than sugar, high-fructose corn syrup has become a popular ingredient in many sodas, fruit-flavored drinks and other processed foods.'

I did a lot of research on HFCS when my Dr told me to stay away from it. There are mixed reports. Here is the 'bad'. Originally, when it was first developed, it was recommended for diabetics because it did not raise blood sugar levels like other sugar (and similar sweetening products) does. However, it was later found that the body doesn't handle it the same as it handlees naturally occurring sweeteners and apparently there is cause for concern that it might not be good for us.

It's in practically everything because it's cheap. Condiments seem to be especially bad.

Corn syrup (rather than High Fructose Cornsyrup) is a naturally occurring sweetener and I haven't found anything that says that we should stay away from that any more than from sugar.

jel48, thanks for the info. I never realized that HFCS and 'corn syrup' were not the same thing.

I've just done some reading on it and am not finished researching the info but I now much more informed. Thanks.

The key to remember here..is that the more processed a "raw" ingredient is..the harder our bodies have breaking it down and using it effectively.

So then you eat a food that is "considered" processed, and the likely hood that most of the individual ingredients that go into it to make it, are highly processed as well there surely is very little REAL nutritional value in that food. Even if they claim it's a "whole grain"...so one tiny aspect is..but what else is in it.

So you can go one step further in your kitchens..and that is use foods that have very little processing. If you use sugar (granulated) use one that is less processed. Because even though they are a "ose" they will have some "good" for you things left behind for the lack of over processing.

Raw sugars, rapudura and things of that nature, have minerals our body can use.

It doesn't hurt to arm yourself with information that you can dig up. Don't trust anyone that "markets" and advertises..because it's all about the money. Not what's good for humans consumption.

I could be wrong, but I think the additives to foods really started doubling, tripling, quadrupling, when they started out with the low fat, then the low carb, etc. I noticed that WAY back. If they take something out, they try to better the flavor (and get you to like it) by adding, sugar, salt or lots of artificial crap. I don't say I never buy processed foods, but for the most part, I follow what the experts say: "shop the outer perimeter of the grocery store".

Shirley

one of my all-time fav recipes is Pasta w/ Vodka Cream Sauce because from start to clean up it takes 35-45 minutes, makes few dirty dishes and for me it's o.k. to reheat for lunch. this is my go to meal when i have to cook just for myself, which is 2-3 nights and honestly i could eat it atleast 2x a week for dinners plus lunches lol. it's from cookinglight...

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1654684

Hoisin glazed beef kabobs is another fav and thou it has a few different ingredients, it is very very easy and to help clean up i do the marinade in a ziploc bag. i serve it w/ rice noodles which just soak in warm water while i'm grilling the kabobs. i use tomatoes, mushrooms, green onions/sweet onions, zucchini, green/red peppers and yellow squash on cheap wood skewers (disposable) to add more bulk to the meal. i like my grilled meat on the red side and the veggies still crisp which enables me to reheat this for lunch and it not be overcooked.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1816367

two wonderful deserts from cookinglight i make are: Roasted Banana Bars w/ Brown Butter Frosting (has several steps and makes some dirty dishes but worth it) & Chocolate-Mint Bars (i keep these in the fridge or freezer). i like cookinglight recipes alot because they have a user rating system so before i waste time and $$ making something i can find out if it's worth it and tips on changes also. i have also found Shape & Self Magazines to often have very tasty healthy recipes. ~ liz