Sweeteners

Nice thread, I've had this on my mind lately as well.

I've cut out high fructose corn syrup, and I'm a little weary of diet sodas. Fruit juice and tea are fine, but I really like carbonation in my drinks, especially in the winter when my throat is itchy as hell.

The solution I've been sticking with over the past couple of months is Poland Springs sparkling water. Zero calories, no sugar, all natural. If I'm in the mood for something sweeter, I'll mix it with some fruit juice or Liv (an all natural sports drink w/o high fructose corn syrup).

The nice thing about Poland Springs' sparkling water in particular is that it's heavily cabonated, so pouring a little juice in there doesn't give it a disgusting flat soda feel.

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Originally Posted by A Robot Bit Me

I've cut out high fructose corn syrup

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Good. That shit'll fuck you up.

Anyone who hasn't done this may not know how hard it is. Go to the bread department at any grocery store and see if you can find a loaf that comes in a plastic bag that doesn't have high fructose corn syrup.

Truth. If you're not within driving distance of a Whole Foods, avoiding high fructose corn syrup is next to impossible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_syrup

Try this, it's awesome.

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To produce agave nectar, juice is expressed from the core of the agave, called the piña. The juice is filtered, then heated, to hydrolyze carbohydrates into sugars. The main carbohydrate is a complex form of fructose called inulin or fructosan. The filtered, hydrolyzed juice is concentrated to a syrup-like liquid a little thinner than honey.

As a sweetener, Agave syrup is notable in that its glycemic index and glycemic load are apparently lower than most if not all other natural sweeteners on the market

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Luckily there's plenty more solutions than WF in this town but WF can definitely save you from the syrup.

On a Whole Foods/HFCS-related note:

ProTip: A product containing high fructose corn syrup can legally market itself as "All Natural" in spite of HFCS being a chemically engineered sweetener. Don't get baited by Heinz Ketchup or 7-Up.

Same with MSG. You have to look real hard to find that stuff even though it is as many things HFCS. It can be called about a million different things including "natural flavors". WTF. Bullshit like this makes me want to kill the world sometimes.

Things that are all-natural: Rattlesnakes. Brown Recluses. Bees. Sharks. Large Rocks. Various Poisons. Sun Burns.

"All Natural" is clever marketing which means nothing.

Clearly. I'm past that.

But many people are starting to wake up to the idea of eating healthy and they're getting robbed by these "natural flavors" merchants and the FDA.

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Originally Posted by PaCrappa

Same with MSG. You have to look real hard to find that stuff even though it is as many things HFCS. It can be called about a million different things including "natural flavors". WTF. Bullshit like this makes me want to kill the world sometimes.

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Except glutamate really is naturally occurring in a lot of foods. There are plenty of things worth worrying about, but I've never been convinced that MSG is one of them. It is, however, cheating when you're cooking. :(