Sugar Wars

Well, well, high fructose corn syrup can now join the honorable ranks of food items that have been falsely accused of being nutritionally "evil". The same media groups and food police that were until recently denouncing high fructose corn syrup are now issuing statements that the controversy has been all hype. So what happened to change their minds? Two words, further research. Rather like "Chicken Little" they started spreading the alarm before they knew the complete story. Barry Popkin, research scientist and the original "Chicken Little" in the war on high fructose corn syrup, now confirms that table sugar and HFCS have the same number of calories and are both about half fructose. Mr. Popkin now acknowledges that his previous speculation was wrong and premature. As the president of the Corn Refiners Association has stated, "Fructose itself is safe. It's in the fruits and vegetables we eat every day. Mother Nature herself put it there." The concern over consuming too much sugar in either form still exists, and it is a viable concern. There again we need to teach our children that very important word that will aid them in all things for the rest of their lives, moderation.