Tuesday, February 2, 2010

HFCS and Baby Formula: Can you believe it?!


Do you ever get this feeling you want to move forward but are pulled by opposing forces? I have been very dismayed lately about how high fructose corn syrup is in EVERYTHING.

I've been reading an article and watching the accompanying video about the hazards of sugar. And this shocked me: "Tragically, many infant formulas are more than 50 percent sugar -- 43 percent being corn syrup solids. You might as well be giving your baby a bottle of Coke or Pepsi."

I went grocery shopping yesterday and checked out formulas. Sure enough. The FIRST ingredient was corn syrup solids. As if that wasn't enough, sugar was listed. One even had partially hydrogenated oil. FOR INFANTS! There was one brand that said "sugar-free." I was fortunate enough to be able to breastfeed my children, but I was so angry that other parents are offered this garbage. Why?!!!!!

Greta from Big Bottom Blogger introduced this link for the article here: This Common Food Ingredient Can Really Mess Up Your Metabolism. It's lengthy, but worth the read. Bookmark it.

It's challenging enough for us adults to avoid the stuff, but babies don't have choices, and young parents may not be informed. HFCS is illegal in some other countries. How can we make it illegal here?

Update: I just returned from the pediatric's office to get my 4 year old ready for kindergarten. I asked the doc if she new about it. She said no and then began looking in the exam room cabinets where they store the samples. She was shocked! Similac- 43% corn syrup solids. She had another brand, Isomil (or was it Enfamil...sorry, I didn't write it down), that was better and didn't have it.

13 comments:

  1. That is crazy! I did not realize that was in the formula. I was only able to breastfeed my kids until about 4 months and 5 months. Then I ran out of milk, even with interventions :(

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  2. Good grief! Wish I knew if the formula has changed over the years. My little gal was fed Enfamil as a baby for several months (in 1969. At that time, I don't know if there were even labels to read in those days, and, if so, whether most of us would even have understood them, for that matter, or if everything would have been required to appear on the label.

    Good checking, Gina. Sounds like a great article for a local newspaper!....along with healthier alternatives, possibly health food stores having better brands if us moms aren't able to breastfeed. Keep up the good work!! And thanks for the info!!

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  3. Jazzy Singer - HFCS was introduced to the American market in 1975. Your little girl probably avoided it.

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  4. Staci - Hey, 4/5 months is GREAT. They benefited a lot from that.

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  5. Thanks for that, Gina. Will be even more aware to read
    whatever's in the stuff we buy and will make it more known to whoever else might want to listen.

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  6. Wow, this is absolutely shocking. I formula fed my three babies and it makes me feel sick. The thing that gets me is, that stuff smells and tastes bad. Why do they need to add HFCS?

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  7. That is just horrible. It makes me angry to realize that formula makers care so little for the long-term health of children.

    Thanks for posting this!

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  8. AFG - Not all formulas have the garbage in it; maybe yours didn't. You are making changes in your life now and are being a great example to your kids and passing on new-found health.

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  9. I was just printing the article for my son who is in honors biology this year. He wanted to read more about it.

    Here is the scary part. High Fructose Corn Syrup did not exist prior to 1966. It is a totally new compound. Coincidence that obesity has dramatically risen since then? Hmmm! The part in the article that talked about how our body breaks it down is so freaky!

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  10. Disturbing. Thank you for your post.

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  11. yes! I put down a box of whole grain Ritz crackers yesterday at the grocery store because of HFCS. Seriously. It's everywhere and makes me SO uneasy.

    (and a little more grateful for le bebe who refuses bottles AT ALL times.)

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  12. Bad stuff. No babies in this house but good to pass on to others. THX!

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  13. Uh oh, HFCS in Ritz? Yikes. I BF all three but weaned my son onto Isomil I think it was because I was working part time-- turns out it's a soy formula, which they are not so thrilled about now either.

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