The Nagging Mom

The makers of High Fructose Corn Syrup are asking for a name change. They'd prefer it if we, the consumers, could kindly begin to refer to it as Corn Sugar instead.

Why?

Because over the last few years major food manufacturing companies have discontinued adding corn syrup into their products and the heighten awareness on health and obesity has given it a bad rap. And rightfully so.

As I have noted in earlier post High Fructose Corn Syrup was introduced to manufactured and processed foods as a less expensive and more convenient alternative to sugar. Since then we have seen a RAPID increase of obesity and Adult on-set diabetes.

Why?

Well, contrary to what Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, stated in her interview with NPR on September 19, 2010; Sugar IS NOT Sugar. First off Fructose IS NOT Glucose. And anyone who says otherwise seriously needs to revisit their Biology text books. Not to mention High Fructose Corn Syrup requires a different metabolic pathway than Sugar in its natural and unrefined state. Secondly, HFCS is hidden in many of the foods we eat: Cereals, pastas, breads, waffles, baked goods, energy bars, juices, energy drinks and the list goes on. This is done to increase shelf life and well lets face it the chances that you will actually enjoy the taste. I mean we're talking a major game of hide and go seek, on average Americans consume a little over 35 pounds a year of the stuff!.....Did you know that?

The name change application was just submitted last week and hopefully the federal government will have the right mind to decline this. (Although the government corn subsidies are a WHOLE other topic to discuss....)But whether they do or whether they don't the bottom line is; Eat local and ditch the processed!

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To keep it simple here is what you need to Black List to remain Gluten Free:

The Good:
Rice
Millet
Corn(Maize)
Flax
Teff
Buckwheat
Quinoa
Soy
Potato
Arrowroot
Sorghum
Nut Flours
Beans
Amaranth
Garfava
Montina
Tapioca


The Bad:
Wheat (Einkorn, Durum, Faro, Graham, Kamut, Semolina, Spelt)
Rye
Barley
Triticale.

The Ugly:
Beers
Breading & Coating Mixes
Brown Rice Syrup
Communion Wafers (Really though our communion wafers are sooo small I dont even care about this one)
Croutons
Dressings
Drugs & Over-the-Counter Medications
Energy Bars or Cereal/Fruit bars-You also have to watch for HFCS in these too!
Flour & Cereal Products-Like the bars, cereal generally has HFCS.
Herbal Supplements
Imitation Bacon
Imitation Seafood-Just say no to K-rab!!
Marinades
Nutritional Supplements
Pastas
Processed Luncheon Meats-Really, feeding your kids anything processed is child abuse.
Sauces & Gravies
Soy Sauce
Soup Bases
Stuffings
Thickeners (Roux)
Vitamins & Mineral Supplements
Baking Soda- Yes, this came as a suprise to me too! Ill post a recipe soon.

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I have my work cut out for me once the weather does get nice..I mean we are talking piles of this here and that there. Its ugly! But when I do get down and dirty I am sure to take the "Environmentally Friendly" way. I could go out and buy a bunch of "Green" products or make them myself, it's really easy and there seems to be two main ingrediants that I went and purchased in bulk as well as a couple reusable spray bottles. I was able to find everything I need at Fred Meyers.


Porclein and/or Tile:
Baking Soda and Water: Dust surfaces with baking soda, then scrub with a moist sponge or cloth. If you have tougher grime, sprinkle on some kosher salt, and work up some elbow grease.

Lemon Juice or Vinegar: Got stains, mildew or grease streaks? Spray or douse with lemon juice or vinegar. Let sit a few minutes, then scrub with a stiff brush.

Disinfectant:
2 cups of water
3 tablespoons of liquid soap
20 to 30 drops of tea tree oil.

Glass Cleaner:
2 tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water

Clogged Drains:
Baking Soda and Boiling Water: Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into the problem drain, followed by 2 cups of boiling water. If that isn't doing it for you, chase the baking soda with a 1/2 cup of vinegar and cover tightly, and let it sit. Then flush that with one gallon of boiling water.

Floors:
1/8 c. liquid soap
1/4 to 1/2 c. white vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 c. peppermint herb tea (peppermint has antibacterial qualities)

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Yes, I know I am WAAAAAY behind on the postings. Baseball came into our lives full swing (no pun intended). All things considered I put the blog on the back burner. Slap my wrist and lets move forward.

Lately, Ive been on the receiving end of several compliments in regards to my son's behavior. One person even went as far to exclaim that he was a "Whole new kid!"; well to all of you GFCF skeptics out there: With my tongue stuck out and hands on my hips, I told you so!

For years fingers have been pointed in all different directions; ADD, ADHD, Depression, Anger Management, every psychiatric term available. We've done counseling, workshops, testing, psychiatrist. The school has sent state agencies to my home concerned by my son's behavior. I have broken down into countless tears and fits of rage myself trying to determine where I as a parent went wrong.

My biggest mistake: Ignoring my own instincts and listening to everybody else. The bottom line folks in regards to any concern for your children of any matter. YOU ARE THE PROFESSIONAL. YOU know your child better than any other "professional" does and my eleven years of experience (plus those few years as a step mom and then the few years before that as a very active nanny) as a mother has taught me that your instincts will guide you in the right direction.

The Change:
When Austin was in Preschool he would constantly develop a migraine headache, at least 2 a week. I concerned myself with all of the possibilities and took him back to the pediatrician over and over and over again. Once demanding a C-scan simply to rule out a tumor. And another time asking if he could potentially be allergic to milk. At which point our (now fired ) doctor looked me up and down as though to say "You foolish young mom" gave me a chart to complete and sent me to the store for Benedryl concluding my child was getting car sickness. Looking back on this I am half inclined to send an email to this said Pediatrician and point out to him that he is clearly incompetent....but I wont. Five years later I have come to learn that I (as I so often am) was right.

The interim between the two events has been very difficult and painful but alas I decided to follow that gut feeling and took my son to a Naturopathic for some food-allergy testing. She took one good hard look at him, gently tugged on his lower eyelid and exclaimed that he was allergic to dairy. Talk about an Ah ha moment!

We have been committed to excluding any and all dairy from our diet for about 8 months now and the results have been jaw dropping. Now I am keeping in mind that my son is now a pre-teen and with that comes puberty and with that comes some what of an emotional roller coaster but for the most part his behavior is MUCH more pleasant. He laughs, sings, he's made a whole new circle of friends, he cooperates better and recently exceeded the state standards in his Reading and Science. And most of all I am a much happier mom!

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About once a week I will let Austin have a Root Beer however I demand it is made with real sugar as opposed to a Mug or a Barqs. Inevitably this leads to a little fit being thrown but I always win with the "Take it or Leave it" approach. And always have to explain to him why as a responsible and loving mother I cannot allow for him to have one made with corn syrup. Here is why:

HFCS is made by a bunch of corn syrups that are processed to increase their Fructose level, resulting in a sweeter and cheaper substitute to its Real Sugar counterpart. Because it cost so much less HFCS has essentially taken Sugar's place in everything. Now the bottom line is Sugar is Sugar regardless of its source, may it be Fructose or Sucrose and they will BOTH lead to obesity,liver damage and/or heart disease if over consumed.



But like I said about Soy, Sugar comes in it's natural state. And the body processes HFCS differently than it does Cane and Beet sugar. Fructose elevates triglyceride levels messing with the metabolic regulating hormones this forces the liver to release fats into the bloodstream.

Also with Real Sugar,the glucose is then stored as energy. Whereas with Fructose it is not which will allow you to keep eatting. In addition to the overeating though the fructose will sneak pass the insulin response thereby confusing our body as to how to cope and storing itself into our cells just as extra fat. From one muffin top to another ;)

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We love our Pizza and Movie nights in but its impossible to find an inexpensive, good, gluten free pizza so we have taken our "bonding" nights one step further and make the pizza together. Obviously we omit the cheese unless Im willing to deal with the mood swings that dairy brings to our home. Tell me what you think of this one

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