Corn Syrup vs. Corn Sugar...is there a difference?

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP?

By Chistine Avanti, C.N.

The National Corn Refiners Association is planning to change the name, “high fructose corn syrup” to “corn sugar” due to the negative stigma attached to its current name.

Chemically it’s essentially the same as sugar. The bottom line is we should be consuming a lot less of both sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.

The American Dietetic Association says the two sweeteners are “nutritionally equivalent” and “indistinguishable” once absorbed in the bloodstream. The American Medical Association has said it’s “unlikely that HFCS contributes more to obesity or other conditions than sucrose.”

But there are some differences. To make table sugar, the sugar from beets and cane essentially is squeezed out of the plants. Corn syrup, meanwhile, is heavily processed using enzymes to turn cornstarch into glucose and then fructose.

Here’s the skinny: high fructose corn syrup may not as bad for us as most people believe. However, it is added to a ridiculous range of packaged foods to make them taste better. HFCS is often found in packaged foods such as bread, ketchup, crackers, cereal, salad dressings, yogurt and even healthy granola bars. Bottom line- read the ingredient’s labels closely and reduce your intake of all forms of sugar in including refined white sugar, brown sugar, organic sugar, and raw sugar.

Here are some sweet alternatives to refined sugar:

• Honey (Raw)
• Maple Syrup (organic)
• Maple Sugar (dehydrated maple syrup)
• Stevia (use the green powder only- the white Stevia powder is an extracted compound)
• Sucanat or Rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar juice)
• Coconut Palm Sugar (dehydrated coconut palm nectar)
• Zsweet (erythritol a zero glycemic carb, and rebaudiana leaf)
• Xylitol ( a low glycemic sugar from natural xylan-rich sources)

Want to make a sweet fall treat for your family? Try Christine’s Bartlett Pear Sorbet recipe, sweetened with real pears and raw organic honey.