Nutritionists, physicians, diet aficionados, and food scientists in general have sounded an alarm. Someone, without your permission, and while your attention was focused elsewhere has added, yea, substituted a cane sugar sweetener for another that is bad not only for your weight but also for your good health. Name that ingredient?--sure--it is HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. (in caps to impress you with the name to remember).

I just went into my pantry and pulled a few things off the shelves there. I found HFCS in the following items. Catsup, Tomato Paste, Fruit Cocktail in cans, red raspberry jelly, stewed tomatoes , cream style corn, cream of onion soup. I only looked at a few items in my shelves. In prepared food the sweetener has become ubiquitous.

It is being said by authorities in nutrition that this ingredient surreptitiously added to our food may be a leading cause of fat gain. Also, and importantly, because it is in all regular soda pop, it may be a leading cause of obesity of children. Pediatricians are warning of this, and unless there rises a clamor against it, the companies using it will continue to use it, primarily because it is cheaper than sugar and easier to use.

I am shopping myself for foods that are prepared without this syrup added and unless I go to the health food store, I can hardly avoid this additive. I note that some companies may be becoming a bit shy about printing out the total name--High Fructose Corn Syrup in their ingredient portion of label, calling it instead modified corn starch. Consumer beware!