I’m not sure how that happened

I am sort of a foodie and I am a parent. I follow food blogs and food forums and parenting blogs and parenting forums. This means I am constantly running into the food police

“You aren’t eating *that* are you?”

“You wouldn’t let your child eat *this* would you?”

Actually, yes I probably am and would. I’m one of those moderation people who doesn’t think food is evil or a magic cure all. If you believe every food related story out there nearly all foods will kill you, if they don’t make you live to be 100, except for those that they thought would make you live to be 100 but turns out they will kill you – or maybe not (eggs anyone?). And if they aren’t currently killing you or making you live to be 100 they are poisoned with salmonella. Food just can’t be trusted.

I stopped paying attention a long time ago, apart from the salmonella stories & I just buy what my picky eaters will eat. Sometimes I go for the organic versions, like apples, but mostly I buy what is cheapest. The only food I ‘police’ is juice. My kids drink a lot and because I water it down and am cheap, I make sure it is 100% fruit juice. I’m not paying good money for watered down flavored high fructose corn syrup, when the real thing is practically the same price. And high fructose corn syrup is evil so I can be all smug that I am avoiding it.

But, of course, HFCS is in everything, so I can only be so smug.

Or can I?

Tuesday morning I got involved in a debate about HFCS and those commercials about how it’s fine in moderation & how dare they say that when it is everything & moderation just isn’t possible. Which I agree with. I still had this debate in mind when I cleaned out & reorganized my pantry & fridge in preparation for a Sam’s Club trip. I don’t read labels much so I thought it’s be interesting to make a pile of all the food in my house with HFCS & see what I can find to replace it with non HFCS items.

This is the pile

Seriously? It’s not in the cereal or the oatmeal or the applesauce or the Ragu or the Mac & Cheese or the fruit chews? Turns out there is fruit in the fruit chews. And corn syrup in the cereal but not HFCS. Somehow something that is in ‘everything’ isn’t in everything in my house, but only in the 2 flavors of yogurt my kids love that I cannot replicate.

I’m not sure how that happened because as I said, apart from juice, I don’t pay attention to it. Admittedly there is no soda in the house at the moment, but my kids don’t drink it when there is. I buy Breyers ice cream on the occasions I buy ice cream but I checked at the store & there is no HFCS in it. So now I have to go back to that thread and change my opinion.  Apparently moderation in HFCS is entirely possible, even when you aren’t paying attention.

And I do actually get to be smug about the lack of HFCS in our diet. Bonus!