80

If you're in the US of A it's a regular fuckin' gauntlet to try to ensure your food purchases aren't loaded with corn syrup.

top 47 comments
sorted by: hot top new old
[-] AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

Some things even have HIGH fructose corn syrup in it. Ketchup has BOTH.

[-] PumaStoleMyBluff@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

I love when the front of the label has a big sticker saying "No HFCS!" and then you read the back and regular corn syrup is the first ingredient and it's 50% sugar by weight

[-] Omgpwnies@lemmy.world 1 points 35 minutes ago

TBF though, HFCS is a fair bit worse for you than just corn syrup. It's the 'high fructose' part that makes it worse.

[-] Malica@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 hours ago

Making stuff from scratch is the only way. Run with it, it's fun.

[-] blockheadjt@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 hours ago

Got an organic section in your grocery store?

[-] DupaCycki@lemmy.world 12 points 18 hours ago

I've tried a few products imported from the US. Mostly sweets or sweet drinks.

It's always the same three ingredients - sugar (of course, nothing American about it), high calorie corn syrup, and modified corn starch.

The first sip of a Dr Pepper from the US tasted pretty good. So did the second. But by the half of the can I felt sick.

Same with the sweets. I can usually eat a lot of sweets at a time, probably a lot more than I should, but I had to stop in the middle of a 100g pack, because it was making me physically unwell.

I cannot imagine eating (or trying to) anything like this more often than once every 6 months. I'm sorry that Americans are being actively poisoned.

[-] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 4 points 13 hours ago

The sugar content of British candy is actually higher.

[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 9 points 12 hours ago

I think they are saying the corn derivatives are the issue, not the sugar.

[-] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 4 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

There's nothing, in particular, of health concern about corn syrup or high-fructose corn syrup besides it being sugary. It is used in everything because corn is incredibly subsidized by the US government and so the syrup created from it is very very cheap. The amount of sugar in general in processed foods is a problem if eaten to excess, but whether that sugar comes from cane, corn, or any other food safe plant, it makes little difference for overall health risks.

If this person is having digestive issues/discomfort from it, I would suggest that one of 3 things is happening. 1) it's psychsomatic because they assume it's worse for them. 2) They have an allergy to something in the drink. Maybe the corn, maybe something else. 3) They have fructose intolerance from fructose malabsortion in the small intestine. If the fructose isn't all absorbed before making it to your large intestine, it can ferment some from your gut bacteria and cause bloating and gas. This is uncomfortable, but not dangerous to your health.

Fructose is not chemically dangerous and it is naturally found in many foods (fruits, honey, vegetables, ... corn, etc.). The only difference between the glucose in cane sugar and typical corn syrup and the fructose in High Fructose Corn Syrup is that fructose is a larger more complex molecule, tastes sweeter, and might absorb slower in your digestive tract (which as arguably better for your blood sugar and calorie intake). There is good reason to be concerned about HFCS in processed foods, but the concern should just be that it is over used due to it being a cheap way to make foods taste good, and we have too much sugar in our diets overall.

[-] Vetis@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 hours ago

You are right, however high fructose corn sirup has an extremely high glycemic index which tend to make people fat. So in comparaison to other forms of sugar, it is one of the worst for your health. The health of americans would be better if corn wasn't as subsidized.

[-] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 4 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

It has a glycemic index of 56-62 depending on the fructose to glucose ratios. That's considered a moderate GI, not extremely high. Sucrose (standard table sugar) has a GI of about 65. White bread (70+) and baked potatoes (about 86) have a higher glycemic index.

I don't disagree that we would be more healthy and less fat were corn not subsidized. But that would be because sweetened foods wouldn't be as cheap so we couldn't afford to eat as much and the markets for them and drive to sell them to us wouldn't be as huge. Not because HFCS is, in itself, less healthy than any other sugar source.

[-] Vetis@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 hour ago

Thank you for double checking, you're totally right. It's my mistake. I was quoted 80-95 by you know what 🥲

[-] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 10 hours ago
[-] notptr@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 7 hours ago

Big Sweaty Corn

[-] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

My Nebraska-based mascot-sona?

[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 1 points 10 hours ago

That's what I'm saying, they have an issue with corn. Im not a doctor or psycholgist to reason why they have an issue.

[-] janus2@lemmy.zip 27 points 1 day ago
[-] nieceandtows@programming.dev 7 points 23 hours ago

Yeah I can find stuff I want without corn syrup way more easily than find stuff I want without palm oil.

[-] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 day ago

I'm not in the loop about palm oil I guess.

[-] Psythik@lemmy.world 15 points 20 hours ago

Rainforests are being destroyed to harvest it.

[-] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 11 hours ago

Thank you for making me aware. I recently switched from almond milk to hemp milk to try to be more resource conscious. I guess I'll also try to see if I can weed out palm oil products.

[-] pmjv@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 17 hours ago

it's to breed out the mutan gene, i saw it in Logan.

[-] Montagge@lemmy.zip 16 points 1 day ago

Corn syrup and petroleum byproduct food dyes

[-] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 11 points 23 hours ago

Avoid processed foods, regardless of what's in it.

Since the 80's and the low-fat movement, the fat was replaced by gobs of sugar. Which was later replaced by corn syrup.

Doesn't really matter which one you're eating, the high glycemic index is the killer with both. And lots of simple carbs in your diet is (as the medical community is finally starting to acknowledge) the real driver with today's cardiovascular unhealth. It's what damages arteries, cholesterol shows up to repair that damage.

Which is all the reason in the world to avoid processed foods. They will always have a crap macronutrient composition, and sugar is always way too high.

[-] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

I eat pretty clean, this only bites me these days for condiments and the rare occasion I feel like I want a cheat snack.

[-] turdburglar@piefed.social 5 points 21 hours ago

i once heard a good rule of thumb for avoiding processed food - shop the out skirts of the grocery store… don’t go down the aisles in the middle

[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 3 points 12 hours ago

Depends on the store. We have one where the outskirts are the frozen dinner freezers and other prepared foods, and natural foods are in the middle.

[-] BigTrout75@lemmy.world 6 points 21 hours ago

We are the people of the corn

[-] don_kiedyck@lemmy.world 4 points 19 hours ago

We grew up as children of the corn.

[-] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 11 hours ago

We sell corn and corn accessories.

[-] andyburke@kbin.earth 7 points 23 hours ago

Gotta subsidize the farmers 🤷‍♂️

[-] OwOarchist@pawb.social -4 points 22 hours ago

If only we could find some way to fuel AI datacenters with corn...

[-] jumping_redditor@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 hours ago

we already can, turn the corn into either oil or ethanol and shove in in a desil generator.

Our corn growing habits consume far more water than all the proposed datacenters, solar or nuclear are the only reasonable options for powering datacenters at scale.

[-] trebach@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 hours ago

Or add it into gasoline like in most places in the US.

[-] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 6 points 22 hours ago

No. Replace fields with solar and get rid of half the dairy and meat farms.

[-] notptr@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 21 hours ago

So much humidity added by all the corn :(

[-] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 21 hours ago

I buy corn syrup based pancake syrup to use for making granola, it works really well

[-] Psythik@lemmy.world 6 points 20 hours ago

Meanwhile I'm bringing a bottle of real maple syrup to IHOP because I can't stand that fake Mrs. Butterworth's corn syrup slop.

[-] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

I love real maple syrup, would totally use that instead if I was rich.

Depending on how the consistency turns out of course, I've never actually tried making granola with it because of the expense and how you need to use a lot

[-] kettuli@lemmy.world 3 points 19 hours ago

I make my ”granola” without any syrup and it’s so much better.

[-] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 18 hours ago

Do you use anything to get it to stick together? What's better about it? I've tried different combinations of ingredients but I like the kind that resembles what you might buy in a store better.

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 5 points 17 hours ago

Personally, I make mine with honey and molasses.

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 2 points 11 hours ago

Organic black strap molasses and honey are great for sweetening.

[-] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 17 hours ago

I've tried molasses, works pretty good

[-] picnicolas@slrpnk.net 2 points 17 hours ago

I use a mixture of brown sugar and maple syrup that I heat up to dissolve the sugar, then add olive oil, mix with the oats, spread on baking sheets and bake on low temp for a long time until it’s crispy

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 2 points 11 hours ago

Brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added. Turbando if you can afford it.

[-] kettuli@lemmy.world 2 points 17 hours ago

It’s not sticking together so it resembles more a müsli than granola but I toast it in the oven so it resembles more a granola. It’s maybe neither but it’s better than what they sell at the store.

this post was submitted on 13 Oct 2026
80 points (96.5% liked)

Rant

527 readers
123 users here now

A place where you can rant to your heart's content.

Rules :
  1. Follow all of Lemmy code of conduct.
  2. Be respectful to others, even if they're the subject of your rant. Realize that you can be angry at someone without denigrating them.
  3. Keep it on Topic. Memes about ranting are allowed for now, but will be banned if they start to become more prevalent than actual rants.

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS