OK- trying to cut down on high fructose corn syrup for everyone around here. Diabetes is on all sides of the family, and HFCS is put in almost everything these days (so the consumer will become addicted to the sweet taste, eat more, then buy more- disgusting marketing ploy. There is no reason spaghetti sauce needs HFCS in it).

Anyway- I tried switching from regular syrup to real maple syrup. The kids didn't even notice, but I can't get used to the different taste. I am ruined- all those years of regular syrup (which is really just HFCS and food coloring) have warped me. Plus, I have sticker shock over the price of real maple syrup (which is quite involved to harvest, so I know the higher price really is justified).

I guess I grew up in the generation of meatloaf, instant mashed potatoes and peanut butter on white bread for all. The days before salsa... the dark ages. I'm not sure I will ever grow to love, or really even like, maple syrup. OTOH, I have discovered what I like best on pancakes is real jelly or jam spread on top, which may be better for me than either of the above. Trying to be healthier is so much work.. grumble, grumble....

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YESSSSS it is very difficult. Although, I'm with ya, I'll stick to my HFCS syrup. BUT, when I gave up sodas ( I still have the occasional one a couple times a month), I was up to about 4 a day, with no water in between. NEedless to say, that, and my complete lack of any exercise activity period, caused me to gain 50% of my body weight. Granted, all I weighed in high school was 100 pounds and only maxed out at 150, THAT'S A LOT OF WEIGHT TO GAIN, especially in a time span of about 4 years. It crept up on me, and bam, I was "fat". Now, 150 is certainly not FAT, but compared to my usual 100, its alot!!! It's a hard thing to give up our sugary treats, i had migraines for weeks, but your body gets used to it. And honestly, I feel soooo much better inside as I drink my water, instead of when I drink my soda. I know your post was about syrup, but I figured I'd add my $.02 about the HFCS in general. I agree with you whole-heartedly on your grumbles...lol...I was upset when I gave up soda too. But I won't go back, that's for sure!! Good luck, my friend, I'm wishing ya the best.

Yep, HFCS is in everything-so hard to avoid!! We try to avoid it all we can. I for one LOVE real maple syrup. The "fake" stuff just tastes disgusting to me, but the real stuff is expensive. Too bad the food that is better for you is so often more $$. Good luck. Trust me, if you can avoid diabetes, your life WILL be so much better (I was diagnosed in Nov, and although it isn't a life sentence, it requires so much effort!).

I buy my maple syrup in large containers at Sams. It is much cheaper there.

As far as syrup for you...have you tried some of the fruit syrups? Blueberry, strawberry, etc. Surely there have got to be some natural ones out there?

We are cutting out the HFCS as well. It really is in everything...why DOES spaghetti sauce need it to be there? I am making a ton of the usual suspects (cookies, muffins, other snack foods) from scratch and everyone is happy with that.

I have given up HFCS in most items, read the labels.... why HFCS is in whole wheat bread is beyond me but... whatever.

however, I do still have an occasional soda and like the OP I have kept my Mrs Butterworths syrup. I have changed my bread, soda consumption, ketcup, yogurt and a dozen other items.

I hate, hate, hate maple syrup and always have. I don't even like the smell of it.. yuck!


i think sometimes you just have to do your best. Luckily I don't eat pancakes or waffles but once a month, so keeping my Mrs. Butterworth's syrup is something I will allow myself, just like I allow myself a soda if i want one, but in all honestly, I have maybe a soda every 2 weeks or so.

it's the daily consumables that I watch out more for, my bread, my ketcup, my yogurt.. those are all HFCS free.

Good luck!

Oh my goodness, how can anyone hate real maple syrup?!?! I could drink it straight!! It is very expensive, even here in sugaring country, but to me it's totally worth every penny!

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I'd choose real maple syrup any day, but I was going to suggest jam as well. Sometimes my jam does not set solid, so it's more of a "sauce" for ice cream or pancakes. That works great. Or, butter and granulated maple sugar sprinkled on top.

For spaghetti sauce - read the labels. Some will have as low as 5g sugar per serving, others as high as 15g per serving, depending on the "flavor". I've switched to the Hunts "no sugar added" if I'm not making a homemade sauce. It comes in a plain can rather than a pretty jar, it's cheaper, and it was one of the top picks in Consumer's Reports. Try it!

I could have written your post exactly. I'm starting by trying to cook from scratch as much as possible. I think they just throw HFCS in things just because. Most things homemade without it don't even taste different. It is definitely tough but I know we will all be so much healthier and feel so much better.

BTW, I mixed the real maple syrup with just a small amount of honey and it was better. Honey isn't quite as bad as HFCS and though it still didn't taste like Aunt Jimimma it was pretty good.

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Jennifer
dd Sarah 1/4/02
ds Brady 1/15/07

I wouldn't worry as much about real or fake sweeteners as much as trying to wean yourself off of sweets... period. The body doesn't react terribly different between the different sugars. Most americans have a sweet tooth and that is one reason there are sweeteners in everything. It is very bad for the body; leading most into insulin resistance and eventually into type 2 diabetes.

Try to retrain your taste buds. It can be done. Cook from scratch; cut sugar down and out wherever possible. Artificial sweeteners are not good either. It tricks the body into thinking some sugar is coming and overreacts.

Cathleen

It cracks me up that you like the fake stuff over the real. However, that is reality in our society today. If I watch what I'm eating, I can't stand McDonalds fries or anything greasy. All I taste is the grease - I hate Oreos for the same reason.

But...if I fall off the wagon and eat it repeatedly, I actually start to like it - it's like my brain and tongue no longer taste the grease - I can even eat Oreos!!

Keep at it - I really believe that you will start liking real syrup. I grew up w/the real stuff, so I can usually tell the fake right away. By the way, if you have a Trader Joe's near you, they have decent prices. And Grade B is sometimes cheaper. I found out the difference between Grade A&B is only color.

It's ridiculous how synthetic our food has become. It's ridiculous, too, that it's gotten so hard to eat healthy. With all these preservatives, is that why we live longer?

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