She Says: HFCS is so hip.
HFCS discussions abound these days! I guess Mark and I picked the right time for HFCS Awareness. Yesterday, I found this really great blog called Almost Fit. The author is currently in the process of giving his reasons for avoiding HFCS, which can be found here. The author is not a nutritionist, but his point is that you need not be. If you read and pay attention to the world around you, you too can learn about food and make good decisions. If you can read all the posts on HFCS you should because they’rereally interesting and educational. In one of the clearest explanations of sugar v. HFCS I’ve read says:
“Both sugar and HFCS contain fructose, but the form that it takes in HFCS (monosaccharide) is vastly different in chemical terms than the bound version that occurs in natural sugar (disaccharide).
So does it matter that much of the fructose in HFCS is not bound to glucose?
Fructose, in the form of either sugar or HFCS, is processed by the liver almost exclusively. This is important because the liver converts a good portion of fructose into triglycerides in the body. The unbound, synthetically produced fructose component of HFCS is processed differently than the bound fructose component of sugar. Fructose in HFCS is “shunted”, meaning that it skips any processing that occurs in the cells of the whole body to extract that fructose and then send to the liver. The unbound version goes straight to the liver, quickly. And even more important: in it’s unbound state (meaning fructose that is not bound to glucose), it is processed much more quickly into fat than a natural, whole food.”
Last Night’s Dinner: Grilled Hummus and Tomato.
I love me a grilled cheese sandwich. Last night I really wanted the crispy bread part of a grilled cheese, but I also wanted hummus. I decided to kill two birds with one stone and make a grilled hummus and tomato sandwich. Let me tell you, hummus melts wonderfully.
P.S. Pepperidge Farms 15 Grain Small Slice Bread does not contain HFCS.
September 17th, 2008 at 7:56 am
I read the same article yesterday, very interesting.
mmmm….grilled hummus and tomato? I must add this to my list of foods to try.
September 17th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Ooh, that sandwich sounds delightful!
September 17th, 2008 at 8:51 am
Great explanation of Sugar v. HFCS – thanks for sharing that article!
Oooh, comforting sandwich!
September 17th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Thanks for posting that link. I’ll have to read up on it a bit more.
That sandwich looks good (if only I could eat a tomato!)
September 17th, 2008 at 9:24 am
I have done the grilled cheese, hummus w/ tomato combo myself and it’s always a winner.
It is funny, since you have start HFCS awareness month I have seen a lot more information out there concerning HFCS. I finally saw the HFCS commercial over the weekend while I was watching the food network. My dad and Uncle both commented on the commercial being very confusing stating they both thought it HFCS was bad so why is there a commerical out there supporting it. I actually used alot of information you put on your blog to help me in my fight on how awful the commercials actually are.
September 17th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Ijust read an article on this in advanced nutrition… since it skips the process which can convert the sugar to the storage form (glycogen) than the excess is converted to VLDL (low density lipoproteins) and eventually increase fats in the blood. This is so interesting n this is thereal concern with HFCS. In moderation it should not be bad cause the body can use it to make energy but when in excess it is stored as fat
September 17th, 2008 at 9:43 am
very interesting sandwich.
thanks for sharing more hfcs info. it can get confusing, can’t it?
September 17th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Yes, I love all this information!! And I almost did a grilled cheese and tomato for my post last week but didn’t have any bread! Hummus would be excellent
September 17th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Hello! I put the chocolate chips and the oats on top of the muffin before I put them into the oven. I think if I put the chocolate chips on top after, they would probably fall off. I’ve never had them burn before, but maybe if that happens you could throw them on halfway through when the muffins aren’t fully cooked yet so they stick more?
September 17th, 2008 at 11:41 am
I just saw that commercial advocating HFCS (the one that’s sponsored by the Corn Farmers of America or something like that) and immediately thought of you!
Definitely going to check out that article… thanks
September 17th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I never thought to put hummus on a sandwich – yum!
September 17th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I definitely have to try the melted hummus thing – yum!
http://healthyums.blogspot.com
September 17th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Oh my! That sandwich looks delicious! I am definitely going to give that a try. Would go great with a cup of butternut squash soup once the cold weather hits us
September 18th, 2008 at 4:40 am
Ok, you’ve got me set to try the grilled hummus! I love hummus in all other preparations, including wraps and “ungrilled” sandwiches, even just straight up
I get so many ideas from your blogs – the list just keeps growing! How long did you grill the hummus sandwich?
September 18th, 2008 at 6:26 am
Mango: Just as long as it takes for the bread too cook. Hummus “melts” faster than cheese. Low heat.
Shwana: Definitely with a cup of butternut squash soup!
Nicole: Thanks!
Christie: It is interesting, thanks!
Meghan: Glad I could provide some info. I’ve also read on various HFCS and sugar websites the flip side: no harm or ok in moderation.
September 18th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
[...] was a bit different from the norms. After seeing this post by Hangry Pants about her tomato and hummus sandwich while doing some blog reading before [...]