Kosher Coke
It is nearly impossible to find a bottle of soda without high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) listed as one of the ingredients. In 2005, when I did my internship at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, I gave a presentation to the ladies in the Nutrition and Education for Women (NEW) Study about HFCS. I compiled a list of over 100 food and drink that contained this “buzzword”. As consumers have become more aware of the health issues regarding HFCS we have seen a small decrease of HFCS as an ingredient.
For those of you wondering what HFCS is and why we should avoid it, here is some information from the handout I distributed from my internship:
What it is: a modified form of corn syrup that has an increased level of fructose yet has the exact same sweetness and taste as an equal amount of sucrose from cane or beet sugar.
While FHCS involves more time and energy to produce, it is cheaper than sugar. This means lower costs and higher profits for food producers.
Why you should be aware of HFCS: between 1967 and 2000 consumption of HFCS has increased > 1000%. HFCS now represents > 40% of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages and is the sole caloric sweetener in soft drinks in the United States. A daily average of HFCS for all Americans older than 2 is 132 kcal. The surge in HFCS intake mirrors the rapid increase in obesity in the United States.
HFCS is digested, metabolized and absorbed differently than glucose. Because fructose does not rely on signals that regulate food intake and body weight, research suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain.
Now, I suppose you are wondering why I am spending all of this time discussing HFCS. Well, because it’s Passover season. During this season, manufactures produce foods and beverages that are kosher which imply that they do not use corn (ie, HFCS). When Robb went to the grocery store last night, he came home with two bottles of Coca-Cola which contained sucrose (ie, cane sugar)! We are not big soda drinkers, but it’s a treat to have some Coca-Cola now and then. And what is more of a treat than soda sweetened with true sugar?
Of course, sucrose sweetened soda is available in the “ethnic” sections of our local Woodman’s store. We actually bought a small glass bottle of the drink earlier this week.
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