Balance of Food

Mercury in high-fructose corn syrup; could this be the last straw?

As much as I have criticized high-fructose corn syrup over the years, and I was on the warpath long before knew what HFCS was even about, the study just released that mercury was found in high-fructose corn syrup shows a true disregard for the health of Americans.

The world outside the U.S. doesn't have to wrestle with this issue, though the U.S. is trying to force Mexico to take in products made with the substitute sweetener.

In the first study, researchers found detectable levels of mercury in 45% of the samples (20 in all). In the second study, nearly one in three of 55 brand-name foods contained mercury.

Experts say there is no safe level of mercury of the kinds found in high-fructose corn syrup. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, along with young children, are more susceptible to the effects of mercury.

On an average basis, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS; not a surprise but some consumers, including many teens, can take in on average about 22 teaspoons per day of HFCS.

I can't say I completely avoid HFCS. It's difficult to live in the United States and completely avoid it. But I work really hard not to eat that much of it. The fact that mercury is now a threat may make me even more diligent about avoiding HFCS.

It would be fun to imagine myself either going back in time in this country or being in another country, and go up and down grocery store aisles, and not have to fear what I put into my body. No such luck in the U.S. and that is very depressing.

Will this study change the political realities that give HFCS so much power in the U.S.? Difficult to know, but hopefully it will be yet another step toward realization of a better food policy in this country.

* A side note. I know the difference between corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup, and know that there is a major difference. Unfortunately, the Chicago Tribune doesn't seem to know based on this story about mercury and HFCS. The headline says "corn syrup" as does the first mention in the story. The only high up mention of high-fructose corn syrup is in the second paragraph.

The next mention, outside of two quotes at the end of the story, is in the 9th paragraph. Four of the first five mentions (not counting the headline) refer to it as "corn syrup" when in fact we're talking about high-fructose corn syrup.

In the past, the newspaper has gone soft on Archer Daniels Midland, a major company in Illinois and also a high up major player in why high-fructose corn syrup is so powerful. One would hope that the Tribune's mistakes are linked to laziness and lack of knowledge instead of something more sinister.

Going back to 'healthy eating' school

Wiser minds have noted that you never stop learning. And since I have gained a few pounds in 2008, I thought as part of my renewal to jump back into a healthy eating class.

I have noted that the supermarket near my office has a staff dietitian. And when I found out she was holding a healthy eating class, I thought this was my chance to get a refresher. It was a brutally cold night in a bad winter, so sitting inside a warm store had some appeal.

Michelle's two major thoughts for the evening were timing of meals and combination of foods. She was teaching the idea of keeping up blood sugar levels to avoid crashes. As for the combination, her focus was on eating a lean protein with a carbohydrate.

Too often, she noted, people eat too few calories in an effort to lose weight when you actually need a minimum of calories.

This seemed pretty simple. She kept mentioning the lean protein with the carb theme, and I was briefly confused until I realized that the skim milk I drank counted as a lean protein.

The timing of meals, besides being aimed at blood sugar levels, is a method geared toward women for losing weight, but not so much for men. Women are taught that several smaller meals is the way to go, but that advice hasn't seemed geared toward men. I confess I'm not sure about whether that strategy works for men, but it doesn't naturally come to men and isn't really marketed to them.

Michelle suggests eating something within 4 hours, a nice idea but not always practical. Still, it is a reminder that going too long is bad, regardless of gender. She also suggests eating breakfast within a hour of waking, and allowing 2 hours between the last meal and sleep (exceptions are made for lean protein). These are very smart strategies if you aren't already doing them.

I probably have let the late-night pattern slip at times, but I do eat breakfast soon after I get up. So this was a nice reminder.

One key point to remember is that there are usually product samples. Michelle was smart enough to point out that samples were products she has tried, but not to associate them at being the only way to go. Any instruction masked as a commercial is not helpful to the person trying to lose weight.

I did try one of the products she suggested, a thinner bun for sandwiches. I checked out the calorie notes, and there isn't much of a calorie savings. But what I found in trying them is that I tasted the sandwich fillings much clearer without the interference of a large bun. I used them with organic meat from the farmers market (first time for a January market here at the home base), and it worked really well.

Michelle talked about omega-3s and lean protein. I am of the philosophy that you don't need huge amounts of protein (men included), but quality sources of lean protein are a good direction that sometimes I overlook. And she also pushed fiber, which definitely makes a difference.

It could be argued that if you know a lot of this material that going to a session might be a waste of time. But the gentleman who came in the middle of the session was a reminder of why this is important. He was a larger gentleman and he had a lot of questions.

This guy, while bigger than I ever was, reminded me a little bit when I was first on the mission to figure this out. And since I was renewing my journey, it was nice to see a reminder of where I have come. I'm struggling at the moment, but not nearly at the level that I was almost 5 years ago.

Eating well is a lifelong struggle, and sometimes when suffering a bad spell, it's good to get a refresher to remind us of where we've been and where we need to go.

Happy Inauguration Day

As I mentioned on Sunday, this week's column is postponed due to the inauguration of a new president.

The eating menus are in high form. I am slightly adjusting mine to try something that might be a better alternative to a sandwich roll. I'll let you know how well it works out.

Just remember that with a parade and multiple balls, there should be plenty of opportunities for exercise. But do enjoy a bit of food. After all, inauguration only happens once every 4 years.

Barack Obama: president and food critic, too

The regular Tuesday column will be pre-empted since Inauguration Day falls on a Tuesday. Those who are looking forward to this celebration likely have their eating menus all prepared. Maybe you can do some marching while watching the parade.

But in honor of the 44th President of the United States, I submit this story/restaurant review for you that I wrote for my day job. Restaurant reviewing is not something I normally delve into, but since it is food-related (and diet, too), here is my essay. Enjoy.

Getting past New Year's 'resolutions' to a better way to eat

So did you make New Year's Resolutions? And have you broken them already?

The brand new year always inspires us to be better human beings, especially when it comes to eating and exercise. And by now (well in this case, January 13), you have "messed up" at least once.

But the path to better eating and exercise doesn't rest in the first couple of weeks in January, especially with this year's extra-cold weather in many parts of the North in the U.S. This is a year-long excursion to learning to do better — mistakes are part of the process.

I could have resolved to work out more and lose 10-15 pounds. But I didn't. I do need to do those things, but I want to have a little fun with it. The more fun I have, the more likely I am to do it.

So when I use the weights to build arm muscle, I watch TV to keep me motivated. And I am trying to cook and eat some new dishes in 2009.

I have resolved in the past to cook more with seafood. So far, I made a tomato sauce with whole baby clams and clam juice. It was pretty good but I know what I did wrong — this is how you learn.

I am also making my own trail mix. The first batch involves Cheerios, walnuts I got from San Francisco, and dried strawberries.

Next, I want to cook scallops. I haven't done this yet, but I will. It's a desire, not a resolution.

I know I want to try different food adventures this year, so I don't even have a full list of what I want to do in 2009. All I know is that I want to be less afraid.

Will I be more successful? Depends on what the goal is. I really do need to lose the weight, but figure that if I can do so in a more relaxed environment, the results may speak wonders.

I signed up for a healthy eating class, the details of which I will note later this month. Even though I may know a lot, it never hurts to get a refresher course and listen to multiple opinions.

January gets the pressure: too much food over the holidays, cold weather, and let's not forget eating holidays such as the Super Bowl (and my birthday). But February-December, eating better and exercising more count just as much. Makes it that much easier to find the true balance of food.

Can you be a localvore in a colder climate?

_{picture taken by me in Southeast San Francisco in late November}

Those who praise the idea of localvores, or eating local, are most likely found in a warmer climate. And it makes complete sense, especially at this time of year.

The variety and quality of foods are astoundingly better in warmer climates. For those of us who have been buried in snow and cold, we are a little jealous.

The billboard (above) is located in the rougher area of San Francisco on the southeast side, designed to improve nutrition in poorer areas.

But it is easier in California and warmer climates to "eat more fruits and vegetables." When I've traveled out to the West Coast, food does taste better. And this is true, especially in the wintertime.

I visited the San Francisco farmers market at the Ferry Building while out there in late November and early December. At one of the stands, a young woman asked me if I wanted to try a strawberry. Strawberry? My mind did not compute. A strawberry after Thanksgiving?

Fortunately, my mouth said, "yes, please." Boy, that was good. At home, fruit meant apples or apples or possibly apples. But here was this beautiful juicy strawberry.

So those of us who live in colder climates have said that we don't want to go several months without strawberries. And so we import them and other fruit and vegetables, often from faraway places. Carbon footprints aside, the taste doesn't match up: a California strawberry tastes better in California than it does in Michigan, especially in winter. 

Short of all of us moving to better climates, how should we approach fruits and vegetables? For those who can fruits and vegetables, there is the opportunity to enjoy the fresh bounty, even if the growing season is short.

I did freeze Michigan blueberries, and that lasted until the end of December. They didn't taste as good as they did in July, but at this time of the year, they were juicy by comparison.

But for most people, the combination of bad weather limits exercise and the lack of interesting produce causes us to skip a plate here and there. Mix in the temptation to eat more carbs to keep warm, and you have potential disaster.

I have been thin in the Midwest and I have been, well, larger than I want to be in this region. I do envision that if I ever moved out to the West Coast, I would eat better and get more exercise. But people in the Midwest and the Northeast do stay in shape; you just have to work much harder at it. 

Do you struggle in the colder climates? Have you moved to a warmer climate and seen your approach change? Should those in colder climates try to become localvores? Let us know in the comments section what you think.