Sunday, January 30, 2011

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Ok, your probably wondering what high fructose corn syrup has to do with saving money on a veggie diet. But trust me, the two are related. Let's start by looking at some of the items that contain high fructose corn syrup. There's:

1. Soda
2. Granola Bars
3. Flavored Yogurt
4. Cereal
5. Salad Dressings
6. Some canned fruits and vegetables
7. Fast and Processed foods

Now, you may be thinking that some of these items are not bad for you. And while I will always encourage eating as many fruits and vegetables as possible, fresh is always best. Also, anyone who knows anything about soda wouldn't drink it anyway.

Now, how do you suppose you could save money and be veggie while avoiding high fructose corn syrup? Well, for starters, avoid processed foods and sodas. These items tend to be "empty calories" and give a full feeling after eating them, but don't really fill us up. This leads people to spend more money on food items that are similar to the ones that didn't fill them up in the first place.

You can also make your own granola or cereal with healthy items that will leave you feeling fuller longer and won't negatively impact your health like sugars or hfcs.

As for how to get fruits and veggies without hfcs in them: buy fresh! I know that it seems more convenient and inexpensive to go the prepackaged route even on fruits and vegetables, but when you buy your produce fresh, it hasn't been put through any sort of radiation process or flash freezing or anything else before it gets to you. So it's got more nutrients and therefore provides more for your body, leaving you fuller longer and, surprise, saving you money!