Ever heard of the magazine, Girl’s Life? Neither had I – it’s a publication dedicated to the 10-14 year old female market. But when I was asked to comment as the nutrition expert for the article entitled “Expert Advice: Don’t Ditch the Dairy!“, a piece about healthy ways to watch your weight, I jumped at the chance. This is such an important age, and I saw it as an opportunity to really bring home the message about eating nutrient dense foods and making food your friend early in life.
Little did I know that the Corn Refiners Association paid such close attention to this publication (and I would hazard a guess, to others). But I received a letter dated March 19 (just 2 days after the Girl’s Life article appeared) lobbying me about high fructose corn syrup. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement. Surely they don’t think that we should be PROMOTING the use of high fructose corn syrup in foods…but alas, that’s the upshot of this story.
Well, I’m proud to say that I’ve managed to resist the lobbying efforts and remain totally UNCONVINCED that high fructose corn syrup is a necessary and important part of anyone’s healthy diet. Regardless of its GRAS status, I don’t believe that it’s a necessary sugar, ingredient or sweetener. There are many more nutritive sweeteners available in the market today, and I encourage you to seek out products that contain them.
My advice stands – SO sorry that your letter and glossy handouts didn’t impress me, Ms. Erickson, President of the Corn Refiners Association.