HFCS: What is the bottom line?

Recently, I gave my professional statement about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Now I'd like to elaborate on that some more.

Although I could cite the concerns of HFCS on health, the bottom line is that the majority of the products containing HFCS are also foods that contribute very little to one's health. Even if these products contain sucrose (table sugar) or even an artificial sweetener, I still would not promote their use. In other words, if a soft drink now is HFCS-free, that isn't a license to consume more of it. Consuming a food in moderation means that on the occasion you do consume it, you don't have to think twice about it.

For example, I can enjoy a soft drink every now and then without hesitation because I haven't had some in a while. I don't have to stop myself and say, "no, I better drink water." But for foods that my family consumes more frequently (like jelly or barbecue sauce) I do think twice about purchasing products containing HFCS.

"Moderation" is such an arbritrary term, which makes it so popular among food marketers. The term can easily imply that we can continue to consume as much as we already do (if not more), when it most likely means we are having too much and we need to cut back.

The same applies to greasy foods, sugary foods, high sodium foods, actually, ANY food lacking in nutritional content.

When we focus more on eating foods that do us some good, major issues like HFCS become minor issues. And that's what it should be.