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A List of Foods That Do Not Contain HFCS

High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener so pervasive now that a list of foods without it would change from day to day. HFCS takes the place of sugar cane and other sweeteners in many prepared food and drink products. There are serious questions about its health effects, chemical composition and how the body may react to HFCS. Those questions are under study but the early consensus is that any added sugar should be strictly limited in a healthy diet. HFCS is also called insulin, glucose-fructose syrup, iso glucose, chicory, and fruit fructose on nutrition labels.

  1. Corn Syrup Concerns

    • High fructose corn syrup is very sweet, cheap to manufacture and stable in prepared foods. It is made by separating the corn starch from the rest of the plant and then processing it to produce the sweetener, which is fructose, glucose and other sugars. HFCS may have an effect on appetite, blood sugar and insulin resistance. That has risky implications for heart disease and weight control. The University of Florida Extension says that the presence of HFCS in so many foods makes it hard to avoid. In 2007, the average annual consumption of HFCS was 56 pounds per person. Two-thirds of that was from sweetened drinks.

    American Fat and Princeton Rats

    • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sounding the drumbeat about the epidemic of obesity afflicting Americans -- they warn that two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese. A Princeton study tested rats fed a diet high in high fructose corn syrup. Their findings, released in March 2010, revealed that rats fed the same number of calories from table sugar or from HFCS gained significantly more weight from HFCS. Macalester College reports that two camps of scientists disagree on the findings. Advocates for HFCS claimed the study was flawed. HFCS critics claim the study links the introduction of HFCS in foods with the dramatic rise in weight and the obesity epidemic.

    Common Brands without HFCS

    • A quick scan of brand names at the grocery store turns up many brands that have no HFCS as of February 2011. But you have to read labels because not all products from the same brand are HFCS-free and ingredients do change. For example, Ben & Jerry's ice creams are largely HFCS-free but the ones with brand-name candies and other added bits may contain the corn sweetener. Some Pepperidge Farm cookies and their Goldfish snacks have no HFCS but their cinnamon raisin bread does. Brown Cow, Stoneyfield Farms and Horizon Organic yogurts are HFCS-free. Real maple syrup is fine. So are 100 percent fruit preserves. Fresh fruits and vegetables and water are safe but examine everything else to see what you are really eating and drinking.

    How to Avoid Extra Sugars

    • The Mayo Clinic offers some advice for limiting the extra sugars that can unbalance a diet, and the scales. Avoid non-diet sodas and any sweetened beverage and just drink water. Watch breakfast cereals. Cheerios are HFCS-free but many cereals add sugars, and calories with no nutrition. Be careful of prepackaged microwavable meals, even savory dishes may have added sweeteners like HFCS. Stick to vegetables, low-fat cheese, whole-grain crackers and low-fat yogurts for healthy snacks.

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