High fructose corn syrup

I spent a lot of time on the heating mat reading "Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. Though my back does feel improved, I can't say I spent my morning in restfulness. As usual, Pollan's work is mesmerizing and he reports on things that absolutely every American should know. I never thought I would find the history of corn or how it has taken over our country interesting. Reading about agribusiness in this country is like watching the Titanic sink. You know the ship is going down, taking every damn one of us with it, but you can't do anything to stop it.

Except that we can. Reading Pollan's book "The Botany of Desire" convinced me to never buy non organic potatoes again. I have stuck with it. I'm not an asshole about it when I go out to eat or to other people's homes. For us here though, I will stick to it. What I've read so far today has opened my eyes further to what we eat.

I don't eat a lot of corn syrup. I don't eat fast food. That's not to say I don't like fried foods. I like to go to diners to get my fix of tater tots and french fries. But I don't go to the real supersize-me joints. I don't eat a whole lot of pre-packaged foods. But anyone who knows us knows that Max is another story. We've come in for a lot of criticism over his diet which many people think could be fixed by forcing him to eat how we want him to. "Poor kids aren't picky" everyone likes to say. We've chosen to listen to his doctor who has said that picky eating is pretty common with little kids and not to worry.

I've shed a lot more tears than anyone knows about the issue of feeding my limited palate son. In the end we've tried to accept that what Max likes is crackers. Toast and crackers. And apples. But only if we insist. He'll occasionally and surprisingly eat a spinach sandwich on wheat bread with nothing but mayonnaise, mustard, and spinach. At some point you have to decide what you want to really fight about if you have a kid who knows his mind and has the tenacity of a soldier to stick to his guns. Our doctor suggested we not make a big issue out of food with him lest we create more dangerous issues between Max and food.

Because feeding Max has been such a challenge, we make concessions that other parents might not make. Because he won't eat cheese or drink milk anymore, and will rarely eat peanut butter, we welcomed Ritz Bitz crackers into the cupboard. The long, highly suspect, ingredient list seemed less important than the fact that Max would get an extra boost of protein from the peanut butter and the "cheese" that these crackers sandwich. We let him eat a lot of protein bars for the same reason.

What Pollan makes a case for is that corn, and it's many by-products, are undermining our health in insidious ways. High fructose corn syrup has crept into almost every packaged food on the shelves of Safeway and other supermarkets. Because it's in almost everything Americans eat, we are consuming dangerous levels of sugar. Which is apparently one of the reasons why type II Diabetes is now becoming so prevalent amongst children.

This brings all the pain of my role as the provider of nutrition to Max right up under my skin. Prickling me where I can't seem to scratch it. It isn't the government who is responsible for our children getting diabetes, well-I mean- it is, but the buck stops with the parents. Ultimately, what our kids eat is our personal responsibility. One of the most important things we do for our children is feed them. We have the ability to read labels, to make decisions about what is acceptable food.

So what do you do if one of your child's main sources of nutrition lists sugar, not once, but three times on the ingredient list? Sugar, dextrose (corn derived sugar), and high fructose corn syrup. Blinded by my desperate need to get something down my son's throat I have completely compromised his health. I'm not sitting here hating myself. I've done what I can for the most part. But I can't let him eat food with corn syrup in it. He's only six. What happens if I let it slide for the next few years? How will I feel if he gets diabetes? Our genetic code doesn't happen to be predisposed for such a disease. So if he got it, his diet would be the most likely cause.

I decided today that I am going to have to work harder on his behalf. This is tricky territory. I realized that I would have to try to get him to understand what food is dangerous to him and try to inspire him to help me find alternatives. I can't push too hard though. This has to be a gradual journey through change. If he feels me pushing he'll push back. That is definitely in his genetic code.

So on our way home today I started telling him my concerns. We talked about why corn syrup is so dangerous to our health. We discussed diabetes. I told him that in the worst cases people are forced to give themselves shots of insulin every single day. Since he just had a vaccination that he didn't really enjoy getting, this hit him squarely in the cerebral cortex. He announced that he never wants to eat Ritz Bitz again.

Together we went to the cupboard to examine the label of his other beloved food: "Flavor Blasted" goldfish. I am relieved to report that while sugar does make an appearance in the ingredient list, it appeared only once, and not in the company of any corn syrup. While I'm not in love with sugar being in any crackers, it still passes muster. Even if just barely.

It's easy to declare change. Max is fine with it today, but tomorrow when he wants Ritz Bitz, I won't have anything like it for him. We've tried, and rejected, the healthier version from our local health food store. I feel a certain determination settling just under my breast-bone. I can't force Max to eat anything that is not beige and crispy, but dammit, I can make sure the quality meets a certain standard. It just means more work for me. Finding good alternatives that will also please Max. I'm already bone tired all the time. I already have so many battles to fight. This one is worth it.

I've decided to wage war on the insidious corn syrup invasion. If I have to make crackers myself, I'll do it. I love my boy and I can't let convenience blind me into sabotaging his health.

In aid of this renewed fight against the crap food in this country I have started looking for recipes for Ritz style crackers. I haven't found anything yet, but if you know of one, please pass it along. I don't want to make hard dry grainy hippie crackers. Max won't eat 'em. I need a recipe for a cracker with butter in it, that comes out flaky and golden. With no corn syrup.

It's time for another pantry sweep. Everything with corn syrup goes (not that there's much of it in there, but it's the gesture here that's important). Everything with "degermed enriched" in it's label goes. You've just got to read about the corn industry in our country and you'll understand how desperately we need to fight it. My resolve to support local small farms that don't spray has been hardened as well.

Pollan won't let me rest. But it's good. He gives me hope with his reporting. He reminds me that I can do a lot to reject the evil of the spreading monoculture. All of us can. The money is in our hands. Seriously, every single dollar we spend says what we really support. It really doesn't matter what our mouths are spouting, it's what our dollars are buying that matters. I've essentially been supporting huge agribusiness by buying products that have put a choke hold on
American farmers.

It feels good to make decisions like this. My life is going to get just one more little bit less convenient, but it's a kick in the ass to the government. I'm speaking. I'm taking this tiny little bit of power back. I'm going to take more back every day.

I'm going to make my money speak even louder than it already is. I'm going to make it shout the sky down.

But please, if you know of a buttery cracker recipe... share.