Commentary

Fine if consumed in moderation

I'm going to take a break this week from my favorite websites and voice an opinion on something that is bugging me. I'm a pretty liberal-minded citizen, but I'm really disappointed in our liberal media at the moment. I'm sure many of you have seen the commercials for high fructose corn syrup and how it's not evil; it's actually completely natural, "and like sugar is fine if used in moderation." Who honestly uses anything in moderation anymore? Because foods are packaged with more than one serving per package, not many people even know what constitutes a serving of anything. I feel this is misleading.

Moderation is indeed fine for most anything, but the food companies need to sell their product. By not allowing you to develop a working definition of a reasonable portion, or even what percentage of your daily diet would constitute "moderation" for such things as high fructose corn syrup, whoever paid for and produced these commercials doesn't give a rat's furry behind about your health. They want you to feel good about the habits you're already sucked into.

I know it's next to impossible to buy anything packaged or processed that doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup, and organic food is really expensive (especially for college students), and here is where my main complaint comes about our media: They are charged with providing accurate, useful information to the masses.

Of course, it is the consumer who bears the ultimate responsibility of taking care of himself or herself by doing his or her own research. However, most people don't have the time, desire, or ability to research how much of one particular food or ingredient constitutes moderation, and this is one instance where I think the big corporations have a responsibility not to give us a pacifier and say "no, this processed ingredient that your doctor says is making you fat is actually good for you." Semantics, my friends. It may come from a natural source, but it goes through a process to get the end result: empty calories that pad the pockets of big food CEOs.

1 comment about "Fine if consumed in moderation".
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  1. Matt Mitchell from Lowe's Companies, Inc., October 13, 2008 at 9:04 a.m.

    I had the same conversation with a co-worker they other day! Being a vegetarian, I always have to read labels - which makes shopping at the grocery store even more painful.

    HFCS is in everything! And due to the fact, I've stopped eating ketchup (in favor of hot sauce), stopped eating crackers (yes, it's in there, too), and switched to almonds as a snack. Where will it end?

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