Latest high-fructose corn syrup study generates buzz, debate

reply to post by Gools

Then you might understand when I say that corn is one of the most inefficient, wasteful, and environmentally damaging crop to be grown

Maybe..

I, my father, his father and his father have been planting corn (alternating with beans and hay) on the same land since the 1880s.

All we do now is inject ammonia fertilizer in the spring, plant good seed, apply herbicide for weeds and harvest over 200 bushels an acre (worth about $5/bu) no subsidies year after year. Minimum tillage (no plowing or cultivating).

We're not unique.

We leave a wildlife easement next to the creeks and ditches for critters and to prevent erosion.

We have considered adding trace minerals from time to time but our land really doesn't need it.

So I don't see where the "inefficient, wasteful and environmentally damaging" comes in.

[edit on 26/3/10 by plumranch]

reply to post by plumranch


Let us know what you think of King Corn!

www.esoterictube.com...

Check out Jones Soda. Pure cane sugar Soda.

reply to post by drew hempel


The video on corn (products?) is fragmented on my cable internet. But I got the idea, corn is bad for you, it's everywhere, we need to get rid of it, from our diets at least and on and on.

I have absolutely no argument with how bad corn products can be for you for instance in causing obesity, diabetes, heart and circulatory problems and many other disease processes. I avoid these products whenever I can and don't recommend them even though I grow the product. But you aren't going to wean the world off of corn today, tomorrow, next year or next decade. It is too pervasive. You will do it the way you are doing it by public education. Sooner or later people are going to get tired of being sick and fat and watching their friends and relatives suffer from all these problems and they will begin to act.

BTW don't just blame corn, there are a whole lot of other foods, medicines, and lifestyles that cause disease problems in Americans. It's just easy to blame corn.

Eg., overeating, lack of exercising, never getting out of the house except to get in the car to go out to eat or buy groceries, sitting in front of the computer all day on ATS! Hehe!

Just to add: The implication is that corn is bad and genetically altered corn and GM anything is worse. I don't buy that. Genetically altered corn is like any other corn. We have been trying to alter corn genetically since it was discovered. (originally it had tiny, tiny little ears that were worthless as food) We're just getting better and faster is all. Any beneficial changes in corn in the future will probably come through GM. Corn with beneficial taurine or omega fatty acids for instance. Just because it's GM doesn't say anything necessarily, many of those changes are good.





[edit on 26/3/10 by plumranch]

reply to post by plumranch


I sit in full lotus at the computer -- unless I'm digesting a meal or eating.

Yeah you gotta let the computer load the film -- it does it in normal time -- so the first part will break up but the other three parts will be continuous.

Enjoy.

In the US it is all about subsidies. Corn is grown en masse because of the sweetheart deal the US Gov gives via various subsidies. It is pushed on us via Uncle Sam.

Now they have a cat litter made of corn. Only in the US would we put food products to use by allowing our cats to pee and poop on it so we can dispose of it. Is the very next commercial going to show me emaciated, fly covered children in Africa/Haiti/Banana Republic?

I used to gauge insanity by deviation from normal. But "normal" is insane, too. Look at us. Really. I think most people know it, but won't admit it: humanity is flawed, severely. We do the stupidest stuff. You guys can't tell me you don't notice (and if you don't, U2U me so i can get you started thinking).

Originally posted by plumranch

Eg., overeating, lack of exercising, never getting out of the house except to get in the car to go out to eat or buy groceries, sitting in front of the computer all day on ATS! Hehe!

if i didn't know better, i would think you were watching me through my window. Since you omitted "play XBOX", i will just consider it a "near miss".

reply to post by plumranch


You can't avoid corn products -- it's in everything. Meat is corn! And so the fatty corn-based meat is Omega 6 fat -- while the brain needs Omega 3 fat. So that's been linked to all the brain disease increases as well as heart disease and inflammation of the joints, etc.

As King Corn states the cattle die after 6 months of eating corn so a similar thing is happening to humans.

Let's not forget the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico from the ammonium nitrate which quadruples the corn productivity.


quintascott.wordpress.com...

The nutrients, ammonium nitrate or nitrate nitrogen, come from Midwestern corn and soybean fields, from golf courses and carefully tended lawns. Last year the USGS predicted that the Dead Zone would grow to the size of New Jersey, 8,800 square miles. It didn’t, because Hurricane Dolly mixed in a bit of oxygen and reduced it to 7,889 square miles. The agency attributed its prediction to the size of the corn crop, which was destined for ethanol plants. This year the Dead Zone will be a little smaller. The National Corn Growers objected this year. They have done research and say that their growers are balancing the corns nutritional needs with the amount of nitrates, which are not washing off their fields and into the rivers.

[edit on 27-3-2010 by drew hempel]

reply to post by drew hempel

Meat is corn! And so the fatty corn-based meat is Omega 6 fat -- while the brain needs Omega 3 fat

Again, no argument there but Omega 6 is not bad, Omega 3 may be best/ good but it is the relationship that is important. Omega 3 and 6 to 9 and higher. The fatty acid needs are not simply one vs the other it is the balance.

Traditionally the problem has been that coastal humans get their 3, 6 and 9 FA from fish oils. Interior people didn't. They consumed lots of animal fats but were deprived of the essential fatty acids 3 and 6. They/ we suffered very much in terms of heart, skin, joint, any inflammation processes. It was the geological penalty for living in the plains (fly over country).

Many of the people that I talk to now know of the need to take fish oil tablets daily. If you do and understand you are the lucky few.

If not, I'd be glad to advise.

I'm surprised that no one mentioned going on the caveman diet. And avoid HFCS entirely.

All I can say is I'm From Scotland and our other national drink is call Irn Bru and for a long time we were one of a handful of countries that out sold Coca Cola the caffeine levels are massve I think but everytime I drink coca cola (which may be once in a year near christmas) I get a sore upset stomach feeling and it just doesn't taste like how I remember when I was a small child.

I say HFCS should be banned as with aspartame and other such things the simple fact that they exist in foods should be enough to put people off. Its not just in 'bargain' foods and pre packed microwave foods either.

The advert was funny as, I always laugh at American adverts like them but unfortunately I feel the UK won't be far behind.

What will it take to get people to sit up and see that this is basically poison to your body. I drink alot of Irn Bru and whilst I am unaware if you can reverse damage done by aspartame etc I feel that drinking it from a glass bottle (known as ginger bottles locally) I don't get as bad mood swings from the drop in caffeine and sugar etc and in the longer term dont have so much forgetfullness.

Quick question to the board. Does anyone know why mountain dew was banned in the UK and also why Irn Bru isn't allowed in the US? I hear Irn Bru isn't allowed to be sold in the US as they have a secret family recipe or such like and won't divulge full ingredients.

Anyway a good post and I feel that we should make more like this, we can hardly make a stand if we aren't fit in body and mind. Hopefully someone can answer my question.

reply to post by drew hempel


Because not everyone can breastfeed. I wasn't able too. It is not as easy as you think.

if my dog wont touch it, it cant be good. (soda)

Originally posted by plumranch

I have absolutely no argument with how bad corn products can be for you for instance in causing obesity, diabetes, heart and circulatory problems and many other disease processes. I avoid these products whenever I can and don't recommend them even though I grow the product.

I'm having difficulty understanding why you would grow something if you admittedly know is directly causing so much wide spread suffering?

Originally posted by plumranch
Genetically altered corn is like any other corn.
We have been trying to alter corn genetically since it was discovered. (originally it had tiny, tiny little ears that were worthless as food) We're just getting better and faster is all.

I'm in no way trying to insult you but do you understand what it is that you are stating?
How is conventional breeding over thousands of years versus Genetically Modified (GM) Crops the same or "like any other corn"?

Monsanto and the like, invested millions on a campaign to inundate people, farmers in particular, that GMO's were basically akin to conventional breeding but just a bit faster and more efficient.... the two can not be further apart.

What their propaganda failed to do (of course) was inform the farmers and consumers that GMO's are made by employing cell invasion technology, manipulation of extremely deadly viruses & bacteria (such as E. coli) that have been engineered to be IMMUNE TO ANTIBIOTICS.


HFCS is almost entirely made from GM Corn, which seems to get lost in the health debate.

I fear the only reason we are witnessing a movement against HFCS is due to the fact that Monsanto has now inundated 90%+ of the US market with GM Sugar... so now that people have become aware of the dangers of HFCS and slowly switch back to sugar assuming it is safer, they have little knowledge that Monsanto is one step ahead.

...and sadly we only have ourselves to blame for allowing it to happen.

reply to post by plumranch


Again corn is omega 6 but the balance is Omega 3 as 4 times to omega 6. So grass feed animals have omega 3 while corn fed animals have omega 6. Omega 6 causes inflammation not omega 3.

GM corn behind the bee die-off:

www.i-sis.org.uk...

GM crops Meltdown!

www.i-sis.org.uk...



[edit on 27-3-2010 by drew hempel]

[edit on 27-3-2010 by drew hempel]

I've known this for a while and was worried when there were commercials that defend high-fructose corn syrup . Now some of the consumers that may have heard corn syrup being bad for them it are going to say that 'it's okay!'

Some dog 'breeders" use corn syrup to fatten underweight puppies, as an example it being used for weight gain:
Yes, it has an impact on the nationa's obesity, as well as our sedimentary lifestyle.

The bigger the corperations, the cheaper the food, the more poor the health of the people.

Speaking of Jones Soda(by another member)...
Jones Soda is my fav.

Originally posted by LurkerMan
if my dog wont touch it, it cant be good. (soda)

I wouldn't use your dog as a guide on what to put in your mouth.

Just sayin'.

Otherwise, i have this box of Cap'n Crunch Dingleberry Delight for you.

reply to post by Sowhtt

I'm having difficulty understanding why you would grow something if you admittedly know is directly causing so much wide spread suffering?

We grow white (Mexican) corn, shipped to Mexico and used in Tacos, etc.


Switching from GM seeds back to hybrids would be a quantum leap backward, production would be less than half what it is now. World hunger and starvation would result and farmers would have to hire massive amounts of Mexican migrant laborers for weed control. In short, it isn't going to happen. No politician is going to pass anti GM laws that threaten the food supply and increases illegal immigration.

reply to post by drew hempel


Again, the important thing is the ratio of Omega 3 FAs to the Omega 6s, the best ratio in human rations is 1:2. If you aren't getting much omega 3 and most people don't, I,m recommending at least 6 fish oil (USP) capsules at least a day. This is only slightly over a teaspoon.

Health benifits of Omega 3,6 and 9 Fatty Acids

You should be eating about twice as much omega-6 as omega-3, so that your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is 2:1, but in today’s world of fast food, frozen entrees, and high calorie snacks, it is not uncommon for most people to actually be getting about 15 times more omega-6 than omega-3. Washington DC’s center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health suggest that eating omega-6 and omega-3 in the wrong proportions may actually negate the health benefits.

So how much more is the obesity factor with corn syrup vs. sugar?

500,000,000,000% ???

100,000,000% ???

5,434,212% ????

1,032% ???

345% ???

45% ???

20 % ???

5% ????

1% ???

0.5 %%% ??

0.150 % ????

0.002 % ???

Why don't one of you mind-brains go buy a couple hundred cases of corn-syrup mountain dew and throwback sugar mountain dew and get to testing?