What is wrong with food companies?
#177887 - 05/10/05 01:38 AM
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momof2
Reged: 07/27/04
Posts: 68
Loc: Belgium, but soon to be Maryland
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I'm so mad! I bought some rice crispies a couple of days ago. I'm thinking that this is a food that can only help, not hurt. Well, I've had more D than usual the last couple of days, and I couldn't figure out why it got worse. Lo and behold! Kellog's Rice Crispies has HFCS! Evil! I wish the food companies would wake up and get a clue about this stuff. Not only is a trigger for a lot of people with IBS but there are accusations floating around that it might account for the rise in both type II diabetes and childhood obesity. This stuff is poison! GRRR! 
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*Karyn* IBS D
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My supermarket's store brand of Rice Krispies does not have HFCS - you may want to check out generic or store brands.
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>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<
Michelle
IBS-A, pain predominant
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HA! Don't get me started on food companies. They use HFCS for the same reason that they use partially hydrogenated oils in ALOT of foods. It is a CHEAP way to sweeten, or in the case of PHO, preserve foods. They can make less of them, extend the shelf life and charge higher prices. They could CARE LESS about people with medical issues. It is the same with drug companies(seriously, but that is an ENTIRE other topic). They are out to MAKE MONEY for themselves.....you should avoid buying anything w/HFCS and PHO's....they are SO BAD for your body for SO MANY reasons. Buy purchasing products that do not have these items in them....and they are out there....HOPEFULLY it will force some of these companies to eventually change their ingredients. I know that the PHO thing has been an issue for awhile and there are now things on the shelves that say "no trans fats" but you still have to read the ingredients. Sometimes they sneak it in there......
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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's all about???
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Yup, HFCS does seem to be in almost everything. I suggest you write a letter to Kellogg's, explaining your displeasure. If enough people did that, maybe they'd consider a line of food without HFCS. I read somewhere on the Boards recently that Heinz is coming out with ketchup that doesn't have HFCS.
The problem is going to be that, as I understand it, HFCS is very cheap for food companies to use, so if they produce products without it, those products are probably going to cost more. It will be interesting to see how many people are going to be willing to pay more to avoid HFCS. (Of course, that argument seems weird if you consider store brands - which I always think of as being cheaper - are NOT using HFCS.)
In the meantime, do check out the store brands or switch to General Mills Rice Chex. I just read the ingredients on the box I have and there is no HFCS in there - I should write a letter to thank them for that.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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I agree with the fact that food companies are not concerned about what they put in our food. Money is more important and ways to expand the food and make is stretch farther and also make you buy more of it. Did anyone see the doc movie Super size me? It addresses some of the issues of what the food companies care about. Also if anyone has junk food issues this movies will surely make you rethink that!
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I haven't eaten at a fast food chain since seeing that movie. I saw it about a month or two before I was diagnosed with IBS - so the opportunity was still there. That movie definitely makes you think differently. There is also a book called Fast Food Nation - I can't remember the author. Another great thing to open your eyes about what the industry is all about...
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>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<
Michelle
IBS-A, pain predominant
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Another comment on Rice Crispies, for those with gluten intolerance there is Malt in the ingredients. Malt is a no no for people with Gluten Intollerence.
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Karyn,
Did you buy the rice krispies at an American store in Belgium? I only ask cos mine don't have it in them....
here's the ingredients for US Rice Krispies:
Ingredients:
Rice, sugar, salt, high fructose corn syrup, malt flavoring, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), niacinamide, reduced iron, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamin hydrochloride (vitamin B1), vitamin A palmitate, folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. To maintain quality, BHT has been added to the packaging.
and for UK ones
Ingredients
Rice, Sugar, Salt, Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Barley Malt Flavouring, Niacin, Iron, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin (B2), Thiamin (B1), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12.
Now,can someone confirm for once and for all that glucose-fructose syrup is not as bad as HFCS or is safe? I know I have no issues tolerating stuff with it in it but I am wary recommending it to others...
Rice Krispies are VERY VERY safe for me, especially dry...
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S.
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Quote:
Now,can someone confirm for once and for all that glucose-fructose syrup is not as bad as HFCS or is safe? I know I have no issues tolerating stuff with it in it but I am wary recommending it to others...
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S.
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I don't know about glucose-fructose syrup. It would probably depend on how much fructose is actually in there. Not everyone with IBS is fructose-intolerant, so those folks can usually tolerate small amounts of fructose. Large amounts of fructose cause digestive upset for everyone, even if they don't have IBS. But if you're fructose-intolerant, you might not be able to have any.
Sorry not more help here. 
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Cailin,
Yes, I did by them at the military commissary, which means it was shipped directly from the U.S.. We actually have a Belgian grocery store about 2 blocks from us that carries all the EU made foods. Typically the food is cheaper at the commissary due to the weak dollar so I buy most of my food there. Maybe I should rethink the value of my health over the money saved at the U.S. store. 
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*Karyn* IBS D
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Hi Karyn! Where in Belgium do you live? I'm from Belgium, living in Colorado, and I was excited to see you're from my home country!!!
To be quite honest, when I was living in Belgium, I had much less issues with food/stomach etc than since I've been living here, because of so many unknown/hidden ingredients in foods here. That's why I read every label on everything I buy and I try to eat as natural (=unprocessed) as possible and it's made a difference!
Anyway, just wanted to say hi..
-nicky-
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nicky
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Thanks Heather,
Non US people or US people who have tried it- what's your experience of glucose-fructose syrup??
I have no problem with it at all, do you?
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S.
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but DH likes his heinz and it would be nice to have just one!
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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Bingo!
I guess if you want to continue eating Rice Krispies you'll have to "go native" for them at least...Also european jams and jellies don't have HFCS so are safe, there's lots of stuff over here that you can eat that if you were in the US you couldn't due to HFCS so make the most of it! (the downside is there is way more choice on dairy free and fat free stuff in the US than here)
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S.
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Hi Nicky,
I live just outside of Mons (Bergen). Are you from Wallonia of Flanders? I don't have too much trouble with the Belgian food, well..except for frites. They kill me and I love them!
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*Karyn* IBS D
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I'm from Flanders, born in Gent, raised in a tiny little town in East Flanders, but lived for several years closer to Antwerp, not the city side, the other side. I've been living in Boulder, CO for 5.5 years now, but still miss my frietjes!!!!!  if I don't pig out, I can have them..
How long have you been living in Belgium?
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nicky
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Heinz
#178006 - 05/10/05 12:41 PM
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cailin
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 3563
Loc: Dublin, Ireland
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Just checked my Heinz ketchup and guess what...no HFCS!
There's sugar, vinegar, tomatoes, spice extract and garlic powder.
You US guys should put pressure on Heinz, if they can do without it over here I don't understand why (except for cost and possibly geographical supply reasons) why they can't have it on the market over there, they already make it and sell it here!
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S.
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Nobody can make frites like the Belgians! And the mayo here is also unbelievable. I've tried american mayo on american fries...yuk!...not the same 
We've been here for two years and are moving back to the U.S. (Maryland) this summer.
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*Karyn* IBS D
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Re: Heinz
#178023 - 05/10/05 01:59 PM
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Amy1973
Reged: 09/17/04
Posts: 68
Loc: Mesa,AZ
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I buy walmart brand ketchup, "Great Value" no HFCS in it. Just regular corn syrup, vingar, and tomatoe paste.
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Re: Heinz
#178025 - 05/10/05 02:05 PM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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I just double-checked my recently purchased bottle of Heinz ketchup and it still has HFCS. Here's the post that mentions non-HFCS ketchups. I hadn't read the hyperlink to Heinz earlier, but when I read it now it seems to point to a 2002 press release. I did a Google search on "Heinz ketchup organic" and found this page. So it seems like the Heinz Organic (non-HFCS) should already be available. I haven't seen it.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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well i don't know about HFCS as a trigger for myself... but i do know that garlic powder is the #1 WORST thing i can eat. (well, aside from beans or something, but they're pretty easy to avoid!) and garlic powder, much like HFCS seems to be in EVERYTHING. (including many recipes in the IBS cookbook!) not only does it turn my stomach into a horrible wreck, i get awful headaches from it. my mom's the same way. it doesn't bother me in stuff like ketchup, cause i don't make a meal out of ketchup, but it's so frustrating cuz nearly every time i order grilled or steamed fish at a restaurant thinking i'll be safe, it comes with some nasty spice rub that is loaded w/ garlic powder or garlic salt. fortunately, i can tolerate a small bit of fresh garlic, cause it is tasty, but it has to be VERY fresh garlic. even an old garlic bulb that's been sitting in the veggie bowl too long will mess me up.
sorry, i just had to rant when i saw your post!
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Check your grocery stores here in the US cause ours in Florida sell a Heinz ketchup that says ORGANIC on it and that DOES NOT have the HFCS. I was so happy when I came across that. Anyone else have luck finding this???
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Interesting...
#178131 - 05/10/05 10:36 PM
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Kandee
Reged: 05/22/03
Posts: 3206
Loc: USA, Southern California
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Quote:
I buy walmart brand ketchup, "Great Value" no HFCS in it. Just regular corn syrup, vingar, and tomatoe paste.
Thanks for this info. I'll take a look next time I'm there.
Years ago the law allowed that no manufacturer had to list the ingredients in ketchup. Back then it was called catsup, Ketchup was a brand name, (maybe still is) like Kleenex. It was a standardized list of ingredients that was used to make all ketchup brands. Thank goodness laws change. With the addition of HFCS and lots of artificially made ingredients we NEED to know what is in these products. Kandee
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I agree! I have become an avid lable-reader since my son's diagnosis and I can't believe the junk that is put into so many foods. We have been keeping a food diary for just over 2 months now and, looking back, when he had a bad attack I could trace it to something that had "unsafe" ingredients. It takes me about 3 times as long as it use to just to go grocery shopping and I have to go to 3 or 4 different stores to find safe foods for him. While it can sometimes be tedious, we are trying to make it an adventure...a learning experience for him. I figure it's not too early for him to learn as much as possible about what he can tolerate and what he can't. He's only 11 now but as he gets older I won't always be right there to monitor what he's eating. Do you other moms of IBSers feel like this? And while I'm ranting (sorry), my other family members aren't making this ordeal any easier. I'm tired of hearing complaints about the food I serve but I also think it's ridiculous to make several different dishes to please everyone. The way I look at it is that we are a family and we should all pull together for the good of our son/sibling...even if it means "Are we having chicken, again?"
Sorry to go on and on but it's nice to have a place to vent!
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Hurray for you for getting your son involved in figuring out his own food needs and teaching him to approach it positively. I'm sure your guidance will serve him well throughout his life.
As for the "chicken again" comments: Maybe you could check out some Websites for children with more generally acknowledged conditions that require diet alterations, like diabetes, for example. I would think that a family with a diabetic child would run into some of the same issues. One of their support Websites could have some tips on how to handle family conflicts over food.
And I have to remember to thank my husband, who has never once complained about "our" new eating habits. He really is a treasure.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Have you tried some of the ground turkey recipes in the index? They are great and I have served them to people without telling them that they aren't eating beef, in a bolognese or a chili it really is hard to tell the difference.
What are your other kids' favourites, are there safe versions that you can make that they all can eat? I know that Shell's Turkey Meatloaf is very popular (check the recipe index)
I am one of six kids and when I go home for the weekend (i am 28, the youngest is 11) my Mom tries to make something that I can eat that the others will eat..she makes chicken and turkey stir fries, fajitas (i avoid the sourcream) roast turkey or roast chicken, pasta with a tomato sauce and chicken or ground turkey.
BUT if they are having something I can't eat (like beef stir fry which they all love) I just get a separate pan and cook some of the veggies that they are using for a veggie stirfry for me.
I agree that you need to just cook one meal, but it would be awful if your other kids take their boredom with menu choices out on your 11 year old.
I also full empathise with the label reading, I was diagnosed last August and my first few shopping trips after that took ages but I am used to brands and things now so I have a good idea what I can and can't have and I don't need to look at so many labels. You will get used to this and so will your family, promise.
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S.
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Re: Thanks!
#178301 - 05/11/05 12:00 PM
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kidsx4
Reged: 04/02/05
Posts: 35
Loc: Fairfax, VA
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Thanks so much for your advice. I do need to add more variety so everyone is not so bored with the same foods all the time. I did make turkey meatloaf and meatballs but my mistake was in telling them the ingredients. Otherwise, I'm sure they never would have known the difference. I've been slowly testing the recipes I've found here and in Heather's book. Sometimes it seems like such a painstaking process but I'm sure pretty soon, cooking this way will become second nature. I think with summer coming, it will get easier. I don't work during the summer (I'm a preschool teacher)so I'll have time to experiment more. I also will investigate children's diabetic recipes. I'm sure I'll be able to do some adjusting to make it safe.
I'm up for a challenge!
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I might have missed another reference somewhere else in this thread, but ...
I wasn't suggesting you use diabetic recipes - you've got enough to do already - just that a Website providing support for families with a diabetic child might have some suggestions for how to cope with your family's unhappiness over your new eating patterns.
Good luck.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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I thought I could just get some recipe ideas to add more variety. Then maybe the rest of the family would be more supportive. One thing I thought of...give them an "assignment" to see how creative they could be in the kitchen making a dish that would suit everyone. My children are old enough....and adventurous enough...to tackle cooking.
This site has offered tremendous support but I guess my frustration lies in IBS cooking/eating 24/7. I don't have a problem with it...I promised my son I would eat what he does...but we are creatures of habit and my other children are being somewhat stubborn to this change. But they can live with it easier than they think. I may check with the pediatric GI office and see if they know of a local support group.
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Ah, gotcha, I misunderstood. I can echo what one of the earlier posters said - it does get easier. The first few months I was on this diet I felt like I was running on a treadmill as fast as I could go and constantly on the verge of falling off - there was so much to learn and remember and so much to change. A month or so I realized that most of it had become second nature now. So hang in there.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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its yummy and some people have an easier time with it... personally.. I love garlic and ahve no issues with it, but I can't handle much onion even diced unless its cooked to death so I use onion powder instead....
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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if its finding foods without additives and you can afford to do it- check our organic places- coops, and health food stores often have good selections of organics.. and the local coops often save $$ on them... friends of mine had removed a lot of junk because they were worried about the health of their kids even before. Also- there is a lot of variety and it leads to a healthier diet for all.. and if you have other kids and a hubby who like beef- try steaks or hamburgers on the grill- doing a piece of fish or chicken off to the side for the IBS'er is easy enough and everyone else still gets that red meat fix.... and actually I've noticed when we have grill outs with company I'm rarely the only one to choose the non red meat option... even among meat eaters...
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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to tolerate than powdered garlic? I thought it would be the opposite. Like how you said the powdered onion powder is easier to tolerate than cooked onion.
How do you roast garlic?
Interesting. I figured if I couldn't handle onions (which I can't) I just wouldn't be able to tolerate roasted garlic. This would be soooo great if I could add garlic to my diet! I love, love, love garlic!!!
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honestly i'm just so afraid of garlic now!! when i was a kid i LOVED roasted garlic slathered on a crusty, freshly toasted piece of rustic sourdough bread... i won't do that now though, but i do know if i eat a processed food labeled "roasted garlic" i get super sick, but if it's fresh garlic that's been roasted with a chicken or something i am usually OK... it's the oddest thing. like some chemical reaction happens as garlic ages or is processed. who knows! our systems are freakin' weird! 
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Cyndy, i don't know about you, but i can NOT tolerate onions!! like, NO way. they kill me. garlic i can do, but *only* if it is cooked well, and only if it is extremely fresh... you might wanna try it some weekend when you have no obligations for a couple days, just to see, you know!
who knows why one and not the other; another weird one with me personally is, i can have grapefruit juice, lemonade, lime juice, whatever... but god forbid i should ever have an orange or orange juice!! i have absolutely no idea why that is, but it's awful!! (i get orange smelling... "bloated-ness"... hehe) yeah, who knows. our systems baffle me.  actually sometimes i can sneak a sip or 2 of orange juice, but anything more than that i know i'm just begging for trouble..
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I guess I never thought of that. We've only been into this a few months and I know lots of you have had YEARS of experience shopping, cooking etc. for IBS. I don't know why I was so adament about everyone eating the same....guess I wanted us to be one big happy family (ha ha!). Buying in bulk is an option for us, too. It may be a little more work preparing and freezing things but in the long run it does make cooking easier. Heck, I grew up in a family of 11 children (!!) so managing meals for a family of 6 should be a breeze. I'm slowly incorporating safe foods into everyones diets and though I feel I'm being sneaky, unless I say something, no one knows the difference and they will all be healthier because of it.
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That's a great approach! Good work.
Remember that since the IBS diet is low fat and healthy it is good for all your kids to be on it. Much better than a McDiet anyway!
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S.
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My guess would be that orange juice has more fructose than grapefruit, lemon, or lime, so that's why you can tolerate the latter, but not the former.
As for why some of us can handle onions (like me - oh, thank you, thank you, thank you) and some of us can't (sorry): I believe IBS is actually made up of a lot of slightly different overlapping conditions or illnesses and that explains why we all have similarities, but are still all a little bit different in what we can tolerate. Someday the scientists in their shiny white labs will figure it all out and each subgroup will have it's own nifty Latin name - like "onionus non-toleratus" for you and "whole wheatius ickyus" for me.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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I just found this! The only size container I saw of it was 15 oz (425g). It has the Heinz keystone shaped label, but green instead of red, and the cap is also green instead of red.
My DH says it tastes exactly the same to him; to me it tastes a tiny bit more tomato-y (which is good).
The 15-oz size was either 10 or 20 (can't remember which) cents more expensive than the original (inorganic?) Heinz ketchup in the same size bottle.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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