There has been lots of talk of late among the Tuesday Night Ballers about high fructose corn syrup. As those of you who live in the United States know (or maybe do not know), high fructose corn syrup is really bad for you, and can cause all manner of heart and liver problems. This is why they don’t let them use it in many other countries. However, because it is so cheap to make, in the US one will be hard pressed to find a beverage that does not contain this sugar substitute.
But worry not! At the grocery store tonight, Scott and I decided to peruse the labels of a variety of drinks, so that we could compile for your convenience a list of non-high fructose corn syrup beverages! And so I give you our list:
Passover Coke
Red Bull
Northland 100% cran-raspberry juice.
…Enjoy!
I can’t remember the title of it, but I just recently read a book along the lines of Fast Food Nation all about how wicked corn is; how bad HFCS is for people and how bad corn is for the fields that it’s planted on for any length of time, and how lots of farmers are skipping over more environmentally friendly crops that people need more of because they get subsidies for planting corn.
I don’t know why, but it cracks me up that Red Bull is syrup-free. Considering all the other things that must be in it, I suppose.
I never realized that. Geez, for as good as the government makes corn out to be, it sure is pretty damned evil (though I guess it makes sense… I mean, it is used for making fuel, so something’s gotta be rather hazardous about it!) God I bet my liver hates me now, with the way I go through coke. Speaking of, what the heck is passover coke?
Yay for Northland Cranberry Juice! It’s the only kind I buy 😛 Problem is, the damned bottles keep exploding on me after a week! But then, keeping it in a vibrating truck in the warmth is going to ferment it pretty darned fast 😛
Err, I meant for that to be in reply to Wertle’s journal, not this comment 😛
“Passover Coke” is my casual name for the kosher soft drinks they put out in grocery stores around Passover. It has sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, because apparently high fructose corn syrup is not kosher? I don’t know all the Jewish rules very well.
Anyway, they mark them with a special secret symbol, but when they come out everyone usually rushes to the grocery store and buys them all out, because Coke made with sugar tastes so much better.
Ooh, dammit I missed it when it first came out. Curse being born after they switched to corn sugar! I wonder if I could order a box or something…
Yeah, we were pretty amused the Red Bull is made with actual sugar. I don’t think drinking energy drinks as a substitute for all other beverages is the best idea though 🙂
Yay Jew Coke! Totally awesome!
I’ve heard that Dr. Pepper made from cane sugar is the stuff of the Gods.
Welcome to my world! /\_/\ I’ve known I’m allergic to corn longer than any other food and it’s amazing how much stuff has corn syrup in it. Between my corn, wheat and soy allergies, there’s very little I can actually eat at grocery stores- corn, soy or wheat is in almost EVERYthing :P.
I’ll add another to the list of corn syrup-free drinks: Hansen’s. I just discovered Cherry Vanilla Creme Hansen’s soda and I love it! No corn syrup as far as I can tell (it says fructose, I think, but not specifically corn syrup- hopefully that means no corn….)
I like to buy Japanese sodas when I’m near a Japanese store because a lot of them have sugar intead of corn syrup (but you have to be careful- some Japanese products seem to have switched over to corn syrup lately…)
Thanks for the list- I hadn’t thought of kosher drinks- I’ll keep an eye out for them!
I think there’s a cola called something like “Blue Sky” which is also sugar, not corn.
How weird! I had a friend back at the summer stock theater I worked in one summer in college who was allergic to corn, soy, and wheat! Her parents sent her special pixie sticks in the mail and such.
I will definitely check out the Japanese sodas – there is a Japanese grocery here in town. Also, sometimes places with high Jewish populations have kosher delis and such, I wonder if a place like that would carry sugar-coke year round..
Man I hate high fructose corn syrup. I swear to god I’m allergic to it and I remember when I was 14 going to Mexico and wondering why the 7up tasted so much better…and looking at the label and realizing it was because they actually used real azúcar.
I’ve heard that 7up is the best difference between US soft drinks and real-sugar soft drinks. Surely someone has started some anti high fructose corn syrup movement by now, haven’t they?
!!!!!!!!!
I’m allergic to corn, so I can’t have any soft drinks……i have to go look for passover coke now!!!
I think there is a type of ginger beer (gingerale but tangy-er) that is all natural……
Northland Cranberry Raspberry Juice
Northland Cranberry Raspberry Juice is my all time favorite juice. I’ve been choosing it over soda drinks for a couple of years now. Everybody should try some. I should also say that you might want to dilute it with water to some extent – maybe half and half because it is quite potently rich and sweet. Also, it may seem to be quite expensive (64 oz = 3 dollars) but it’s really not because you really ought to dilute it.
Northland Cranberry Raspberry Juice rules!
Peace out