Eating healthy, yikes!

Post by **Killerbunny** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 8:50 am

OK so did anyone else notice this. I don't usually use corn syrup but I had a specific requirement in a recipe. Tried to buy some and ........ it's NOT corn syrup anymore. It's a mix of sugar syrups and flavourings and it's nearly $4 a bottle. Ended up using organic Agave syrup which worked and was cheaper - go figure.

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:06 am

I am loving this thread, mainly because its 'my opinion that the general population eats crap and its nice to read about folks actually cooking and baking for themselves with real food. We have, had?, I'll have to check, a bottle of corn syrup and a few years ago i read a piece where corn syrups were really bad for you and were in so many processed foods it was staggering. MJ just told me tat she had a recipe the other day calling for corn syrup but she used maple syrup instead and it worked perfectly...guess my question is answered and a its good thing we make our own maple syrup here...the price at the store for maple syrup is staggering..no wonder people buy that Aunt Jemima crap...sigh. :running-chicken:

Shnookie · Post by **Shnookie** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:17 am

I saw a program on TV that said a lot of maple syrup, like pancake syrup, is made of corn syrup with maple flavoring added, not real maple syrup.

Post by **Killerbunny** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:29 am

I go up to the local producer here! I'm lucky but I've nearly run out ugh! Soon be sugaring time again.

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:58 am

Shnookie wrote:QR_BBPOST I saw a program on TV that said a lot of maple syrup, like pancake syrup, is made of corn syrup with maple flavoring added, not real maple syrup.

Typical aunt j and similar brands have zero maple syrup in it. It's a huge 'seller' at food banks with box of pancake mix. That's why it is so important to read the ingredients list and to comprehend the disception in 'natural flavouring' etc.

Corn syrup has been off my list for decades. I've long been onto the heavily GMO'd and toxin sprays of certain crops.

I have my trees ready to tap, but the weather isn't cooperating. I might be spending another year purchasing. Plus, do I want to spend a bucket of money on maple syrup supples when house is going for sale? Ugh. Life really sucks kahonas sometimes.

Brebis · Post by **Brebis** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 10:29 am

My biggest beef with added ingredients is in dairy products.

As a cheesemaker it drives me crazy trying to find dairy products without all the crap and fillers in it. My boss at the last dairy I worked at was trying to figure out ways of using modified milk ingredients in the cheese without having to either declare it or lose the little blue cow status despite the dairy having a history of producing excellent traditionally made cheddars. Most cheeses use vegetarian rennet not because they want to satisfy vegetarians but because it's cheaper than animal rennet, which give the cheese a far better taste IMO. It always irked me that our cheese proudly declared it was naturally aged despite being aged in a warehouse in plasticand cardboard! But it's all about price and looks so customers will buy it. People don't like the look of whey in their yoghurt and sour cream so they add gelatin and guar gum to stabilize them and yoghurt is too sour for most tastes so needs a ton of sugar in it.

Sadly we're on a very tight budget these days and that means things like maple syrup and good cheese are very rare treats. We do have a few maples around the house so will try making some syrup this year....just hope the propane needed to do it doesn't cost more than buying it lol!

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 11:42 am

Killerbunny wrote:QR_BBPOST OK so did anyone else notice this. I don't usually use corn syrup but I had a specific requirement in a recipe. Tried to buy some and ........ it's NOT corn syrup anymore. It's a mix of sugar syrups and flavourings and it's nearly $4 a bottle. Ended up using organic Agave syrup which worked and was cheaper - go figure.

Brebis wrote:QR_BBPOST My biggest beef with added ingredients is in dairy products.

It seems that nothing is what it appears to be anymore, my biggest beef is products that change contents without warning.
Was buying Olive oil Mayonnaise, until one day noticed the picture of olive disappeared from the label, still says Olive oil Mayo
But the ingredients now read Canola and Olive oil.
I was paying premium price to avoid Canola oil.
The dairy products are also my pet peeve, especially the amount of milk solids that used to be fed to the pigs, which are now aded to pretty much all dairy products in quantities that do not have to be declared, because the industry is powerful enough to convince the government to change the rules.
OY, Sunday morning rant, back to the kitchen with me, lunch includes mashed potatoes from KB and carrots from my garden, , cheers me right up again. :)

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 1:14 pm

Hana...another nail in my coffin....i didnt know that about the mayo...we started using the Hellmans olive oil mayo a few years ago...and now?...damn damn damn...MJ just informed me it is the last one we buy...she will make mayo from now on...its not like we don't have eggs...its just so sad that our government does less and less to protect the citizen when that's exactly what they shoukd be doing not selling their souls to the 1%...the fact that canola oil is still on the market and available for human consumption is unbelievable...i am presently trying to source organic milk and cream...price is an issue but not a deal breaker...I've always wondered why organic is more cost...there are some producers local to me that do grass fed meat...the last pork we got at the store had an off flavour to it..not bad but not right...we refer to super market meat as 'misery meat'...so the search is on...if the price is high it will only mean we eat less meat..not such a bad thing...I think the underlyng issue has been money...trying to buy as much as possible for as little as possible..it has caused our society to roll into an unhealthy situation...huge resistance out there to change...oh well...

Post by **Killerbunny** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 1:22 pm

Western still does a sour cream at 30% with no "extras" if you can find it. Please don't report me to the food police!
The only reason I wanted the corn syrup is because I need a neutral flavour for a recipe and maple wouldn't work.

Brebis · Post by **Brebis** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 1:42 pm

Organic milk costs more to produce like most other Organic products so they are given a premium for it.
We used to buy the Organic Meadow or Harmony Whole milk all the time but now have a 15 yr old boy who hoovers milk like it's water lol! I especially loved getting it in the spring when they start putting the cows out on grass and the fresh taste of that milk after a long winter of tasteless milk! Sadly, even the Organic milk doesn't have much flavour anymore since even most feed entitled feeds year round like the conventional guys do but let the cows out as well. Ensiled feeds are handy but produce a rather bland uniform product.
I did notice a new dairy marketing grass fed milk last fall and after looking into it it was a couple of marketers who live in Toronto who have contracted several Mennonite farmers and a dairy to produce it for them. It's a pretty slick marketing ploy and boy was that milk expensive! Plus, not sure how they get around the fact that we have 6 months of winter and no grass as well as the fact it's very hard to get decent production on just grass without some supplemental grains especially in winter. The other thing they were marketing was New Zealand grass fed butter while they were building up to do this too and again that was very dear and helping the New Zealanders access our market.