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Monday, July 27, 2009

News

A week without corn

Posted by Jonathan Bender on Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 9:45 AM

corn.072709_thumb_200x266.jpg
​The challenge sounds easy. Can writer Carey Jones avoid consuming any corn, or products that contain corn, for a week?

The real question is how much would she actually have to change her diet? Not many of us eat corn every day in its original stalk or cob-form. Cornbread probably isn't on the menu unless you're enjoying barbecue, and sadly, grilled corn has not caught on as a street food yet in Kansas City.

But it gets harder when you think about having popcorn as a snack or sodas sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. And you might be eating more corn-based ingredients than you realize. Splenda has dextrose and maltodextrin, both corn-based. A number of packaged goods and fast-food menus have items made from corn starch or corn syrup.  

In some respects this is a reboot of an argument that began with The

Botany of Desire, in which author Michael Pollan highlighted the

American diet's prevalence of products and ingredients derived from corn. In discussing his subsequent work, The Omnivore's Dilemma,

which sought to explain how food came to market and our tables --

Bonnie Azab Powell of the newspaper at UC Berkeley (where Pollan teaches

journalism) wrote:
 

"We eat so much corn that, biologically speaking, most Americans are corn on two legs."

It's a bit disturbing to think of us as a town of corn -- it didn't end well for adults in Children of The Corn. However, the idea of looking at nutritional labels and understanding exactly what we're putting in our bodies is starting to resonate with the public. If you don't know where to start, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has an extensive break down of labels for consumers. 

While Jones' extended blog entry has the feeling of a book proposal (especially in light of the upcoming Julie and Julia),

the question of whether you can avoid corn in your diet is a valid one.

And if you take the challenge or not, you can still celebrate:

"Thank God there's no corn in champagne," writes Jones. 

 

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The coffee I drank this morning contained non-dairy creamer made of corn syrup solids. CHECK YOUR BLOOD SUGAR. Check it often. Hot Quaker Oats.

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Posted by Chris Packham on 07/27/2009 at 9:12 AM
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