The Western Diet

So, several times a week, George has meetings, or plays soccer, or golf or does scouts, or coaches the boys team. It makes it a challenge to do dinners- especially with the boys hungry at about 6:00pm- and also while I'm trying to think up healthy meals with lots of fresh veggies. Add to this daily dilemma that George is doing a cholesterol fast of sorts and can't have any beef, lamb or pork. Lots of chicken dinners- and as remarkably diverse as chicken can be, it still gets old. So, tonight George is off playing golf, and I started trying to put together a dinner menu. I had a couple of chicken pieces I was going to barbecue- but then I spotted the hot dogs. I added some Pillbury Crescent rolls to make modified "pigs in a blanket". I then rummaged in the freezer and found the microwave bounty of Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese, as well as some onion rings and Ore-Ida crinkle cut french fries. I topped this oh-so-healthy meal with some Bush's original recipe baked beans, and some Del-monte 'Lite" pear halves. For our beverage, some Crystal Light Strawberry/Banana/Orange drink. I was amazed at what a perfect storm of food stuff products I had concocted. Out of curiousity I wanted to see what additives, nutrients and byproducts I had subjected my family to this night. First, I was suprised by how much real food was actually involved: that is considering the prepackaged quick preparation meal items I was dealing with. Possibly most suprising of all was finding the foods with Corn Syrup or my favorite, High Fructose Corn Syrup. So, here are the products again- you tell me which ones have the ever increasing HFCS or corn syrup....

Oscar Meyer Beef Franks

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Ore Ida Crinkle Cut French Fries

Alexa Onion Rings

Stouffer's (frozen) Macaroni & Cheese

Bush's Original Recipe Baked Beans

Del Monte Lite Pear Halves

Hunt's Ketchup

Crystal Light Strawberry/Banana/Orange drink



While you think- here's a fun picture of what happens when everything eats too much HFCS...



Made your guesses? Ready?



The only product with High Fructose Corn Syrup was the ketchup- and only one other had corn syrup- and that was....the hot dogs! Oh yeah. I'm loving it. So much for the healthy eating trend.