I decided to try to cut out high fructose corn syrup and see what happens. I never realized how pervasive the stuff had become. I knew it was in my soda, so I only drink soft drinks made with sugar. This has cut back my soft drink consumption in the process. Thankfully, Coke can be found with sugar in the imported Mexican variety, and Mountain Dew is offered in Throwback form. There’s a number of speciality sodas that are made with cane sugar, such as Boylan and the new Shaq Sodas, which are very good. I’ve only seen those at 7-11 so far.

My new, favorite bottled teas are Tradewinds followed by Gold Peak. Most soda dispensers are out, unless something is specifically labeled as containing cane sugar, which I’ve begun to see more and more. Jason’s Deli has a blueberry/pomegranate energy drink and Tom & Eddie’s has the Boylan sodas on tap. I’m also drinking more pure water.

I’ve had to pay attention to the ingredient lists on bread, condiments and crackers, too. No more Ritz for me, Heinz is out, and even some wheat breads use hfcs. The new Hostess Cupcakes use both, which made me sad, because I wanted to treat myself. It may take me awhile to completely eliminate the stuff from my diet, but I’m getting there bit by bit.

What results have I seen thus far? I don’t feel as strong a need to nap between shifts on my doubles. I dropped a pant size. I feel generally better and look a little trimmer. None of these are drastic, but then again, I wasn’t drastically unhealthy either. The important thing is I’m slowly adapting better healthy habits. I’m cutting back on sodium and cooking from scratch more. It’s an interesting development, but one that was long overdue.

Am I anti-hfcs? I’m not a nutritionist. I haven’t obsessed about studies, or gotten caught up in the notion of whether the real issue is our society’s inability to eat in moderation. I don’t know if hfcs is any more addictive than sugar. I only know what I’m experiencing, and I can only really speak to that. I won’t obsess about whether I’ve accidentally ingested hfcs, but I will continue to avoid it as much as possible and enjoy the results I see in my own life.

The moral of this post is simple. Sometimes, simple things can lead to small changes. Sometimes small changes are enough to make a big impact on my life. Sometimes, a big impact now and then is all I really need. Enjoy!