Corn-fed Babies

Most of what we Americans eat is some arrangement of corn. First, there are the boxes of food that has been “highly processed” in factories using corn as a main ingredient or filler. Then there’s the huge category of “food” to which “high fructose corn syrup” has been added, because it extends the shelf life of food (and has altered our taste buds as a nation to require everything taste sweet). Lastly, meat. Yes, from my understanding, the cows and chickens have been fed corn, because it’s cheaper than grass-grain) until now they’re susceptible to disease. Their digestive systems cannot deal with corn, you see. The Food People are now beginning to feed corn to the fish we eat.

So, we’re sitting around noshing on burgers and Cheetoz and Froot-Loops and fish, but it’s all corn.

That can’t be right, you’re thinking. Let’s check my pantry.

Cap’n Crunch: first ingredient listed is Corn Flour.
Count Chocula (I have a teenage boy…): first ingredient is Whole Grain Corn plus modified corn starch, corn syrup, corn meal – a Monster Cereal, indeed.

Sure, those things are obvious. What about not so obvious?

RICE Krispies: High fructose corn syrup – fifth ingredient
Original Premium Crackers: High fructose corn syrup – fourth ingredient
Bush’s Baked Beans: Modified corn starch
Progresso Plain Bread Crumbs: both high fructose corn syrup and regular old corn syrup

What if we are like the animals and our digestive systems are not suited to corn? And it leads to sickness and disease like…oh, say, cancer and diabetes. So, has anyone ever looked at the big picture and compared cancer numbers to when we increased intake of corn-food? Assuming we can find accurate numbers that haven’t been home-cooked or spun…which I doubt. How long has “cancer” been around? Cancer is just abnormal growth of cells…is there a difference between modern and ancient abnormal cell growth? Actually, I spent an hour of my life trying to do just this thing. Not easy. For some reason, cancer stats are sliced into specific cancers, genders, races…differing survival rates, interpretations of diagnosis, undiagnosed?…and of course, if you have more people, you’re going to have bigger numbers for everything, right.

One very recent (Aug 2010) study at UCLA found that cancer cells grow and multiply faster when fed fructose. The article also stated that between 1970 and 1990, U.S. consumption of high fructose corn syrup increased more than 1000 percent, and HFCS makes up more than 40 percent of sweetener added to food and beverage.

Anyhow, check out this poster from WWI found in Cooter’s history text. Isn’t that cute little boy quite the trooper! Saluting, yes sir, gimme more corn!

Of course, we didn’t intend to poison ourselves or create new diseases. Just another one of those awesome outcomes from the decisions of the Greediest Generation this country has ever seen. The corn is cheap. We can make a lot of money sticking it in everything. We can feed a huge growing population with it – a huge, stoopid population rife with physical and mental impairments. Actually, I can’t lay Widespread Greed just at the feet of the Baby Boomers. The seeds for that were planted before they were ever conceived, when soldiers returned from WWII, but I’ll save that for another article.

So, what does the future hold for us? We may have to look to some place like Israel, for God’s sake, to find something healthy to eat. How ironic, considering many of us Americans have rejected the idea that “God” has rules for what we eat, to maintain optimum health for His children. Meanwhile, Israeli Jews have managed to keep intact Kosher Law and standards.

I’m starting to sound like some sort of Food Nazi. Maybe the answer to this problem is I just need more corn squeezin’s in my whiskey and more whiskey, period.