adventures in HFCS and cholesterol reduction

[saffronhare]

BOO: Arizona green tea with ginseng and honey, which I like very much, contains HFCS. I'm sure there are other options out there, but that brand/flavor was pretty simple to find, and very inexpensive to rationalize as a once-in-a-while kind of treat.

YAY: The generic, fat-free, french vanilla flavored coffee creamer I use does not contain HFCS -- just plain old sugar. And it's not a carrier of cholesterol! Still...there's a lot of unpronounceable ingredients there. I think I'll use up what's left and start investigating less chemically complicated ways to make YUM happen.

BOO: Just one serving of regular cream cheese (which I *almost* put on my mini-bagel this morning) contains a gajillion mg of cholesterol.

YAY: Country Crock margarine contains no cholesterol at all. [ETA: However (comma), as royal_spice kindly pointed out, it *does* contain some partially hydrogenated fats and is not the best of all possible choices.]

A bit more, mildly related: The girls are being really excellent partners in all this, and are even getting into trying different brands (or off-brand versions) of some of their favorite stuff. We're testing cookies this week. I think I'll use it as an opportunity to set up a double-blind taste test!

Comments

[incommune.livejournal.com]

It may not be much, but I've gone back to bagels and cream cheese (it's a solid, fast, energizing breakfast option that fits in the pretty tight budget I've had being unemployed) and I've never been the biggest fan of cream cheese. Not really for dietary reasons, but I don't like the taste of more than just a little bit of it at a time. But that's not very satisfying on a bagel. The addition of a moderate amount of JAM however makes everything very delicious. Cream cheese can be too creamy-cheesy, and jam can be too sweet first thing in the morning, but a little bit of both together is just right :) and I don't feel like I'm using much of either, so I'm not loading myself down with sugar or fat in a huge way in one pop. Secondly, re: coffee since I drink a lot of that, I like to sweeten with that raw sugar. For some reason, it seems to make a big difference. I use less of it than white sugar or flavoring and it tastes better.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

Yes, half of a good whole-wheat bagel (or a full mini-bagel) makes a great breakfast, especially when I chase it with some yogurt and fruit.

Sugar tends to be an issue for me, so I try not to spread a lot of jam on things and focus instead on consuming the Actual Fruit. That said, I do have some Bonne Maman fruit preserves that are really splendid -- and that's what I put on my bagel this morning! (Just a bit, but OMG yummy.)

As for coffee, the creaminess has more value than sweetness. And I just love the scent of vanilla. :)

Please forgive the LJ-disconnect here: Do I know you?