What do baby formula, breakfast cereal and peanut butter all have in common? They are all foods that have “reduced fat ” or “reduced sugar” versions that have carbohydrate fillers hidden in them that the FDA allows because they are not technically viewed as sugar.  Two notable culprits are maltodextrin and corn syrup solids.

Maltodextrin is technically a complex carbohydrate because it is a chain of glucose molecules linked together.  Yes, it is indeed complex, but glycemic index research shows that it might as well be labeled sugar, because it is absorbed just as fast, if not faster than other true sugars.

Reduced Fat "Natural Peanut Butter" Note the second ingredient...

Corn syrup solids are just what they sound: dried and solidified corn syrup.  And what is corn syrup?  Sugar, plain and simple.  Yet, the government doesn’t view this as sugar either, and so food manufacturers can pump their products full of it (for the sweet taste) without it adding to the sugar total.  Deceitful, right?

Reduced Fat Peanut Butter (this one has corn syrup solids added to replace some of the fat)

So, it is up to you consumers to be intelligent and look at both the nutrition and ingredient lists on each food package.

I’ll tell you a little story about a surprising place I found corn syrup solids.  My cousins Arie and Reese have a 1 year old who they feed as well as any baby on the planet.  Little Keller eats nothing but whole, organic and unprocessed foods, and is sure to grow up as perfectly as a baby can.

Soy Based Baby Formula...Now nearly half of which is wholesome corn syrup!

Keller would very occasionally have a bottle of formula, and again, his parents scrutinized the nutrition labels to give him the healthiest available.  They had both milk and soy based formulas, and were phasing out the milk version.  I asked them why, and they told me that both were nearly the same, but the soy formula had less sugar.

Milk-based Baby Formula...Does NOT contain corn syrup or maltodextrin

When I looked at the labels of each, the soy formula indeed had 5 or 6 grams less sugar than the milk formula, but 3 or 4 grams more total carbohydrate.  How could this be?  When I looked at the ingredient list, it became obvious: the FIRST ingredient was corn syrup solids.  This meant that while the milk-based version had more sugar, it was at least from a natural source (milk).  Breast milk contains sugar, so this isn’t too big a concern.  Corn syrup, however, is NOT found in breast milk.

So what does this mean for you?  Raise an eyebrow anytime you see natural foods that are somehow “improved.”  Peanut butter should have one ingredient: peanuts.

Thanks to food scientists, reduced sugar bananas or extra-fiber apples will likely be created and hit the shelves sooner or later, and you can bet your ass I won’t be eating them.