Corn syrup!

Okay, I have heard before that corn syrup is bad for you. Well, especially high fructose corn syrup. And I read this great article about it, which proved very informative and very frightening.

Here I am, subbing at AV High School today and, with just a cursory glance at my bag o' pregnancy-sustaining treats, I have found FIVE things that contain high frutcose corn syrup: ginger ale, yogurt, trail mix, granola bar and jam on my pb&j.

The article states that fructose contributes to the following things:

• Insulin resistance and obesity
• Elevated blood pressure
• Elevated triglycerides and elevated LDL
• Depletion of vitamins and minerals
• Cardiovascular disease, liver disease, cancer, arthritis and even gout

None of those are helpful to me everyday, but especially now that I'm pregnant. I need MORE vitamins and minerals. I want LOW blood pressure. I do not want gestational or any other kind of diabetes.

Now, apparently high fructose corn syrup is not the only bad guy out there. Agave syrup, which I bought and used in tea as a substitute for honey and sugar, contains
a chemical that is especially bad for pregnant women, as it can cause a miscarriage. It's also usually so refined that there is nothing good in it. Obviously all those pink and blue packets are nasty too.

Basically, this is what I've gleaned from the info I've read this morning:

Good: stevia herb, organic cane sugar, organic raw honey (not heated), real maple syrup, molasses, palm sugar

Bad: refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, agave syrup

I am trying to read a lot more on this so I'm not basing my decision on two articles, but at the same time, this already troubles me. I have always been wary of following any particular way of eating because I've been afraid of trying to be too trendy. I mean, if we cut everything out of our diet that people say is bad, we may not even to get to drink water. So I don't want to get uppity about the way I choose to live my life, but it sounds like this is important enough to take notice of.

What do you guys think? Total fad or justifiable concern? Have you found great evidence on the contrary?