I've been meaning to write the whole trip up in epic fashion to suit its epic nature, but for now, enjoy these photos I took while on the road from San Francisco to Chicago - CLICK.

So... people are a flutter about the negative effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup and it's inclusion as an ingredient in, well, practically everything that's been processed in any way. Given that it's a more refined product than naturally occuring cane sugar, and given that reliable sources back it up, I'm inclined to conclude that HFCS is generally something to avoid. Still, having just spent 30 minutes reading wikipedia and the links that it recommends, it seems that small amounts of it are probably not a big deal, and that high amounts of any sugar will likely lead to trouble. So... "cane sugar" is marginally better, but keeping sugar away in general is the best move. In the US, it seems even most bread, including top-brand whole wheat bread is packed with added sugar of varying forms. So is almost anything, including things labeled "natural". It takes a long consious effort to go back to less-sweet foods, but once you do, you realize how ridiculously sweet everything had been before and discover all sorts of new appreciation for food.

(graph swiped from wikipedia)