# Western Diet: 14 Species? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 9, 2007, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/western-diet-14-species/415025 "2007-08-09T15:49:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/western-diet-14-species/415025/21 "2007-08-10T13:59:56Z")
14 kinds of genus in a fully planned diet? Nevermind… ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/western-diet-14-species/415025/22 "2007-08-17T04:35:10Z")
Someone over at the OP’s blog actually posted something which, while not the definitive answer, certainly sheds some light and provides some facts here: Check out [this comment by “lisa in oregon”](https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8221748&postID=8136320842454469039): > [@](#): > > The 100-mile diet site brought up again the off-repeated saying that only N species make up M% of our diet. No one ever provides which species, so I went searching and found an interesting paper. > > [New Crops and the Search for New Food Resources](http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1999/v4-104.html) > New Crops and the Search for New Food Resources, by Jules Janick She goes on to excerpt some of the more relevant stats; it’s worth a read if you’re interested. ---
**Author:** ![dart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7bcc69/32.png) [@dart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dart)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/western-diet-14-species/415025/23 "2007-08-17T05:16:22Z")
I’m interested in this topic because I’ve been trying to see if I can avoid buying any corn-syrup related items, and it’s actually very difficult. Corn syrup, high fructose and otherwise, is in an incredible amount of the items in American grocery stores. Not just junkfood, but healthy-seeming whole grain bread of all different brands, and every single brand of ketchup, and virtually everything else. I’ve been trying to make a lot of things from scratch to avoid the disgusting, unethical web that is our current food chain. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/western-diet-14-species/415025/24 "2007-08-17T05:46:54Z")
[QUOTE=dart] Not just junkfood, but healthy-seeming whole grain bread of all different brands, and every single brand of ketchup, and virtually everything else. I’ve been trying to make a lot of things from scratch to avoid the disgusting, unethical web that is our current food chain. [/QUOTE] HFCS is pretty much identical to table sugar, especially when it comes to liquids. I can understand the logic of avoiding HFCS and sucrose, but what’s the logic of avoiding regular corn syrup but not cane sugar? As far as I understand it regular corn syrup (not HFCS) is almost 100% dextrose. It’s fairly easy to avoid corn syrup though – do not buy grain products, processed foods, sweets or sodas. I’m fairly sure there’s no corn syrup in whole bean coffee, dry tea, olive oil, whole or frozen vegetables, local fruits, dairy, fish, meat or eggs. What else do you need? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/western-diet-14-species/415025/25 "2007-08-17T09:34:48Z")
Hell, I’ve eaten 14 species just today. And those are just the ones beginning with “m”. [sub]belch[/sub] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/western-diet-14-species/415025.md?page=1)