Avoiding high fructose corn syrup seems like it would be fairly easy if you read your labels and eat a plant-based diet. However, there are still ways in which this artificial sweetener can find its way into the food you eat. Here are three surprising sources of high fructose corn syrup that you might want to avoid:

1. Salad dressing. Low-fat or not, many salad dressings contain high fructose corn syrup as a main ingredient. Make your own with oil and vinegar dressing or buy organic to avoid this.
2. Honey-roasted peanuts. There are only seven ingredients in this sweet snack, and corn syrup is one of them. Choose raw or oven-roasted nuts instead.
3. Ketchup. It might be no surprise that ketchup includes sugar, but some brands contain exceedingly high amounts. Look for all-natural brands or use ketchup sparingly.

Corn Syrup in Unexpected Foods [Huffington Post]
Surprising Products That Contain High Fructose Corn Syrup [Divine Caroline]
(Not So) Sweet: Surprising Foods Containing High Fructose Corn Syrup [Babble]
6 Popular Foods with High-Fructose Corn Syrup [FitDay]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/jenny-pics

Looking for something fun, unique, and inexpensive to do in Old Town Alexandria? Swing by the Torpedo Factory Arts Center for an afternoon of artistic discovery. As you stroll through the 82 workshops and seven galleries, you’ll see a few real torpedoes that harken back to the building’s history as a World War I munitions factory.

Since the 1970s, the factory—which opens out onto a walking path on the picturesque Potomac River—has functioned as a communal space for working artists to interact with the community. You can see artists at work and discuss the process with them. Be forewarned: the artists make their own schedules and if there’s someone you’d specifically like to see, you need to schedule privately with them.

Don’t miss the third floor, where the Alexandria Archaeology Museum resides, or the gift shop where you can purchase art, jewelry, clothing, and other goods made by the Torpedo Factory artists!

Torpedo Factory Art Center
105 N. Union St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 838-4565
torpedofactory.org

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr Dean Hochman

On this day we honor all of the Presidents of our great country. If it weren’t for them, our country would not be what it is today!