So that’s what real [insert food here] tastes like
Nowadays I’ve been on somewhat of a health food kick, buying organic or all-natural products from smaller companies when possible. While this has not always made a difference in terms of taste, there are a few foods that are much different (we think better) when you actually buy the real thing. Here they are in a list. The common theme among these foods and their “Big Food” alternatives is corn products: corn starch, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup. I’ll keep expanding the list as we discover more “real” foods worth buying.
1. Peanut butter
The jump from low-fat peanut butter to the organic version is the most noticeable. To make peanut butter “low fat,” it is essentially diluted with corn or soy products. Organic or all-natural peanut butter actually tastes like peanuts and is generally not as sweet, if it contains sugar at all. Organic, no-stir peanut butter is about twice as expensive as regular peanut butter.
2. Yogurt
I started buying organic yogurt for myself and continued to buy Grant cheap stuff because he said he “couldn’t tell the difference.” Well, I definitely could. Once I started eating organic yogurt, anything else tasted like corn starch. Not surprising, because corn starch is high on the ingredient list. Eventually I caught Grant stealing my yogurt and he admitted he prefers the organic version. Now it’s all we buy. The bad news is that it costs about twice as much as “regular” grocery store yogurt.
3. Maple syrup
We bought “real” maple syrup when there happened to be an enormous container of it at Sam’s Club. Everything is different. It tastes totally different, has a viscosity closer to water, and requires refrigeration. Typical grocery store call maple syrup is generally corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup with coloring, flavoring, and preservatives added. Real maple syrup easily costs two to four times corn syrup-based products and (aside from what you might find at Sam’s Club or Costco) comes in much smaller containers.
Sheryl:
It is so nice that you took the time to write down your impressions on how these foods taste. Personally, I’ve been eating organic and natural foods as much as money allows me. I read the book “Master your Metabolism” which explains how your endocrine system works and how it is negatively affected by chemicals in our food. By the book’s guidance, I threw out everything that had HFCS, hydrogenated fats, refined or enriched grains, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, etc (you bet all my fat free/low fat foods were gone). I’ve been buying all dairy, fruits and vegetables and even some processed foods like wheat crackers, wheat bread, brown rice all organic. I still eat some non-organic meat (organic meat is too expensive for me still), but mostly try to eat organic beans and wild-caught fish for protein. I feel so much better! The main change in my case has been the fact that I’m never constipated anymore (sometimes I wouldn’t go for more than 2 days!) and even my migraines have decreased considerably (just had one in a whole month instead of my usual 5-10). The best of all of it is that I’m not dieting, no calorie counting and eating everyday plenty of good fatty stuff like peanut butter, hummus, almonds, cheese and ice cream… stuff that I would do my best to avoid before.
I believe you should try to compare organic ice cream from low-fat ice cream. I know you guys keep ice cream around the house. I bought recently the Java Mocca organic ice cream from Meijer and it tastes so much better than other low-fat ice creams. Having a full 1 cup was enough because it was so rich and delicious. When I’m done, I just feel completely satisfied instead of wanting a second serving like in the past.
I also find that pasta sauce taste different. Now I buy organic pasta sauce and it taste so much better. I can’t really explain what is the difference but is just taste so much better for me.
If I think of any other food I’ll let you know. I’ll definitely will keep coming back to see your list grow.
Reply
Leave your response!