Yes, I said "Calorie Free". Not "Fat free", or, "Sugar free" - "Calorie Free", and according to the Walden Farms website, they've been selling "Calorie Free" foods since 1972.
And they have lots of options.
From, "Flavored Chocolate Syrup", to "Peanut Spread", to "Alfredo Pasta Sauce", to "Chipotle Ranch Dressing", there's a zero-calorie condiment for every occasion.
So what's in 'em?
Here are the ingredients for the "Peanut Spread",
"Triple Filtered Purified Water, Cellulose Gum, Salt, Corn Starch, Xanthan Gum, Natural Fresh Roasted Peanut Flavoring, Natural Peanut Extract, Peanut Flour, Caramel Color, Sucralose, Sodium Benzoate"(You know, for when double-filtered purified water just won't do.)
Clearly Walden Farms is marketing these towards folks worried about calories, and given that I count mine, I was certainly curious what these jars of chemical alchemy tasted like, and so was our office's dietitian Mark.
We both tried the Peanut Spread, Marshmallow Dip and the Raspberry Fruit Spread, while Mark also sampled the Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.
Here are Mark's thoughts, "
I first tried the fruit spread on its own (about a tablespoon’s worth) at room temperature. It was extremely sweet and left a stale-sweet aftertaste that didn’t go away until I munched on some almonds about 30 minutes later. Texture-wise, it looked like any other jelly and it had a maroon colour, which was a little off-putting. I decided to give it another shot over the weekend, this time after it had been refrigerated and on toast with peanut butter. I scooped two tablespoons onto some whole-grain toast and topped it with two tablespoons of natural peanut butter. It didn’t taste any better – still too sweet and it had a lingering, stale aftertaste. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this product as it simply does not taste as good as other jams or jellies.My take on those products? My mouth's still mad at me. Certainly among the very worst things that have ever been in it.
What pairs well with jam? Peanut butter, of course. I consider myself a pb connoisseur. From natural to chunky, Jiffy to Kraft, I’ve tried them all. With no peanuts in sight, I was curious as to how Walden Farms would pull it off. Opening the jar reveals a butterscotch-coloured gelatin-like substance. I sampled a small amount on the end of a knife. The taste: think super-salty play-doh. And, like the raspberry spread, the taste lingers long after you’ve swallowed. I can’t say that this is the worst peanut butter I’ve ever had because it’s not peanut butter. But it does rank as one of the worst things I have ever tasted.
And lastly the salad dressing. When I eat salads, I like to have a lot of dressing. But dressing is often quite high in calories, so I was excited to try Walden Farms' calorie-free buttermilk ranch dressing. Could I finally douse my salad in dressing without worrying about the calories? Sadly, no. I added it to a salad comprised of lettuce, tomato, green peppers and plain croutons. It poured like traditional dressing and had the standard white-opaque colour of ranch dressing. Where it failed is in the flavour department. I struggle with how to describe the flavour – it tastes like ranch dressing, just really bad ranch dressing. The flavour is flat and it has a chemical-like aftertaste.".
Of all of the products, their Marshmallow Dip was the truest in taste. Still cloyingly sweet. Still a horrible chemical aftertaste. But then so too does actual Fluff.
These products are horror shows in bottles. While I'm all for reducing calories, you need to actually enjoy the foods you're eating, and unless you've got a tongue covered in scar tissue, enjoying these products isn't something I can readily imagine you'll be able to do.
So if you pass by Walden Farms products in the supermarket, please, for the love of all that's holy, don't stop.
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Oh, I tried some of their salad dressings a few years ago too. I never returned for seconds!
ReplyDeleteI am utterly HORRIFIED by these products; can't say I've ever tried any of them but during my weight loss product I did peruse them in the store and the ingredients were more like a college chemistry lab supply list than a grocery list. I have several friends who are fitness/figure/bikini competitors who live on these products when they're preparing for a show...and who also espouse "treats" like sugar free jell-o and non fat cool whip...gross.
ReplyDelete*during my weight loss PROCESS, should say
ReplyDelete...Not to mentiont he amount of sodium in the dressings...
ReplyDeleteI'd rather eat the real foods but just less of them.
ReplyDeleteCould these things really have zero calories? And what impact could such products have on the body - can the body be tricked in such a way, or will it just get baffled that it's eating and there are no nutrients, so cause a spike in hunger to convince you to go out and get some food?
ReplyDeleteApart from the biology of it, the very thought of these products offends me. There's nothing wrong with either jam OR peanut butter, but there's an awful lot wrong with lab-created Frankenfoods.
I'll probably get blasted here for saying this, but I've been eating Walden Farms products for a couple years now, and some of them are actually pretty good.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I completely understand how, especially on first trying them, anybody's taste buds could revolt. There are definitely some of their products I cannot stand (the so-called alfredo sauce, for example), while others took a few tries.
An example: The first time I tried the peanut butter, I hated it. I left it in the fridge for a while because I couldn't bring myself to throw it out due to the cost. Then, a couple months down the road, after I'd been using other Walden Farms products, I tried it again and actually liked it. No, it's not a replacement for peanut butter in its truest sense, but I enjoy it on bananas and the like as a peanutty flavor that doesn't add calories like real PB does.
As for the other products, the chocolate and new caramel syrups are pretty good. The chocolate and caramel dips are likewise. The marshmallow dip tastes more like thicker Cool Whip to me. And I eat a few of the "jellies" like blueberry, grape, and apple butter. I also have to say that Walden Farms dressings are the ONLY dressings I use now -- mainly the Italian, Asian, Onion, and Coleslaw ones. Oh, and the Ranch veggie dip is quite good, in my opinion, though the Onion one is pretty horrid. (Haven't been able to find the Bacon one around here.)
I will say that the taste took some initial getting used to, but in my weight loss process, I've found my tastebuds realigned anyway (after all, I went from eating Hershey's kisses to broccoli as snacks!). My main issue is in calling them "no calorie" when the almost certainly have a few "trace" calories that can add up if you're eating enough (for example, there are 12 servings in a rather small jar of the various dips). Also, there is a bit of product variability, as sometimes a jar of "jelly" will be rather solid while other times it will be extremely liquidy.
So yes, I know there are a lot of people who won't like these products, but I've personally found them to be quite helpful in my weight loss and maintenance.
David I have to agree with you. I have found them very helpful in my eating right and being able to add the appropriate calories else where vs. in a salad dressing. By the way I hope you find the Bacon it is really good... then again sometimes I add a bit of hot sauce to it and dip my chicken into it! I say ... thank you Walden Farms!!!
DeleteThey were also helpful for me.. I think you definetly have to be used to the artificial sugar taste.. Like switching from coffee with suger to splenda, or regular to diet soda.. In my oppinion its the same level of acquired taste
DeleteWhen these products first came on the market, my parents bought them. For my teen years, Walden Farms salad dressings were the only option (and we had salad before dinner every night). I hated them (except for the blue cheese dressing which, while mucus-like in consistency, tasted okay) and my form of rebellion against these and all forms of diet foods was to eat vast quantities of "real" foods when I was out of my parents house. I'm not blaming my parents, they were trying to manage their own weight and to help me as a miserable teen to be less fat (I would have been miserable, fat or not), but my rebellion was pretty dramatic.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have never understood 'Replacement Cuisine'... Low- or no-calorie versions of things we like but don't want to eat given calories, fat, salt etc. are generally not good, ever. (I hold the same wonder for vegetarians who want to fake a turkey at Thanksgiving). In fact, I think they are a pitfall for those trying to manage weight -- esp. those who love and crave items like chips etc. -- as they are such a let-down and disappointment. Better to seek out lower-calorie foods that you might actually like vs. faking something your brain wants you to have. Or, manage the quantities of the real foods.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds terrible. I've had their calorie free salad dressings (years ago) and some are better than others. BUT, I will say now that I try to limit the processed foods that I eat, these wouldn't do it for me. Have the real stuff, but just have a 1/2 serving instead of pouring a third of the bottle on salad, etc.
ReplyDeleteJust say no to edible food-like substances.
ReplyDeleteSounds horrible. Haven't been willing to eat fake food in years with one notable exception. I like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray!!!
ReplyDeleteIm on board with DaveB, Ive been using for a couple of years and some are decent. Some of it is disgusting, like the peanut butter and the mayo. I couldnt eat the mayo and then just mixed half of it with regular mayo and it was decent, and less than the lo cal mayo on the store. Now two things they make that I will buy over and over are the italian dressing. That is great, I buy like 6 at a time, pour some on salads, hard boiled eggs, tuna, its fantastic. Also the strawberry syrup. Its a little runny but it really tastes good over some frozen yogurt - really good. I lost 50 pounds and during that period a few select Walden items were mainstays.
ReplyDeleteI also selectively use the salad dressings and have a few that I like: Chipolte Ranch and Thaousand Island being two. I also use their "mayple" syrup ad find it is very good - every bit as good as truly low carb/no sugar syrups in the grocery store.
ReplyDeleteBut the peanut butter...which I could not resist trying: EWWWWWWWWW!
I'm glad you tried these so I didn't have to! I just was never brave enough. Life's too short to eat chemicals instead of real food.
ReplyDeleteI tried the vinaigrette dressing and found it quite palatable. Definitely not as tangy as other vinaigrettes but nothing horrid about it at all. Gonna try a few other dressings and maybe the Mayo. Nothing else really strikes my interest I just like something to dip veggies in.
ReplyDeleteI tried the walden farms peanut butter,it was horrible. The worst thing I've ever tasted. Probably be better if I mixed in some splenda
ReplyDeleteI've only tasted the chocolate syrup and I find it quite delicious. It's much better for my waistline than the chocolate covered peanuts I still miss eating.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter uses the peanut butter for baking and smoothies and she thinks it is great.
I have bought three dressings and find them all very tasty. There are some of us who cannot take "just a small bite" and we know who we are. So we compromise full flavor whatever for something with less calories and are thankful that there are low calories foods available that were no where in sight 20 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI have a bottle of the thousand island dressing I'm trying to get through. It is sooooooo sweet. If it didn't have that artificial sweetener in it, it'd maybe taste ok. But it's too sweet and the aftertaste is like a saccharin mouthwash. I saw the label had that Splenda brand on it, but the ingredients didn't list it so I thought it was safe. Do they all have Splenda in them?
ReplyDeleteI just got my shipment, I hear a lot of eeewwws about the peanut butter. I got the Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter, anyone try that yet???
ReplyDeleteFor those of us on a low carb, no sugar diet, these are a Godsend! Yes, I fully realize that these don't taste as good as "the real thing", but what do you expect for ZERO calories! At least I am able to put dressings on my salad now, and eat their various other products when I would never be allowed to eat the real thing. TIP: For the Peanut spread, I find that mixing 3 parts peanut spread to 1 part REAL peanut butter makes a great, low fat (about 4g of fat per serving) treat that tastes great on celery! The barbecue sauce is great on pulled pork, roast beef, and chicken! And, most of their salad dressings taste just like the real thing! (My favorites are Thousand Island, Creamy Caesar, and Balsamic) All in all, I highly recommend these products if you are dieting. They allow you to satiate cravings without cheating, even if they don't taste quite as good as the real thing. It's certainly a lot better than abstaining from your carb-rich favorites altogether!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the minority that they are better than nothing especially when craving and Ben & Jerry's is off limits! The carmel dip I think is a bit butterscotch-tasting but is ok on granny smith apples. Marshmallow is good in small amounts. The peanut butter isn't too bad if mixed with powdered PB which is made from roasted peanuts.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't understand is why they need to go to such extremes. Zero calories?? Why?? I'd give my right arm for a company that would produce much lower calorie versions of foods.. you know, a sugar free version that didn't add a bunch of fat for example. Use some of these techniques, but combined with some actual food so it doesn't all taste like salty paste. No one needs calorie free peanut butter. But reduce that 190 to 50 and I'm there.
ReplyDeleteI love the salad dressings, the balsamic vinegrette for salads (i sprinkle a little southwestern chipotle mrs. dash on it too), and the chipotle ranch dressing makes a great veggie dip......... if you're really watching your numbers they are actually great. i pay over $4 a bottle for this stuff at Whole Foods and I buy 6 bottles at a time. I've never tried any of their other products, but i bet the mashmellow dip would be pretty good with strawberries.
ReplyDeleteI totally disagree with the "Godsend" comment. They may be Zero calories. BUT, we will be skinny and full of cancer from all of the terrible chemicals added to them.
ReplyDeleteI wish I would have read the reviews before I bought the ranch dressing. It was absolutely terrible. Whatever claims to be calorie, fat, and sugar free is most likely high in carcenogens. Does anyone have any recommendations for "labratory-free" foods??
Have y'all read the label on these? They are not "full of chemicals." Mostly they are made from cellulose gel, which is an indigestible plant fiber...see the Wikipedia article here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_cellulose. Walden Farms does publish the nutrition info and ingredients, here: http://waldenfarms.com/nutrition_facts.html
ReplyDeleteThese foods certainly have fewer chemicals than your average bag of Cheetos, with the exception of the Splenda that's used to sweeten them, and in some cases the food coloring.