Walden Farms...

Hey all! I'm new to the site and I have a quick question... What has been your experience with the brand "Walden Farms"?

I think it's a fairly obscure brand, considering I've only seen it carried by a few stores, but a company that makes "NO CALORIE" pasta sauces, syrups, dressings, etc. seems very suspicious to me... Seriously, if you take a look at the label on this stuff there is nothing but 0s and a series of unpronounceable names... lol.

Anyway, I am in love with the pancake syrup and balsamic dressing (which i pour over warm wholegrain pasta with sauteed mushrooms and peppers- the dressing not syrup- amazing meal idea by the way)... but am pretty sure that I am slowly developing a tumor... Any thoughts?

AL

Based on your info above, I wouldn't touch anything from Walden Farms with a ten foot pole.  The old adage, "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is", is usually accurate.  I don't want to eat chemicals and artificial stuff and it sounds like this stuff is chock full of it.  Besides, if it has no calories, it's not food. Real food has calories.

I love Maple Syrup myself.  Being Canadian, we all grew up eating the stuff and I think it is one of the greatest foods ever invented...lol.  I get mine from a little place on Hwy 11, just south of North Bay call the Maple Sugar House and it's flippin' fantastic.  I don't know about pouring it over pasta but if it works for you then go for it...lol...

I have a dressing like that in my fridge right now. It says 0 calories. Now that's scarey and so are the ingredients. I wonder if I use it as a meat marinade all the chemicals will penetrate and tenderize the meat LOL j/k

Actually I tried marinating it on chicken and it got all gummy. What the heck is in that!

My next trip to the kitchen it's going in the trash!

The "chocolate" sauce & "marshmallow" are absolutely god awful. Think embalming fluid aroma, unsatisfying texture & a mouthful of aloe vera. Disgusting.

The worst part is I read some horrible reviews here, but after considering the few positive reviews I let the curiosity get the best of me.

I have no problems with artificial sweeteners (or weird chemicals in moderation) but this stuff is expensive & it tastes like crap.

Anyway, if you live life because you're afraid something might give you a brain tumor that's going to suck. If you like the stuff and it makes you happy, then what the heck.

Original Post by freshbakedpi:

Anyway, if you live life because you're afraid something might give you a brain tumor that's going to suck. If you like the stuff and it makes you happy, then what the heck.

 Exactly.

(Chances are, we probably don't use enough of it to ever see the effects. And if we do, how we 100% associate it with Walden farms and not all the other crap we eat. So whatever makes you happy.)

We have used the salad dressings.  Believe it was sun dried tomato.  It tasted ok.

Original Post by c_jamie:

Original Post by freshbakedpi:

Anyway, if you live life because you're afraid something might give you a brain tumor that's going to suck. If you like the stuff and it makes you happy, then what the heck.

 Exactly.

(Chances are, we probably don't use enough of it to ever see the effects. And if we do, how we 100% associate it with Walden farms and not all the other crap we eat. So whatever makes you happy.)

 LOL...I don't get it.  Why would anyone want to take the chance when there are so many heallty alternatives out there?  

I had the ranch and bacon dressings.  They were both ok.

Original Post by johnnypenso:

Original Post by c_jamie:

Original Post by freshbakedpi:

Anyway, if you live life because you're afraid something might give you a brain tumor that's going to suck. If you like the stuff and it makes you happy, then what the heck.

 Exactly.

(Chances are, we probably don't use enough of it to ever see the effects. And if we do, how we 100% associate it with Walden farms and not all the other crap we eat. So whatever makes you happy.)

 LOL...I don't get it.  Why would anyone want to take the chance when there are so many heallty alternatives out there?  

 Because they like it? You take a chance of choking every time you eat a solid food. Why would you take the chance when you can just drink your meals?

I've tried a few of their products. The syrup was awful, but I like the ranch dressing. There's nothing too scary on the ingredients list for that one - a tiny bit of sucralose and preservative, but both are listed after the trace of "cayenne pepper" that I can't even taste in it.

Original Post by freshbakedpi:

The "chocolate" sauce & "marshmallow" are absolutely god awful. Think embalming fluid aroma, unsatisfying texture & a mouthful of aloe vera. Disgusting.

The worst part is I read some horrible reviews here, but after considering the few positive reviews I let the curiosity get the best of me.

I have no problems with artificial sweeteners (or weird chemicals in moderation) but this stuff is expensive & it tastes like crap.

Anyway, if you live life because you're afraid something might give you a brain tumor that's going to suck. If you like the stuff and it makes you happy, then what the heck.

 What does embalming fluid smell like?  I had to ask!

LOL. I've tried the "chocolate sauce" too and its so disgusting. And ya... I'm not going to give this stuff up- I hate wasting calories on dressings... everything in moderation.

And I was joking about the tumour... I realize that small doses of some pretty sketchy ingredients won't have an extreme effect on my health, but I still try to make healthy, "natural" choices for the most part lol. For example- and so you can understand where I'm coming from- I LOVE sweetener but try to limit my use of it... After years of drinking 4-6 diet cokes each day, my 48 year-old mother has discovered a brain aneurysm, among other serious health problems... while most of her issues are probably unrelated, many of her symptoms are strikingly similar to those experienced by the many people who have blamed aspartame for serious health issues (though I think most cases have been diabetics)...

Regardless of whether or not there really is a correlation, my mother's situation has definitely encouraged me to start taking care of my body early, and thus this site lol...

still... it makes you wonder... im sure this has been discussed in the past but if anyone has any thoughts on aspartame it's pretty fascinating- I know there is extensive debate over its long-term effects and the "politics" of its legalization...

The bbq sauce almost made me throw up; the apple butter/jam spread thing wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. It was just tastelesss. Not worth eating.

Original Post by alleyway:

What does embalming fluid smell like?  I had to ask!

 Oh you don't even want to know!

Original Post by lahnals:

 After years of drinking 4-6 diet cokes each day, my 48 year-old mother has discovered a brain aneurysm, among other serious health problems... while most of her issues are probably unrelated, many of her symptoms are strikingly similar to those experienced by the many people who have blamed aspartame for serious health issues (though I think most cases have been diabetics)...

Regardless of whether or not there really is a correlation, my mother's situation has definitely encouraged me to start taking care of my body early, and thus this site lol...

still... it makes you wonder... im sure this has been discussed in the past but if anyone has any thoughts on aspartame it's pretty fascinating- I know there is extensive debate over its long-term effects and the "politics" of its legalization...

 Heheh... that's so funny (not your mom's misfortunes... hear me out) BECAUSE my dad's parents in Alabama fried everything in crisco and rendered lard (tubs a week! No joke!), ate biscuits every morning & supper, ate every part of the pigs they raised, smoked like chimneys. My Grandpa died at 98 & my Grandma (Meemaw) is still alive & gardening.

Totally makes me wonder. Also kinda makes me want a ciggarette.... and some bacon...

I love the caramel dip! I ordered some marshmellow dip and peanut butter from them a few weeks ago and it came today. I was so excited when the peanut butter came i opened it right up and spooned out a little and ate it, and BLECH! It was the most discusting thing i ever tasted, almost inedible. i wouldnt reccomend the peanut butter, but i think most of there other things are good and way better than eating the usual products that have alot of calories. Im going to try the peanut butter in and on a few other things though, hopefully it will taste a bit better. *crosses fingers*

Original Post by johnnypenso:

 LOL...I don't get it.  Why would anyone want to take the chance when there are so many heallty alternatives out there?  

 What is REALLY healthy?

Cause science has found a 'con' for just about everything.
Is a fruit or veggie really healthy for you? It could be a GMO food (which is probably researched just as much as artificial sweeteners or such) or it could be loaded with pesticides or deadly bacteria.

I think you can't 'avoid' stuff, but just try and consume what makes you happy in moderate amounts.

If they told you chalk was the next superfood.... would you eat it? Its a healthy alternative.

Original Post by 4theloss:

The bbq sauce almost made me throw up; the apple butter/jam spread thing wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. It was just tastelesss. Not worth eating.

 I love the BBQ sauce I've tried - Thick & Spicy

Which one have you tried??

Original Post by beckkkahhhx3:

I love the caramel dip! I ordered some marshmellow dip and peanut butter from them a few weeks ago and it came today. I

 Hows the marshmallow dip?

and what do you usually do w/ the caramel dip

No Jamie, I wouldn't eat chalk if someone announced it was the next superfood.  But it proves my point.  I don't buy into hype.  I don't go with the trend.  I don't believe in miracle foods or super foods of any kind.  What I do believe in is a diet full of a huge variety of natural foods, unprocessed as much as is possible. If something is available only as a processed food and too difficult to make on my own, I just don't eat it.  There is so much variety in a modern market or grocery store, there simply is no need to eat anything out of a box or package. 

The argument about pesticides is moot.  If you are eating packaged foods, those foods are also exposed to the same pesticides and herbicides as non-pacakaged foods so there's no advantage there.  At least by buying whole foods, you have the opportunity to wash the food before you eat it.  Most of what I buy is organic or locally grown for me so I try to avoid the whole pesticide issue altogether.   If I buy something in a box like Rice Milk or Soy Milk, it's all organic, non-GMO.  

I don't think anyone has ever been able to argue that eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes, nuts, seeds, and cold water fish has any detrimental effects.  Problems only occur with those foods when they hit the factory and the chemists and marketers and profit mongers get their hands on it and sacrifice health and nutrition for convenience, shelf life and the bottom line. 

Original Post by c_jamie:

Original Post by 4theloss:

The bbq sauce almost made me throw up; the apple butter/jam spread thing wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. It was just tastelesss. Not worth eating.

 I love the BBQ sauce I've tried - Thick & Spicy

Which one have you tried??

 

 

Original Post by beckkkahhhx3:

I love the caramel dip! I ordered some marshmellow dip and peanut butter from them a few weeks ago and it came today. I

 Hows the marshmallow dip?

and what do you usually do w/ the caramel dip

The marshmellow dip was...OK. Not the best, but not bad. I dont think it really tastes anything like marshmellows though. It has a thick consistancy like whip cream and just tastes sweet.  And with the caramel dip i actually put it on ice cream. somtimes i warm it up and drizzle it over ice cream and it tastes like a caramel sundae! I also sometimes put it on my oatmeal, apples, hot chocolate, yogurt, i pretty much add it to anything its really good.

Had to jump into the Walden Farms thread I have such a love hate relationship with their products.

I love the Jellies b/c I add them to my yogurts or PB sandwichs, I like that I can indulge in a PB&J and only get the calories from the PB and bread.  The pancake syrup is the same rationale I can enjoy pancakes or waffles and the calories from those but forgo the syrup calories.

Also like the blue cheese dressing b/c I can dip my vegetarian wings in it and get the taste of BC but not have to add extra calorie (Which vegetarian wings have a decent amount of fat)

However, the Caramel dip, marshmellow dip and I think its the alfredo sauce makes me want to barf, I think its totally personal taste with WF.

If you want delicious low cal/cal free dressings try FF Maplegrove Farms Balsamic or SF Maplegrove Ras Vinnegrette these taste absolutly awesome! and have 0-5 calories per 2 tbsp.