You know, I can manage so many things--Shiratake noodles, eating dry salads, every veggie under the sun but I absolutely abhor the "chemical farms" products. I am not sure what the stuff taste like. I just know it doesn't belong inside the human body.

eh dunno, just drinking water from the tap (or bottles sometimes) gives out a lotta chemicals nowadays... I guess it depends.

As someone who likes to cook...I just make my own dressings at home. I actually feel better going ahead and spending the calories on REAL food and not have to worry about what god forsaken calorieless chemical I just put in my body.

I dipped my pinkie into the ranch dressing and thought it tasted like...ranch dressing. So I have a question for the people who do not want to put any chemicals into their body. What do you do when you go to the doctor and get a prescription? In the U.S., our Foods and Drugs are both monitored by the FDA. So why do you trust their judgment at the pharmacy counter but not in the condiment aisle? I'm not trying to be smart here, I would really someone to explain the difference.

I personally think it is healthier for us to limit the unnatural chemicals that go into our bodies and that does include medications. Now I wouldn't say that it would be realistic for most people to never take any medication because there are definitely times when the positives of taking a medication for your health outweigh the negatives. I don't really want to ingest large amount of chemicals on a daily basis and it isn't like the chemicals that we do eat do us any good, so I'm not sure why someone would want to consume them freely. Besides, prescription drugs you take have a purpose and they have been tested and usage has been well documented which isn't really the case for things labeled as food.

So for me personally, I rather spend the 20 calories or so on a dressing that is more natural than try to eat some chemical concoction. Although I could really taste the chemicals in the walden farms stuff, it was gross.

I don't blindly trust the pharmacy or the condiment aisle.

I'm on a fair number of medications, but I never take a medication on blind faith. I ask the doctor what the medication's benefits, risks, and side effects. Then I ask the pharmacist the same thing, and then I read the pharmacy printouts, and then I do additional research online on medical sites I trust (usually medical journals).

As for food additives, I also do that research. There are many books on the subject. I've read a few but so long ago I don't remember the titles (but I found a few that sound similar to the ones I read, that I list at the end of this post).

When I read an ingredient I don't recognize, I check it out online, and try to sort out the hype and urban legend from the truth - mostly by verifying the credentials of the person(s) providing the information.



Food Additive books


A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, 7th Edition: Descriptions in Plain English of More Than 12,000 Ingredients Both Harmful and Desirable Found in Foods by Ruth Winter

Eating Between the Lines: The Supermarket Shopper's Guide to the Truth Behind Food Labels (Paperback)
~ Kimberly Lord Stewart

Food Additives: A Shopper's Guide To What's Safe & What's Not (Perfect Paperback)
~ Christine Hoza Farlow

Actually, I rarely, rarely take any meds at all. In any case, even if you cannot go completely chemical free it really is best to limit your exposure.

OK, so my sister and I found these products at the store recently, and they were on the clearance rack. So for $2.00 I bought the calorie-free scampi sauce. Oh. My. Goodness. I almost threw-up after just dipping my finger in. The rest went down the drain....I saw the chocolate and the caramel dips, and was only slightly tempted... I have a feeling it too, will taste like chemicals.

My mom loves these this brand, and I've brought it up to her that they can't be good for you. As a gluten free girl I've come to learn that companies can hide A LOT of things under "natural flavorings". some naturally derived flavors when actually listed can have names that ramble on like a science experiment. no wonder they label them under a generic term. I say buyer beware, and dont even get me started on agave nectar. it's up there near the top of the lists with heavily processed and very "unnatural" things masquerading as health food.

I personally don't have a problem with chemicals. Water is a chemical. Arsenic is all natural. If a good tasting, all chemical, no natural nothing product with low or no calories came out of a lab and on to my grocery shelf I'd be all over it.

Sadly, Walden's products do not seem to meet the first criteria to me. Too bad, I really wanted to like them.

I have never heard of the products. We don't have access to a lot of brands here in Canada. I just thought I should mention something I learned on the Tyra Banks Show LOL. You really have to be careful with products that claim to be "calorie free". There is actually a guideline that if a product is less than 5 calories it can legally be listed as calorie free yet it can have up to 4 calories per serving. If a serving size is very small like a teaspoon and you use half a cup you may actually be getting quite a few calories from that "calorie free" product. On the Tyra Show, she was actually talking about the Becel butter spray that claims to be calorie free but actually contains 4 cals per spray. After you get done coating your popcorn or other food, you can add a lot of calories easily without even knowing it.
I just wanted to add that info, I hope it is helpful :)

I saw the same stuff in the store and thought the same thing - well then what IS in it???? I decided to pass. I am sticking with the old WW trick of dipping my fork tines in salad dressing instead of putting it on my salad or chicken or whatever I am using it for. I did an experiment and put 1 tsp of it in a small bowl and then re-measured it after I finished eating - I was blown away that barely any was used! Way better than eating chemicals!

I'm not chemical-phobic. Every substance on earth is made of chemicals. Even on the nutrition labels, some of those hard-to-pronounce, chemically-sounding-words, are sometimes GOOD things. If you don't know that niacin and folic acid are vitamins, or that acetic acid is essentially vinegar, you can be avoiding harmless or even beneficial foods.

I do use artificial sweeteners, though I'm using less and less. I used to buy a bag of Splenda every few months. I think I bought the bag I have now about three months ago, and it's still about 2/3 full.

It's not primarily that I'm more conscienciously opposed to artificiality - it's just that the more real food I eat, the less tasty the artificial seems.

I've been using the ranch for about a week, it's awesome! I use it with a spring mix, which is a stronger-flavored salad so maybe that helps with the taste?

I love it cause it has a nice strong spicy-ranchy flavor. Totally worth the 3 bucks I paid!

I've seen very few positive reviews of their products, but tons of negative reviews. I don't know how they stay in business.

There's a big difference between a product made in a laboratory than one grown in a garden. It's just not food. In the words of Dr Will Clower "If it ain't food, don't eat it" :lol: