There are some foods that simply should not be tampered with......where no palate should have to withstand the ugliness of "light", lo-fat, fat-free, and sugar-free. Please note that I am not advocating that foods with these labels should not be produced. Indeed not! There are many people, world-wide, who depend on those categories in order to be able to enjoy many foods. I am one of those people who needs to avoid a wide range of foods unless they do have the terms "light", lo-fat, fat-free, and sugar free somewhere prominently on the label.
While my health and well-being requires constant vigilance regarding what goes in my mouth, I am fortunate to like so many foods that substitutions can be made for off-limit foods and still leave me culinarily satisfied. Let's face it - as I said, there are some foods that simply cannot be altered without sacrificing either flavor, texture or both. Take, for instance, fat-free cheese. I've been keeping shredded fat-free mozzarella and cheddar cheese on hand for years now, using it in a variety of ways and being able to ignore the cardboard-like texture and flat flavor - or lack thereof. Perhaps manufacturing practices have changed......but the other morning I sprinkled some on scrambled egg whites and discovered that the consistency was so pasty that it literally stuck to the roof of my mouth and teeth. The same can be said for some substitute bacon-like foods. Offensive textures, atmospheric salt contents, and sub-par flavors.
Today, while in the grocery store, I came across "lite-braunschweiger" in the deli case. Capt. SO and I love braunschweiger but it is one of the foods that must be on our "do-not-eat" list. After reading the nutrition information, I determined that it was "safe" enough to give "lite" a try and I ordered a half-inch thick slice to take home. I have now added "lite" braunschweiger to our list of foods to only consume at regular strength......regular anything. The flavor wasn't bad but the texture - oh, the texture - left something greatly to be desired. It rather resembled braunschweiger-flavored canned dog food.
Yes, there are just some foods that should never be tampered with. If they are unhealthy to begin with, then these foods and their flavors should remain as they are......flavorful and delicious, albeit bad for some.
Like I said: Regular or nada.
Ancora imparo
