The cleaner you eat, the less you enjoy processed flavours?!

Options
1567810

Replies

  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Options
    This belongs in the new argument forum
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    So for that example. ... The more actual strawberries I eat, the less I enjoy false strawberry flavours ( and I used to adore it, strawberry center chocs, strawberry icecream, strawberry yoghurt etc) which was sad when I got excited about a strawberry milkshake the other day and really it wasn't as nice as I remember.

    When it comes to taste, of course preferences change based on what you are used to eating. Now, whether this can change in a short time, or if it matters how you grew up or not, I do not know. If you are used to good quality fruit/dairy/oil/meat/wine and so on, you will notice lower quality and imitations. I do not think it has to do with "clean" specifically.

    Yes, I agree with this.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    edited February 2016
    Options
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    So for that example. ... The more actual strawberries I eat, the less I enjoy false strawberry flavours ( and I used to adore it, strawberry center chocs, strawberry icecream, strawberry yoghurt etc) which was sad when I got excited about a strawberry milkshake the other day and really it wasn't as nice as I remember.

    When it comes to taste, of course preferences change based on what you are used to eating. Now, whether this can change in a short time, or if it matters how you grew up or not, I do not know. If you are used to good quality fruit/dairy/oil/meat/wine and so on, you will notice lower quality and imitations. I do not think it has to do with "clean" specifically.

    Oh dear I wonder if my very middle class upbringing is a factor here! Can I just clarify also, those challenging me on the term clean that I rephrased within 3 posts when I realised the gravity of my mistake of using one word.

    Huh???
    What does class have to do with this?

    Sigh. The post above. You know what? Tongue in cheek or even mild humour is taken with nothing but offense and I'm not an argumentative person I like a humourus life, so I'm tapping out. Enjoy the thread x

    I apologise, because honestly I thought it was one of those "I cannot eat healthy/clean/good" (insert whatever you want here) and can only eat "junk" because I cannot afford to arguments, which is something I have seen a lot.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited February 2016
    Options
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    So for that example. ... The more actual strawberries I eat, the less I enjoy false strawberry flavours ( and I used to adore it, strawberry center chocs, strawberry icecream, strawberry yoghurt etc) which was sad when I got excited about a strawberry milkshake the other day and really it wasn't as nice as I remember.

    When it comes to taste, of course preferences change based on what you are used to eating. Now, whether this can change in a short time, or if it matters how you grew up or not, I do not know. If you are used to good quality fruit/dairy/oil/meat/wine and so on, you will notice lower quality and imitations. I do not think it has to do with "clean" specifically.

    I think you are right.
    What has to do with eating "clean"? Probably who starts to eat clean also improve the quality of their diet, because convenience foods are often just a low quality poor choice.

    Not everyone trying to lose weight was eating the foods you are calling low-quality, though, or needs to "go clean" to start eating more whole and locally-sourced and higher-quality (as in better cuts of meat, better wine, many other possible subjective things to put here) foods. Lots of people who get fat love food and because they love food may have actually sought out really tasty and high quality foods already.

    Which is also why I don't think that eating a better diet is going to lead to not liking well-prepared sweet foods, for example, if one liked sweet as a flavor to start with.

    Could it highlight that some mass-market things tend to be too sweet or too salty? Sure. When I started homecooking most of my meals (years ago), I did get less tolerant of how salty and greasy some things are. I was already (from childhood, who knows why) kind of sensitive to some things being overly sweet, so didn't change much in that respect.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    auddii wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    So for that example. ... The more actual strawberries I eat, the less I enjoy false strawberry flavours ( and I used to adore it, strawberry center chocs, strawberry icecream, strawberry yoghurt etc) which was sad when I got excited about a strawberry milkshake the other day and really it wasn't as nice as I remember.

    When it comes to taste, of course preferences change based on what you are used to eating. Now, whether this can change in a short time, or if it matters how you grew up or not, I do not know. If you are used to good quality fruit/dairy/oil/meat/wine and so on, you will notice lower quality and imitations. I do not think it has to do with "clean" specifically.

    Oh dear I wonder if my very middle class upbringing is a factor here! Can I just clarify also, those challenging me on the term clean that I rephrased within 3 posts when I realised the gravity of my mistake of using one word.

    Huh???
    What does class have to do with this?

    Someone stayed that people who have always eaten higher quality food and wine could identify lower quality by taste. Is plebs must wallow in our interior food choices.

    I don't think higher quality food necessarily means fancy-shmancy and not available to the middle class. I had a really middle class upbringing, and yet we ate vegetables (poorly prepared and canned too often, but also fresh often enough, as both my parents grew up in part on farms and my maternal grandparents continued to have a small farm when I was a kid). I think the fact that I was required to eat vegetables and mostly did have what I'd call a typical midwestern middle class American homecooked meal of meat, potato or some other starch (we didn't have "pasta" back then, just spaghetti or macaroni or noodles), plus a vegetable helped form my tastes so I enjoy this kind of food. Lots and lots of posters, especially younger ones, claim not to like vegetables or not to enjoy basic food like this often enough that I do think there's something about palate formation that is relevant.

    I also think that when more foods are available to you and you start experimenting with them that probably forms the palate too -- tolerance or enjoyment of spicier flavors or different spices and preparations and all that.

    The mistake would be to claim that people who enjoy a broad range of foods (including the fancy-shmancy stuff) can't enjoy other sorts of indulgences. It seems to me (from reading lots of food writers) that the people with the most knowledge and exposure to foods are often the least picky and will enjoy pub food and diners and southern-style home cooking and whatever local specialties are (often not exactly health-conscious).
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Options
    I was actually just saying to my partner yesterday that the less junk I eat, the better it tastes when I do have it. not sure why. it makes it more like a treat though which helps with only eating it once in a while.

    This is my reaction as well. Sweets tastes sweeter when not eaten often. So sweet they become cloying if I eat too much, but a little is SO deliciously decadent. Greasy fried foods still taste delicious but also so rich that it's hard to eat too much.
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    Options
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    So for that example. ... The more actual strawberries I eat, the less I enjoy false strawberry flavours ( and I used to adore it, strawberry center chocs, strawberry icecream, strawberry yoghurt etc) which was sad when I got excited about a strawberry milkshake the other day and really it wasn't as nice as I remember.

    When it comes to taste, of course preferences change based on what you are used to eating. Now, whether this can change in a short time, or if it matters how you grew up or not, I do not know. If you are used to good quality fruit/dairy/oil/meat/wine and so on, you will notice lower quality and imitations. I do not think it has to do with "clean" specifically.

    Oh dear I wonder if my very middle class upbringing is a factor here! Can I just clarify also, those challenging me on the term clean that I rephrased within 3 posts when I realised the gravity of my mistake of using one word.

    Huh???
    What does class have to do with this?

    Sigh. The post above. You know what? Tongue in cheek or even mild humour is taken with nothing but offense and I'm not an argumentative person I like a humourus life, so I'm tapping out. Enjoy the thread x

    I apologise, because honestly I thought it was one of those "I cannot eat healthy/clean/good" (insert whatever you want here) and can only eat "junk" because I cannot afford to arguments, which is something I have seen a lot.


    I appreciate the apology :) and I love that argument, i save sooo much money from NOT eating fast food! also, i'll cite that there may be a very large divide between 'middle class' in the UK and the meaning in the us, which I would have no clue on :) but that's fully off topic, I just would never intend to offend anyone!
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
    Options
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    To an extent, I agree...but the problem with these conversations is evident right here in your post. You apparently consider animal products to be inherently unhealthy...I fully disagree...and while broccoli may have more protein per calorie, eating a bunch of broccoli isn't going to get me to 120 - 145 grams of protein per day...lean sourced protein from animal products IMO is a completely healthy and nutritionally valid part of a balanced diet.

    There was another poster who mentioned gluten as "un-clean" and "bad"...in reality it's just a naturally occurring protein which most people don't actually have an issue with...but, marketing is marketing.

    The other issue here is that when people say there aren't "bad" foods, they're generally suggesting that maybe people should look at their diets in the whole rather than isolating some food or one particular meal or whatever...they generally suggest that while there are no "bad" foods, there are most certainly "bad" diets. I will be first to shout from the mountain tops that people should be eating more whole, nutrient dense foods and that these foods should make up the majority of one's diet overall....but I'll also be the first to shout from the mountain tops that having my little coconut gelato after dinner a few nights per week is pretty irrelevant to the whole of my diet.
    ^^^This should be a sticky!
    BRAVO!!!
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
    Options
    UG77 wrote: »
    If you look at the nutritional content of 100 calories of broccoli compared to 100 calories of steak, it isn't even close. The broccoli even has more protein per calorie.
    Firstly, this is wrong. Broccoli does not have more protein then steak in any reality. 1 gram of broccoli has 0.028 grams of protein and 1 gram of steak has 0.27 grams of protein...

    More importantly though, if you continue to look at food as an either or you will continue to get it wrong over and over again. Broccoli has nutrients that steak lacks such as Vitamin C and Vitamin A while steak has nutrients that broccoli lacks such as protein, Vitamin B-12, Iron and Vitamin B-6. When eaten together though, you get closer to a complete meal.

    You have to look at the big picture and view the overall diet, not the individual components that make up the diet.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    stealthq wrote: »
    stealthq wrote: »
    stealthq wrote: »
    stealthq wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    So for that example. ... The more actual strawberries I eat, the less I enjoy false strawberry flavours ( and I used to adore it, strawberry center chocs, strawberry icecream, strawberry yoghurt etc) which was sad when I got excited about a strawberry milkshake the other day and really it wasn't as nice as I remember.

    Some of those items probably have "natural" strawberry flavor though -- my point is that the "artificiality" of the flavor probably isn't an issue (unless you're using in a different way than usual).

    You may like strawberries, but dislike strawberry-flavored items (whether that flavor is natural or artificial).

    I'll disagree.

    I can tell the difference between naturally flavored and artificially flavored items for at least some flavors. Vanilla is a big one - I can distinguish real vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste from vanillin a mile away. So is orange. I actually prefer artificial orange flavoring to the mix or natural orange oils and extracts they use to flavor orange juice these days. I can definitely tell artificial marshmallow flavoring from real marshmallow even with real marshmallows present (Toll House hot cocoa cookies - couldn't eat them, the filling tasted too 'off' even with real marshmallows throughout)

    I'm not talking about vanilla extract though -- I'm talking about ingredients like "natural flavor" that are vanilla flavored. I can also taste the difference between vanilla and vanillin.

    I can distinguish those as 'not vanilla extract/paste' as well. In my head, I tend to lump those in with artificial flavorings even though the components are natural. I can distinguish between natural vanilla flavoring and vanillin, too. Vanillin is really far off of what it should taste like. Natural vanilla flavoring is still not right but less harsh tasting than vanillin and lacking the complexity of actual vanilla.

    Basically, for some flavors I can tell the difference between a flavor made mainly from the actual thing, and a flavoring put together by humans to mimic the taste of that thing regardless of the naturalness or artificiality of the components. It doesn't say anything about which I prefer for a particular flavoring, though.

    I think being able to distinguish between an actual ingredient and a flavoring is pretty common. I'm talking about what was mentioned above -- the ability to distinguish between a natural and an artificial flavor. That's what I'm skeptical about.

    If someone told me they could distinguish between natural strawberry flavor (which was created in a lab and doesn't include any component of strawberries but is legally entitled to the natural designation) and artificial strawberry flavor (which was also created in a lab and doesn't include any component of strawberries but is legally obligated to be labelled "artificial"), I would be skeptical.

    Setting aside oils and extracts and all that, I don't think the human palate can distinguish between a natural and an artificial flavor with any degree of reliability.

    Why not? Two different flavorings with two different sets of components and almost guaranteed different flavor profiles. Both attempts to mimic something else. Some of the attempts taste similar enough that people can't tell the difference but I bet most would be easily distinguishable unless masked by other ingredients in the final product (yogurt or ice cream or whatever).

    If you mean that most can't tell just by tasting an unknown flavoring whether it is made from natural or artificial components, then sure. It just tastes like a mimicry.

    They don't have different sets of components. Many natural and artificial flavorings have the same components and they replicate the same flavor profiles. That's my point -- I do mean that most people (I would say probably virtually all people) cannot tell the difference between a natural and an artificial flavor by taste.

    Yes, when you have an artificial flavoring that exactly replicates the natural one in every respect save the derivation source it would of course taste the same. Some do. Most don't.

    Yeah, there may be a difference in flavors that are discernable. But humans can't tell something is artificial just by tasting it. That's my entire point -- I suspect you think I was saying something that I wasn't. Saying "artificial things don't taste good to me" doesn't really make sense. We cannot tell the natural from the artificial.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited February 2016
    Options
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    stealthq wrote: »
    stealthq wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    So for that example. ... The more actual strawberries I eat, the less I enjoy false strawberry flavours ( and I used to adore it, strawberry center chocs, strawberry icecream, strawberry yoghurt etc) which was sad when I got excited about a strawberry milkshake the other day and really it wasn't as nice as I remember.

    Some of those items probably have "natural" strawberry flavor though -- my point is that the "artificiality" of the flavor probably isn't an issue (unless you're using in a different way than usual).

    You may like strawberries, but dislike strawberry-flavored items (whether that flavor is natural or artificial).

    I'll disagree.

    I can tell the difference between naturally flavored and artificially flavored items for at least some flavors. Vanilla is a big one - I can distinguish real vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste from vanillin a mile away. So is orange. I actually prefer artificial orange flavoring to the mix or natural orange oils and extracts they use to flavor orange juice these days. I can definitely tell artificial marshmallow flavoring from real marshmallow even with real marshmallows present (Toll House hot cocoa cookies - couldn't eat them, the filling tasted too 'off' even with real marshmallows throughout)

    I'm not talking about vanilla extract though -- I'm talking about ingredients like "natural flavor" that are vanilla flavored. I can also taste the difference between vanilla and vanillin.

    I can distinguish those as 'not vanilla extract/paste' as well. In my head, I tend to lump those in with artificial flavorings even though the components are natural. I can distinguish between natural vanilla flavoring and vanillin, too. Vanillin is really far off of what it should taste like. Natural vanilla flavoring is still not right but less harsh tasting than vanillin and lacking the complexity of actual vanilla.

    Basically, for some flavors I can tell the difference between a flavor made mainly from the actual thing, and a flavoring put together by humans to mimic the taste of that thing regardless of the naturalness or artificiality of the components. It doesn't say anything about which I prefer for a particular flavoring, though.

    I think being able to distinguish between an actual ingredient and a flavoring is pretty common. I'm talking about what was mentioned above -- the ability to distinguish between a natural and an artificial flavor. That's what I'm skeptical about.

    If someone told me they could distinguish between natural strawberry flavor (which was created in a lab and doesn't include any component of strawberries but is legally entitled to the natural designation) and artificial strawberry flavor (which was also created in a lab and doesn't include any component of strawberries but is legally obligated to be labelled "artificial"), I would be skeptical.

    Setting aside oils and extracts and all that, I don't think the human palate can distinguish between a natural and an artificial flavor with any degree of reliability.

    Oh, that's not what I was talking about - I meant real strawberries (or strawberry juice) which originated in a garden vs artificial strawberry flavor created in a lab.

    I doubt any human could tell the difference between a natural flavor and an artificial one -- that's my entire point. Could a person tell a difference between a real strawberry and strawberry flavor -- many probably can. Saying "I don't like artificial flavors" doesn't make much sense. Saying "I prefer strawberries to strawberry flavoring" does. But it looks like the yogurt you prefer does contain flavoring of some type -- there is both "flavor" and "vanilla flavor" in it. And chances are that both of those were created in lab-type conditions.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    So for that example. ... The more actual strawberries I eat, the less I enjoy false strawberry flavours ( and I used to adore it, strawberry center chocs, strawberry icecream, strawberry yoghurt etc) which was sad when I got excited about a strawberry milkshake the other day and really it wasn't as nice as I remember.

    When it comes to taste, of course preferences change based on what you are used to eating. Now, whether this can change in a short time, or if it matters how you grew up or not, I do not know. If you are used to good quality fruit/dairy/oil/meat/wine and so on, you will notice lower quality and imitations. I do not think it has to do with "clean" specifically.

    Oh dear I wonder if my very middle class upbringing is a factor here! Can I just clarify also, those challenging me on the term clean that I rephrased within 3 posts when I realised the gravity of my mistake of using one word.

    Huh???
    What does class have to do with this?

    Sigh. The post above. You know what? Tongue in cheek or even mild humour is taken with nothing but offense and I'm not an argumentative person I like a humourus life, so I'm tapping out. Enjoy the thread x

    I apologise, because honestly I thought it was one of those "I cannot eat healthy/clean/good" (insert whatever you want here) and can only eat "junk" because I cannot afford to arguments, which is something I have seen a lot.


    I appreciate the apology :) and I love that argument, i save sooo much money from NOT eating fast food! also, i'll cite that there may be a very large divide between 'middle class' in the UK and the meaning in the us, which I would have no clue on :) but that's fully off topic, I just would never intend to offend anyone!

    If you are curious, here's a little something about the weird American understanding of the term (although I'd define my family when growing up as actually middle class even if you exclude the outliers): http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/08/why-americans-all-believe-they-are-middle-class/278240/
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    J72FIT wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    To an extent, I agree...but the problem with these conversations is evident right here in your post. You apparently consider animal products to be inherently unhealthy...I fully disagree...and while broccoli may have more protein per calorie, eating a bunch of broccoli isn't going to get me to 120 - 145 grams of protein per day...lean sourced protein from animal products IMO is a completely healthy and nutritionally valid part of a balanced diet.

    There was another poster who mentioned gluten as "un-clean" and "bad"...in reality it's just a naturally occurring protein which most people don't actually have an issue with...but, marketing is marketing.

    The other issue here is that when people say there aren't "bad" foods, they're generally suggesting that maybe people should look at their diets in the whole rather than isolating some food or one particular meal or whatever...they generally suggest that while there are no "bad" foods, there are most certainly "bad" diets. I will be first to shout from the mountain tops that people should be eating more whole, nutrient dense foods and that these foods should make up the majority of one's diet overall....but I'll also be the first to shout from the mountain tops that having my little coconut gelato after dinner a few nights per week is pretty irrelevant to the whole of my diet.
    ^^^This should be a sticky!
    BRAVO!!!

    Agreed. It's an excellent, well-explained post.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
    Options
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    Is it just me? The less processed foods I eat the less I enjoy them. Even down to my protein shake, the false strawberry just tasted horrible today! I guess it's good that I'd rather eat an omlette than a doughnut (same cals!) But it can be annoying when out with friends as it's hard to not look like a food snob in restaurants! !

    Yes, if I eat "totally clean" (my own definition thereof), I notice the same thing, that my taste for natural tastes increased. The tastebuds do replace every two weeks, and you can train the newbies. For example, you can appreciate less intense sweetness, and therefore not like sodas or desserts as before.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
    edited February 2016
    Options
    aggelikik wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    So for that example. ... The more actual strawberries I eat, the less I enjoy false strawberry flavours ( and I used to adore it, strawberry center chocs, strawberry icecream, strawberry yoghurt etc) which was sad when I got excited about a strawberry milkshake the other day and really it wasn't as nice as I remember.

    When it comes to taste, of course preferences change based on what you are used to eating. Now, whether this can change in a short time, or if it matters how you grew up or not, I do not know. If you are used to good quality fruit/dairy/oil/meat/wine and so on, you will notice lower quality and imitations. I do not think it has to do with "clean" specifically.

    This is pretty much what I think...I'm a total food snob...always have been...I like quality period, even with my "junk". It probably has a lot to do with how one grew up...I grew up eating mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies...Chips Ahoy tastes like *kitten* to me, just as an example.

    When I was growing up, we didn't have a lot of money...my mom cooked almost everything from scratch ("junk" or otherwise) because it's cheaper than buying pre-packaged stuff...the one caveat here was Happy Days night where we'd all gather around the t.v. to watch the Fonz and eat weird frozen meals on t.v. trays...I don't recall caring much for the meals, but I still recall Happy Days nights with fondness.
  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
    Options
    Rachel0778 wrote: »
    It depends on the food I think. I will always love doughnuts, but after years of scaling back I realized I don't actually like chips or crackers that much. My hypothesis is bringing more consciousness to your food choices make you truly realize what your food preferences are.

    ^ I have been eating slightly cleaner/healthier for a few weeks now and over this past weekend I went to make a sandwich and have some bbq chips with them (my 2nd fav, aside from Old Bay chips. nom nom nom). Well I went to take a bite of the chips and they were HORRIBLE. I could only taste cardboard and oil and was kinda sad about it.
  • Mapalicious
    Mapalicious Posts: 412 Member
    edited February 2016
    Options
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    For me personally... yes, when I abstain from processed junky stuff and go back to it, it tends to taste awful or not as good as I remember.

    How do you define "processed junky stuff"?

    A homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie?

    It's quite subjective, I'd imagine. And if it helps people, then they should go for it, I think.

    I don't eat mcDs, taco bell, burger king, arby's, and a host of other places because i find it gross tasting and gross smelling. I don't eat pop-tarts, I don't eat oreos or chips ahoy or those cheap crappy cookies. I don't eat doritos or cheesy poofs. I don't eat most cereal, flavored milk, soda. I don't eat soggy weird frozen dinners.

    But I have 'processed' stuff all the time. But for me, those are some things that are on my personal list of "processed junky stuff" that I am happy to stay away from. Nothing scientific about it at all.
    As your point about people eating "clean" and it being "bland" and missing out, is subjective. I'd consider eating a piece of steamed broccoli pretty bland, but throw some MSG and Velveta cheese........I don't feel I'm missing out.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    You've not read my comment the way I intended, moderator person. When I say "I think people who think that "clean" eating is "bland" eating are missing out" - this means that I think people who aren't all ripped and experienced like you, and are new to things, think that in order to eat 'clean' or better or more wholesome food that it HAS to be bland, which is not the case. I think that assumption steers people away from eating better, and it's important for folks to know, who are trying to lose 125 lbs like I did, that eating 'clean' or better can be very flavorful and delicious, if you want it to be.

    I never said that people WHO eat bland in order to eat clean are missing out. No need to get defensive of your diet, I am sure you're doing great and are very experienced.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited February 2016
    Options
    Maybe it's simply not that useful to tell people they should "eat clean." After all, no one seems to know or agree on what that means. Eating better (and a healthful, nutrient-rich diet) is, of course, a worthy goal, and one that would seem less likely to be equated with bland food. I get why to some "eating clean" would mean plain, no sauces, no seasoning, food just for fuel.

    My personal issue with "eating clean" is that processed foods come in a wide variety (as discussed upthread) and saying you should cut out processed foods really has nothing to do with nutrition.

    Also, it seems to make it all or nothing: either you eat "clean" -- NO whatever it is you don't eat -- or you don't. But a good, healthful diet allows for some less nutrient dense foods you simply find pleasurable, too, and I even think allowing for that can make it more healthful, as being overly rigid about their diets can be bad for people (it was for me).
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
    Options
    stealthq wrote: »
    stealthq wrote: »
    stealthq wrote: »
    stealthq wrote: »
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    So for that example. ... The more actual strawberries I eat, the less I enjoy false strawberry flavours ( and I used to adore it, strawberry center chocs, strawberry icecream, strawberry yoghurt etc) which was sad when I got excited about a strawberry milkshake the other day and really it wasn't as nice as I remember.

    Some of those items probably have "natural" strawberry flavor though -- my point is that the "artificiality" of the flavor probably isn't an issue (unless you're using in a different way than usual).

    You may like strawberries, but dislike strawberry-flavored items (whether that flavor is natural or artificial).

    I'll disagree.

    I can tell the difference between naturally flavored and artificially flavored items for at least some flavors. Vanilla is a big one - I can distinguish real vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste from vanillin a mile away. So is orange. I actually prefer artificial orange flavoring to the mix or natural orange oils and extracts they use to flavor orange juice these days. I can definitely tell artificial marshmallow flavoring from real marshmallow even with real marshmallows present (Toll House hot cocoa cookies - couldn't eat them, the filling tasted too 'off' even with real marshmallows throughout)

    I'm not talking about vanilla extract though -- I'm talking about ingredients like "natural flavor" that are vanilla flavored. I can also taste the difference between vanilla and vanillin.

    I can distinguish those as 'not vanilla extract/paste' as well. In my head, I tend to lump those in with artificial flavorings even though the components are natural. I can distinguish between natural vanilla flavoring and vanillin, too. Vanillin is really far off of what it should taste like. Natural vanilla flavoring is still not right but less harsh tasting than vanillin and lacking the complexity of actual vanilla.

    Basically, for some flavors I can tell the difference between a flavor made mainly from the actual thing, and a flavoring put together by humans to mimic the taste of that thing regardless of the naturalness or artificiality of the components. It doesn't say anything about which I prefer for a particular flavoring, though.

    I think being able to distinguish between an actual ingredient and a flavoring is pretty common. I'm talking about what was mentioned above -- the ability to distinguish between a natural and an artificial flavor. That's what I'm skeptical about.

    If someone told me they could distinguish between natural strawberry flavor (which was created in a lab and doesn't include any component of strawberries but is legally entitled to the natural designation) and artificial strawberry flavor (which was also created in a lab and doesn't include any component of strawberries but is legally obligated to be labelled "artificial"), I would be skeptical.

    Setting aside oils and extracts and all that, I don't think the human palate can distinguish between a natural and an artificial flavor with any degree of reliability.

    Why not? Two different flavorings with two different sets of components and almost guaranteed different flavor profiles. Both attempts to mimic something else. Some of the attempts taste similar enough that people can't tell the difference but I bet most would be easily distinguishable unless masked by other ingredients in the final product (yogurt or ice cream or whatever).

    If you mean that most can't tell just by tasting an unknown flavoring whether it is made from natural or artificial components, then sure. It just tastes like a mimicry.

    They don't have different sets of components. Many natural and artificial flavorings have the same components and they replicate the same flavor profiles. That's my point -- I do mean that most people (I would say probably virtually all people) cannot tell the difference between a natural and an artificial flavor by taste.

    Yes, when you have an artificial flavoring that exactly replicates the natural one in every respect save the derivation source it would of course taste the same. Some do. Most don't.

    Yeah, there may be a difference in flavors that are discernable. But humans can't tell something is artificial just by tasting it. That's my entire point -- I suspect you think I was saying something that I wasn't. Saying "artificial things don't taste good to me" doesn't really make sense. We cannot tell the natural from the artificial.

    But vanillin is artificial vanilla and you (and I) can tell the difference.
  • shugdes
    shugdes Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I may still love doughnuts and pizza, and enjoy them from time to time. But the truth is that when I eat lots of fruit and vegetables, some lean protein and moderate "other" carbs (bread, rice, pasta) I feel so much better and have so much more energy. Thanks for posting this. I think I know what you mean by "clean"!