Miracle sweet berry.

amandadaisylotus
amandadaisylotus Posts: 311
edited September 19 in Health and Weight Loss
So maybe some of you have heard of this berry from Africa. It apparently coats your taste buds for about 30 minutes to two hours, and it makes acidic and sour things sweet.

I was wondering if anyone had tried these? They're expensive ($3-$5 a berry, $2 a piece for tablets), so I want to try them and see if they'll help me eat some of the more acidic veggies and what not. I'm pretty picky so anything to make healthier things taste better without adding calories!

Replies

  • beckyi88
    beckyi88 Posts: 604
    Saw it on Oprah and CSI:NY
    The test food was a raw lemon on Oprah.....
    CSI ~ someone drank drain cleaner...apparently it works! :laugh:
    Sorry I don't have any *real* info for you!
  • Zara11
    Zara11 Posts: 1,247 Member
    haha i've always wanted to try them.

    doesn't seem worth it to make you eat correctly, unless you want to do that for the rest of your life.

    i say get a few berries, have fun with them/ have a food-tasting party, and then eat veggies plain. you'll grow accustomed to them in a few weeks or months even if you're picky.
  • alisha11
    alisha11 Posts: 41 Member
    Never heard of it....but I've always gone with the phrase If it sounds too good too be true it usually is. :smile: What kind of foods do you like? Maybe I can brainstorm with ya!:flowerforyou:
  • mskellyw
    mskellyw Posts: 111
    What kind of berry is this? I'm an herbalist and I've never heard of anything like this. If a specific company is marketing it and selling it for that much money I'd be pretty skeptical. Often companies try to market well-known herbs for things they're not really intended for (like dangerously large doses of ephedra for weight loss, when it has traditionally been used in very small doses for asthma for centuries with no adverse effects) at many times the normal cost and with no proof that they are safe to use at such high dosages.

    There is an herb called gymnema sylvestre that is often used with diabetics to make sweet things taste bitter, but that would be the opposite of what you're talking about.
  • Gayle583
    Gayle583 Posts: 3
    I saw them test that on the Food Network, it looks pretty cool. I know you can get them at thinkgeek.com. So I agree with Zara, you should buy a pack and try them out for fun, but it doesn't sound like a good long term solution.
  • rosabella
    rosabella Posts: 194 Member
    I've tried it, it's pretty cool but not something I'd do every day... the effect lasted about 15 minutes.

    http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/wacky-candy/ab3f/

    These are cheaper than what you were talking about, and they worked for me. :smile:
  • gurgi22
    gurgi22 Posts: 182 Member
    It's called the miracle fruit or miracle berry; scientific name: Synsepalum dulcificum. There have been many news shows and articles that have been written about it. It seems to work best with sour and citrus-y flavors, like lemons and grapefruit. There are a few nurseries in USA that grow and sell the plants, but I would guess they would be expensive and probably hard to grow since they are from Africa.
  • amandadaisylotus
    amandadaisylotus Posts: 311
    If I had 2-3 years to wait, I'd grow them in my back yard. I live in Florida and the biggest sellers of the berry all have their fields here. You all are right though, it is definitely not a long term fix. WAY too expensive, even from thinkgeek.

    Anyone have any suggestions on things to add to veggies instead? I absolutely love ranch :sad: but I know its really bad for me. Especially because I don't just use the serving size, more like four or five.... Are there any good fat free ranches out there or natural alternatives?
  • Zara11
    Zara11 Posts: 1,247 Member
    Why don't you try growing them for fun?
  • mskellyw
    mskellyw Posts: 111
    You can make a pretty tasty ranch substitute with silken tofu. Just blend it up with a packet of ranch seasoning (from a health food store if you want to avoid the nasty chemicals in the grocery store stuff) or a mixture of garlic salt, onion powder, a little bit of parsley, a dash of black pepper, and a splash of vinegar. I like doing it myself so I can add a little of this and a little of that until it tastes just right. The tofu is low fat and super high in protein!
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