[Fredslist] Sugar, Sugar

[Anna Maria Vona]

I am finding that as I grow older, my palate is eschewing sweet food items for savory.  Spicy and a bit salty usually resonates better, so I find myself cranking up the heat as I cook. 

As I am more aware of my palate rejecting sweets, I have become more aware and am taking the time to read food labeling more carefully. 

Being of Italian heritage, we use lots of cheese in our cooking, namely ricotta and mozzarella.  I noticed with increasing regularity that one brand of ricotta tasted sweeter than another.  I took time to investigate with both brands side by side.  The national brand had 2 more grams of sugar per serving than our local, regional brand.  Why put sugar in a savory item in the first place?

Same thing goes for bread. Our family rarely eats sliced American bread, but with something as classic as grilled cheese, you gotta use it.  I noticed my grilled cheese tasted sweet. I look on the label ... sure enough, there are 4 grams of sugar in a serving. 

It’s in ketchup, too, and a host of other items.  Do Americans have such a sweet tooth that food conglomerates have to dumb down their offerings to appeal to the masses?  I guess that’s the case. 

So now I make my own ricotta, whip up my own spicy ketchup and don’t buy sliced American bread anymore.  We savor a rustic peasant Italian bread made by a friend who added it to the menu at his pizza shop and its incredible!

I’ve never liked milk chocolate, even as a child, and regularly reject the classic all-American Hershey’s bar.  Why?  It’s full of lecithin, vanillin and emulsifiers and barely tastes like chocolate. Only deep, dark Perugina, Godiva, Vahlrona or Ghiradelli for me!  It’s full of heart-healthy anti-oxidants and flavonoids.  Better for your heart and your valentine’s!

Do you taste sugar sneakily creeping into your diet?



Anna Maria Vona
Carmana Designs, Ltd.
1715 McKean Street
Philadelphia, PA  19145
215.570.3696 Cell
215.952.0133 Office


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