I guess it's only a little 'True'...

True to form, I've been lagging in my product reviews. Also true to form, I continue to add new products to my little world at a dizzying pace. Recently, a friend turned me on to True Lemon and True Lime. They're handy little packets of lemon or lime flavoring that you can add to water or tea or even use in cooking. What surprised me is how 'true' they tasted - literally like squeezing a lemon or lime slice in my water. I immediately gave packets to all my nearest and dearest because I love them so much!

Now, these packets claim '0 calories, 0g carbohydrates' and 'no sweeteners'. Well, the True Lemon and True Lime actually contain a bit of maltodextrin, which is a type of sugar. I get that because each packet contains .08g of product, the FDA allows them to claim 'zero'. I was okay with that, especially since one packet flavors a 32oz bottle of water nicely (any less water and it's too much for me, though others may like it fine).

Then I bought some True Orange. Since I loved the other two flavors, I was excited to try this one. That excitement was short-lived. I put a packet of True Orange in my iced tea and was shocked at how fake it tasted. At first, I wrote it off as not being diluted enough in a 16oz beverage (or even just not being the proper flavor tea to carry it off). The nest day, I added a packet to my usual 32oz of water. Bleargh! It still tasted fake - similar to the baby aspirin I took as a child. Because it was weirdly sweet, I read the back of the packet. Hmmm - the VERY first ingredient in True Orange is DEXTROSE. For those not in the know (or who don't remember the old cartoon PSAs that told you to watch out for Fructose, Dextrose and Glucose as being hidden sugars in your cereal), dextrose is one of the two sugars found in honey. I found it weird that it says 'no sweeteners' and then the first ingredient is a sugar - but then I slapped myself silly with the FDA guidelines and the rule of 'less than 1g equals zero'.

Overall, I'm ok with the product because I do love lemon and lime in my water and it's not always convenient to keep wedges of each in my purse. I'm glad there's no sucralose or aspartame in any of the three flavors. I'll keep getting the lemon and lime, but no more True Orange for this lady.