Can I have True Lemon?

[hobbitgirl]

I confess to being hooked on Mio water enhancer. I'd still like to flavor my water and I used this years ago. It comes in lemon, orange, lime and grapefruit.

Here is the ingerdient panel on the lemon:

Ingredients: Crystallized Lemon [citric acid, lemon oil, lemon juice, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)], Organic evaporated cane juice.

I'm thinking the last ingerdient may shoot it down but I wanted to be sure.

[kayell]

Organic evaporated cane juice = sugar. You're right, it's not W30 friendly. Try just squeezing a lemon or lime in some water, or putting some wedges in a pitcher in the fridge. Truest lemon you can get.

[karacooks]

I use these all the time - the lemon, lime, and grapefruit. However, I have put them away for the length of my Whole30. Sadness.

[Adagio]

How about fresh lemons or limes?

[hobbitgirl]

Yup, fruit infused water was my next option. Oddly enough, they make fruit infused water in the cafe at my office. Yesterday they did watermelon and mint infusion!

[karacooks]

I think we all get that fresh lemons and limes are better.

The benefit to the true lemon/true lime packets are that they are portable. They don't spoil or get hard. And they are all natural. Yes, they contain organic cane sugar, but in the overall scheme of things, when I'm not on the Whole30 plan, I think they are a more than acceptable option.

It's nice to be able to keep a couple of packets in my desk drawer at work w/out having to worry about cutting up a lime and stashing it in the community fridge at work. Or to be able o keep some in my purse and add it to a bottle of water when I'm out running errands.

[Adagio]

Whatever people want to do is perfectly fine, and that includes drinking sugar water, if they want to do that after they complete a successful Whole30.

Most of us are on this forum because we are doing Whole30 or have done Whole30, and most of us probably agree with the advice to eat real food, and when the question of "Can I have...." comes up, if the item is not acceptable, the answer is no, and then why not instead encourage the person to eat real food? I don't have a problem with that.

[karacooks]

then why not instead encourage the person to eat real food?

I think those of us who are here GET that this is about eating real food. So we don't need to be continually lectured with "why not just eat real food" over and over and over again when asking "hey can I have ..."

There are times when a whole lemon or lime simply isn't convenient. Recognizing that and saying either "no sorry" or "no, but here's another non-whole fruit option" is much more useful than "why don't you just use a lime".

[Johnny M]

My advice for everyone will always be just eat real food. While I understand the convenience argument in part, it's often used as a crutch and we want people to be careful about that. It reminds me of Melissa's story about her client that felt she couldn't eat strawberries without adding splenda to them. Riding your own bike is about owning these decisions for yourself though however I would never advocate adding sugar as a regular part of a diet. Do I sometimes buy cheap grocery store bacon with cane sugar? Yes. But it's because I want the bacon, the good stuff is hard to find, and it's part of a meal, not something I'm adding to a food to make it palateable. I can't think of a reason where drinking plain water would be such an inconvenience that I need to sweeten it but again - you're entitled to drink what you like!

[Adagio]

I think those of us who are here GET that this is about eating real food. So we don't need to be continually lectured with "why not just eat real food" over and over and over again when asking "hey can I have ..."

There are times when a whole lemon or lime simply isn't convenient. Recognizing that and saying either "no sorry" or "no, but here's another non-whole fruit option" is much more useful than "why don't you just use a lime".

I wasn't lecturing anyone. I was just offering a suggestion. If you or anyone else feels I was lecturing then that is how you took it, not the way it was meant. When I drank lemon in my water I'd fill up a large water bottle and squeeze lemon in it every morning. I'd carry it around with me all day, including out to restaurants. So it's not like I've never done it myself. Using a powdered product as convenience is just that - convenient. There is nothing healthful or nourishing about it. I'd rather encourage people to eat real food. To each his/her own.

[Adagio]

My advice for everyone will always be just eat real food. While I understand the convenience argument in part, it's often used as a crutch and we want people to be careful about that. It reminds me of Melissa's story about her client that felt she couldn't eat strawberries without adding splenda to them. Riding your own bike is about owning these decisions for yourself though however I would never advocate adding sugar as a regular part of a diet. Do I sometimes buy cheap grocery store bacon with cane sugar? Yes. But it's because I want the bacon, the good stuff is hard to find, and it's part of a meal, not something I'm adding to a food to make it palateable. I can't think of a reason where drinking plain water would be such an inconvenience that I need to sweeten it but again - you're entitled to drink what you like!

Exactly. Good post.

[karacooks]

But I'm not advocating using cane sugar while on Whole30. In fact I specifically said in my first post that while I use the True Citrus products, I have put them away for the length of my Whole30 program because they contain sugar.

[hobbitgirl]

I totally agree with you. Doing a Whole30, it's why I asked. I have a large tea infuer pitcher at home. I can just as easily fill the chamber with strawberry halves and other things to infuse my water. Since I will also be packing lunch for myself, not much reason to not have a few lemons, limes or soemthing else that I can squeeze into my water.

[Adagio]

But I'm not advocating using cane sugar while on Whole30. In fact I specifically said in my first post that while I use the True Citrus products, I have put them away for the length of my Whole30 program because they contain sugar.

I didn't think you were advocating using cane sugar while on Whole30

[Johnny M]

so we are all in agreement And now I'm thirsty.

[Derval]

I want some some True Gin

[karacooks]

True Vodka.

[Robin Strathdee]

I think we can solve a problem that's been popping up across the board in one quick and easy line:

For all the topics in the Whole30 section, let's keep the answers relevant to a Whole30.

We love good discussion and are so thankful that we have a community that is eager to help one another out. So, feel free to ask questions about, and post ideas on, life after your 30 in the topics set aside for that.

Now maybe for some TrueWhiskey. ;0)

[Holly Beltran]

I use to love crystal light packets. Now I realized it was not needed. I have a huge pitcher I have in the fridge, all I do is cut up my lemons and let them soak in the water. For me it is really convenient to get up and just put it in my cute zebra water bottle. It definitely quenched my thirst. Remember it is all your state of mind. You will get use to not having added sugars! being healthy is never an inconvenience.

[lexgem]

You could squeeze a whole lemon and carry it in a tiny container if it seals (like something you'd buy to put liquids in to take the plane), that way you can just pour however much you want into your water.

OOPS I didn't see this was a super-old post, I searched the forums. Sorry for digging this up

[Robin1403]

I know this is a very old thread but in case anyone is doing the same search I was doing, the True Lemon I just purchased only contains Crystallized Lemon (citric acid, lemon oil, lemon juice)...that's it, so it should be Whole30 compliant since it no longer contains the cane juice.

[Tom Denham]

This post is not about True Lemon. It is about reading an ingredient list. The ingredient list included sugar in the form of cane juice. There is no reason to ask if it okay to have added sugar during a Whole30. The answer is always no.