Review of the Cheese Alternative 'the Original Almond (Cheddar Style)'

This is a review of the cheese alternative product called The Original Almond (Cheddar Style). It comes from Lisanatti Foods, an Oregon-based manufacturer. I bought this food at a health foods store, so this review is based on no connection to the company. Nonetheless, my opinions about this product are my own.

Review of the Cheese Alternative The Original Almond.(Cheddar Style)

I have always loved cheese, but for someone who strives to be on a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet, it's something I don't get to really indulge in anymore. So finding a food that has the look, feel, and taste of one of my favorite goodies is my main pursuit. When I looked at the nutrition label of The Original Almond, I noticed that for each one ounce serving, there is only 50 calories, one gram of fat, which is made up of one gram of monounsaturated fat. So I decided to buy some. The front packaging also states that this cheese alternative contains none of the following: gluten, cholesterol, GMO's, lactose, saturated fats, trans fats (in the Nutrition Facts section in back) nor preservatives.

The Original Almond that I purchased was an 8 ounce block, and has the look of a mild cheddar, getting its color from beta carotene. I prefer to eat cheese and/or their alternatives straight from the package/packaging. After opening the package and taking out the block of cheese alternative, I noticed how it has the feel of a traditional cheddar cheese, as well as the pleasant scent of a light cheddar. And this was apparent even though the principle ingredient happens to be an almond base made up of "Cascade Mountain Filtered Water, Crushed Organic Almonds," according to the packaging. Other notable ingredients include sea salt (190 mgs per one ounce serving, or 8% of the Percent Daily Values of a 2,000 calorie diet) and organic brown rice flour.

I then cut off about a two ounce section of this food (which cuts easily, but doesn't crumble), and began chewing it. Like a regular cheddar cheese, I could feel the same kind of texture during chewing. My tastebuds could detect a very light almond taste. To me, this was basically like eating cheese (despite a unique taste) without the so-called guilt; and thus, I strongly recommend this product.

Additionally, I put some of this food on tortilla chips and microwaved it for tasty nachos. The packaging states that one can use it for grilled cheese sandwiches and that it can be shredded. One can purchase this cheese alternative product at health food stores like Natural Grocers. For more information about the manufacturer, Lisanatti Foods, go to this website