View this email in your browser

Quote of the day:

"Our bodies are not meant to deal with fake food."

– Tim Ryan

Natural Flavors

What is it?

"Natural flavors" is a common ingredient found on the labels of packaged foods. The word "natural" often gives the impression of being healthy, however, when it comes to natural flavors, this may not always be the case.

Natural flavors is an umbrella term that consists of MANY of different ingredients. Food manufactures are not required to, and do not typically disclose what ingredients make up the “natural flavors” or “natural essence” in their products. Flavors are blends of chemicals and typically have anywhere from 20-100 different ingredients to make that added flavor.

According to government regulations, natural flavors are defined as those that come from animal or plant sources that have been distilled, fermented or otherwise processed in a laboratory. Artificial flavors are mostly synthetic while natural flavors come from “natural sources”, although the source may not be what the consumer expects. For instance, strawberry and vanilla flavor may come from a beaver's anal glands.

Organic natural flavors have more regulations in place on what can and cannot be added so this will be the better option, but they still may contain some less than desirable components. However, for non-organic food products, regulations do not limit the number of other ingredients, such as preservatives and solvents, that can be included in a "natural" flavor.

Why does it matter?

Both natural and artificial flavors are used to enhance the taste of food without providing any nutritional value. The main distinction between the two is that artificial flavors are created using synthetic chemicals, while natural flavors are extracted from plant and animal sources.

However, similar to artificial flavors, natural flavors go through processing and may contain chemical additives such as preservatives, emulsifiers, and flavor modifiers. “According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), natural flavors can consist of up to 80-90% chemical additives.” In summary, there is little difference between natural and artificial flavors due to the wide range of ingredients that are typically used in "natural" flavorings.

How can this happen? The FAA says the FDA is responsible for checking if new food additives, like flavors, are safe before they can be used in food. But the FDA allows most flavorings to be labeled as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS), which are not regulated and can bypass FDA safety checks. Companies can even decide if a substance is safe without telling the FDA…there are over 1,000 chemicals being used in food that the FDA doesn’t even know about.

The market for flavors and fragrances is valued at $24 billion and is dominated by four major corporations: Givaudan, Firmenich, IFF and Symrise. There is an old 60 Minutes episode that is worth watching, where one of the scientists from Givaudan takes you through this “fake” flavor creation process and reveals that their goal when developing flavors is to make them addictive.

How to remove from your life?

Given all the unknown with natural and artificial flavors and the unregulated risks, I choose to not buy any products with natural flavors unless the brand is willing to share all the ingredients with me. Of course, it is hard to control all outside factors, especially when eating out - but at least in my home, I choose to buy the cleaner alternatives that are natural and artificial flavor-free!

Natural flavors are so widely used (it is the 4th most common ingredient and in over 80,000+ products) so do your best to try and limit them or even notice them as much as you can. The point is to bring awareness so that when you see it on a label in the future you may second guess buying it.

Since all flavors are not created equal, its better to stick to brands you know have ethical and reputable practices and don’t hide synthetics in their products.

STEER CLEAR of products with label’s that look like this:

• “Protein Blend (Milk Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Isolate), Isomalto-Oligosaccharides (Vegetable Source), Maltitol, Vegetable Oil Blend (Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Oil), Vegetable Glycerin, Polydextrose, Sunflower Seed Butter, Natural Flavors, Soy Lecithin (an Emulsifier), Whey Protein Concentrate, Corn Starch, Sea Salt, Nonfat Dry Milk, Tapioca Starch, Sunflower Oil, Distilled Monoglycerides, Sugar, Sucralose, Calcium Carbonate, Fruit and Vegetable Concentrates (for Color), Dextrin, Spirulina Extract (for Color), Confectioner’s Glaze, Annatto Extract (for Color), Turmeric Extract (for Color), Carnuba Wax and Sodium Bicarbonate."

And BUY products with labels that look like this: 

• “Organic dates, organic almonds, organic dried blueberries, organic raw vanilla, organic chia seeds, and sea salt.”

Copyright (C) Want to change how you receive these emails?You can update your preferences or unsubscribe