Natural Flavors — Not So Natural
An observation of natural flavors and their effect on our dietary health
Most of us who are keen on our nutrition and diet know to generally stay away from consuming artificial flavorings.
Rightly so, researchers in Israel and Singapore found that consumption of common artificial sweeteners (e.g. sucralose, saccharine, aspartame) can lead to gut toxicity.
I’d argue that one of the more interesting, less talked about phenomena in nutrition and diet culture is the consumption of Natural Flavors. It appears that even marketed ‘healthy’ products with “no artificial flavors!” almost always have natural flavorings in its ingredient label. Some people who I consider ‘diet-conscious’ are under the assumption that natural flavors are produced by, well — natural means.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. While these natural flavors aren’t lethal, they could be contributing to your addiction to foods and can be equally as toxic as artificial flavors are.
What are Natural Flavors?
I’ll save you from reading the FDA’s winded definition by surmising that the process of creating a natural flavor or natural flavoring begins with the derivation of something that is indeed natural (e.g. fruits, vegetables, spice) but can be modified with chemical solvents and preservatives to enhance the flavor of a product.
If natural flavors can be modified with a myriad of man-made ingredients then what’s the difference between natural and artificial flavors?
That’s the mind-boggling part of it all, there isn’t a clear distinction between the two due to the loophole in the FDAs definition of what can be labeled a ‘natural flavor’.
It’s concerning that many marketed ‘healthy’ food products such as trendy protein bars and yogurts have natural flavorings in them. A concern shared by Charles Platkin, Director of New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter College who echoed the same sentiment
Consumers may believe products with natural flavors are healthier, though they’re nutritionally no different from those with artificial flavors. Nor are ingredients extracted from nature necessarily safer than something artificially made.
It’s one big marketing loophole — and it doesn’t seem like the spotlight on natural flavorings will turn on any time soon. That being said, there are straightforward methods to removing synthetic additives from your diet.
Go for whole foods and certified organic food products
The bad news is that Natural flavors can be difficult to avoid in packaged items due to how our food is subsidized, marketed, and regulated in the States.
I’d be a nutritional nihilist if I left you without the good news which is that by law, certified organic food products cannot contain synthetic ingredients such as solvents, carriers, and emulsifiers, as well as artificial preservatives.
Another, more inexpensive way to remove yourself from artificial chemicals is to stock your shopping cart for more whole foods and produce. Shop along the perimeter of the grocery store rather than the middle where you’ll typically find foods that require preservatives for shelf life and have a higher price tag.
These simple measures will decrease the amount of synthetic ingredients your digestive system will have to deal with and will further emphasize the important connection between you and the food you fuel yourself with.
