What Are Natural Flavors?
By legal definition, the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] Code of Federal Regulations defines the term; natural flavor as;
An “essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis,” derived from any of the following foods:
Fruit, fruit juice
Vegetables, vegetable juice
Edible yeast
Bark, bud, root, leaf, or other plant materials
Meat
Seafood
Poultry
Eggs
Dairy products
Fermented products [whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional]
No Wonder We're Confused!
Let's simplify this;
Natural Flavors are processed food additives derived from food. The main purpose is to enhance the flavor of food or beverages.
This sounds like something good -right?
Well, as with all things - it depends.
“Unfortunately, additives, such as solvents or emulsifiers, can be used during natural flavor processing and are not required to be disclosed by the FDA." - Megan Huff, RD.
While the main flavors originate from natural sources, natural flavors may still contain added chemicals that aren’t food-based.
What I Think is Better.
Buy Organic.
The natural flavor in organic foods cannot be produced with these synthetic solvents or artificial preservatives.Hundreds of natural flavors exist currently and many don’t sound so natural, like amyl acetate [a compound found in bananas], citral [extracted from citrus], and acetoin [butter flavor].
These chemicals may not actually be problematic, the real issue is that consumers don’t get this level of detailed information, all we see is "natural flavors" on an ingredients list.
What Does “Natural” Mean?
Natural is a term in the food industry that's often used as a marketing gimmick, because it's not a regulated term.
The term; Natural only has legal meaning when it comes to flavors in meat, and poultry.
Any meat or poultry marked as "natural" has no added color or artificial ingredients and has been minimally processed.
“But in the case of Health Foods, natural or all natural actually means nothing, because there’s no definition for the terms.
What I consider natural will be different than what you consider natural.
Buyer beware - don't be fooled by marketing strategies.
Natural vs. Artificial Flavors
Unfortunately, the term “natural” continues to bring us comfort, especially compared to the alternative - Artificial.
Artificial Flavor refers to any substance aimed to impart flavor, not derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products.
Again, let's simplfy this...
Natural Flavors-extracted from a food.
Artificial Flavors- chemically synthesized.
Are Artificial Flavors Worse Than Natural Flavors?
Some Artificial Flavors have fewer chemicals than Natural ones and because they are produced in a lab environment, there are more controls and regulations on exactly how they are made.
Are Natural Flavors Bad for You?
Remember, Natural Flavors are not intended to provide nutrition, but are designed to enhance a products appeal.
But be warned - Just because they are generally recognized as safe, this doesn’t mean we should be consuming them regularly.
Why?
We can be sensitive to certain natural flavors, and might have puzzling symptoms that are present because of eating them.
This is a problem because we receive absolutely no information about exactly what’s in either “natural” or "artificial” flavorings.
If you have allergies or food sensitivities, I recommend avoiding all added flavorings and stick to actual real, whole foods.
Should I Avoid Natural Flavors Too?
We are most likely to find Natural Flavors in processed and ultra-processed foods that are also loaded with calories, extra sodium and sugar along with a range of mystery ingredients.
These are the foods to stay away from as a regular part of a healthy diet because when we consume these pseudo-foods regularly, they can contribute to inflammation throughout the body.
Another problem of eating a diet that's built on packaged/processed, convenience foods is that they are linked to many of our chronic health conditions that bring us to the doctor instead of the Farmer's Market.
Ultimately, it’s best to focus our energy on choosing mostly whole, minimally processed foods. This will help ensure that we get the most nutritional wealth from our food choices.
Information - Not Perfection.
Become an informed consumer so that you can make the best decisions for your long-term health.
The current model of how we purchase our food is definitely broken - so choose wisely.
Sometimes this mean we eat the ice cream or chips.
But on a daily basis - good quality whole, real foods will always nourish us best.
Nutrition Audit. $199 [includes 1 hour consultation]
Have you ever wondered about what you’re eating might be causing your symptoms of fatigue, bloating, indigestion, constipation, headaches, achy joints, or insomnia, etc?
Nutrition has become so confusing!
The Nutrition Audit takes a deep dive into what you eat and how your current lifestyle supports your health or is contributing to why you just don't feel great.
It's simple and so helpful.
Fill out a 3-day Food Journal.
Answer some questions about lifestyle habits like sleep, movement, and stress.
We meet together to go over your information.
Together, we create a plan that works for you.
For more information and to sign up- head to my website andclick on:Services.[scroll down to Nutrition Audit]
Thanks for reading,
Jan
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