Natural flavours are often not natural

‘Natural flavours’ are often not so natural.

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), ‘natural flavours’ is the fourth most common ingredient in processed foods. The only more common ones are salt, water and sugar.

So what are ‘natural flavours’?

They’re made from plant or animal material.

But they can be highly processed and contain many chemical additives.

While they might actually be more natural ones like vanilla extract, food manufacturers are not required to tell you what they are. When there’s no transparency, I ask myself why.

And here it is…

• In many cases natural flavours are not very different to artificial flavours in terms of chemical composition and their effects on your health

In fact, both natural and artificial flavours are made in a lab 🥼🧪🧫 And th EWG states that natural flavours are chemical mixtures which are often more complex than artificial flavours.

They “...still contain solvents, emulsifiers and preservatives, all of which are lumped into the category of ‘incidental additives’ and are not required to be disclosed by food manufacturers”.

The solution?

Ensure most of your diet comprises of real, unprocessed foods. Real food doesn’t have ingredients. It’s foods like eggs, carrots, basmati rice, steak, lettuce and olive oil.

If you do buy something processed, avoid ingredients with numbers on them and the description ‘natural flavour’.

I have a food first philosophy as food is our fuel, which makes up our cells, which make up our body.