All about (not so natural) natural flavors

If you look at the ingredient list of almost any processed food, you’ll find a mysterious entry: natural flavors. This healthy-sounding phrase hides a not-so-healthy reality.

Today we’ll take a closer look at this common ingredient and explore its nature, origins and effects on your well-being and bones.

What are natural flavors?

The Environmental Working Group analyzed the ingredients of more than 80,000 foods and found that “natural flavors” are the fourth most common ingredient.¹ The only three most common ingredients were salt, water and sugar. Unlike these, however, ‘natural flavors’ are not a unique, naturally occurring substance.

In the US, the Food and Drug Administration requires that to qualify as ‘natural’ a flavor must be created from substances extracted from these plant or animal sources:

• Spices
• Fruit or fruit juice
• Vegetables or vegetable juice
• Edible yeast, herbs, bark, buds, root leaves or plant material
• Dairy products, including fermented products
• Meat, poultry or seafood
• Eggs

While this seems like a reasonable basis, the extraction and processing of these compounds are far from natural.

Once extracted and isolated, these compounds are treated like any other chemical, often mixed with other extracted compounds. These mixtures can contain a variety of chemicals in addition to the original extract, including preservatives, solvents, enhancers and other chemical additives.¹

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To qualify as a “natural flavoring” the substance must be made from an extract from a plant or animal source. However, the extraction and preparation process can involve mixing hundreds of chemicals, including non-natural chemicals used to bind, preserve and enhance the compound.

Why are natural flavors used?

All foods derive their taste and aroma, which are closely related sensations, from naturally occurring chemicals contained in them. Scientists have isolated hundreds of these chemicals and discovered how to incorporate them into processed foods to add extra flavor.

You might assume that a compound extracted from a carrot, for example, would be used to impart a carrot flavor to another product; However, this is often not the case. Chemicals are mixed to achieve different effects and used in sometimes surprising ways. McDonald’s “beef flavoring” is known to be derived from wheat and milk, and who knows what else is mixed into it.

The use of natural flavors for highly processed fast foods is a good example of why these not-so-natural flavors exist. Food that has been prepared in advance, is of low quality, has been transported over long distances, has not been picked sufficiently ripe or has been stored for long periods of time often loses its flavor. To restore or improve the taste of food, food scientists invent added flavors.

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Natural flavors are typically used to add flavor to foods that have been prepared in advance, are of low quality, shipped long distances, picked under-ripe, or stored for extended periods of time. To create different flavors, scientists combine extracts from unexpected sources, such as using wheat and milk extracts to create beef flavor.

Natural flavors vs. Artificial flavors

Although artificial flavors perform the same function as natural flavors, they are not derived from natural sources for their base compounds. These flavors come from the laboratory. However, the resulting chemicals are often exactly the same as those extracted from plant and animal sources for natural flavors.

For a food manufacturer, the difference between natural and artificial flavors comes down to cost and marketing. Although artificial flavors are more cost-effective to produce, many consumers are drawn to the appeal of “natural flavors” over artificial flavors.

Ironically, artificial flavors often contain fewer chemical components than natural flavors because isolating, extracting, stabilizing, enhancing and preserving natural flavors involves so many additional chemicals. Up to 90% of a “natural flavor” can consist of non-natural chemicals added during processing.

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Artificial flavors come from the laboratory. However, they are often chemically identical to “natural flavor” extracts. Artificial flavors are often chemically simpler than natural flavors, due to all the processing required to extract and combine chemicals from natural sources.

So-called natural flavors are not healthy for the bones

A food product containing “natural flavors” consists of a mysterious mix of chemicals, extracted via unspecified methods from unidentified sources.

This level of uncertainty and the potential amount of added chemicals make “natural flavors” a poor choice for bone health.

Natural flavors add no nutritional value, and because they introduce chemical additives, they tax your body’s filtration system and contribute to acidification.

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Natural flavors don’t add any nutritional value, but they do add unknown chemicals. These additives tax your body’s filtration system and contribute to acidification, both of which can damage your bones and your health.

What this means for you

Choose whole foods that are naturally rich in flavor. Eat local seasonal produce from a farmer’s market or health food store. You will be amazed by the taste, and your body will be grateful for the nutritious food.

Help your body flush away unwanted chemicals and additives with the Osteoporosis Fresh Start Cleanse. The cleanse comes with a simple, clear roadmap that eliminates all the guesswork, uniquely designed to promote bone health and protect kidney and liver function.

Compared to other cleanses, the Osteoporosis Fresh Start Cleanse is quick, easy and less restrictive, yet incredibly effective. Removing toxins and chemicals will help you look younger, sleep better, and speed up the bone-building process.

Don’t let your diet get in the way of your bone health goals, especially when it can be a powerful tool for creating good health and preventing bone fractures.

References

¹ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29140655/

² https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=101.22