Are Natural Flavors Really Natural?

Sep 6

Americans are all about our snacks, and food products have gotten a lot better since we were kids… think Cheetos and Dunkaroos… but even our favorite snack items that we think of as better or healthy have ingredients we sometimes have to compromise on. That being said, one that I try not to is “natural flavors”.

The truth about natural flavorings is that they can often contain even more ingredients than artificial flavors. The term “natural flavors” is a blanket term food manufacturers use to disguise upwards of 100 hidden ingredients. While the FDA does define natural flavors as needing to be derived from plant and animal sources, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the reason your fruit bar tastes like strawberries is because the natural flavoring came from strawberries. In fact, your fruit flavoring can include all sorts of chemicals like synthetic solvents, emulsifiers, preservatives, colorings, animal derivatives, and other types of additives.

The reason food companies do this is because the taste of real food is more subtle and nuanced. Without natural flavors, it’s hard to get that strong whiff of fake strawberry that makes you (or your child) want to dive right into your snack and also makes it difficult to put down. It’s also cheaper.

One of the sneakiest culprits here is MSG. Glutamate or monosodium glutamate, as most know it. By-products of naturally occurring glutamate are called excitotoxins. Excitotoxins excite neurons in the brain, making it very difficult and almost impossible to eat just one bite of your snack. This, obviously, leads to overeating but also begins to dull the brain’s reaction to real foods. This is also why I try never to send snacks with natural flavors to school because MSG can spike heart rate and make it difficult to pay attention or sit still.

So next time you’re in the store stocking snacks for your pantry, don’t look at all the BS on the front of the box. Turn the box over, look at the ingredients, and if it says “natural flavor,” look for an alternative!