Flavored Products….Good or Bad?
Although it’s still hot and humid in the Southeast, fall is around the corner and retailers are aggressively marketing seasonally flavored food items and beverages like pumpkin spiced coffee drinks. So the question is: Are these flavored products good for us? What is in the “natural flavors” that are added?
Almost all packaged products include the term; “natural flavors” and some labels have “artificial flavors”. How different are they, you may ask? “Not much”, according to David Andrews, senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group. “The largest difference is that natural flavors are coming from natural sources. The original ingredient is found in nature and then purified and extracted and added back into the food. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the ‘natural flavors’ in your blueberry granola bar are simply crushed-up blueberries. Rather, they probably consist of a chemical originally found in blueberries, enhanced and added into your food in a lab. Artificial flavors, on the other hand, are usually entirely human made, as opposed to being derived from a natural source.” *
So back to our original question, are these products good for you? Products with the term “natural flavors” can be better for you than those that say “artificial flavors”, but not by much. The only way to avoid any of these products is to make all your food and drinks at home or go to a retailer that only uses 100% whole ingredients and that isn’t easy to find.
It’s best to not over-indulge in these seasonal products. Also, take a close look at the sugar content in these as they are empty calories, which means sugar with no nutrients.
Alina Nunez, Heal with Angels @ 305-807-8998; alinanunez@healwithangels.com
*Quote taken from article written by: By Amanda Woerner, for Life by Daily Burn