Ingredient Spotlight: Are Natural Flavors Actually...Natural?
The Truth Behind One of the Most Misleading Ingredients
One of the biggest lessons I learned in my non-toxic journey was that just because something seems healthy or is marketed that way doesn’t mean it actually is. Natural flavors are one of the sneakiest ingredients, in my opinion, and not talked about enough. In today’s newsletter, I’m going to share what natural flavors are, why they are an ingredient that I personally hate and never bring into my own home, and how you can easily avoid these on labels (even though they’re seemingly in everything these days). When you start reading labels thoroughly, you will see “natural flavors” everywhere.
Natural flavors and artificial flavors are the fourth most common ingredients found on food labels, and just because something is called “natural” doesn’t mean it’s safe or clean. Natural flavors are technically derived from something in nature, like a plant or animal, but then they’re often processed with up to 100 other ingredients, including:
GMO-derived ingredients
Solvents
Preservatives
Synthetic chemicals
The problem with natural flavors is that brands don’t actually have to tell you what’s in them. The FDA considers natural flavors to be “proprietary blends,” which means the companies don’t disclose the formulation (oftentimes, they will sign an NDA with their ingredient manufacturer so they are not allowed to share this information). All of this is a major red flag for anyone trying to make informed decisions about what goes in their body. For me, eliminating natural flavors from my diet was a given because the ingredient is not transparent, and you have no idea what you’re putting in your body.
My goal isn’t to overwhelm you, but to empower you with information so you can make the best choices for yourself. For the full run-down on natural flavors, subscribe to the paid version of Non-Toxic Made Simple below for only $5/month or $50/year. Your subscription supports over 5 years of work I’ve poured into making non-toxic living more accessible and helps me continue to create free, trustworthy content for our community. Below the paywall, you’ll find the real meaning of natural flavors, the difference between natural flavors/organic flavors/natural essences, and my favorite toxin-free snacks.