There simply aren’t enough natural flavouring substances in the world to keep up with the high demand for flavor; luckily, there are many artificial flavors that fill in the job. While the term ‘artificial’-anything can be intimidating, especially when related to the food and beverages you consume, many of them aren’t as scary as they sound. But like most things in life, not all artificial flavors are created equally and there are some that can have a negative impact on your health. In this article, we break down everything you need to know about artificial flavors, so you know what to expect from every bite.
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What are Artificial Flavours?
Just as the name suggests, artificial flavors are chemical substances that mimic the taste of natural ingredients to enhance the flavor in many foods, beverages and even medicines. These are made by man and do not come from nature, which automatically gives them a bad rap.
However, artificial flavor is – structurally – the exact same as the natural compound. For example, natural vanilla gets its flavor from vanillin, which can be synthetically derived from a by-product of wood pulp. The vanillin doesn’t come from a vanilla bean and instead, is made in a lab but it is still vanillin.
Many manufacturers choose to use these artificial flavors due to availability and cost-efficiency, as it is far cheaper to manufacture a flavor, such as strawberry, than to use real strawberries. Some companies will also use a combination of natural and artificial flavors, where the natural ingredient is used to get the basic flavor and the artificial flavor is used to enhance that even further.
As such, artificial flavors are added to all kinds of food products and beverages – from that healthy salad dressing to your favourite sugary snacks and desserts. It is virtually impossible to avoid them because they are that prominent within the food and beverage industry.
What Are The Potential Risks Associated with Artificial Flavors?
By definition, artificial flavors can be anything that influences flavor and that is not from a natural source, such as a spice, fruit, fruit juice, vegetable, vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf, plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy or fermentation products. However, a manufacturer can’t just add anything into their products – it must serve a purpose to enhance the flavor and of course, it has to be an edible product.
However, this still raises many questions as to whether or not artificial flavors are good for you. After all, synthetic products and chemicals typically aren’t ideal for your health. In fact, many food additives, including flavors such as MSG, have been shown to produce potential health hazards such as food hypersensitivity, allergic reactions and GI symptoms, and may even encourage addiction.
Here are some additional ways artificial flavors may be negatively impacting your health.
Tricking Your Brain
If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t stop eating after just one handful of something that just tastes sooo good, it’s your brain playing tricks on you, thanks to artificial flavors. Many manufacturers have a team of scientists that come up with these artificial additives that not only enhance the product but that also trick the brain into wanting more. This explains why foods containing MSG are said to be highly addicting.
A False Sense of Satisfaction
There are some pretty significant impacts artificial flavoring has on your palette as well. When you eat something tasty, your brain activates the reward center and feel good hormones, such as dopamine, get released. And the more you eat, the better you feel… or so you think. This can lead to a variety of potential health risks, such as obesity.
Encourages You To Overeat
Since most artificial flavors are added to already tasty foods, such as chips, cakes, sugary drinks and so on, you’re more likely to consume more unhealthy foods. In other words, you don’t eat one apple and suddenly crave two, three or maybe even four more, but if you have one handful of chips, you’re all of a sudden hungry for the entire bag. This is your brain reacting to the artificial flavors, telling you to eat more and more and more. As a result, weight gain is a common health hazard associated with these synthetic ingredients.
Increases Your Chemical Intake
By now, we all know that toxins and chemicals are in everything. They’re in our foods, our clothes, cleaning products, soaps, cosmetics, air – you name it. Eating foods that contain artificial flavors is just another thing that adds to your toxic burden. And sure, they may not have a direct impact on your health but in the grand scheme of things, the fewer synthetic substances you have in your body, the better you’ll be.
Can Lead to Nutrient Deficiency
Synthetic flavors do have the potential of leading you down a path towards nutrient deficiency. For example, you’re craving a flavor that comes from a nutritious, natural source, such as an orange. However, instead of opting for an orange or even orange juice, you go with an orange pop instead. You satisfy your orange craving without ever getting the nutritional value that would come from real oranges. Do this so many times for so long, and you could be lacking some serious nutrients.
Causes Weight Gain
Weight gain is definitely a risk that is associated with artificial flavors. This is because many food flavors are designed to make you want more and can even be addicting. Add in the fact that they’re often used in highly processed, unhealthy foods, and you’re likely consuming many other components that aren’t ideal for maintaining a healthy weight, such as sugar, salt, carbs, trans fats, etc.
Can Cause Addiction and Withdrawal Symptoms
As mentioned previously, many synthetic flavors are designed to enhance the flavor and to trick the brain into wanting more and more. This can lead to an addiction, and one that isn’t always so obvious.
Additionally, limiting your artificial flavor can also lead to uncomfortable symptoms associated with withdrawal, such as headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, etc.
Ways to Reduce Your Intake of Artificial Flavors
Avoiding artificial flavors entirely is nearly impossible, as most food products and beverages contain them – even the healthy ones. Luckily, you don’t have to avoid them completely to live a healthy lifestyle. However, limiting the number of fake flavors you consume couldn’t hurt ether. After all, they are a synthetic chemical substance.
Here are some tips that will help you reduce your intake of artificial food flavors and additives to give you a cleaner, more natural diet:
- Drink more pure water: Not only is hydration incredibly important for maintaining overall health and wellness, it also doesn’t contain any artificial flavors. Just be sure to stay away from those vitamin or flavoured varieties.
- Read the label: Although manufacturers aren’t required to list the individual substances that create their flavor, reading the label can give you an idea as to whether the flavor is natural or synthetic, and how many artificial additives it contains.
- Eat more whole foods: The easiest and best way to reduce your chemical intake is to eat fewer processed foods and more healthy, whole foods, such as nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables and lean meats.
- Avoid processed foods: Artificial flavors are typically used in highly-processed foods, so limiting your intake of them can immediately reduce how many you consume from your diet.
Food additives, including artificial flavors, are prominent within the food industry. Eliminating them from your diet entirely is near impossible, but you can certainly reduce your intake with the tips provided.
