Have you ever picked up a drink or a packaged food item, read the back and noticed the words “natural flavors”?
Do you know what natural flavors really mean? How natural are “natural flavors”?
It scares me when boxes or drinks can be so vague. Personally I want to know what goes into my body. As a consumer I can understand why people wouldn’t have any concerns with the ingredient that state “Natural Flavors”. Sorry to break the ice, but you have every right to question the fine print.
What if I told you natural flavors is a man-made preservative? Anything that lists the ingredient “natural flavors’ is in fact a chemical additive and was produced in a laboratory.
Have you ever read the book “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser? He discusses “flavorists” who are scientists employed by an organization called the American Flavor Industry. They speciallize in duplicating the taste and smell of organically grown products and adding the chemicals to processed foods and drinks which not only make them addictive, but makes you think you are eating/drinking the real “natural” thing. The American Flavor Industry banks approximately 1.4 billion dollars annually!
You can find natural flavor additives in almost all processed products. Weather it be in a jar, bag or box the chances are it has been enhanced with natural flavoring.
These flavors can be so stimulating to where it will hijack your brain and make you crave more of that companies product. The purpose is to get you addicted, not make the flavor linger too much or too little and makes you want to eat more to taste that punch of flavor all over again.
Tomorrow watch a video on natural flavors and find out what natural flavors really consist of.