Should You Be Eating Foods With Natural Flavors?

Welcome back to another addition of “What’s Really in My Food?” featuring your host, The Pizza Plant! Last week, we broke down what “natural flavors” really means on an ingredient label, as well as who regulates these flavors in the foods and beverages you consume. If you missed out on the first part of this blog post series, be sure to check it out here. Today, we’re taking things a step further, and answering your most burning question: Should you be eating foods with natural flavors? Read on to find out! And while you’re at it, head to the GTFO It’s Vegan marketplace to stock up on The Pizza Plant. Our pizzas are 100% plantbased, made with all organic ingredients, and downright delicious.

The Pros Of Natural Flavors

When it comes to natural flavors, the question of whether they’re good for you is not completely black and white. Let’s start with the pros of them! For starters, natural flavors serve the purpose of adding more flavor to your food. In other words, they make your food taste more flavorful, vibrant, and delicious – and who wouldn’t want that? Secondly, as we spoke about in our previous blog post, natural flavors are derived from natural ingredients. These include but are not limited to fruits, herbs, veggies, barks, roots, meat, dairy products, and eggs. So long as these are flavors you enjoy, they are completely natural to ingest and by themselves, will not cause you any harm. Furthermore, natural flavors are highly diluted with water or oil, meaning they do not provide nutritional or caloric value – they simply add more flavor to food and beverages which is definitely a pro in our books!

The Cons of Natural Flavors

On the other hand, there are some downsides to natural flavors that are worth exploring. As we just mentioned, natural flavors don’t provide any nutritional value to your food or beverage. Essentially, just because they aren’t bad for you doesn’t mean they are good for you either. A more frightening fact is that even though natural flavors are primarily derived from natural plant and animal products, regulations do not restrict many other ingredients that can be added to the natural flavoring. Although food processors have to list every ingredient on food labels, flavor manufacturers do not have to state what goes into their natural flavors. This means that preservatives and other synthetic ingredients might be in those so-called “natural flavors,” making them quite similar to artificial flavors. Important note: Labels that claim to contain “organic” or “organic natural flavors” are much more regulated and cannot include any of these synthetic ingredients. We’ll dive into this topic more in our next blog post.

The bottom line? There are worse things to consume than natural flavors. But, just like any food that is not completely natural and organic, you should be mindful of how many foods with natural flavors you’re consuming. Our general rule of thumb is that if we aren’t completely familiar with every ingredient listed on a food label, it’s probably best to stay away from it.

One thing’s for sure: You can always trust The Pizza Plant as your source of wholesome, organic ingredients and delicious flavor. Our pizzas contain no additives, no natural or artificial flavors, and are guaranteed to have you feeling your best. Click here for a full breakdown of our ingredients and stay tuned for the next and final part of this blog series where we’ll dive into the differences between natural, artificial, and organic flavors.

Found this post insightful? Be sure to spread the plantbased message by sharing it with a friend or family member. For all The Pizza Plant grocery locations and to find one near you, visit our store locator page. To order nationwide shipping, visit our delivery page.

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