Being a reader of our natural health newsletter, you probably pay more attention than the average Joe to what you eat and drink. You choose natural over artificial and pick the type of food that you consider healthier.
But this can be tricky. Oftentimes things are labeled “natural” or the name of the food indicates that it’s natural when indeed there is nothing natural about it. Could you, for example, explain what the difference is between artificial flavor and natural flavor?
And did you know that if you grab a “blueberry muffin” in your local supermarket, it’s likely there is not a trace of blueberry in that muffin? Those blue dots are processed corn syrup with artificial flavorings.
And what about Organic- can you be 100% sure that it’s really an organic, healthy product?
This is what I’ll try to shed some light on in today’s feature article. Being a complicated issue, I think it’s going to stir up some interesting conversations as well.
The idea for this article came the other day when I grabbed an organic pomegranate ice-tea in my local supermarket. Pomegranate has been proven to be very healthy but I find pure Pomegranate juice a little to strong tasting. So tea is perfect.
Now you’d think that in pomegranate tea, the main substance would be Pomegranate, right? But when reading the ingredients, water was in the first place (expected), sugar in second (somewhat expected) and then grape juice in third and Pomegranate in fourth.
So there was more grape juice in the pomegranate tea than pomegranate.
I don’t think this was really unethical in this case. However, oftentimes juices you buy in supermarkets are actually thinned out with either grape or apple juice (since these are the cheapest to produce), even without putting it on the label. This is especially true when the juice comes from concentrate.
No matter what you buy, you can never believe anything on the package except the official ingredient list; although it can be falsified, but in those cases it’s fraud. Saying something on the advertising space of packaging is most often not considered fraud. 100% cranberry juice on the packaging may be watered out cranberry concentrate with sugar and artificial and natural flavors. But it’s true that part of what’s in the package is 100% cranberry juice.
The only way to really know for sure what kind of juice you’re drinking, is if you get the fruit yourself and juice it. That way you also know the quality of the fruits since of course the worst quality fruits are used for juices while the best are sold as whole foods.
Another product that is more often than not scammed is honey. About 70-80% of all honey sold in supermarket includes less than 10% honey. The rest is high fructose corn syrup. Researches have found that much of this honey includes no pollen (the only way to measure if honey is really honey) although it’s labeled pure honey.
Walking around the supermarket aisles you also see lots of highly processed foods labeled “all natural.” This term is very vague. Really the only thing required to be considered “all natural” is for the product to include no (or very little) amount of artificial flavors or chemicals.
All natural does not mean the food is organic. It can be genetically modified, the animals that the meat is from can be raised with steroids and other drugs and the vegetables can be produced using pesticides and chemicals. The only thing it means is that very little chemicals are added directly into the food.
But “all natural” food can include “natural flavors.” And again the difference between “natural” and “artificial” flavoring is very vague. The basic ingredients that the flavors are made from are the same, it’s just a small difference in how they’re processed.
Flavors are made from vegetables, fruits, eggs or meat by extracting the essence out of them. Natural flavors are made using more natural methods such as distilling, whereas artificial flavors are made using chemicals such as coal tar.
Either way, however, there is nothing natural about using extracted flavors to enhance food because it’s so old or over-processed it has lost all its taste. We all know how good freshly cooked natural food or freshly squeezed juice tastes. If the ingredients are fresh and good, no processed flavoring is needed.
Note: When talking about natural flavors, we’re not talking about normal spices and herbs that are made just by drying the plant. That’s a whole other story and nothing wrong with using those moderately.
Even when it comes to products labeled “Organic,” you need to be careful. Unless the product is labeled “100% Organic,” it may include up to 30% of ingredients that are not Organic, even if it’s labeled “Organic” or “Made with Organic Ingredients.”
And there is no way for you to know which part of a processed product was actually not organic. So you maybe eating “Organic” lasagna only to find out later that the meat was genetically modified and it was flavored using all kinds of chemicals- just as long as it didn’t count for more than 5% of the ingredient.
At this point I’ve hopefully raised some cautions in your mind when it comes to trusting the food industry (even the natural part of the food industry). But since it’s important to our health to focus on healthy, natural food, this article would be useless unless I brought some solutions as well.
So the most essential thing is to read the ingredient labels. If the label is not clear (like just stating natural and artificial flavoring but not which exactly), then it’s probably not so healthy. If it includes a lot of “E numbers” or ingredients you can’t pronounce, it’s most likely loaded with chemicals.
If the product is labeled “Organic” or “Made with organic ingredients,” the ingredient list should state clearly which ingredients are organic and you can assume those that are not listed organic are not. It doesn’t mean the product is bad. Many vegetables for example with thick skin don’t take in many chemicals so it doesn’t make much difference if they’re organic or not.
Then, research the companies and choose which ones you believe you can trust; that are honorable and have integrity. As “Natural” and “Organic” become more buzz words, the big corporations are catching on with their productions and marketing. But you can rest assured that their mentality hasn’t changed. The old soda companies are going to push the limit as much as they can when producing “Organic” drinks.
There are, however, smaller companies that were founded by visionaries. People who really believe in the natural, organic approach and often started their companies because they couldn’t find quality products. These are the guys you can trust to produce healthy products, even if they’re not always labeled as such.
Many of the health food stores are also very conscious about their reputations. They can’t afford to offer scam products in their stores because people will stop trusting them and shop somewhere else. If you find a health food store run by an honest person, you can trust almost every product in that store.
Reputation is the most valuable thing for any company. For example, we have published 16 natural health guides focused on various health issues here at Blue Heron Health News.
Almost all our business comes from word of mouth. People who have cured themselves of “incurable” diseases such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, arthritis or sexual dysfunctions, recommend those guides to their friends and family members.
This wouldn’t happen if the guides and the programs didn’t work miracles. In fact, the average visitor purchases 2-3 guides. And in the rare occasion the information or exercises don’t work, we’re very strict on honoring our no questions asked money back guarantee.
You can find links to all our natural health programs on the right hand side of this page.
Good, quality health food stores and organic food manufactures think the same way. They’ll only produce and sell the best because that keeps people coming back. So ask around, try things out and when you find someone trustworthy, stick with them.
But first of all, please write your insight into this article below.
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I buy fresh fruit and veg and very little processed food. The only canned food I buy are tomatoes and I cook all meald from scratch. However, I am aware that I have the luxury of time. We should always read labels and reject those with artificial ingredients. If we all did this manufacturers would soon get the message.
Totally agree…
Thank you for these facts, it seems the only reliable way to guarantee healthy food is to go back to basics and produce everything at home!
At 77 years old, I find myself suddenly hypersensitive to wheat. Modifing wheat with GMO’s ( possible cross-pollinates) means all grains are now intolerable to me.The body is defending itself against foreign proteins by overtaxing the liver and kidneys that try to filter out these toxins. In my case, a itchy painful rash that secretes yellowish fluid is present. I am left with just certified organic chicken,eggs,wild caught salmon and turkey for protein sources. Organic certified fruits and vegetables are required. NO processed food, NO dairy products, NO sodas, NO caffeine, NO High Fructose
Corn Syrup . WARNING: Ask the pharmacist to check for sulfonilamides in your prescription before you have it filled.(Example diuretics like HCTZ,Bactrim antibiotics. Sulfa Drug sensitivity causes the body to react with severe rashes plus other organs like the liver and kidneys are affected.
Norma Wilson
Very good information a must read and spread the good word.
thanks Shyamji! see you soon in Paris.
Very good insight on the best way to check for real organic and the quantity in any product.Thank you so much I find this very instructive.
C. S. Lewis, in his book Studies in Words, points out that ants would describe their own nests as ant-made and our buildings as 'natural'.
Also, of course, hemlock and belladonna are natural but not necessarily healthy!
cook more at home too, alot or restaurants use low grade ingredients, fatty meats, additives, msg, lard, white flour, oh ya it might taste good but at what cost to your body. Organic is only a small piece of the puzzle, out. L.M.
I'm all for these very educational information and all we can do is do a little gardening of our own…it's fun and productive exercise.
I am glad you wrote this article. I have close friends who are surgeons. They encourage me to read the labels. The do not buy canned food.They absolutely love using a juicer and cooking the old fashioned way. I have a very busy schedule due to my career as a Real Estate Broker.. I eat on the go about 50% of the time. I have now purchased a juicer and we have it in the morning. It has made me feel better. My body is clapping and cheering me on to continue putting the best in my body. Thank you for this article.
This is so true. I know of something that is 100% organci that I use! A wonderful tasting muscadine grape juice, nothing added. A supplement that has helped people with all kinds of health problems, skin products, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, sunscreen.
You will also find that milk, wheat, rye and barley can be bad for you. wheat, rye and barley contain gluten that disables intestine villi, reducing the guts ability to adsorb nutrients which in turn causes a litany of problems in many but not all people. Milk from Helstein, Freisen and Aryshire cows contains A1 Beta Casein that causes similar problems to some people. A2 Beta Casein in the milk from Guernsey and Jersey cows does not seem to cause problems. Lactose in milk can also cause a series of problems. The worst part is that the medical community does not seem to be able to diagnose if the patient is one that is susceptible, but simply treats the symptoms.
Anything that contains water cannot be 100% organic. Water is inorganic as is air. Organic water would be sweat and urine.
good article. Now do one about all the burger joints etc.
Ah, but the fruit? Unless it is certfied ” organic”, it is grown on depleted soil with artificial fertlisers. Virtually no food value.
Try and grow your own small fruits in containers and grow sprouts from organic seeds if possible.
Great article!!! Sadly very few people read labels unless they have allergies and HAVE to take responsiblity for what goes into their bodies. I didn’t take responsibility until wheat gave me all over body flu-like symptoms and forced me to read every label, time consuming but well worth the reading in order to stay well.
It's very good to know, it's good to produce at home instead of going out to resturants not knowing what they have inside of MSG or other stuff…Thanks for the information:)
WOW! I know I have a difficult time shopping due to all the long and scietific-sounding ingredients in grocery store items. It is depressing to think of how much I would not be bringing home, if I left all of those items out of my cart; yet, I have quit buying many items we used to eat at home. No cookies, no pudding products; and it is not easy to find tapioca now, which is my main vice. I buy special breads, special flours, special oils, special butter, or spreads, certain vegetables, grow my own greens & things & herbs; shop local farms for eggs & produce and anything else I can find that grazed or did not have chemicals added to or on them, and our food is still varied and much better than it was in taste and variety. I wish we could believe our government, FDA, sales businesses, especially those who put together packaged or canned & frozen foods. GREAT ARTICLE, now give me my security blanket;)
I always believe there is no substitute for the real thing and I am really wondering why food manufacturers labelled their products with false claim inspite of the existence of supposed to be Government watchdog agency responsible to go after these irresponsible manufacturers, Most often you pay for a product in good faith with what the label says with no safe guarantee the product is worth what you paid for.
Don’t know if this stuff will be of interest to anyone but here goes……
Usually organic products should have a star by the organic/non organic ingredients. It’s a pain I know but if you really read the label you should be able to see what’s what. Using products with the Soil Association logo on should help.
Although I agree that it’s sad that drinks come with a lot of sugars and additional juices added to them we have to take responsibility for this as most of us have become so accustomed to large amounts of sugar in our diet that we wouldn’t buy the product if it wasn’t sweetened and diluted as we would complain about it. Believe me I know! Only a coupled days ago I let a friend try an organic drink I loved but that I thought quite sweet and the first thing he said was…..not very sweet is it?
Spices! Possibly NOT as good as you think if you buy them ground? Knew a guy who worked at a spice factory (it was a few years ago) who told me they use chemicals you wouldn’t like to know about to stop the spices all bunching and sticking together while they’re grinding them. I think buying as many of your spices unground as you can and do them yourself is my recommendation. There are lots of grinders on the market and the taste is so much better.
Lastly. You can be allergic to ANYTHING however natural or organic. I would suggest keeping a food diary if you have concerns. I would say though that if you don’t eat organic try the organic version of a product before you remove it from your diet incase it’s what they put on it/in it, in order to produce it, that you are allergic to. Saves missing out on things you like if that’s the issue?
Your article is very informative. I realise that fresh products place less stress on the body organs, and can help restore good health with no drugs. Thank you.
Love the artical its always good to be reminded. My first experience with what food can do to my body was coffee and I have gone on from there I had I.B.S but that has gone now cut out alchol wheat dairy sugar salt. In my mind I think cave man or should I say cave woman nuts berries fruit veg meat a little and fish the men or women in white coats cannot fake them and of course herbal teas and I wish I could say I drank a lot of water but that will come I am not sure when
Great article but I am of the mind to go cave woman as there are no faking fish meat nuts seed fruit and vegetables in there natural form. Coffee was my first to go off my shopping list years ago and I thought if can have such an effect on my body what else can give me a problem well wheat dairy alchol sugar salt and a few other products that may be personal to me
Terrific, timely article. My wife and I buy and use 85% whole, fresh foods – rarely buy processed foods and read the ingresdients list firstly when we do.
We are about 90% vegetarian, avoiding coffee, alcohol, red meats, salt and sugar (difficult) and most dairy. Drink oatmilk, rice milk or almond milk and green tea (not from tea-bags because of the added detergent for quick disolving). Occasionally, fish – usually oily types like tuna and salmon. We eat plenty of nuts, whole and dried fruit, some pasta, Quinoa and Couscous. Also occasionally, 70-85% dark chocolate.
We make our own juice from fresh carrots (75%), celery, beetroot (red beet), apples and ginger every second day. Three times a day (in addition to meals) we drink a half glass of this juice after having dissolved in it a heaped teaspoon of barley grass powder. Wonderful for the immune system and general health.
We are stuffed aren’t we?
All this adulteration, distorted labelling, animals fed unnatural diets [chicken poo in cattle feed] plus hormones and antibiotics, fresh food reduced in vitamins and minerals such that we can’t escape the jaws of the industrial food industry means we will live shorter lives, more unhealthy and more stressed.
We are led astray by organisations that are supposed to be looking after us but which seem beholden to vested interests. E.G., follow the Heart Foundation diet guidelines and increase your likelihood of CVD!!!
Since the American fast food diet is being exported all over the world, all over the world the unhealthy effects are being felt. In Japan, CVD is now similar to that in the USA. It used to be at the lowest level. Here in Australia we eat as much sugar as you do, 140 lbs per year per person.
The population explosion, although it is starting to slow, is still going to mean most of us will HAVE to eat processed food, food grown on agribusiness properties, with little choice for alternatives except for a fortunate few who can access home grown crops.
We will strip the seas of fish, cut down forests for oils and cattle raising. All because population pressure will mandate it.
What a pretty picture!