“All Natural” Means Nothing

You all know by now that I advocate eating whole, unprocessed, and unrefined foods as much as possible.

You may not know that food companies realize that’s becoming a trend and they’re labeling food accordingly. According to the Mintel Global New Products Database, “natural” is now the leading claim on new food products and was included on 23% of foods and beverages launched last year.

But, like the title of this post indicates, the word “natural” on a package means nothing. Zilch. Zero. It has no nutritional meaning whatsoever and isn’t truly regulated by the FDA. Just about anyone can claim that their product is “natural.” And “natural” certainly doesn’t mean “organic.”

Common artificial ingredients that are included in products labeled “natural” or “organic” include xanthan gum, an artificial thickener; ethylene, which speeds up the ripening process for fruits; and fattening oils such as hydrogenated oil (trans fat alert!), and alkalized cocoa powder.

The only way to know what’s in a product is to read the label and DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Just because something’s hard to pronounce doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad for you (but it could be). Pay attention to what you’re putting in your body, because like I’ve said a million times, the food industry doesn’t care about your health. A good general rule: if you wouldn’t or couldn’t eat it an ingredient by itself, don’t eat it in a processed food. Above all, eat what you CHOOSE to eat and don’t be influenced by the food industry’s manipulations.