What is a Natural Flavor?

Many compounds found naturally, such as various plant esters and flavoring compounds, can also be easily synthesized in an organic chemistry lab. Structurally, they are EXACTLY THE SAME. So it really doesn't matter where the flavoring comes from, as long as it's the actual molecule/molecules you want. I can see using natural flavorings if you are after a specific blend of chemicals...it can be difficult to get the ratios correct if you are synthesizing.

I can easily believe that substances not found in nature, even newly developed in the lab, aren't necessarily bad for us. After all, is there that much difference between the way the cosmic chemistry lab that is the universe created these chemicals through stars and supernovae and atmospheres and bacteria, and our own labs? It's not like one is magically good and the other lacks a cosmic blessing.
So yeah, I don't think we should be turned off by whether something's artificial, only if it's been shown to be dangerous.
The only reason I'd see for rejecting food that has flavours is that it's a sign the food is highly processed, and has lost the nutrients that give fresh foods their flavour.

Nature precisely makes everything with the correct ratio and balance. Man does not.

Nature also makes cancer.

If humans were to eat and live in harmony with nature, they wouldn't get cancer. It is a mutation caused by man. A bag of cheetos is created from elements that nature provides. That doesn't mean that nature made it.

Yeah but cheetos are just too nice

Cancer isn't caused by man, it's simply random mutations that occur in cellular DNA during the replication process. UV radiation, free radicals in the environment and in our food, etc., can cause it. Most of the mutations have existed for generations but haven't shown up because the cause of death was usually something else (like disease)

Nature makes cancer in much the same way that Nature made radiation sickness in Hiroshima.

All I'm trying to figure our is there anything in a "natural flavour" additive that can be harmful, if taken in normal amounts. Because Natural flavour is on almost everything in the grocery store.

I also would like to know is 'natural flavor' harmful? According to Dr. Russel Blaylock, an eminent neurosurgeon 'natural flavor' is one of the things that MAY be related to MSG,and nutrisweet(aspartame) that kills brain cells. I would like to know if everything called 'natural flavors' falls into this category. I have a mysterious low-grade infection in my mouth which gives me a very bad taste and need to chew gum constantly(with natural flavor)to mask the taste. This is the only product that I can use(I can't handle sugars because of candida)

When "natural flavor" is listed on a list of food ingredients, it implies that there is a flavoring blend added that is a trade secret that can't be listed. There isn't a specific flavor that is "natural flavor".

Think about it, geniuses...do you honestly think the "natural flavor" that's used in strawberry jelly beans is the same "natural flavor" that's used in vegetable beef soup?

However, look for MSG in foods (monosodium glutamate). It is used as a flavor enhancer and can often cause allergic reactions. By law it has to be listed on the ingredient list.

MSG has to be listed by law.That is why you need to watch out for; natural flavor,yeast extract,hydrolyzed protein etc(.A full list is given in the book "Excitotoxins,the Taste That Kills" by Dr.Russell Blaylock,as well as on the website).These are(or can be) aliases for MSG,deceptively called something else.Taste enhancing is big business and all the mega-companies want their products to tittilate your tastebuds,even if it kills you(or at least your brain cells)
And yes,the same product could be used to enhance the taste of jelly beans and vegetable soup.It may contain nothing related to the particular item,just something to pump up the flavor already present,like salt(sodium). Apparently MSG does a "better" job than salt.
I have stopped using anything with any of these aliases,with the exception of the gum that masks the bad taste(infection) I have.So I need to know is 'natural flavor' ALWAYS bad.Can anyone shine some light on that?

Tom, I've read your posts and I still don't understand why it would be bad at all, much less always bad. Is the theory that it will kill your brain cells like you said aspartame does? Cause that is a pretty outrageous claim right there. To me it sounds like this Dr. Russell Blaylock is making baseless accusations. If you're gonna say it kills brain cells, at least explain how it allegedly does that.

Jan, Dr.Blaylock is a neurosurgeon and explains in his book and videos,in great detail(more than the average person can probably follow)that 'excititoxins' kill brain cells and are involved in Alzheimers,AlS,etc.. Aspartame,MSG,etc.are excitotoxins.But manufacturers disguise these under different names; yeast extract,natural flavor, hydrolyzed protein etc. He lists 3 categories of additives.
One always contains excitotoxins,another usually does, and the third category sometimes does. I think 'natural flavor' is in the middle category.So I guess you have to investigate each individual product if you want to continue using it .That is what I did. I e-mailed the company and got no response.Not a good sign. Just Google 'excitotoxins' or 'Dr.Russell Blaylock' and you'll get a lot of useful information for free.

Thanks for the info, Tom. I'm googling it right now to read a bit more about it.

The very best thing to eat are raw or sprouted foods.

Ok i just read this interview with this Dr. Blaylock character. ( http://www.newstarget.com/020550.html ) and I do admit he DEFINITELY knows what he is talking about with claims and studies to back this up. But does this interview terrify anyone else besides me? Glutamates are in quite a few different products, and he talks about soy products, specifically soy milk, by describing them as "poison". Same with cow's milk, which i love. Can anyone give me a list of what this man eats on a day to day basis because I cannot for the life of me figure out what he could consume that he would consider to be safe. I would love some piece of mind, thanks.

On the road, if Dr. Blaylock is anything like Dr. Mercola, I'm guessing all he eats is special mercury-free farmed salmon and organic blueberries and organic flax seeds. Nothing else at all.

I'm exaggerating, but when you read info from people like the 2 of them, you end up with the impression that there are less than 5 or 6 foods out there that are safe to eat.

Haha exactly. But we only live once, so I think I'll just keep eating my un-natural naturally flavored foods and just hope I don't keel over from cardiac arrest.

Like you, I try to focus on the big picture. No sugar, no transfats, avoid white flour, getting enough fruit and vegetables, instead of worrying about the artificial flavoring used in the manufactured products that make up around 15% of my total diet.

I saw a two-hour video presentation by Dr. Blaylock. Glutamate like any other amino acid is a natural component of many proteins and is therefore healthy.What he is warning against is not glutamate per se,but in combination with sodium(MSG) .There may be other excitotoxins(Google it) that don't contain glutamate.The things he warns against are ADDITIVES that enhance taste at a steep price,your brain cells.These are unscrupulously added to foods because they make them taste better and sell better(PROFIT$).

MSG is required by law to be listed on labels.They get around this by using different aliases for it : yeast extract,hydrolized protein etc. Google' excitotoxins" and get the whole story.

The way to avoid this is to avoid packaged and processed foods which usually aren't that healthy anyway. If you must eat them,it would be wise to make sure they don't contain any excitotoxins under any of their alias.This will require seeing the full list on the website.

IF, I'm not saying it does,15% of your diet contains these additives,that is a huge problem. I think 1% would be a problem,as it is accumlative. It depends on what age you want your Alzheimers or dementia to kick in.

The easy answer is to avoid all processed food,which I mostly do but I chew Xylichew gum to mask a bad taste(stubborn low grade infection) I was wondering if anyone knew CONCLUSIVELY if the "natural flavor" in it is indeed an excitotoxin.I guess that would be hard to know unless you were the one putting it in there.

I copied the entire list of aliases from Dr. Blaylock and pasted it on a 3 X 5 card (it took both sides) to carry in my purse when I go to the grocery store. There is no other way because I cannot possibly remember all these names.

Also, according to the Feingold Association, which is a non-profit group dedicated to helping children and adults apply proven dietary techniques for better behavior, learning and health, MSG is sometimes put into foods without being labeled.

From their FAQ page: "A product can boast 'no preservatives' or 'no MSG' when they actually do contain them. The regulations are very lax, in our opinion, and even so they are often ignored."

I believe I read that Feingold does some chemical anaysis of foods to find the hidden additives, but won't swear to it. I don't know how else they would find the hidden additives though. They do the research and provide additive lists for their members. I have decided to join because I know of no other way to absolutely know what is in these foods as the enforcement is so poor for these labeling laws.

The website is www.feingold.org. Read the testimonials regarding amazing recoveries of children who have been taken off additives that were causing them terrible problems with ADHD, allergies, asthma, and even rages and violence.

Here is more info on hidden MSG from the Truth in Labeling Site. They also tell you what to say if you call manufacturers asking about the presence of MSG in their foods and how to complain to the FDA if you find discrepancies. They also have a list of foods they have received complaints about. Very helpful.

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/nomsg.html

I am a Vegetarian, when available I screen the ingredients of everything I eat. I simply want to know what I am eating. I think it’s only fair that the ingredients tell us what the artificial ingredient is based from its not always obvious. A potato chip artificial flavor should be potato but is probably meat lard, same with frosting and so many other common items. The things I like to eat may be different than the mass majority but it should ultimately be my choice.

C
How do you know nature causes cancer? I bet that before 1950 nobody really knew what cancer was. When they didn't have all these house cleaning products, cigarette smokers, packaged and microwave foods. If nature wasn't altered by man everything would be fine. Don't you think? Better to inform yourself rather than to make comments out of pure ignorance with all due respect.

my sister has horrible reactions to MSG (and yes, that includes all the many names they hide it under)... she gets major insomnia, heart palpitations, feeling so bad she feels she might need to go to the ER. I just hope anyone reading this takes this issue seriously. Dr. Blaylock started investigating this after he lost his father to Parkinson's I believe- I commend him for speaking out about all this.

Tom Dudek, For your low grade infection research "oil of oregano". Two or three drops in a little water and swish around in your mouth 2,3 or 4 times a day. It has many uses. I'm never without it, at home or away. If that doesn't help, go to the denist or doctor soon! Good luck!

Cancer is a lifestyle disease. Yes, it is. I understand this is hard to swallow but it's the truth.
It's not complicated as doctors would have you believe (it makes millions for them). You don't just "catch it". Ever wonder why so many people "have" cancer these days? Take a look at the chemicals in our environment and our food. Not hard to see. But people only see what they want to see and the truth hurts. How could we be wrong all this time about medicine and "health care"? Most people don't take responsibility for their own health. Yes, your health is your responsibility - not the doctors or the taxpayers.

Disease comes from within, not from outside. Everyone has cancer cells in their body at all times - the body's ability (through health) to fight this process internally - will determine whether cancer cells get to a point where they eventually break down the body.

Easy to avoid additives and chemicals in your food - eat wholefood. Meat, vegies (organic), grind grains to make breads etc. Sounds hard but trust me - I have a very busy life and have managed to bring this into my routine. It's not hard - it just depends how serious you want to get about your health - that's it. I have children that's why I decided to get serious about it. They are the healthiest little beings on the planet - no vaccinations, no drugs, good whole food.

At the end of the day, there is soo much info and "research" out there..who to believe what to believe? Well, look inside yourself and ask yourself whether packaged food with a list of 50 ingredients you can't pronounce, is good for you....

Suzan said:
Tom Dudek, For your low grade infection research "oil of oregano". Two or three drops in a little water and swish around in your mouth 2,3 or 4 times a day. It has many uses. I'm never without it, at home or away.

Grapefruit seed extract works wonderfully as well.

Chris said:

Cancer is a lifestyle disease.

Damn straight!

true!

I agree!

@Chris
>> Cancer is a lifestyle disease.

No, cancer is a disease that has afflicted living things on Earth since probably about the dawn of life on Earth, almost certainly since the advent of multi-cellular organisms. The primary reason we seem to be experiencing more of it than before is that we live long enough that internal failings of the body that are primarily due to old age (cancer, heart disease, stroke) are now a problem. Thousands of years before, famine, infection, or a hungry leopard might take you out well before cancer could.

@likemenature
>> How do you know nature causes cancer?

Cancer is runaway cell growth, sometimes triggered by mutation, sometimes by genetic susceptibility and sometimes by environmental factors. Mutations, genetics, environmental factors...yup, all about 3.5 billion years old. Modern civilization may have added a few more environmental factors, but again, the primary cause is that we live long enough where it becomes a problem. Something like two-thirds of all cancer patients are over 65. Human beings aren't designed to live forever, no matter how well you eat. At some point, something's going to go wrong.

>> I bet that before 1950 nobody really knew what cancer was.

Well, you would lose that bet--badly. They may not have understood it as well on the cellular and molecular level, but they had already categorized symptoms, tumors, etc. Hodgkin's Disease, for instance, was diagnosed in 1832. And even back when they thought cancer was "bad humors" or whatever, it still existed and people still died from it.

>> When they didn't have all these house cleaning products, cigarette smokers, packaged and microwave foods. If nature wasn't altered by man everything would be fine. Don't you think?

No, I don't. Here's a question to provide some perspective: what was the average life expectancy in 10,000 B.C.E.? How about 1850? How about now? I agree that modern processed foods present some new challenges, but I'd far rather be dealing with these challenges than, say, devastating famine.

>> Better to inform yourself rather than to make comments out of pure ignorance with all due respect.

Good advice!

Whether cancer has existed for a time or not, there is no denying that living an immensely healthy lifestyle can and DOES prevent cancer. This is health on a cellular level, not cardiovascular health as many can get confused with health in general. You can be one of the most in-shape people in the world but be missing one simple nutrient required for good cellular health and all will go to shambles in your body. Vit c defficiency causes scurvy, just the same as how a lack of phytochemicals and nutrients supplied in foods that aren't seen as vital. There is no evidence that i know of to support it, but logically, it makes 100% sense. Msg and other additives can and will screw with your cellular health just as a healthy diet will do the opposite.

These natural flavors, artificial flavors, and added colors cannot be good for you. I have seen severely ADHD teenagers' symptoms nearly disappear after eliminating these ingredients from their diets. I'm going to stay with what is safe: food that hasn't been created in a laboratory.

The intentional ambiguity in the labeling process is shady at best. How could someone discern between a natural flavor that causes long-lasting health problems and one that is not?

All of these additives, whether it is natural flavor or mono and digylicerides are making us dumb and sick.

All cancering aside, whenever I see the ingredient "natural flavor", I set it back on its shelf. The people of northern Pakistan in the Hunza Valley have the right recipe for longevity. No processed foods, fresh air, sunlight, exercise (farming and walking up and down the mountains), eating only locally grown fruits and vegetables in season, and the occasional animal meat. I'll just do my best to follow their queues and see how it goes for me.

Around biblical times, people lived substantially longer than 100 years. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why! Companies can't be trusted. Their only agenda is to make a profit! GMO's (with their poisonous pesticides, herbicides, injected bacteria, etc.),hydrogenated fats, High Fructose Corn Syrup (sugar glucose-fructose (in Canada)- different names in other countries and the leading cause of type 2 diabetes), mono and diglycerides (trans fats), flavor, color and all the other names that companies use to hide their poisons, artificial sweeteners, etc.! Ninety percent of "food" these days is nothing more than chemical soup! Corporations today are getting away with murder...and I mean that literally. It's appalling, what these "corporations" are doing to our health. I've personally been researching this topic for a few years now and it's actually quite horrifying!