Disgusting "Natural" Ingredients that You're Eating

This has to be one of my favorite conversations I have as a trainer and nutritional consultant. I love when people say, “It’s all natural!” and I reply, “So is a beaver’s anal gland—but I don’t want it in my food!” 😳 Now that I’ve got your attention (lol), you may think I’m kidding, but unfortunately, it’s a disgusting fact.

The Problem With “Natural”

Beware of “natural flavor” and products labeled “natural.” Once upon a time those words actually meant something, but as companies chased money, cheap production, and longer shelf lives, the meaning was lost.

Today, the term “natural” means absolutely nothing. It’s pure marketing designed to make you think you’re buying a healthy product. Here’s the kicker: “natural” is not regulated by anyone. Products labeled this way can still contain antibiotics, toxic pesticides, growth hormones, and all sorts of things you’d never knowingly put in your body.

Even vitamins and supplements aren’t regulated. That means anyone can slap a “natural” label on a product, and it could be anything but. And yes—it’s an absolute shame that our government allows such misleading practices.

Disgusting “Natural” Ingredients Hiding in Your Food

Here are a few to watch for the next time you’re scanning a label:

• Coal Tar (Yellow #5): Found in macaroni and cheese, candy, fruit snacks, Doritos, and Cheetos. It’s a petroleum derivative—nothing “natural” about it.

• Carmine (a.k.a. Beetles): This red food coloring comes from crushed beetles. You’ll find it in ice cream, yogurt, juices, and candy.

• Castoreum (Beaver Anal Glands): Believe it or not, this FDA-approved “natural flavoring” shows up in raspberry, strawberry, and vanilla flavored products—like ice cream, yogurts, jellies, and candies.

• Shellac (Bug Secretions): That glossy coating on candy or pills? It comes from the lac bug. Marketed as a “natural glaze,” but let’s be real—it’s bug juice.

• L-Cysteine: Often used in bread to “soften” dough. Sounds harmless until you realize it’s made from duck feathers or hog hair.

So…What Can You Do?

I probably freaked you out a little (and you’re about to rummage through your pantry 😂). But here’s the truth: you can’t control everything that goes into food production, but you can control what you put in your mouth.

• Read labels carefully. “Natural flavors” should raise an eyebrow.

• Choose whole foods whenever possible. Foods without labels—like fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, nuts, and seeds—are your safest bet. Yes, they may still have some toxins from soil or water, but they’re far cleaner than a boxed product with a mystery ingredient list.

• Understand the gimmick. A strawberry is natural. Natural strawberry flavoring is just a lab-created chemical designed to taste like strawberry. Big difference.

• Limit exposure. You’ll never avoid it all—our soil is depleted, our waters are polluted, and even “healthy” foods aren’t what they used to be. But the less toxic junk you ingest, the better your long-term health will be.

At the end of the day, knowledge is power. And once you know what’s really hiding behind those “natural” claims, you’ll start making choices that truly fuel your body.

So on that note…what’s for dinner? 😉