Real food doesn't have an ingredient list...

One of the biggest complaints that I get as a nutritionist is “my digestion is not quite right”. Common complaints vary from reflux, gas, constipation, loose bowels, bloating, to simply “it just doesn’t feel right”. 

All of these are valid concerns, and having constant discomfort, or fear of not knowing whether a meal is going to trigger your symptoms is really disruptive to living life with ease. This is particularly distressing to those who “eat clean” or “have a good diet”.

So what is causing these issues and how do you get rid of them? 

In a consultation, I would ask you a bunch of questions about common causes: 

Do any particular foods trigger your symptoms? 

Did it start after a particular incident or event? Eg. A trip abroad or food poisoning 

Have you had recent antibiotics? 

Do you take painkillers or any other meds regularly? 

And so on.... 

There are times when the answer to these questions is no, no, no...... 

It baffles people and sometimes myself as well, especially when it appears that the person eats healthy and does not have any food intolerances.

But let’s take a closer look at “eating healthy”. 

Somewhere along the way, we have forgotten that real food doesn’t have ingredients. It is ingredients. We go to the supermarket and easily assume that the product on the shelves is by default, good for us. Big brands have spent millions of marketing dollars over many years to build trust with consumers who would never question what is in their product, especially when it’s something as simple as bread, salt, or something “healthy” like a wrap or yoghurt. 

Artificial additives are truly ubiquitous in our foods today. Companies use additives to extend the shelf life of products, to achieve desired texture/ consistency, to add flavour, colour, or to make up for nutrition which may have been lost during processing. It’s hard to pick up a packaged food without some kind of additive in it, sometimes even masquerading as something healthy eg. “Antioxidant”- I mean, we all need more of those right? Maybe not.... 

Most of us are unsuspecting, and rightfully so. Why would the brands we know and love add ingredients which are potentially harmful to us? Plus, if these ingredients were really that bad, wouldn’t they be banned? 

Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. 

Let’s have a look at some common food additives:

Citric acid- this one is a wolf in sheep’s clothing as the natural version found in fruits is actually healthy. Its synthetic counterpart is made from a fungus Aspergillus niger. Whilst the black mould is filtered out, there have been reports of it causing abdominal pain, diarrhoea and nausea. It has not been tested for adverse reactions with chronic exposure.

Preservative- the list of preservatives goes far and wide. They have been known to trigger asthma & allergies, alter gut bacteria leading to IBS / IBD, hyperactivity and even be carcinogenic.

Anti-caking agent- often made from synthetic substances or aluminium which is toxic in frequent/ high doses.

Emulsifier- affects gut microbiome and can damage/ inflame gastrointestinal lining.

Sucralose- can increase your risk of diabetes, associated with IBS & Crohn’s disease.  

Aspartame- found to be carcinogenic in rats.

What’s even more frightening is, that if an additive makes up less than 5% of the food product and doesn’t serve a purpose, FSANZ does not require it to be disclosed on the ingredient list. It is shocking to think about how many additives we could be unknowingly ingesting. Despite additives being present in minuscule amounts, they can accumulate in the body and cause digestive upset overtime. 

Let’s try a seemingly “healthy” meal of a chicken wrap: 

Wrap bread: raising agents, stabilisers, vegetable emulsifier, acidity regulator

Grated cheese: Anticaking agent, preservative

Mayo: Antioxidant, xanthan gum, acidity regulator

Salt: anti-caking agent

(I have found these ingredients from real products found at Coles supermarket)

Whilst having additives from one or two of these ingredients sporadically probably isn’t enough to cause our bodies any major issues (the human body is highly resilient and extremely capable of detox), if you add up 3 meals a day over years and years, plus the occasional extra stress of alcohol, drugs or other indulgences, it’s a recipe for a sensitive gut. Oftentimes, a sensitive gut is developed over time and not overnight.

The moral of this story is to check the ingredient list on your foods the next time you head to the supermarket- especially on foods with health claims splashed over them. Foods that have removed a component of food (e.g. “sugar free”) often make up for it with something else that might not necessarily be better for you (e.g. sucralose).

Be sure to avoid ingredients which have numbers, or are not actually foods. Better, yet, choose real food over packaged foods where possible. You might be shocked that foods you’ve loved and trusted for years are the biggest culprits- many favourites had me fooled too, especially the ones with big health claims on the front (“gluten free”, “4 health star rating”). This might make your shopping trips a bit longer than usual, but future you will thank you.

As the old adage goes, if you don’t recognise the ingredient, your body wont either.

Let me know how you go!