Natural Flava: Quick & Easy Plant-Based Caribbean Recipes

Product Information

Okay, you get the point. Since “natural” isn’t regulated by the FDA, you can’t rely on it. Ingredients Considered “Natural Flavors” To make a natural flavor without actually using the imitated food itself, flavor scientists look for cheaper sources that mimic the natural food’s molecular “fingerprint.” If you’ve scanned a food label lately, you’ve likely seen “natural flavors” on the ingredient list. Natural flavors, simply put, are food-derived agents that add taste to food products.

Often products have both natural and artificial flavors listed on the label. There is, in fact, plenty of overlap between these categories — and the classification rules aren’t always logical. It’s around the corner,” says Shaun. “Obviously we love it. There’s a lot more to Jamaican food. It’s broad and diverse and centred on family. That’s what we wanted to demonstrate to people. It’s cool there was so much interest.” There are thousands of natural and artificial flavors used in food products. About 700 flavors are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA, and another 2000 or so have been sanctioned by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States[ *][ *]. Take vanillin, a natural flavor extracted from vanilla bean. Studies in test tubes and mice have shown that vanillin has antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antidepressant properties[ *][ *][ *]. More human trials are needed though.

Why are Natural Flavors Used?

Unfortunately, “natural” flavors can contain chemicals, carrier solvents, and preservatives. And they could be made from just about anything other than petroleum. So, what’s the deal? What are Natural Flavors? A vibrantly designed Caribbean vegan cookbook from the internationally celebrated duo behind Original Flava. Some chemicals, of course, are better for you than others. Which chemicals you consume depends, in large part, on the company flavoring your food.

Before releasing their first book in 2019, Original Flava, the brothers made a pilgrimage to Jamaica – and it’s the plant-based food they really remember the most. “The best meal I ever had was a vegan meal in Jamaica,” Craig reminisces. “It was incredible. It was different vegan dishes on one plate – stewed peas, pumpkin, slaw, curried tofu, rice and peas – all in one bowl. We’ve taken that excitement and vibrancy, and those Caribbean ingredients to what we’re doing now.” According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations, natural flavors are created from substances extracted from these plant or animal sources ( 1): All these flavors can also be produced using lab-created chemicals, in which case they would be listed as artificial flavors.But the term “natural flavor” is confusing. If it’s natural, why does it get listed separately? What’s the difference between natural vanilla flavor and, well, vanilla extract? What makes natural flavor different from artificial flavor? In the same frying pan, pan-fry the sliced okra and serve alongside the curry, with rice and flatbreads. Serve extra mango chutney and hot pepper sauce on the side. If a flavor of any kind meets safety criteria, it gets added to the “Generally Recognized as Safe” list and receives approval to use in food products. In this article, you’ll learn the truth about natural flavors: what they are, if they’re better than artificial flavors, and whether or not you should consume them. What Are Natural Flavors?

When you see natural flavors on your ingredient list, those flavors don’t come straight from the “source.” As Healthline put it, natural flavors are highly processed and they recommend avoiding them as much as possible by choosing fresh, whole foods. However, since the FDA hasn’t officially defined this term, it can be used to describe almost any type of food ( 3). Finally, take citral — a compound that adds citrus flavor. In one study, citral was shown to reduce obesity, boost insulin sensitivity, and improve glucose tolerance (a metric of blood sugar health) in rats[ *]. The health effects of these synthetic solvents and preservatives aren’t well understood, so probably best to avoid them.The termnatural flavorornatural flavoringmeans the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. Ever stand in the grocery store isle reading the ingredient list for a product and come across “natural flavor”? As a devoted ingredient-list reader, I know I definitely have.

In fact, in some cases natural flavors aren’t much different from artificial flavors in terms of chemical composition and health effects. Growing up in a Caribbean household in south London, meat was very much the main event, but that’s shifted now, with the duo experimenting more with plant-based foods – and their mum has even been a vegan since 2017.For instance, if you add cinnamon-derived flavor to a cinnamon bagel, it’s considered a “natural flavor”. But if you add the same cinnamon flavor to a plain bagel, it’s considered an “artificial flavor”[ *]. Yes, weird. Are Natural Flavors Better Than Artificial Flavors? If natural flavors have little health or environmental benefit, why have them? Fact #4: We LOVE the “Natural” in Natural Flavor The brothers – who say they rarely eat meat at home these days – are continuing to adapt original flavours and natural cookery, so another cookbook can’t be too far off. We come from a Caribbean community where we’re so used to these ingredients, so we wanted to show it in a new light,” explains Craig. “Plantain’s quite a loved vegetable – delicious, it’s in the banana family, it’s sweet but still starchy. There are so many different ways [to cook it], and we wanted to show our community and the world how you can use different Caribbean-based vegetables, and everyday vegetables as well, with added flavour.”