Pesky Food Jargon

Naturally Derived, Made from Real Ingredients. Enriched Food Product.

All this food Jargon can make the most health conscious and savvy self Nutrional experts a little crazy. It is hard to distinguish food marketing terms from actual health terms.

You almost need an advanced degree to figure out what you are eating and putting on your body. If you don't know what is being said, how can you make an informed decision on what you put in your body? Commercial food jargon can be a bit misleading and sometimes confusing.

So, what does the savvy health-conscious individual do? Educate themselves. If you are a person who purchases premade processed food your best defense on getting what your body needs is knowing the terms used in today's food market.

Here is a list of terms that every person needs to know.

Food, Medicine, Pharmaceutical, Drug

Food is a word we hear all the time. "Eat your food!" What is food?

Food is defined as a material consisting essentially of proteins, carbohydrates and fats that are used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, to repair and to sustain vital processes and to furnish energy. I think that definition is pretty straightforward. Food aids the body to help sustain and repair itself.

What about the "Food" that is processed in some manner and pre-packaged for the consumer? Is that Food?

Medicine then becomes a misused word.

 Medicine is defined as a substance or preparation used in treating disease or something that affects well-being. This definition of medicine sounds suspiciously close to the definition of Food, I think.

T further confuse this argument of food is medicine a newer definition of the word Medicine has been added. This definition describes medicine as a substance used to treat something other than disease.

 I guess it must depend on your viewpoint or profession. i think.

Pharmaceutical is a word usually not used in its proper manner. Most people interchange Pharmaceutical with Medicine, and they are not interchangeable.

 Pharmaceutical is defined as a medicinal drug, A compound manufactured for use as a medicinal drug. A pharmaceutical is a manufactured, highly processed compound.

We then go to the word Drug; we get all over the board definitions. It is a very simple word and is usually associated with more natural components and minimal if any processing.

Drug as defined is a substance recognized in an official pharmacopoeia or formulary () It can be a substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease. it can also be a substance other than food, intended to affect the structure or function of the body and can be a substance intended for use as a component of a medicine, but not a device or a component, part, or accessory of a device. The easiest way to explain this definition is that cannabis, salvia, mushrooms, plantain, and dandelions are all food/drugs/medicines. Opioids, ibuprofen, decongestants, and pain creams are all pharmaceuticals.

Vitamins, Minerals, Supplement, Dietary Supplement, Food Supplement

We now know the difference between food, medicine, pharmaceutical and drug.

We need to know what vitamins, minerals, and supplements are.

The majority of the population know what vitamins and minerals are so I will not take a lot of time on them in this article.

A vitamin is any of a group of organic compounds which are essential for normal growth and nutrition ad are required in small quantities in the diet because they cannot be synthesized by the body.

A Mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid within the earth and the human body with a definite chemical composition and a crystalline structure. Both are essential to our health and wellbeing.

So then, what is a Supplement?

 A Supplement is defined as something that completes or makes an addition to.

Most times supplements are generally added to food in the form of chemicals.

Food put together with Supplementary substances lead you into the terms Dietary/Food Supplement. A Dietary/Food Supplement is defined as a product taken orally that contains one or more ingredients (such as vitamins, minerals or amino acids) that are intended to "supplement" one's diet and..... ARE NOT considered food. Supplements then aid individuals who don't have enough food to eat or do not get all of their nutrients from whole foods.

So, in a nutshell anything that was living before consumed is considered Food. (Fruits, grains, vegetables, nuts, greens, roots, legumes, and meat [ I am loosely adding meat because I believe it is a processed food source]). Any substance added to food, to add to its nutritional value, is no longer food. Once a supplement is added to food it them becomes a Food Supplement. Most processed, prepackaged foods sold in the market today are Food Supplements.

Enrich, Fortify, Infused,

The blanket term for the Enrich is to add to, to be fuller or more meaningful. It also means to add a nutrient or nutrients to...

To me Fortify is just another term for enrich. Fortify meant to strengthen or reinforce by adding material to invigorate or to strengthen or enrich by adding vitamins.

Any one of these terms used when describing what is in or been done to food automatically makes the food inside a Food Supplement. This is because to enrich or fortify any foods under the present definition and knowledge, is to add a chemical of some sort to the food.

To further confuse this issue is that anything used to enrich or fortify a food can also be defined as derived from, or more commonly known as naturally derived.

Natural, Derived, Naturally Derived

The misuse of the word Natural when used in marketing drives me nuts. And, if you pair it with the word derived.... well let's say "palm on the forehead." I think both of these words are overused and mislead individuals to believing what they are eating is healthy in some sense. This is not always the case.

The term Natural in its base meaning is simple, existing in or formed by nature, constituted by nature, of or pertaining to nature or the universe and uncultivated.

Simple, the issue is When the term natural is used in advertising to describe that the product being purchased is in fact Natural.

The term natural further means that nothing artificial or synthetic (including color additives) has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected to be in that food. Anything that has the terms enrich, fortify, condensed, dehydrated, supplemented or processed is not natural.

Derived is another simple straight forward word. To derive, is to take, receive, or obtain from a specified source. it also means to obtain (a chemical substance) from a parent substance.

 It is the term Naturally Derived that can trip people up. Simply put whatever ingredient or item that is being promoted using this term is most likely Not natural.

Using this logic, one can argue that everything being produced on the market can lay claim to this term because pretty much everything being used has come from nature at one point. To further my point on this term there are several ingredients in foods such as corn chips and fresh apples where a naturally derived ingredient from petroleum has been added. Colors in foods and in other topical products are most commonly derived from petroleum.

Natural Flavoring, Artificial Flavoring

 The term natural can also be seen when used to describe a products flavor. Most flavorings (what makes the product taste a particular way) can be put into two different categories, Natural or Artificial.

A Natural Flavor is meant to enhance flavor, not necessarily to contribute nutritional value to a food or beverage. A Natural Flavor can be derived from a natural ingredient. But understand that natural flavors are generally 90 percent chemical and rely on the resins of a natural ingredient to get the scent or flavor palette desired. This basically makes Natural Flavorings, in essence a kind of perfume.

Artificial Flavor is a flavoring containing any sapid or aromatic constituent, which constituent was manufactured by a process of syntheses or other similar artifice. It is also a synthetic substance which imparts a desired flavor to a food or drug, ideally the same flavor and aroma as the natural product. Artificial flavors are not derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products or fermentation products. Artificial flavors are not derived. They are a brand-new, chemical-based creations used to mimic a particular scent or flavor.

Condensed, Reconstituted, Concentrated, Dehydrated

I personally don't think any of these three words when talking about prepackaged foods sound even remotely tempting. They sound so, institutional. maybe it's me. These words are used a lot in juices and soups. You generally see these words in the ingredients portion of the product label. These words are descriptive words to describe a process that was used on a particular ingredient.

Condense is to reduce in size without loss of content. Another way to look at this word is it will need a liquid added because the seasoning was purposefully heavy to save water. (usually) You often see this word used in soups such as condensed chicken soup.

Reconstituted to restore to a former condition by adding water. this is usually seen on the ingredients list. it is describing an ingredient that was once dehydrated but has been rehydrated using a liquid solution. They do not have to include the ingredients on this liquid solution on the label.

Concentrate is a food reduced in bulk by elimination of fluid. Concentrates are found usually in labeling on juices but can also be found in the ingredients list. Concentrates are juices and liquids that come from a natural source such as fruits and vegetables that are heated and reduced to a syrup consistency. They are then rehydrated with liquids and various flavors; preservatives and colors are added. This is to ensure the products uniformity in taste. Vitamins that were lost in the concentrating process are also added. They do not have to give you the formula of the liquid being used to reconcentrate in concentrates.

Dehydrate is to remove bound water or hydrogen and oxygen from a chemical compound in the proportion in which they form water. to remove water from. To dehydrate food items is very common. you see the term dehydrated in the ingredients list. dehydrated eggs or tomatoes are the most common. if it is listed as an ingredient this means that the water free item was used. i.e., dehydrated tomato paste, just the powder form of that ingredient was used.

Calorie, Protein, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Sodium, Cholesterol,

One of the first things I ask people to gauge their food knowledge is to ask them if they know what a calorie is. Most people know it pertains to food and is important to keep track of, but the actual meaning is lost.

A Calorie is a unit of energy equivalent to the heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1-degree Celsius used to determine the nutritional value of foods. So, a calorie is a unit of energy. Kind of explains why you need to work out and raise your temperature to burn off a calorie.

Protein is another one of those terms that people are not fully sure of and when it is used on labels, I think it becomes even trickier. Protein is such a broad term. This word can be severely misleading if you are not careful.

Proteins are chains of amino acids that create a protein structure. As you can imagine there are different kinds of proteins that contain different amino acid structure. Food labels do not specify between plant and animal-based proteins. To further complicate things there are 9 essential amino acids and 8 non-essential amino acids related to proteins and the human body. Unfortunately, by using only the term protein, protein numbers on a label will not give you the proper information to give you a complete picture of what proteins and amounts you are actually getting.

Carbohydrate is any of a large group of organic compounds that includes sugars, starches and cellulose, containing hydrogen and oxygen in the same ratio as water (2:1) and used as structural materials and for energy storage within living tissues. Carbohydrates are tied into your energy systems.

 Simple Carbohydrate is a carbohydrate that is made of one or two molecules of sugar. It is absorbed into the body easily. They are generally used first but if left unused the body will store simple carbohydrates for later.

Complex Carbohydrate are built up of multiple sugar molecules, strung together in long complex chains. there are 2 types of complex carbohydrates fiber and starch. Starch based complex carbohydrates are what is commonly used in processed foods. Feber bases carbohydrates generally come from eating fruits, vegetables, grains and other plant-based ingredients.

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate found naturally in plant-based foods that is not digestible in humans. Fiber regulates the bodies blood sugar. This is why if you eat a potato or carrot, it is good to eat the skins also. The fiber in the skins help your body process the carbohydrates within.

Soluble fiber is a dietary fiber generally plant based. that dissolves in water. Soluble fiber is metabolized by bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract into short chain fatty acids, which in turn nourish commensal bacteria in the gut. Soluble fiber is huge in the microbiome. We are just learning how important this process is.

Insoluble Fiber is a fiber that cannot be dissolved in water or another liquid. it attracts water and adds bulk to stool. Whole grains, seeds, nuts, broccoli, tomatoes, dark leafy vegetable and fruit and vegetable skins are just a few examples of insoluble fiber. It is also found that fiber is a big player in keeping your microbiome clean.

Fats are a major source of energy in the diet, providing nine calories per gram, more than twice the number provided by carbohydrates or protein. Fats are misunderstood. You do need some fats for your body to work properly.

Unsaturated Fats from plant foods are liquid at room temperature (oil) and are generally derived from plant sources and a few animal sources like fish. Unsaturated fat can absorb hydrogen in the body. This in turn helps with oxygenation throughout the body.

Saturated Fats from animal foods are generally solid at room temperature. they are found in animal-based foods like beef, pork, dairy, eggs and tropical oils like coconut and palm. Saturated Fats, even from a plant source are very bad for the body. It generally has more hydrogen in them and cannot aid in absorption of hydrogen.

Trans Fats from processed foods are formed through a manufacturing process that adds hydrogen to vegetable oil, which converts the liquid into a solid fat at room temperature. This process is called hydrogenation. Trans fat also occurs naturally in food products from animals (milk, butter, cheese, meat products, etc.). Trans fats and saturated fats are the leading cause of heart disease.

Sodium is an alkali metal. the metal does not occur in nature and must be prepared from compounds. Any sodium added to foods and other topicals is processed and is usually Sodium Chloride (table salt).

Do not confuse Sodium with Sodium Chloride. Unfortunately, the term sodium is often interchanged with sodium chloride. Sodium Chloride is table salt. it has a 1:1 ratio with chloride. which means it has equal amounts of Sodium and chloride. Chloride is a nasty substance that can put the body into various cardio and neuro-based illnesses.

New Terms to be Aware of

Enriched Food Product is a product in which nutrients have been added. typically, the added nutrients were present in the food in its original form but were removed at some point during the processing.

Bio Engineered Food Ingredient is an ingredient contains detectable genetic material that has been modified through certain lab techniques that cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature.

Pesky Jargon Everywhere

If you have a base understanding of most words used to describe food products, you are ahead of the game in understanding the chemical footprints in our lives that we actually have. Most people do not have this understanding and it can make you very ill if you do not have some knowledge of the words being used to describe the things you put in and on your body.

Education and knowledge are always your best allies in knowing and understanding......

I hope this read helps you or someone you love. Tommie