Everyone loves Nutella, but not many know about the harmful ingredients it contains. The worst one is E621 or monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is hidden inside vanillin- an artificial flavor labeled on every jar of Nutella. Moreover, the content of Nutella includes soy lecithin (toxic GMO emulsifier) and palm oil whose extraction is devastating wildlife and forests throughout the world.
The company Ferrero in Italy introduced Nutella back in 1964, and they continued with their production, although they have local produce in many countries.
We used to be crazy over this product as kids back in the 70s and 80s, but at that time our parents didn’t pay much attention to the label ingredients. The official US Nutella Website lists the following ingredients: palm oil, sugar, Healthline, hazelnuts, skim milk, soy lecithin as emulsifiers, reduced minerals whey (milk), and vanillin as an artificial flavor.
According to Nutella, their product doesn’t contain artificial preservatives and artificial colors, although artificial it is considered everything that’s produced by people, and not obtained naturally. Every ingredient of Nutella undergoes very heavy processing which means that the natural state of every ingredient which contributes to preservation and color is totally absent from their formula.
The content of Nutella includes 67 percent saturated fat and processed sugar by weight. 37 grams of Nutella contains 21 grams of sugar, 11 grams of fat (out of which 3.5 grams are saturated), and 200 calories. So, a typical nut and chocolate candy bar contains 12 to 16 grams of fat and 250 to 300 calories.
An Artificial Flavor (MSG) – Vanillin
Most people think of vanilla when seeing vanillin, but this ingredient is probably one of the most dangerous found in Nutella. The flavor and scent of vanillin are chemicals, and not the molecules extracted from a vanilla bean.
Vanillin can be made cheaply in a lab using petroleum. The world’s largest manufacturers of vanillin are in China, and Nutella, along with over 90 percent of manufactured food products contain vanillin produced in China.
The worst constituent in vanillin is the amino acid MSG. The MSG breakdown consists of 10% water, 12% sodium, and 78% glutamate, and glutamate is responsible for the negative effect of MSG on our body. Added glutamate in any processed food can’t be regarded as naturally occurring, as opposed to the L-glutamic acid which is naturally occurring glutamate in animals and plants. MSG is hidden in common food products as a slow poison, and we aren’t even aware of it, such as in the case of vanillin.
It has been proven that MSG acts as an excitotoxin, therefore stimulating the brain’s reward system. In that way, we are convinced that it has a better taste than it really has, so we continue consuming it.
Many scientists and clinicians believe that excitotoxins have a crucial role in the development of seizures, migraines, abnormal neural development, infections, specific types of obesity, certain endocrine disorders, and specifically the neurodegenerative diseases which include Parkinson’s disease, ALS, Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and olivopontocerebellar degeneration.
Palm Oil
This oil is derived from the fruit of oil palms. When government authorities decided to take drastic measures to lower the trans fat amounts in processed foods, the use of this oil in processed foods throughout America jumped sharply. In terms of the global popularity of food oils, palm oil is right after the most popular soybean oil, as reported by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The center warns about the dangers of this oil, citing 2 meta-analyses that prove that palm oil increases the levels of blood cholesterol. 147 human trials were evaluated by a 1997 British analysis which proved that the active ingredient in palm oil, called palmitic acid, increased total blood cholesterol levels. Other 35 clinical studies were analyzed in 2003 by Dutch scientists who showed that palmitic acid drastically raises total cholesterol levels as opposed to good cholesterol levels and that’s a well-known risk factor for heart disease.
Three biochemistry researchers from Nigeria emphasize that palm oil in an oxidized state can threaten the biochemical and physiological functions of the body. They further explain that many producers of processed foods oxidize this oil in their food products for different culinary purposes.
This means that most of us probably consume oxidized palm oil, and its negative effects include organ toxicity of the liver, heart, lungs, and kidney, reproductive toxicity, and increased levels of free fatty acids, cerebrosides, and phospholipids.
The cost at which Indonesia has become one of the 2 worldwide largest producers and exporters of palm oil is the depopulation and destruction of orangutan’s inhabitants in the last 20 years, and it seems that this trend will continue, and even increase.
In Malaysia, there has been the obliteration of peat swamp forests, and the habitats of the smallest elephant on the Planet- the pygmy elephant, many rare birds, and the clouded leopard have been endangered with the disappearance of the forests.
Palm oil cultivation has caused such devastation that people start noticing this and companies try to make some changes.
The sustainability criteria of palm oil remain controversial according to the Worldwatch Institute, and we should exclude this ingredient from the content of food products as it is not sustainable for wildlife or in our ecosystems.
Soy Lecithin
The waste product from the “degumming process” of raw soy oil is actually soybean lecithin. It contains pesticides and solvents and its consistency varies from a gummy fluid to a plastic solid. Its color ranges from reddish-brown to dirty tan, before being bleached to light yellow. Nowadays manufacturing process of soybean oil uses a hexane extraction process that yields less lecithin than the former ethanol-benzol process. On the other hand, it produces lecithin with reduced odor, better color, and less bitter flavor- ideal for the market.
Nowadays, soy lecithin is omnipresent in the processed food supply, especially in peanut butter, margarine, ice cream, chocolate candies, infant formulas, and coffee creamers as an emulsifier to prevent separation of the fats and water.
Today, most sources of soy throughout the world are GM (genetically modified), and according to researchers, genetically modified foods threaten the environment and human health by causing reduced fertility, creation and exacerbation of allergies, and immunological alterations in the gut.
Large amounts of plant toxicants are contained within the genetically engineered soy, and their presence means thousands of plant biochemicals a lot of which have been proven to be toxic.
Reduced Minerals Whey
Whey protein used to be regarded as a waste byproduct of the production of cheese, so it was usually discarded. However, today’s dairy companies recognize its value and try to improve its production by concentrating and purifying it from substandard sources from caws consuming GMO foods, hormones, and antibiotics. Reduced-mineral whey winds up being a dark-colored cream product that companies get raw from the same group of producers.
The additive whey powder stabilizes the fat emulsions so it’s usually used in spreads to avoid coagulation of the product. It is derived when why wheat undergoes heat treatment until it’s dried, to eliminate a portion of the minerals. Why powder is used by the pharmaceutical industry and in animal feed.
This demineralization of whey can reach up to 90 percent, making it a completely useless ingredient regarding its nutrition.
Therefore, stop consuming this toxic product, and choose one of the two healthier alternatives to Nutella given below.
Healthier Alternatives to Nutella
1st Raw Nutella Recipe
You will get about 1 cup
Required Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of maple syrup
- 1 cup of soaked hazelnuts, (in a period of 8-10 hours)
- 1/4 cup of raw cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons of coconut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
Blend the hazelnuts in a high-powered blender or food processor, after you have rinsed and drained them, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until you get a smooth, buttery consistency. Then, add the vanilla, sweetener, cacao powder, and salt and blend again until smooth. Finally, add milk until you get the desired consistency.
2nd Raw Nutella Recipe
You will get about a 330-milliliter jar
Required Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of maple syrup
- 90 grams or 15 dates
- 1/3 cup of carob powder
- Half a cup of almond butter
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
Pour hot water into a bowl, and add the dates to rehydrate them. Keep them for about 10 minutes, but if you use cold water keep them for about 2 hours. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until you get a smooth consistency. Add oil or water, but never milk.
Via The Food Talk | Antigone XXI | The Food Talk
