Clean Label vs Clean Ingredients

In the world of packaged goods, there’s a whole vocabulary of words I never understood really, and some I never even heard of before this journey.

It’s the Makers side of the table vs the consumers viewpoint and understanding.

For example, our products fall into the the category of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG to the initiated). 

This knowledge of what my products are called is essential in the world of retail and distribution because someday, I want people everywhere to have immediate access to the products we make. And that means brick & mortar stores.

Not because I want to be a gazillionaire (though, that would be nice too), but because there’s nothing out there like our products right now. And the world needs it.

The reality is that 87% of retail consumer shopping still happens in real stores.

And I really want people to have healthier options wherever they are so they don’t sabotage their health just because it’s a holiday, the weekend, they’re going to the movies, or traveling and stop at a convenience store for a snack.

We’ve been busy learning the ins and outs of how to make that happen strategically and successfully because most CPG brands fail in the first year—even when they get into the big chains. But, that’s not the point of this post.

I’m talking about terminology and words used to describe things in this world of commercial food making.

Case in point.

Don’t laugh, but I only recently discovered that we’re a “Premium Brand”. Yet here, I’ve been trying to compete with other brands “like ours” on the same shelves with junk ingredients.

But we’re not like them. Actually.

After Expo West, and lots of conversations with experts deeper in the CPG space, I was surprised and delighted there’s a place for our brand that can compete in retail. In fact, there are buyers and marketplaces that seek out brands like ours especially.

Premium products in the retail space are products that are often found on the top shelves of retail shelves. They are better than other products in their class, because they are made with the very best ingredients.

Clean Ingredients vs Dirty Ingredients 

All ingredients (even with the same name on a label) are not the same.

Simple examples are natural colors, or soluble fiber, or even stevia, or corn starch.

Natural Colors are better than artificial colors, but can be just as bad. They can be extracted with toxic chemicals like hexane, or contain GMOs, or seed oils, or even maltodextrin or polysorbate 80.

Soluble fiber can come from various sources and contain GMOs, sugar, maltodextrin, and depending on how cleanly they are made, they can contain components that are not part of the fiber. I just wrote about that in my last email.

Depending on where the ingredient is sourced from can impact what’s actually in it (residual toxins, hidden carriers, etc). Misleading purity standards.I’m lookin at you, China.

This is because different countries have different manufacturing standards, and our FDA can’t possibly test and regulate everything (even if we want them to).

Many food and raw ingredients come from China. They’re cheaper and easy to get. But, China has a history of adulterating products that should make any food maker wary. I will talk more about this in a later post.

But, this is one of the reasons that if you want to have a booth at Natural Products Expo West (the oldest and largest natural products expo in the world), your brand and products PAY to get vetted first.

That’s right. These guys are hard-core and THAT’s why the leading retail chain buyers trust them when they are searching for new brands to add to their stores.

Packaging, ingredients, certifications and claims made on the products or ingredients are reviewed and scrutinized. Only after they approve your product, can you invest in a booth. They won’t take your money if you don’t make the cut.

This is because they know that ingredients and food products are not always what they claim to be.

I just wanted to give you a better understanding of some of the ingredient issues we’re facing as consumers (and food makers), and why some “clean labels” don’t make us feel better when we eat them, or spike blood sugar when they shouldn’t.

As a food maker, if we don’t realize that every ingredient we choose fits somewhere on the scale of premium, good, okay(ish) or dirty, then our products might be getting made with the cheapest, dirtiest versions of that ingredient.

I didn’t know any of this when I started. I just knew what I wanted my products to do; not impact blood sugar, not drive inflammation with toxic ingredients and manufacturing processes, and not taste weird.

So, I accidentally reinvented these classic favorites with the very best ingredients, actually.

Zero BS. Zero compromises.

My mission is to help educate you so you are empowered to make better decisions when it comes to your health and well-being.

Luckily, I’m not alone in this mission.

You will see more of these emails, articles, blogposts, and posts from me. It’s time that we take ownership of the health of our nation, and that starts with each of us.

It may be unorthodox for a brand like mine to share this much with our customers, but I don’t care. We have to make it easier for people to switch to better options and a healthier future.

I don’t want to give you a bunch of bad news, and leave you with no solutions because that’s not cool.

Here’s a quick ingredient guide to help you switch to better options when you shop for food that comes in packages.

10 Ingredients to 🧐🕵🏻♀️

1. Sugar: I know this seems obvious as a “no”, but I’m still amazed at “keto” products that have sugar on the label. It may be justified as “just a small amount” or organic cane sugar, or coconut sugar. But, sugar is sugar. The thinking seems to be that if 20g of carbs is the limit, 4-6g of sugar is cool. But, 4g of sugar is a whole tsp and enough to raise insulin and drop ketones. All carbs are not equal. Straight sugar and the ones that turn into sugar in the body are going to sabotage health, weight loss, and ketones, period.
   
   
2. Natural Flavors (savory): If it contains natural flavors and it’s savory, there’s a strong possibility it contains MSG, and probably maltodextrin. MSG is used in labs to make mice fat, it’s been shown to raise insulin and fatty liver. Humans should not be eating this ingredient.
   
   
3. Natural Flavors (Sweet): If it has natural flavors and is a sweet item, test your blood sugar response because there’s a high chance it has maltodextrin, sugar, starches. But, you won’t know unless you test for yourself. Of course, our products don’t have this, but not everyone who uses flavors is as intense as we are.
   
   
4. Corn, Wheat, Gluten, Oats: If it contains corn, wheat, wheat gluten, oats, oat fiber, it should be organic. These ingredients are almost always GMO and often contain glyphosate. Also, these ingredients turn into sugar in the body pretty quickly. A piece of bread can raise blood sugar as much as a can of Coke.
   
   
5. Whey Protein, Powdered Milk and even Coconut Powder: If it was once wet, and has been “dried” and turned into a powder, it will have a carrier in it to preserve it and prevent clumping that isn’t required as part of the labeling. Common carriers include maltodextrin and many starches. All of which can potentially spike blood sugar.
   
   
6. Calcium Propionate: This is a preservative ingredient found in many “keto” breads, tortillas, etc to “maintain freshness”. It has been shown in labs to stimulate a rise in blood sugar, increase insulin resistance, and increase obesity. It’s in the 1g Net Carb tortillas. Just one tortilla spiked my hubby’s blood sugar 32 points.
   
   
7. Soy Lecithin: This is an emulsifier and is a dirty ingredient even if it’s organic. The process of making it is not clean with extraction methods that are super dirty, and it’s a cheap ingredient. Look for Organic Sunflower Lecithin on ingredient lists instead - a vastly superior option, and one with many documented health benefits.
   
   
8. Seed Oils: Canola Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Corn Oil, Sunflower Oil, Soybean Oil, Safflower Oil, and Vegetable Oil are all high in omega 6 fatty acids. However, that’s not the issue that makes these so rough. The way they are processed involves heats and solvents that drive inflammation. Instead look for MCT, avocado, coconut or olive oil (cold pressed).
   
   
9. Hydrogenated Oils: Hydrogenated oils are found in margarine, encapsulated acids (often found in dried meats as well as most sour candies), and cooking fats like Crisco.
   
   
10. Sugar Alcohols: Maltitol is in MOST common sugar free sweets. It spikes blood sugar in most people, and the catastrophic digestive effects are legendary. Some people even dose it as a tasty laxative. I don’t recommend this. Erythritol is the most popular sugar alcohol because it doesn’t impact blood sugar. Like most sugar alcohols, some people don’t tolerate it well though. Me included.

It goes without saying that eating whole foods prepared at home with good, clean ingredients is the best option for a truly healthy lifestyle, but if you’re looking to use a packaged food product, for whatever reason, there are good options made with clean ingredients.

I wrote this to hopefully empower you to be a better informed shopper, wherever you may be.

I realize some of these ingredients may have different effects, depending on the quality used by the food maker, so I believe the best way to see if a food works for your body, is to test it.

There are options out there that can make it easier than ever to see for yourself how what you’re eating impacts you and your health goals like a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor). I’ll write a separate blog post on that soon.

Stay tuned for the article, chock full of the good stuff to look for. A part 2, if you will.

Till next time.