Why I quit emulsifiers?
- irenenederlof
- Jun 1, 2023
- 2 min read
I am always on the lookout for the best tasting (rich and creamy) natural Greek yoghurt. My favourite is or was I must say the Nestle Greek Style Yogurt. But I also tried the vegan Cocobella (made of coconut yoghurt) Dr. Will Cole and a recipe in his book Keto-tarian made me do it! Then I looked into the ingredients, my initial focus was always the absence of added sugar which eliminated most of the available yoghurts in Hong Kong. Cocobella with it’s long list of intriguing ingredients made me do a quick internet search.
Carob bean extract: used as a food thickener and stabiliser
Agar : extracted from sea weed, polysaccharide, used as a vegan substitute for gelatine. Agar has no calories, no carbs, no sugar, no fat and is full of fiber.
Native starch: In the food industry, it is the cheapest filling material used to adjust viscosity. Native starches are obtained from corn, wheat, tapioca, rice and peas.
As I am not vegan I opted against repurchasing Cocobella in the future because if it needs so many additives to taste ‘’not great’’ I prefer a one ingredient greek yoghurt.
So why do I no longer purchase the Nestle Greek Style Yoghurt? The culprit Emulsifier 471.
A study showed that emulsifiers altered good bacteria in the gut which in turn initiated intestinal inflammation. Inflammation is the root cause of inflammatory bowel disease and leaky gut syndrome. Inflammation is also associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. But this study was conducted in mice! Trials on humans are difficult due to ethical reasons and because they would need to be performed long term.
Ref: Nature. 2015 Mar 5;519(7541):92-6. doi: 10.1038/nature14232. Epub 2015 Feb 25.
But I am not willing to take the risk (even not being a rodent) that my gut microbiome is not in optima forma because of this one ingredient.
I haven’t found a better tasting alternative to the Nestle Greek Style yoghurt but trialing several and consistency is the hardest component to match! Ah that Emulsifier 471 you really got me good but we are going our separate ways from now on.
Let me know which brands you have come across that you would recommend.
Yours in Health,
Irene
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