What's in this? Part 1
What’s in this?
In our fast-paced lifestyle, we look for quick meal fixes, which will get us through the next couple of hours. I am as guilty as the next person that wants ‘something good for me,’ and I want it in my body ASAP.
Convenient pre-packaged items are not new. The first pre-made cereal originated roughly 160 years ago in 1863! Granula was invented by James Caleb Jackson, shortly after John Harvey Kellogg created a similar product and called it, Granola.
When I began my nutrition and supplementation journey 20+ years ago, I did so out of necessity. I was playing collegiate football. In that highly competitive environment, I needed to catch up to those on the depth chart ahead of me, and when I did, I needed to fend off those on the depth chart behind me.
Bigger, stronger, faster.
Every time I had a moment alone with my positional coaches, that is all I heard.
Bigger, stronger, faster!
And they repeated this every year regardless of my progress.
So, I did just that.
I entered university as a 185-pound freshman, and I could benchpress my weight only once. When I graduated, I was a 265-pound senior. I could benchpress 275-pounds for 4 sets of 6 reps each set, and then for fun afterwards, I would rep out 225-pounds 15 times.
I also got faster. I increased 80 pounds of weight but decreased my 40 yard dash time by four-tenths of a second. I got a lot faster.
I would stack supplements: creatine, protein, weight gainers, you name it; but, I never really thought about what was in those supplements, I didn't really care at that point. As long as I saw what I needed - I was happy. I didn't want to put a lot of thought into it. Go to the store, find it on the shelf, go home and use it.
It wasn’t until a teammate told me creatine was terrible for your kidneys (later debunked), that I began to think about what I was ingesting. Thus, my true nutritional journey began. I started to question ingredients on the label and, just as important, why that ingredient was in the product.
We created our non-dairy creamer to give people a dairy alternative and make it from the cleanest ingredients. We want to give you a non-dairy product that can be used as part of your day. And how do we prove that our product is the cleanest? By showing you the ingredients we don’t use in our product that many others do.
Education regarding food namely pre-packaged foods - your ingesting, is critical for your health. Not all foods are created equal and we believe it is essential to share what we’ve learned to help you make your own informed decisions.
Today we look at a common ingredient found on a lot of pre-packaged food products and in other non-dairy alternatives: Propylene Glycol
Propylene Glycol is used in anti-freeze.
Yep, you read that right. It consists of propane and is used in anti-freeze, paints, cosmetics, and it is also a common food additive. Here’s an excerpt from the National Library of Medicine:
Propylene glycol is a synthetic liquid substance that absorbs water. Propylene glycol is also used to make polyester compounds, and as a base for deicing solutions. Propylene glycol is used by the chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries as an antifreeze when leakage might lead to contact with food. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified propylene glycol as an additive that is “generally recognized as safe” for use in food.
You can find it in vanilla extracts, salad dressings, fast food, bread, soft drinks, popcorn, gravies, and many more!
Why do they add it?
It is a compound used in the food industry to make products more palatable. It is added to prolong products shelf lives, to thicken liquids, to improve the way the food feels in your mouth, to enhanced flavour, and many other applications.
Is it safe?
The FDA, CFIA, EFSA, and WHO have all deemed it a safe food additive. Each governing body has their own suggestions on daily recommended limits. There is research that supports that it is safe and it has been in use for decades.
Why don’t we use it?
We at Sun Under the Sea are proud to say that we DO NOT use propylene glycol in our non-dairy creamer. We choose to provide you and our loved ones a creamer that limits exposure to chemicals like this. Propylene glycol is regarded as safe but the less propane running through our body the better
Pre-packaged food doesn’t have to have chemicals like propylene glycol, and we’re out here to change the game. Our non-dairy creamer quickly gives you protein and good fats the clean way.
Next up in the series: Mono- and Di-glycerides.