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| No | 48% | 44 votes | Total: 91 votes | |
| Yes | 52% | 47 votes |
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Add to FavoritesThis is a question that truly begs an involved discussion. Artificial ingredients (that is, chemically synthesized food additives) have been used for flavoring and other food purposes for many years, and not long after they were introduced the concerns began over whether anything "artificial" could be a proper ingredient in food. After all, natural foods came first, so we know they are good, correct? The very term "artificial" seems to indicate a substitute for whatever would be preferable. But is that the case?
In a lot of cases, that logic bears out quite well. If you want to bake an apple pie, you want to use apples, not some (hypothetical) artificial apple substitute. You know what apples taste like, and you can definitely trust an apple to meet that expectation. Likewise, many artificial flavoring agents are chosen either because they are cheaper than natural ingredients, or they hold up better to storage and shipping. They are still imperfect substitutes for the ingredients they are meant to replace.
However, the logic only goes so far. Many people take herbal supplements, for example, assuming that such "natural" medicines are safer and better for the body than synthetic medications. In truth, in many cases herbal supplements are sold with a reputation for benefits that have never been proven in empirical tests. In some cases, such as in guarana and ma-huang, these herbs may contain compounds that are dangerous or harmful to the body.
Another area of contention is between natural and artificial sweeteners. Natural sweeteners include sugar, honey, corn syrup, agave syrup, and a few others. All of these sweeteners are high in calories, though some have less impact on digestion than others. Artificial sweeteners, however, are chemically processed or synthesized to create a sweet taste, but not have the same calorie count as natural sweeteners. These come in various brand names, and the ones on the market currently are proven safe by medical studies. Their advantage is that they are not digested like sugars, and provide no nutrition (read: calories) to the body. If you need to lose weight, artificial sweeteners are safer than letting your weight get out of control.
And that doesn't even get into the complex debate over whether genetically modified crops are "natural."
Are natural ingredients always safer than artificial ones? No, you can't make that generalization. If you are putting something into your body, check it out for certain rather than simply looking for trite labels such as "natural" or "artificial."
Learn more about this author, Glen R. Taylor.
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Yes
First, we must clarify what "natural," is. "Natural" is an ingredient that has been or could be in food. This is a plant, an animal or unrefined substance that is not manmade. An "artificial" ingredient is one that either replaces or adds texture or fillers for a natural one for a variety of reasons. Maybe this "artificial" ingredient is a substitute because it lowers fat, cholesterol or adds flavor. Natural ingredients are preferred because the body can more readily absorb the natural chemicals. The body was made to absorb plant and animal byproducts. When we chemically alter or change the structure of foods, are bodies are not as able to break down each element of what we eat. We may not notice it immediately. In fact, we don't notice it until we either develop a food allergy or some other intolerance.
More than ever before, an increasing amount of people are having gal bladder, pancreas and liver challenges, operations and sometimes complete failures. There are more people today that suffer from an intolerance to dairy, wheat, sugar, gluten, eggs, etc. Nutritionists state that it is not the natural chemicals, themselves, but the reaction that they are having with other foods. It has been proven with the amount of increasing diseases such as Chrone's, IBS and Celiac that when we use added chemicals, it causes an unwanted chain reaction for our bodies. I realize that artificial ingredients are preferred due to the lower expense and the added shelf life. Some companies put artificial ingredients in their foods as fillers and/or to enhance its appearance. Here is a disturbing fact, when these chemicals are made for food consumption, they are usually made under very strict conditions. Workers will put on gas masks and the process can be quite damaging to the workers if the appropriate safety precautions are not taken.
Some people will argue that chemical ingredients are less expensive. This is true. This is, unless you change a bit of your diet. Yes, organic fruits and vegetables are higher in cost than non-organic ones. Yes, natural peanut butter is more expensive than the common store brands. However, this is due to the businesses. Since not many eat natural foods, the price must be higher to compensate.
In this case, we are sacrificing our health for convenience, and/or business. It is not worth the sacrifice; especially when there are natural alternatives. If there was a choice, why wouldn't you choose to ingest natural products instead of chemically processed ones? Even if I have not convinced you about the health risks, wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry?
Learn more about this author, Jan Wright.
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