Outsmart Bad Sauce Labels: Additive & Preservative Free Eating Tips
- Jack Reitnour
- May 15
- 4 min read
Summary
Xanthan gum is used as a thickener in not just foods but household products like face creams and shampoos.
Xanthan gum can impact your gut microbiome and can also lead to intestinal swelling if consumed in large amounts.
Citric acid is used as a preservative by many products but it’s also used as a cleaning agent and general disinfectant.
Citric acid is considered safe but it can erode tooth enamel over time and is also a lab made product which means it is processed a little differently by our bodies (unless coming directly from natural fruit).
READ THE INGREDIENTS! Organic is great; Non-GMO Project Verified is awesome too. However, these stamps all have certain criteria and once met, they qualify for the label. Trust yourself over a label; read the ingredients to make sure the whole product is truly healthy.
Recommendation: Avoid xanthan gum and citric acid whenever possible but the occasional use isn’t the end of the world. Occasional use is key though. If you have a little everyday, the effects can compound and start to impact your body before you notice something is off so make sure “occasional” is only on special occasions.
What We Know
Xanthan gum and citric acid are common additives in many products on the market today. Some items contain only one, others include both, but more often than not, you'll see at least one of them listed on the nutrition label.
So what are they and why are they used? Xanthan gum is created when sugar is fermented by a bacteria and the byproduct of this process turns out a goo-like substance that is eventually dried and turned into a powder. When the powder gets added to a liquid (sauces in this case), it disperses quickly and thickens the solution it was mixed in, leaving a more stable product.
While it’s classified as safe, this additive is still made in a lab and is more processed than natural thickeners. Outside of sauces, you can also find xanthan gum in baked goods, salad dressings and ice creams; however, it doesn’t stop there. You can also find it in toothpaste, face creams, shampoos and body lotions…so we see it in edible products and not so edible products.
Now…citric acid actually occurs in fruits naturally BUT synthetic versions are created from a type of mold and that is what is used most often as an additive in food products. It is used mostly for flavoring but also as a preservative to increase shelf life. IMPORTANT NOTE: If citric acid is listed in the ingredients of the food product, it is manufactured and added in — not the naturally found form we see in fruits.
FUN FACT - “Citric acid is commercially sold as a general disinfectant and cleaning agent for removing soap scum, hard water stains, lime, and rust.”(Healthline). Similarly to xanthan gum, this additive is found in other, not so edible, products. While it does help keep many foods stable and prevents the growth of bacteria that would do much more harm to our bodies, citric acid still is made in a lab and is broken down differently by our bodies.
In general, more studies are truly needed on its effect on the gut microbiome and how our bodies break it down. If all the foods you consume contain this ingredient, it can lead to overconsumption or compounding negative effects over time and impact your gut health and/or tooth enamel. No alarm is being sound just yet but check how many of your products at home have this ingredient in it and try to lessen your daily intake of those.
Why It’s Important
These two ingredients are found in abundance at the grocery store. Not just sauces but all kinds of CPGs. Because they are everywhere, it’s good to know how they impact your body, your digestion and even just your overall feeling each day waking up.
While there are health benefits they claim, it shouldn’t go without saying that these two additives are also appealing to manufacturers because they are the most cost effective option for their intended purposes. Unsurprisingly, they are both made in labs and at scale so that is also why we see them so widespread.
There will often be arguments that say it's such small amounts that it won’t impact your health but if everything we consume (this is being dramatized) contains xanthan gum and citric acid, those quantities start to add up. Multiply that daily intake by 365, our annual consumption of these additives can get very high and start to compound into larger impacts on our health.
Avoid or Accept?
The answer is avoid. Now, avoid doesn’t mean eliminate. You should still enjoy your sweet treat, or highly processed snack every now and then; just become more aware of the ingredients in the products you buy, especially the ones you consume on a daily basis. Try to dial back the ones that have these two additives in them and seek alternative products that avoid these ingredients. If you have the time, try making your own sauce, snack or dessert and then you can truly control every ingredient you mix in! At the end of the day, that is truly the best way to follow additive free eating, preservative free eating and in the end outsmart the bad sauce labels.
-- Dried & True
Learn more from the articles we used to inform this blog:
Xanthan Gum:
Citric Acid:
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