• Healthy State
  • Careers
  • Education
  • Research
  • Giving
Ochsner Health Ochsner Health
  • About
  • Find A Doctor (current)
  • Find A Location
  • Specialties & Treatments
MyOchsner Logo
Login | Signup
Submit Search
Close Search
  •   Home
  • In To Your Health...
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
  • I need to...
  • Find a Doctor
  • Find a Location
  • Find a Specialty
  • Schedule an Appointment
  • Pay a Bill
  • Explore
  • About Ochsner
  • Careers
  • Patients & Visitors
  • "To Your Health" Blog
  • Health Resources
  • Medical Professionals
  • Education
  • Philanthropy
  • Community Outreach
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Research
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Schedule an Appointment
  • Call: 1-866-624-7637
  • Online: Login to MyOchsner
  • Personalize your content
  • patient Edit Persona Persona Chooser
To Your Health

View Newsletter Editions
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
Gettyimages 517096501

10 Gross Ingredients in Your Favorite Foods

Nov 8, 2018 |
By Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD
Share Facebook Logo Twitter Logo Pinterest Logo Email Logo

Food and beverage companies may plaster their products with buzzwords such as “natural,” “GMO-free,” or “made with real (fill in the blank).” But what they often fail to mention are their use of strange, stomach-churning ingredients such as beetles and beaver secretions.

Read on to learn the most bizarre of the lot – a list that will certainly prompt you to check the ingredient labels of your favorite foods much more closely the next time you’re at the grocery store.

Castoreum

Collected from the secretions of a beaver’s anal gland, this ingredient is used by the furry creature to mark its territory and is also a flavor enhancer in foods like vanilla ice cream, yogurt and raspberry-flavored ice tea.

This FDA-approved substance is categorized under "natural flavoring," so you more than likely won’t even know when you’re eating it.

Sorbitol

This sugar alcohol is most commonly used as an artificial sweetener and food additive but has a laxative effect when consumed in large quantities.

Phosphoric Acid

The same ingredient that gives soft drinks their tangy flavor is also used to remove rust and power fuel cells.

L-Cysteine

Often used in dough conditioners, which soften commercially-produced bread products, L-Cysteine is an amino acid made from human hair and duck feathers. McDonald's uses the latter variety in its Honey Wheat Roll, Deluxe Warm Cinnamon Roll and Baked Apple Pie.

Gelatin

Added to a variety of yogurts, Jell-O products and confections such as gummy bears, fruit snacks and jelly babies, gelatin is about 50 percent boiled pig skin and 25 percent cow bones.

Carmine

It takes as many as 100,000 cochineal insects to make one kilogram of carmine, a red dye that is used throughout the world. The substance is included in just about anything that uses artificial red coloring, from raspberry yogurt and maraschino cherries to Starbucks’ Strawberry Frappuccino. Tasty!

Lanolin

This oily secretion found in sheep’s wool is an FDA-approved additive commonly used to soften chewing gum. The ingredient can also be found in cosmetics, sunscreen and various baby products.

Silicone Dioxide

Often used in the restaurant industry as an anti-caking agent for making chili, you may be more familiar with the common name of this substance: sand.

Cellulose

Cellulose – also known as sawdust – is an ingredient commonly used in shredded cheese to keep the product from clumping. Although it’s technically not harmful, as it passes through your GI tract unabsorbed, it is pretty gross.

Shellac

While many associate this shiny substance with fingernail polish, shellac is used in just about every candy with a shiny outer layer including jelly beans and candy corn.

Interestingly enough, shellac is not a sugar, but rather a resin secreted by an insect called Kerria lacca and is sometimes referred to as "confectioner's glaze" on product labels. Doesn’t that just bug you?!

Avoid the scary ingredients. Get tasty recipes and healthy eating tips via the Ochsner Eat Fit website.

Tags
healthy eating

You may also be interested in:

Thinkstockphotos 470339169 Tiny2
Food & Fitness
October 28, 2021

Shredded Cheese Best Picks

Some shredded cheeses contain cellulose from wood pulp and added carbohydrates.
By Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD
172732748 Flavored Bottled Water
Food & Fitness
April 11, 2022

5 All-Natural Water Bottle Add-Ins

5 picks for all-natural, low-calorie water bottle add-ins.
By Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD
Face Masks Scaled
Prevention & Wellness
December 7, 2020

Skincare Ingredients to Know

Learn about some lesser-known ingredients that you should consider incorporating into your skincare regime.
By Julie G. Danna, MD

Comments about the blog? Send us an email!

Ochsner Health Ochsner Health
Schedule An Appointment: 1-866-624-7637
Follow us: Facebook Visit Ochsner Health on Facebook Twitter Follow Ochsner Health on Twitter LinkedIn Visit Ochsner Health's LinkedIn page Instagram Follow Ochsner Health on Instagram YouTube Subscribe to Ochsner Health on YouTube Pinterest Follow Ochsner Health on Pinterest TikTok Follow Ochsner Health on TikTok
Sign up for our free health and wellness newsletters delivered straight to your inbox.
SIGN UP

Patients & Visitors

  • Billing & Financial Services
  • Insurance Information
  • International Patients
  • Request Medical Records
  • Share Your Story
  • Read Patient Stories

Medical Professionals

  • Transfer a Patient
  • Refer a Patient

Health Resources

  • To Your Health Blog
  • Golden Opportunity
  • Healthy State
  • Ochsner Magazine

Job Seekers

  • Career Paths
  • Benefits
  • Open Positions

Employees

  • Webmail
  • OHSLink
  • Workday

Employers

  • Corporate Wellness
  • Medicare Advantage Plans

Community Outreach

  • Classes & Events
  • Programs
  • Community Health Needs Assessment
  • Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy

Education

  • Graduate Medical Education
  • Clinical Medical Education
  • Continuing Medical Education
  • Medical Library
  • Publishing Services
  • Medical Illustrations

Research

  • Clinical Trials
  • Applied Health Services Research
  • Clinical Research & Trials
  • Nursing Research
  • Translational Research

Giving

  • Donate
  • Volunteer

About Ochsner

  • Mission & Vision
  • History
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Annual Report
  • Outcomes & Honors
  • News & Media
  • Alumni
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Contact Us

Shop

  • O Bar
  • Optical Shop
  • Ochsner Fitness Center
  • Brent House Hotel

© Ochsner Health  | Notice of Privacy Practices | Terms of Use | Vendor Information

Ochsner accepts all major insurances.

Ochsner is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, founded on providing the best patient care, research, and education.

We are one of the country’s largest non-university based academic medical centers.

Ochsner is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Community Needs Health Assessment

EpicMobile Tablet | EpicMobile Phone

Subscribe to Our Newsletters

Select the newsletters you'd like to receive.

Please select at least one category to continue.

Curious about our newsletters?

View details for each edition

Let us know where to send your newsletters.

To Your Health- Food and Fitness:
To Your Health- General:
To Your Health- Men’s Health:
To Your Health- Parenting:
To Your Health- Women’s Health:
To Your Health-Mental Health Monthly":
To Your Health- Skin Deep:

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:

You're all set!

We’ll send newsletters full of healthy living tips right to your inbox.

Ochsner Health System
ESC to Close

Begin Typing to Search

Select the drop-down to filter Search by Blog Articles or Sitewide