One of the reasons why our protein powder does not cause stomach pain is that we do not use food additives. Even in the tiniest amounts, additives can cause a range of unwanted side effects including bloating, constipation, diarrhea, flatulence, and stomach pain.
These symptoms arise from the fact that additives look nothing like naturally occurring real foods. Your digestive system consequently struggles to fully break them down, which can lead to one of two scenarios: either water is drawn into your intestines, resulting in diarrhea, or the additives feed your gut bacteria, which generate gas. Excessive gas can cause bloating, flatulence, stomach pain, and can even hinder the passage of food through your colon, causing constipation.
Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein powder:
acacia gum, acesulfame potassium, artificial flavors, aspartame, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dextrin, dextrose, erythritol, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, “natural” flavors, maltodextrin, rice syrup solids, soy lecithin, silica, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, xylitol
The consequences of consuming food additives over an extended period are even more troubling. Additives gradually disrupt crucial regulatory pathways within the intestines, thereby contributing to the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other systemic inflammatory disorders.
Ongoing research suggests that food additives, especially artificial sweeteners, can also disturb the delicate balance of the gut microbiome — the community of microorganisms that help with food digestion. As you can imagine, this can significantly impact long-term gut health, and lead to even more stomach pain down the road.