One of the reasons why we make the best meal replacements for morning sickness is that we do not use food additives. In contrast, the majority of meal replacements are loaded with emulsifiers, thickeners, artificial sweeteners, and flavors. Even when these ingredients are used in small quantities, they can cause painful side effects, particularly for people with pre-existing gut issues. Common side effects include bloating, flatulence, and stomach pain.
Simply put, food additives look nothing like real food, making them hard to break down. Consequently, they linger in your gastrointestinal tract, causing your colon to absorb excess water. This can lead to diarrhea. Partially digested food additives also feed the bacteria living in your gut, which release gas as they eat. Extra gas can cause bloating, flatulence, stomach pain, and even constipation.
Here is a list of the most common food additives in meal replacement 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 primary reason to steer clear of food additives is their long-term effects on your gut health. Regularly eating additives can interfere with the regulatory pathways in your intestines, thereby increasing your risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and a range of other systemic inflammatory disorders.
Food additives, especially artificial sweeteners, also possess the capacity to disturb your gut microbiome – the community of microorganisms that help with digestion. Gut dysbiosis, the term used to describe an unhealthy gut microbiome, is a common cause of inflammation.