Recently, news sources have reported that some companies may not be entirely transparent with the ingredients in their food and beverages that are labeled as containing “natural flavors.” So what makes a food or beverage flavoring truly natural?

According to the FDA, natural flavors are the essential oil, oleoresin, essence, extractive, protein or any product derived from roasting or heating that “contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf of similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”

That’s not only quite mouthful but also a pretty broad definition. Translated, any process that extracts the flavor from a fruit, vegetable, dairy or animal product would be considered natural. This is opposed to combining chemicals in a laboratory to mimic or simulate the flavor.

Where it gets confusing is the other additives that are used either during or after the process. Some companies add preservatives, including MSG, which is both a preservative and a flavoring, into their natural flavors. Propylene glycol, a derivative of natural gas, is used by some beverage manufacturers as a solvent and humectant. Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is an oil derived from soy that is used by some soda brands as an emulsifier to keep their flavorings from floating to the top of the drink. The bromine in BVO is a known endocrine disrupter and has been banned as a food ingredient throughout Europe and Japan.

So as you can see, plenty of products can be labeled as having “natural flavors” but what you’re consuming is anything but natural. Syfo Beverages’ natural flavors do not include propylene glycol, BVO or any other preservatives added during or after our flavor extraction process. Our all-natural flavors are derived from the essential oil that is extracted from the peel of the fruit. Instead of propylene glycol, we use vegetable-based glycerin that naturally keeps the product moist and inhibits bacteria growth.

Plus all of our products use water that is purified through reverse osmosis and they contain no sugar, artificial sweeteners, sodium or any other additives. So if you’re looking for a refreshing beverage that is both healthy and natural, reach for Syfo.

Staying hydrated is a good idea all year round, but as temperatures rise in the summer, it’s important to drink enough fluids to combat the heat.  Many people don’t enjoy sticking with plain water, but if they turn to other beverages like soda, they may not be getting the benefits of hydration and actually what they drink could have the opposite effect.

It’s true that all beverages contain some water, but practically speaking, caffeinated, sweetened and alcoholic drinks pack chemical cargoes (or trigger chemical reactions) that demand significant amounts of fluid to properly process and filter. Chief among these are sugar and caffeine, so as your body works to move these substances through your body, your body’s actual stores of fluids may be reduced. According to an article on the care2.com website, this has led some experts to believe that non-water beverages actually dehydrate the body.

In another article on diabeteslibrary.org, the website reports that “the body will attempt to dilute the high level of glucose in the blood by drawing water out of the cells and into the bloodstream in an effort to dilute the sugar and excrete it in the urine.” This dynamic can be compounded by the levels of caffeine in soda, which can have an additional diuretic effect.

Syfo Beverages Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Waters contain no sugar, caffeine, artificial sweeteners or any other additives, so they’re just pure hydrating refreshment. And since they’re made using 100% purified water with all-natural flavors, they’re a healthy way to stay hydrated throughout this hot summer and all year long.

“Sip All Day, Get Decay” is more than a catchy slogan. It’s a campaign with the purpose to bring awareness to the nation’s growing dental concerns and correlation between soda and tooth decay.

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, approximately 50% of the population in the US aged two or older consumes sugar-based drinks on any given day and more than half of these sugar-based drinks are consumed at home. According to the CDC, almost 60% of high school students drink a minimum of one sugar-based beverage every day. Even more surprising, SipAllDay.org reports that one-fifth of all one- and two-year old children drink soda.

Not only have soda and other sugar-laden drinks been linked to obesity, diabetes and high-blood pressure, but soda and sugar-based beverage drinkers must also be concerned with tooth decay. In a study conducted by Bernabe, Vehkalahti, Sheiham, Aromaa and Suominen published in the Journal of Dentistry, the researchers set to explore the association between cavities and the frequency of sugar-based beverages consumed. They found that the higher the consumption of sugary drinks, the higher the amount of teeth affected by cavities.  Surprisingly, the researchers found that the use of fluoride toothpaste did not reduce the risk of dental cavities when drinking sugar-based drinks regularly.  The Wisconsin Dental Association also points out that the kind of sugar in soda and other sweetened beverages combines with the bacteria in your mouth to form acid, which attacks the enamel of your teeth.

Consider replacing your daily soda habit with Syfo. Syfo Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Waters and Original Seltzer are made from 100% purified water and have no sugar, artificial sweeteners, sodium, preservatives or any other additives. Just delicious, natural refreshment, Syfo is a healthy and satisfying alternative to soda.

Seltzer and club soda – many people use them as mixers or drink them on their own. Both are types of carbonated water and the terms are often used interchangeably causing many people to assume they’re the same thing.  But there are important differences between the two, so we thought it would be helpful to clear up some of the confusion.

Seltzer

Seltzer is plain water that has been carbonated and does not contain any sodium salts. The word seltzer is derived from the name of a town in Germany called Selters. The town of Selters was home to a naturally-carbonated water spring that was discovered around the year 1000. Unfortunately, the spring’s resources were completely consumed by the end of the 19^th century.

When it comes to seltzer, our Syfo Original Seltzer is one of the purest, healthiest and most refreshing seltzers you can buy.  It’s made with water that’s purified though a seven-step process that includes reverse osmosis.  Our Original Seltzer and our Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Waters are free of preservatives, sodium, artificial sweeteners, sugar or any other additives.

Club Soda

Although sometimes confused with seltzers, club soda is very different. Club soda is carbonated water that has mineral-like ingredients added for taste. These ingredients normally include salts such as potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium sulfate, potassium citrate and table salt.

If you’re trying to reduce minerals like salt in your diet, try reaching for a bottle of seltzer instead for the perfect mixer or a refreshing beverage that’s perfect on its own.

We’ve covered the sad truth about fruit drinks’ high sugar content in a previous health tips post and many people assume that fruit juice is a healthier alternative to drinking soda or juice “drinks”. But is that really true? This piece on npr.org points out that even fruit juices can pack as much or more sugar in the form of fructose as a glass of soda and can lead to the same negative health effects.

It’s well known that one of the culprits in soda is the high fructose corn syrup that’s often used as the main sweetener. However, a study published online this month in the journal Nutrition shows that on average, fruit juice has a fructose concentration of about 45.5 grams per liter, only a bit less than the average of 50 grams per liter for sodas. As an example, Minute Maid 100 Percent Apple made with water and apple juice concentrate has nearly 66 grams of fructose per liter. That’s more than a liter of Coca-Cola (62.5 grams) or Dr. Pepper (61 grams).

In an effort to combat obesity in children sodas have been pulled from many schools but fruit juices remain in many locations. This new study points out that the fructose in fruit juices has the potential to be just as troublesome as soda. Michael Goran, Director of the Childhood Obesity Research Center at the University of Southern California who led the study, says that consuming fructose by eating whole fruit is different. This is because whole fruit has fiber, which is thought to slow down and reduce the absorption of sugar in the body.

Syfo Beverages contain no sugar or artificial sweeteners and our sparkling waters are naturally-flavored. Made from purified water and free of sodium, preservatives or other additives, they’re a delicious and healthy beverage alternative.  They’re also great for mixing with your child’s favorite fruit juice for a treat that’s lighter on the sugar.