Not So Sweet: Reading Labels Like Your Health Depends on It
Beyond Beauty part two: Sugar substitutes, dubious ingredients, the science, and how to actually read a label
Hello, Gorgeous!
This is a longer post than usual— so feel free to skim through and land on the parts that speak to you. Yesterday I told you why I started paying obsessive attention to what goes into my body. Now we get into the specifics. Consider this your field guide.
Disclaimer: I am neither a doctor nor a nutritionist, nor do I play one on the internet. I have, however spent decades studying food and product labels and paying attention to the way the ingredients can cause my body to react. For a while I baked professionally. I worked closely with FDA labs on creating muffins that were low-fat and met with FDA standards. Along the way I learned the way professional bakeries modify ingredients and ingredient lists to be able to produce an acceptable label for retail sale. It worried me. It still does.
I’m also a nerd who reads ingredient lists before buying food online. I spend hours in health food stores comparing ingredient lists to understand why something makes me sick or barely registers on my digestive tract. I’ve studied it, written about it, and interviewed more industry pros than you could fit on a cereal label. I’ve also run this information by a professional fact checker, but it’s still information randomly provided by your friendly neighborhood beauty expert. Take or toss this information as you see fit.
The usual suspects
Sucralose and saccharine AKA my stomach’s worst nemeses have both been shown in research to affect gut microbiome composition — meaning they don’t simply pass through neutrally. Multiple studies show they can alter the bacterial landscape in ways that trigger bloating, GI distress, and in some people, systemic inflammation. The science is still developing, but the direction is consistent enough to take seriously.
Sugar alcohols (erythritol, xylitol, maltitol, sorbitol — anything ending in “ol” that isn’t a vitamin) are fermented in the large intestine, which is exactly as uncomfortable as it sounds. They’re in everything from protein bars to “natural” mints to keto snacks. They’re even in your toothpaste and sometimes marketed positively.
Monk fruit sounds clean, and in pure form it’s relatively benign. The problem: most products labeled “monk fruit sweetener” are blended with erythritol. Also worth knowing: monk fruit is in the gourd family, and people sensitive to cucumbers, melons, or squash may react accordingly.
Stevia comes from a plant, which gives it a health halo — but most commercial stevia products are heavily processed and blended with erythritol or other sugar alcohols, so the same rules apply. Most major brands (Truvia, Stevia in the Raw, etc), are actually predominantly erythritol. Pure stevia extract might not hurt your stomach the way that the white powder in the little packets does. Also worth knowing: stevia is in the Asteraceae/chrysanthemum family, and people with ragweed allergies sometimes react badly to it.
Gellan gum is everywhere and almost nobody talks about it — a thickener and stabilizer in plant-based milks, protein drinks, and alternative yogurts. Regulatory bodies consider it safe, and formal research on sensitive individuals is limited. I’ll tell you plainly: it is one of the worst offenders for me personally. My body has been running its own study for years and the results are unambiguous. If you keep reacting to “healthy” plant-based products and can’t figure out why, check for gellan gum.
Pea protein is cheap, trendy, and in an enormous percentage of products aimed at women right now. It’s also highly processed and a common source of bloating or inflammation for those with existing gut issues.
Acacia gum (gum arabic) isn’t a villain — it’s a prebiotic fiber that supports gut health for many people. But “beneficial for most” and “beneficial for you specifically” are not the same sentence. For people with IBS or SIBO, even good fermentable fibers can cause real distress. It’s also in the legume family, and it’s showing up in more products than ever.
The superfood problem
Some popular whole foods carry their own complications — not for everyone, but worth knowing before you build a wellness routine around them.
Flax seeds are high in phytoestrogens (lignans), which can affect hormone-sensitive individuals — relevant for anyone navigating perimenopause or estrogen overload at any point. Whole flax also passes through almost completely undigested; grind them or you’re getting very little benefit.
Chia seeds expand dramatically in liquid — which is why chia pudding works, and also why it can be a problem. That expansion happens in your digestive tract too. For people with IBS or gut sensitivity, the portion that looks small becomes considerably larger where it matters.
Oat milk may be the most successfully marketed food of the last decade — but what the ad copy leaves out is that it spikes blood sugar significantly faster than almond or soy milk. Processing breaks down oat starches into rapidly absorbed sugars, it's frequently loaded with additives (often including gellan gum), and oats are among the crops most likely to carry glyphosate (weed killer) residue. If you're drinking it daily because you think it's the healthy choice, the label deserves a second look. For actual heart health benefits from oats, steel cut oats are a better bet.
Nutritional yeast (nooch) — I have to include this one because I’ve been putting it on almost everything for years, certain I was doing something wonderful for myself, and as a vegan cheese substitute. Nooch is essentially a natural source of MSG: extremely high in glutamates. For people with glutamate sensitivity, it can trigger headaches (sometimes migraine-adjacent), flushing, brain fog, and GI distress — often hours after eating, so you never connect Tuesday’s dinner to Wednesday’s headache. Also high in purines and oxalates, which compounds if you’re using it daily. I’m conducting a personal study now to see if my migraines lessen if I cut out nooch entirely.
I’m not saying nooch is bad. I’m saying it has such an impeccable reputation that most of us never question it. If you have unexplained headaches you’ve never been able to trace, it might be worth pulling it for two weeks to see what happens.
Natural isn’t a safety category
As I mentioned yesterday, I can’t eat apple peels. It’s the best argument I have against the idea that natural means safe (or better for you as used in the cosmetics industry). Cellulose — the fiber in plant cell walls, the same reason corn passes through you the way it does — is completely natural. Humans simply lack the enzyme to break it down. For most people, fine. For some of us, not fine at all. Cellulose also shows up as an additive (listed as “cellulose” or “microcrystalline cellulose”) in shredded cheese, bread, ice cream, and supplements. It’s worth paying attention to see if it’s in your too-smooth foods and how your body reacts.
How to actually read a label
Ingredients are listed by weight, descending. Whatever’s first is most of what you’re eating. In cosmetics that’s impressive. In food, sometimes confusing.
If your enriched breakfast cereal lists sugar as the first ingredient, it’s not actually good for you at all.
Multiple sweeteners can appear under different names to make each seem minor. Three sugar alcohols listed separately are still three sugar alcohols.
Sugar and sugar substitutes can absolutely coexist in the same product. I learned this the hard way. Scan the whole list, not just the top. You’ll sometimes see sugar listed as a third or fourth ingredient and assume there are no sugar alcohols in the product. Keep reading.
Natural flavors is a catch-all. Not necessarily sinister, but not specific either.
Anything ending in “ol” or “ose” is likely a sugar alcohol or a sugar. Know the difference.
And the rule I keep coming back to: if the ingredient list is longer than your hair, it probably isn’t good for you anyway.
Your body is not obligated to agree with product marketing. If something listed as healthy consistently makes you feel unwell, the label is where you start looking for answers. Trust your gut — in both senses of the phrase.
Hello Gorgeous! is for smart women who read everything, including the fine print.
So did you find this guide helpful? Do you share some of the same sensitivities? Let’s meet in the comments to discuss!
Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋
Quick note: I included some affiliate links and from time to time some sponsored products which means I might earn a small commission on sales made through these links, but I also throw in stuff I love just because. Prices are current at publish time.
Good info here. There is a lot of "but it's natural" claims about some ingredient as if it's above reproach. It's always important to know what you put in or on your body. As a guy I used to work with said about the idea that natural = safe, "nature kills."
Yes, yes, yes! Next up, perhaps, your take on eye glasses, necessary for all that fine print! ;^)