You might not be aware but flavor drops are a big business. What are these drops? Do they have any health benefits or for that matter any side effects?
What are Flavor drops?
Flavor drops are water-soluble flavorings that have specific tastes. They can be added to meals or drinks to get that specific flavor. This might be done at an individual level or industrial level.
The manufacture and sale of these drops are big business. Companies that are in this business are Bulk, Myprotein, and Holland and Barret.
Flavor drops (Source: Open food facts)Most of these drops have no added sugars or fats. Hence there are no high calories in them and can be used even by people who are on specific diets for any reason. But why do people use these drops?
Reasons for use of the drops
As the name suggests, one uses these drops for enhancing food taste without increasing calories. When on a weight loss program, we forego certain sugary and high-fat foods.
But the taste of the food dish might change. Hence to make the food tasty without increasing calories, these drops are useful.
For instance, morning coffee or tea without milk might not suit some people. But once you add a flavor drop of your choice to it, it becomes drinkable and tasty. Similarly, when we go for low-fat dairy or dairy products, there is a change in taste.
Flavor drops (Source: Ubuy)One can improve it with a flavor drop of your choice. One can add it to the batter of pancakes if chocolate chips or honey are omitted from the batter.
On the same grounds, protein shakes are nutritious but not always tasty. One can improve the taste with drops of your choice.
Usually, 7 to 20 drops in the food are enough to give you the flavor. But the amount depends on your taste and the brand of the drops.
Benefits and dangers
The only benefit of the drops is that it makes a boring unpalatable food edible enough. Foods with sugars and fats are delicious but unhealthy.
And healthy foods might not be tasty. Hence to enable one to eat or drink healthy foods, these flavor drops help.
They are not dangerous. The common ingredients are citric acid, caffeine, artificial sweetener, artificial dye, B vitamins, or electrolytes. Initial preparations contained propylene glycol.
Flavor drops (Source: Sapphire)There are very few studies on their dangers but overall these drops are safe and acceptable. They pose no dangers in the long run. Some of the popular drops are toffee, stevia vanilla, caramel, mixed berry, passion fruit, bubblegum, lemon and lime, strawberry, hazelnut, and citrus.
Read more: How to Prepare the Best Brown Rice? Nutty flavor, Delicious
It is okay for adults but best avoided in children. They do not contain sugars but some drops can still cause cavities in them. They can also increase the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure in later life.
Additionally, the flavored water might not contain fluoride. The caffeine and such energy enhancers in the drops are also not good for children.