Maltodextrin - Sandi Korshnak

As I grocery shop, I routinely look at labels. Even if it’s a food I normally purchase because there are a few things that have slipped past these eagle eyes.

Today while I was shopping for almonds, I was just blown away at the amount of CRAP that is in almonds. I’m not even talking about the flavored ones. PLAIN Almonds. Maltodextrin. Whether you eat keto or not, you should consider getting rid of anything in your home with this ingredient.

Corn maltodextrin. That’s a NO for me. Corn is not keto. Neither is maltodextrin. To spend over ten dollars on a bag of nuts just to get home and find out there is garbage in them really makes me mad.

What is it?

Maltodextrin is a food additive. It’s made from rice, corn, wheat or potato starch. When it’s made, it cooked down and enzymes are added. It’s a very highly processed ingredient that is added to a LOT of foods we eat.

This is one I used to eat after going low carb. They came in little 100 calorie bags already packaged and were really good. I loved the bite of the pepper on the cashews. One day I happened to glance at the package. Besides the oil being used (that’s a whole other rant for another day) these have rice flour and maltodextrin in them. They are a NO for keto diets.

How is it used?

Maltodextrin is used as a filler, to make foods stretch further. It’s also used as a preservative, to help foods hold their shelf life longer. It can also be used as a thickener. It’s cheap to make and is easy to produce.

Organic or raw nuts are usually best. It takes 10 minutes to roast your own. Add whatever spices you want to add.

Why can it be bad for me?

Maltodextrin is high on the glycemic index. It will cause a spike in your blood sugar. There is absolutely NO nutritional value in maltodextrin and because of the higher glycemic index, it can cause you to GAIN weight instead of helping you to lose it.

It can also contain gluten if wheat is the source of the starch. :/

Gut health can also be affected by maltodextrin. It can also cause bloating, flatulence, allergies, asthma, skin irritations and cramping. Fun times!

Raw almonds are always good. They can be dry roasted, roasted in butter and salt (YUM!) and ground down for flour or even made into almond milk or almond butter.

If you are someone that suffers with an autoimmune or a digestive disorder, then you may want to do some research on maltodextrin. There have been studies that show that maltodextrin can increase the growth of bacteria associated with these types of disorders.

This week I’ve had a total of 4 or 5 people tell me they have diabetes or on the verge of having diabetes. I asked them if their Dr gave them any kind of guidelines on what to eat. Every single one told me no. I get that there are SOME doctors that are just in it for the money. To not help educate your patients is just wrong. What has been your experience with this if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic? This just blows my mind that pills are handed out without educating the patient at all.

What can I do about it?

I am NOT telling you to cut maltodextrin and go keto. I know there are a lot of people that are afraid of keto, or for whatever reason don’t want to do it. At the VERY LEAST, get rid of the garbage in your home. Be aware of what you are eating and putting in your body. I promise you will feel much better for doing it.

Here are links to my sources for this post. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/is-maltodextrin-bad-for-me#takehome-message

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0052132

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322426.php

If you are looking to start keto, or even just to start low carb and want some support while you do that, I have a class starting every month. Head over to my shop and sign up.

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