--- title: Junk Food and Processed Foods Contain These Ingredients description: Junk food and processed food contains a lot of ingredients you won't find in your kitchen or in healthy food. Here's a list of them. canonical: https://time.com/4324611/processed-foods-ingredients/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-10T17:35:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T17:25:41.371Z article:section: Health og:title: 5 Ingredients You’d Never Find In an Actual Kitchen og:description: Junk food and processed food contains a lot of ingredients you won't find in your kitchen or in healthy food. Here's a list of them. og:url: https://time.com/4324611/processed-foods-ingredients/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcaf955fcd8c90de8/6987789355a859115ca851e3/food-snacks-potato-chips.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos Food Snacks Potato Chips og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Ingredients You’d Never Find In an Actual Kitchen twitter:description: Junk food and processed food contains a lot of ingredients you won't find in your kitchen or in healthy food. Here's a list of them. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcaf955fcd8c90de8/6987789355a859115ca851e3/food-snacks-potato-chips.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Ingredients You’d Never Find In an Actual Kitchen > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 10, 2016 5:35 PM UTC  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 10, 2016 5:35 PM UTC The scientific literature has come down hard against junk food, even before [a recent animal study](http://time.com/4322930/how-junk-food-wrecks-your-body/) found that diets high in it damaged the kidneys of mice in a way similar to type-2 diabetes. But it’s not always easy to tell whether a food is healthy or not just by looking at it. Even if it says”[natural](http://time.com/4317988/fda-natural-definition/)” on the box, processed foods can come with some mysterious ingredients. We asked [Keri Gans](http://kerigansnutrition.com/), a registered dietitian nutritionist in New York City, to demystify a few common ingredients on the labels of [processed foods](http://time.com/4252515/calories-processed-food/?iid=sr-link1). While not necessarily dangerous, you won’t find these in the fresh food you buy and cook yourself, or in the average kitchen cabinet. **Calcium carbonate:** This is added as a leavening agent in baked goods, or as a calcium source in foods like baked goods. **Calcium chloride:** Also a fortifier of calcium, this ingredient is typically used to firm up foods like veggies sealed in a can or some cheeses. **Monoglycerides and diglycerides:** These work to mix and prevent separation of ingredients that generally do not blend well, like oil and water. You might find them listed on labels for salad dressing or peanut butters. **Sodium benzoate:** A preservative often used in acidic foods like condiments. **Xanthan gum:** Another way to bind liquids that normally don’t like to mix. Xanthan gum can also be used as a thickener, increasing the viscosity of liquids and batters and is often found in low-fat foods including dressings and baked goods. Want to try some healthier alternatives but don’t know where to start? Check out our list of the [50 New Healthiest Foods of All Time](http://time.com/4121973/the-50-new-healthiest-foods-of-all-time-with-recipes/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4324611/processed-foods-ingredients/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4324611/processed-foods-ingredients/"},"headline":"5 Ingredients You’d Never Find In an Actual Kitchen","datePublished":"2016-05-10T17:35:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:25:41.371Z","description":"Eating should be simple, but processed foods come with some complicated ingredients","url":"https://time.com/4324611/processed-foods-ingredients/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","Nutrition","Junk Food","healthy food"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcaf955fcd8c90de8/6987789355a859115ca851e3/food-snacks-potato-chips.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcaf955fcd8c90de8/6987789355a859115ca851e3/food-snacks-potato-chips.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TIME.com stock photos Food Snacks Potato Chips","caption":"TIME.com stock photos Food Snacks Potato Chips","creditText":"Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4324611/processed-foods-ingredients/","name":"5 Ingredients You’d Never Find In an Actual Kitchen"}}]}] ```