Episode 11: The Ingredient That’s Fattening the World, And It’s Not Sugar

You’ve been warned about sugar, fats, and oils, but what if the real danger is an invisible filler hiding in your “healthy” foods?

In this eye-opening episode, Scott and wellness coach Emily Brooks expose industrial starch and maltodextrin—the ultra-refined carb that spikes your blood sugar faster than table sugar and contributes to fatty liver, weight gain, cravings, and chronic inflammation.

You’ll learn:

• Why maltodextrin has a glycemic index higher than sugar
• How food labels disguise harmful ingredients with friendly names like “modified starch”
• The four most common ultra-processed ingredients destroying metabolic health
• Why even “sugar-free” and “healthy” products can lead to cravings and fat storage
• What you can do today to protect your body—and shop smarter for your family

🎧 Real talk. Real food. Real freedom.
 This is the truth your metabolism has been waiting for.

👉 Ready to begin your wellness journey? Visit  mixlife.vip  for all the resources you need.

#MIXLifePodcast #MaltodextrinExposed #BloodSugarTruth #MetabolicHealth #IndustrialStarch #HiddenSugars #ReadTheLabel #FoodIndustryLies #RealFoodRevolution #DrEricBerg #NutritionMythBusting #FattyLiverFix #CravingsDecoded #WellnessThatWorks #ScottMiyano #EmilyBrooks #MIXedForLife

Transcript

The MIXLife™ Podcast Episode 11: The Ingredient That’s Fattening the World — And It’s Not Sugar Featuring Scott Miyano & Emily Brooks
Inspired by the work of Dr. Eric Berg

Scott:
Welcome back to The MIXLife Podcast! I’m Scott Miyano, founder of MIXLife™, and today, we’re pulling back the curtain on a so-called “safe” food ingredient that’s in nearly every processed item on grocery store shelves.

Emily:
Hey everyone, I’m Emily Brooks, certified wellness coach, and today’s episode is about one of the most dangerous things you’re probably eating… and don’t even know it.
It’s not sugar. Not fat. Not even seed oils.
It’s something much sneakier—and much more damaging.

Segment 1: The Most Fattening Ingredient in the World

Scott:
Let’s start here: What if we told you there’s an ingredient that spikes your blood sugar higher than sugar… causes fatty liver faster than soda… and is linked to obesity, cravings, and metabolic disease?

Emily:
And the craziest part?
It’s not even sweet.
It’s called industrial starch, and its most dangerous form? Maltodextrin.

Scott:
The average person eats over 275 pounds of this stuff a year—often without knowing it. It’s in your cereal, protein bars, low-fat yogurts, soups, salad dressings… even “sugar-free” foods. Why? Because it acts as a cheap, flavorless filler. A bulking agent. And the food industry loves it.

Emily:
But your body? Not so much. Industrial starches are ultra-refined, chemically stripped, and completely void of fiber, nutrients, or real food value. What you’re left with is a pure glucose bomb that spikes your blood sugar higher than table sugar.

Segment 2: Maltodextrin – The Sweetest Lie in the Grocery Aisle

Scott:
Let’s look at the glycemic index.

• Table sugar? 65.
• Glucose? 100.
• Maltodextrin? Between 116 and 136.
  That’s insane. It’s a sugar that’s not labeled as sugar, but hits your bloodstream harder and faster.

Emily:
And it’s hiding under friendly-sounding names like:

• Modified food starch
• Modified corn starch
• Tapioca starch
• Rice flour
• Wheat flour

You won’t see “maltodextrin” front and center. But it’s there. And when you eat it, your body doesn’t just get a blood sugar spike—it gets a gut punch.

Segment 3: What This Does to Your Body

Scott:
So what does this invisible ingredient actually do?

• It raises insulin
• Promotes fat storage, especially around the belly
• Drives cravings
• Creates fatty liver in as little as two weeks
• Disrupts gut health
• And floods your system with inflammation

Emily:
And don’t think this is just in junk food. These starches are in “diet” bars, vegan protein powders, meal-replacement shakes, and foods marketed as “healthy.” It’s part of what makes processed food so addictive—you can’t stop at one.

Scott:
It’s engineered that way. These fillers are designed to bypass satiety, raise dopamine, and keep you coming back for more.

Segment 4: The Label Lies We’re Told

Emily:
Let’s talk food labels. The average person doesn’t recognize 99% of the ingredients in junk food. And that’s not an accident.

Scott:
Food labels are like reading in a foreign language. Hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate? Interesterified soybean oil? Maltodextrin? Dextrin? Dextrose?

They all sound technical—but they’re camouflage. These are ultra-processed, chemical ingredients that don’t resemble anything found in nature.

Emily:
And the food industry has done something genius—and devastating.
They’ve normalized these ingredients.
They’ve made us believe that calories are all the same. That “a carb is a carb.” That sugar is sugar, whether it’s from fruit or high-fructose corn syrup.

Scott:
But that’s a lie.
The fructose in fruit comes with fiber, water, antioxidants, and phytonutrients.
The fructose in soda or processed foods? Comes with insulin spikes, fatty liver, and mood crashes.

Segment 5: The Four Hidden Killers

Emily:
So what are the four ingredients shortening lives the fastest?

1. Synthetic sugars – High-fructose corn syrup, glucose syrup, dextrose
2. Refined starches – Industrial starch, maltodextrin, modified food starch
3. Seed oils – Canola, soybean, corn oil
4. Refined proteins – Soy protein isolate, casein (especially A1 beta-casein)

Scott:
These aren’t just unhealthy. They’re destructive. They fuel inflammation, disrupt hormones, damage your gut lining, spike insulin, and leave you trapped in cycles of fatigue and fat gain.

Emily:
And the worst part?
They’re hiding behind words you can’t pronounce.
They’re in the fine print. Tiny font. Buried on labels.
And unless you know what to look for—you won’t see it coming.

Segment 6: What You Can Do Right Now

Scott:
So here’s what you can do today:

✅ Start reading ingredient lists—not just nutrition labels
 ✅ Watch for the big red flags: maltodextrin, modified starch, glucose syrup, soy protein isolate
✅ Opt for real foods—things without labels at all
✅ Prepare meals at home using simple, unprocessed ingredients
✅ And use the heat-cool-reheat hack from our last episode to upgrade safe carbs like rice and potatoes

Emily:
And if you want to take it a step further? Make your own “ingredient decoder” card—something you keep in your wallet when you shop. You don’t have to memorize 50 chemical names. Just know what to avoid.

Scott:
You don’t need a perfect diet. You just need awareness. And once you have it—you’ll start noticing what your body’s been trying to tell you all along.

Final Segment – Food Freedom Starts with the Truth

Emily:
This isn’t about fear. It’s about freedom.
Freedom from cravings.
Freedom from blood sugar crashes.
Freedom from the belief that you’re broken—when really, you’ve just been misinformed.

Scott:
The MIXLife is about empowerment through education. And when you know the difference between real food and fake food, you make choices that energize you—not enslave you.

Emily:
So start looking closer. Ask better questions. And never assume that a product is healthy just because it says “low fat” or “sugar-free.”

Scott:
Thanks for joining us on The MIXLife Podcast.
Until next time—stay smart, stay strong, and stay MIXed for life.

#MIXLifePodcast #MaltodextrinExposed #BloodSugarTruth #MetabolicHealth #IndustrialStarch #HiddenSugars #ReadTheLabel #FoodIndustryLies #RealFoodRevolution #DrEricBerg #NutritionMythBusting #FattyLiverFix #CravingsDecoded #WellnessThatWorks #ScottMiyano #EmilyBrooks #MIXedForLife