Zen & Spice

Zen & Spice | Dallas Dietitian Nutritionist | Food Photographer

A Dietitian’s Response to the Dueling Babes

I’m stepping a little out of the box today to comment on something I’m very passionate about.

Gawker recently published an article by blogger Science Babe called The “Food Babe” Blogger Is Full of Shit. It’s been shared on Facebook over 10,000 times and picked up by various news outlets, including Vox and Elle. 

The Food Babe is Vani Hari and she’s the author of a blog with over a million readers, dubbed the Food Babe Army. She calls herself an “investigator” and is known for her campaigns against popular foods, such as convincing Chick-fil-A to use antibiotic free chicken, and Kraft to remove yellow dye from it’s mac and cheese.

She’s had quite a few controversial articles written about her, including the NY Times, NY Post, NY Mag. It’s worth noting that Hari lacks credentials in nutrition or food science– her degree is actually in computer science. 

I won’t go into too much detail about Science Babe’s article because you should really read it if you have time. But here are the main points that I think you should take away:

  • Food Babe misuses and overuses the word “toxic”. As Science Babe points out, anything can be poisonous depending on the dose. The word “toxic” shouldn’t be thrown around, as its true definition means “having the effect of a poison”. She uses this technique far too often, scaring her readers into being afraid of common chemicals such as acetic acid (vinegar) or sucrose (table sugar). 
  • Encourages a hard-to-maintain organic-only lifestyle. Food Babe claims that going organic will save you from pesticides, but organic farming utilizes pesticides as well, sometimes even more toxic than conventional pesticides. There’s currently no evidence supporting the better nutritional value of organic fruits and vegetables.

“Organic Oreos are not a health food.

  • She promotes detoxing and juicing. Le sigh, detoxing. As human beings, we are constantly “detoxing” by just living. That’s what our kidneys and livers are for. Juice, even if organic, cannot detox our bodies. 
  • She encourages lying about food allergies. This one hit close to home. I know several people dealing with real food allergies and celiac disease. Food Babe has encouraged her followers to tell servers that they’re allergic to certain foods so they can avoid the chemicals and preservatives at restaurants. I used to work in a restaurant while in college and it would upset me when someone would order “gluten free” just because they thought it was the healthier thing to do. This causes frustration for both the waiter and the customer with actual celiac disease who doesn’t get the attention on their order that they deserve.  

So, the Food Babe’s efforts  got Chick-fil-A to announce that they will remove artificial dyes, artificial corn syrup, and TBHQ from their products, as well as begin using antibiotic free chicken. This doesn’t change the fact that a Chick-fil-A fried chicken sandwich contains almost 1400mg of sodium and 18g of fat. 

Food Babe got Kraft to announce the removal of harmful yellow dye from their Mac and Cheese. This doesn’t change the fact that one box has what feels like one large serving to most kids and teenagers (when really it’s three servings), 1700mg of sodium, 19g fat, and 1200 calories. 

Getting companies to disclose their full ingredient lists and using less processed ingredients is a good thing. But are added “chemicals” and “GMO” foods, non-organics and unnatural preservatives really the issue? Are non-organic fruits and vegetables the reason 2/3 Americans are overweight and obese? As a dietitian, I’ve never come across a patient that became overweight and sick from eating too many non-organic fruits and vegetables. 

Over-eating, large portion sizes, and reliance on pre-prepared restaurant foods are the real issues. High amounts of sodium, saturated fat, and carbohydrates continue to take their toll on those consuming them. Why is the focus on chemical preservatives, GMO foods, and organic vs not organic, when the CDC reports that only 32% of adults in the U.S. ate fruit two or more times daily in 2009, and just over a quarter of Americans, 26%, eat vegetables three or more times per day?

Map-of-Fruits-and-Veg-Consumption-USA

[source]

Why aren’t we focusing on reducing the sodium in our restaurants, where the average meal contains 1,000-4,000mg of sodium per plate? Why aren’t we focusing on asking food companies to add more whole grains and fresh vegetables to their meals, instead of using white pasta, breads, and rice? What about asking for smaller portion sizes? What about requesting that frozen food companies create healthier frozen meals, that don’t contain your entire day’s worth of sodium in one box? 

All dietitians would agree that if the majority of Americans ate the recommended 5-7 fruits and vegetables per day, whole grains, lean proteins, and heart healthy fats, that the rates of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer would greatly be reduced. Regardless of whether or not the sources contain GMOs, are organic, farm-raised, free-range, or without hormones.

Food Babe says: 

Food is not rocket science. People have been eating and cooking food since the beginning of time. What makes food complex is the food industry’s never-ending quest to improve profits – often at the expense of the consumers. That is where the Food Babe Army comes in – we let people know what is really in their food so they can decide for themselves.

So, my question is: Why not promote fresh, unprocessed food instead of restaurant and pre-packaged food?

Asking companies to remove certain “unsafe” chemicals from their food won’t reduce the prevalence of obesity, heart disease, diabetes or cancer. Reducing portion sizes and the amount of sodium definitely will, as would encouraging people to eat real, fresh foods at home. 

Like Michael Pollan says: 

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. I loved Science Babe’s article and am totally with you. I don’t have a degree in nutrition, but reading the things Food Babe has said (well, written) drives me absolutely nuts. :[ I had no idea her degree was in computer science(?!).

    Thanks for writing this! <3!

  3. LOVE!! Great perspective! I appreciate both bloggers passion for improving health but there is no place for blatant fear-mongering. That quote from Pollan sums it up nicely.

  4. Great points. While the idea of reducing pesticides and chemicals is important, I agree it’s NOT the main cause of obesity. The best way to change the food industry is voting with your dollars NOT scaring your followers.

    Glad that there’s SCIENCE backed responses and rebuttal to fear mongering.
    Thanks for sharing.

    • Thanks, Georgie. It definitely is important to reduce pesticides and chemicals, but if she would just preach to her followers to shop the perimeter, eat fresh, unprocessed foods, then you’re absolutely right, “voting with your dollars” would totally change the whole food industry, when more people stop buying all the processed crap!

  5. Applause! You did a fantastic job summarizing what Food Babe says about certain issues and showing why they may not be the best shots to take at the foods she is demonizing. This is well written, Emily!

  7. Great article. Well said. I don;t appreciate the Food Babe much either, although as you pointed out-her advocacy has some food industry companies shaking in their pants! Thanks —Sharing !

  10. I completely agree with this post! It’s frustrating when talking to patients and they are focused on things like this instead of focusing on nutrition recommendations that are evidenced-based. Side note- why is everyone calling themselves babes??

  12. I don’t follow the Food Babe. I’ve maybe read one of her posts, but I don’t understand the rage behind her advising her readers to say they have a food allergy at restaurants even if they don’t. Yes yes, I understand it’s lying and that’s morally wrong, but (as a mother who has experienced great benefits from cutting out wheat/gluten for our whole family), I’ve found it much easier to say I/my kids/my husband has a gluten intolerance at restaurants rather than explaining that we’ve just adopted it as a lifestyle because A, B, and C. It encourages a lot of questions that we simply don’t have time or energy for when the explanation most likely won’t lead anywhere. My real concern here is– WHY and HOW would this diminish the service and attention provided to the true celiac person at the next table??? Seems to me that is on the restaurant and the server, not the person next door without a medically proven intolerance.

    And about the comment implying that detox diets are a hype or aren’t beneficial… I honestly can’t wrap my head around HOW any medical professional can claim that detoxing is a myth. Well, I can with the understanding that they don’t do real research themselves and haven’t tried a good detox plan themselves. I could go on, but this guy summarizes most of my own findings, thoughts, and experiences pretty well, so I’ll use his post to save me some time. https://jonbarron.org/article/debunking-detox-debunkers#.VSXp_4Y8KrU

    • I think the issue we have with people lying about food allergies is that it’s like the boy who cried wolf. If customer after customer is coming in saying they’re allergic to certain foods, the people taking the orders are going to get frustrated with so many people making special requests. Yes, it is the host/waiters who are becoming frustrated, but rightfully so.

      Our bodies ARE fully capable of “detoxing’. See article: https://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/how-to-detox-your-liver/. As long as we are eating right, avoiding alcohol, exercising frequently, our bodies can work to their full extent. If toxins did build up in our bodies and we couldn’t excrete them, you’d likely be dead or in need of serious medical intervention. That’s why we have kidneys, liver, skin and lungs that all excrete toxins for us. Also, detoxes don’t specify what exactly these “toxins” are. They’re just called toxins. This article explains it more: https://www.alternet.org/personal-health/say-bye-your-money-detoxification-nothing-more-scam

      • I totally disagree– an uptick in special requests due to allergies or intolerances is no reason for service quality to decline. They’re there to serve the needs of their customers. If their customer has a need for no gluten in their food, they shouldn’t have a problem with tailoring to that need since that’s their job, no matter how the need is requested. I’ve never met someone who maintains a gluten free diet who hasn’t experienced significant health benefits from it, just like our family. To me, these benefits indicate that we all could easily have an intolerance to some degree. Whether it’s medically measurable to be proven on paper and given a title doesn’t matter, and it most definitely shouldn’t matter to the staff at restaurants. If the restaurant doesn’t want to deal with food intolerances/allergies, they shouldn’t advertise or provide allergy-free food options.

        I’m not saying there aren’t bogus detox products or services out there. I’m saying for someone to claim that detoxing is a myth (or diets/practices that improve the detoxing processes of the body don’t exist) and something that can’t be beneficial towards improving health, they can’t possibly have a true understanding of the human body. Yes, our bodies ARE naturally capable of and provided with the organs needed to detox the body, and it does every day. But to what degree depends on the person, their environment, and their diet since these things affects the quality and functioning of their liver. Articles on how to maintain optimal liver function and how to repair liver function (aka cleanse/detox the liver) can be found all throughout the mainstream medical community. Now, if you’re saying a person doing a detox who’s normal diet is processed/packaged foods goes back to the same poor diet as before after the detox but expects the occasional detox to improve their overall health, then I totally agree that the detox is close to pointless.

        Your first link supports the fact that cleansing/maintaining the liver is important, but your second link states, “But the idea that your liver somehow needs to be ‘cleansed’ is ridiculous.” Your stance is a little confusing if these 2 links represent your opinions or stance on the idea of detoxing. The first link also talks about the importance of buying and eating organic to maintain good liver function, but you’ve disagreed with organics in your argument against Food Babe. I don’t understand your support for one blogger who promotes organics, but you use it as a reason to discredit another.

  13. Great article! My thoughts mirror yours on this topic. It is unfortunate that perhaps part of the reason she has so many followers is because it gives people something to complain about and blame for all of their health problems rather than taking responsibility themselves. They can blame the food dyes and other “toxic” chemicals for their health problems. Instead, if they would just do as you said, eat more fruits and veggies, lean protein, whole grains, heart-healthy fats, and reduce portion sizes maybe these problems wouldn’t be so much of a problem?
    Thanks – sharing!

    • EXACTLY! People always love a good excuse for why they feel bad. Caramel color in coffee and cokes is not making our country obese. It’s the fact that people are drinking 32oz cokes every day.

  14. Great post Emily! I’ve been following the “duel” ever since I had 2 clients in one week refer to something outrageous they “heard” from The Food Babe. I have to admit she’s been really good at harnessing media power and using it to promote herself (regardless of what she’s teaching). I put her and Dr. Oz in the same category– sensationalists!

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