You may have already heard of Vani Hari. Known as “
The Food Babe”, Vani has taken an assertive commitment to health and turned it up a notch. Her blog has become a platform for protesting the toxic chemicals that can sneak into many foods (even the unexpected ones).
A champion for the organic, Vani became outraged when she discovered one of her favourite snacks, Yoforia frozen yogurt, was filled with trans fats and food colouring. She spoke with the CEO of Yoforia and realized that she had the power to hold food companies accountable.
In her work, Vani has influenced how food giants like Kraft, Subway, Chipotle, Chick-fil-A and Starbucks create their products, steering them towards more healthful policies.
Vani is a food warrior, making us aware that even the
most healthful foods have to be examined. Her book,
The Food Babe Way, outlines 21 days of easy suggestions to rid your diet of hidden toxins and feel amazing. Vani gave us a sneak peak into her diet (including the ingredient she wants more of) and how there is hope for even the most processed foods to move in the right direction.
With your awareness of all the additives, GMOs and artificial ingredients in many popular food items, do you tend to make most things from scratch?
Yes! I eat at least 15-17 homemade meals a week, and choose ingredients wisely. In the US, we have grown accustomed to outsourcing the majority of our meals. We’re eating in restaurants, on the go, and consuming food prepared by someone else with a list of ingredients chosen by someone else. People who eat more food prepared in their homes avoid
thousands of unnecessary food additives that they would otherwise be exposed to.
What were some of the first steps you took from a highly processed diet into this very conscious one?
I started investigating ingredient lists and researching how to live a healthy lifestyle in this overly processed world. As I learned more about the habits needed for a healthy lifestyle and applied them to my own body, my health completely transformed. All the issues I had as a child—asthma, eczema, and allergies—went away. I was on 6 to 8 different prescription drugs depending on the season and I’m on zero today. My weight normalized, and I actually lost another 5 pounds (on top of the other 30+ pounds I gained!) I began to have more energy than I had when I was years younger! The way you treat yourself, the way you treat your body, what you put in it, can make a HUGE life changing difference.
Why do you think the Food Babe became the phenomenon that it is?
I spent 13 years of my life working as a management consultant at several Fortune 500 companies. I was trained to quickly help giant corporations shift their policies, develop new strategies and implement change within their organizations. This experience has allowed me to quickly understand how the food industry works and how to make it change for the better. I apply this knowledge to my investigations.
Sharing the truth is so powerful. I want people to know that you don’t have to be intimidated by this information and I make it very simple for people to get involved. The public is fed up with being taken advantage of. They see their families getting sick, they have family members who have died of cancer, and they want someone to hold accountable. When everybody has access to safe and affordable food and knows exactly what’s in their food, my mission will be complete.
Do you think there is hope for every fast food chain to get on the healthy bandwagon or does mass production hold us back from this?
There is always hope and that’s why I do what I do! I’m already seeing a lot of
progress across the industry, as companies are starting to remove artificial and unnecessary additives from their products.
After I petitioned Subway and they removed the additive azodicarbonamide from their bread, Pizza Hut, Bimbo Bakeries, Martin’s Potato Bread, Nature’s Own, Olive Garden, Starbucks, and Publix Grocery Store announced plans to remove the chemical from their products too.
Last year, Panera Bread announced they’re removing all artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives, Chipotle is ditching GMOs, and McDonald’s is simplifying and possibly getting rid of some preservatives. Chick-fil-A is finally going to start serving chicken that wasn’t raised on antibiotics, and Carls Jr. now has a “Natural” burger with grass-fed beef raised without antibiotics or added hormones. It’s a start in the right direction.
What do you want more of in your own diet?
Kale. It’s a superfood ingredient that has completely transformed my health and my life and the one food I added to my diet that got me in tip top shape and beautiful for my wedding day (and ever since). Wearing a traditional Indian dress that exposes your midsection in front of all your friends and family is no joke!
In terms of activism, what’s on your radar for 2015?
I’m currently working on my next investigation. This is a movement about transparency in the food system -
everyone deserves to know exactly what they are eating!
I’m also interested to see what companies that I previously investigated will do this year. Some companies are more resistant to change regardless of the public’s demand for safer, healthier food. I’d say Starbucks is one of these companies. In late 2014 I did an investigation into the Pumpkin Spice Latte, which contains Class IV Caramel Coloring (linked to cancer). After receiving a lot of press and pressure from the Food Babe Army, Starbucks announced that they would take steps to remove caramel coloring from their drinks. They have yet to provide a timeline, although they don’t use caramel coloring in their drinks overseas so it's clearly possible. I’m looking forward to what 2015 brings and am hopeful that Starbucks will implement this change soon.
How can the average healthy crusader get involved in your food causes?
Make sure to join my email list, so that you’re notified immediately when I start my next petition. These changes can’t come about without the help of the entire Food Babe Army. Also, consider starting your own petitions.
In
The Food Babe Way, I outline the guidelines for how to start an effective petition that works. I’m a testament to the fact that starting a petition is an easy (and super effective) way to bring about positive changes and truly transform our world. Try starting a petition yourself and you might be surprised at the impact that it makes.
Good news, aspiring activists...
we have two copies of The Food Babe Way to give away! Let us know in the comments or on our
Facebook page what change made the biggest difference in removing toxins from your diet. Entries will be put into a random draw and winners will be contacted next week!
Good luck, babes.
Read our review of The Food Babe Way here.
