Oh em GEE, guys!

Food Babe is on The Skinny Confidential today…EEK!

Lemme tell ya, this interview is ON POINT because the investigator of all food investigators, Vani Hari, knows her crap.

Literally though.

She knows which foods/food brands are CRAP & which food are not CRAP.

Anyway, I found interviewing Vani reallllllly informative. She’s done the research on specific restaurant chains/gross brands & calls them on their shady shit.

I don’t know about you but I’m not a fan of shadiness. Especially when it comes to my food.

SO. I’ve been an avid reader of Food Babe ever since Vani launched her site…& since her book The Food Babe Way came out today, I figured it would be perfect timing to get her on TSC.

Read on to find out what the hell is in our food ( remember ignorance is not BLISS! ):

| Introduce yourself |

Vani Hari: My name is Vani Hari. I am the author of my new book The Food Babe Way, passionate food activist and the creator of FoodBabe.com.

| Why did you create Food Babe? |

VH: FoodBabe.com was born in April 2011 from my years of learning, investigating and researching how to live a healthy lifestyle in this overly processed world. When I first began investigating the food I was eating, I stumbled upon groundbreaking information that changed my choices forever. I really wanted to help my friends and family, so I started to share this information with them. As I began to apply this knowledge, my personal health improved dramatically. I lost over 30 pounds, my skin cleared and I stopped taking the several prescription drugs I was on. My friends and family begged me to start a blog in order to share everything I had uncovered. My first blog investigation was into my favorite yogurt chain. After the CEO responded to my writings by yanking some of the misleading marketing, I got my first taste of what it was like to be an activist. I continued researching and writing about the injustices and corrupt practices of the food industry. Over the past three and a half years, FoodBabe.com has grown to have a readership of over 4 million inspired individuals who are seeking to lead heather lives and rid our food system of deadly ingredients. It is through the help of the entire Food Babe Army ( amazing activist readers ) that the investigations and petitions on FoodBabe.com have been able to force some of the largest food corporations to change, including Kraft, Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Subway, Anheuser-Busch, & Starbucks.

| Describe GMOs in simple terms |

VH: “Genetically modified organisms” (GMOs) are in 90% of our processed food. GMOs are foods biologically manufactured in laboratories — injected with new DNA, viruses, herbicides, insecticides and/or other chemicals — to be resistant to synthetic chemicals and are completely different than hybridizing techniques allowed by nature. These foods have only been in our food supply since 1996 and long-term independent health studies were not conducted before they were approved. The companies that create GMOs want us to believe that they are no different than conventional crops. Yet, GMOs receive patents by the U.S. Patent Office because they have been deemed to be unique and different. Over 64 countries around the world require GMOs to be labeled or regulated. The U.S. does not. This is one of the most un-American policies that exist. We have the right to know what’s in our food just like people in countries like China and Russia do — especially when some studies have linked the chemicals used in conjunction with GMOs to a wide variety of diseases like infertility and cancer ( << more on my GMO post here ).

| What’s the biggest misconception about food in general? |

VH: That eating healthy is hard.

Eating healthy is a commitment, but it does not have to be difficult. Just like anything in life you have to take it step by step and one day at a time.

This is why I wrote The Food Babe Way: to give readers a day by day approach to breaking free from the hidden toxins in their food. This was the book I wish I had when I initially set out to lose weight, started eating healthier, and started learning about our food system and how corrupt it has gotten.

| If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? |

VH: That’s easy! It would definitely be kale. I love kale.

| What are five healthy snacks that are always in your refrigerator? |

Almond butter
Kale ( duh! )
Green juice
Kimchi
Raw vegetables cut up & ready to eat

| Name the top five companies that are the absolute worst when it comes to chemicals ( Call them out! Call them out! PLEASE!! ) |

1.) Kraft – As an American staple in most houses, Kraft’s iconic products are full of some of the worst food additives ( including all of the sickening 15 – I discuss in The Food Babe Way ).

2.) Monsanto – Monsanto is one of the companies behind the increased use of pesticides in farming. I always choose organic produce to ensure that the food I am eating has not been doused with a loosely regulated chemical cocktail.

3.) Kellogg’s – Their cereals are dead food. They do not give life to your body and are nutritionally void.

4.) Starbucks – Pesticide sprayed coffee, Monsanto milk, caramel coloring level IV, & outrageous amounts of sugar are just a few of the reasons.

5.) McDonald’s- Antibiotic filled meat is just one of the many problems on McDonald’s list. Avoid McDonald’s if you want to feel and look good.

| Describe life before Food Babe |

VH: I began my food journey, like most people, by following the standard American diet. As a successful management consultant, I was either in the office eating whatever take-out was available, or I was on the road eating every meal out. Although this lifestyle allowed me to fit in with my peers and work crazy hours, it also took a huge toll on my body and I became very ill. Over the holiday season over ten years ago, I found myself in a hospital bed. I was sick, overweight, & I was ready to change! I made health my number one priority from that point forward.

| Give us a day of eating for you |

VH: I wake up and start my day with warm lemon water and cayenne pepper. I go into great detail in The Food Babe Way about the benefits of following this one simple habit. After my lemon water, I have a green juice or a green smoothie. If I have a juice in the morning I make sure to follow it with a more substantial breakfast later. Fruit, coconut milk, chia seeds, & hempseeds has been a favorite combo of mine recently.

For lunch, I usually have a salad and soup. I don’t do snacks that often, but I do have afternoon tea with something sweet – usually some golden berries ( they taste just like sour patch kids ) or a piece of raw chocolate.

Before dinner I eat another huge salad with unlimited veggies and a homemade dressing. Making dressing at home is so easy and it will keep you from literally pouring food additives and GMOs over your fresh greens.

I try to make dinner as simple as possible. My go-to is a simple piece of grilled fish, broccoli and a sweet potato. Each month I share a months worth of Food Babe approved recipes and grocery shopping lists as a part of The Food Babe Eating Guide. You can learn more about my Eating Guide here.

| Five foods that make your hair, skin, and nails grow and make your hair glow? |

Filtered water
Avocado
Coconut oil ( bonus: I use coconut oil directly on my skin as a makeup remover and moisturizer )
Leafy greens
Hempseed ( << my favorite found here )

| What’s something simple that someone could do to increase their energy level? |

VH: Nix the processed food! It’s often loaded with sugar and additives that can zap your energy and brainpower. Instead, start each day with a green drink – either a green smoothie or green juice made with dark leafy green vegetables. Consuming green drinks is the best way to get a ton of nutrition in your body at once, which naturally gives you a lot of energy. I have several delicious green drink recipes on my website to get you started.

| Tell us about your book! Why does everyone need a copy? |

VH: There’s a way to look good and feel great without always needing to be on a diet. The Food Babe Way contains the 21 essential habits that I taught myself to take control of my health.

I take someone through the simple changes they can make to live a more energetic and vibrant life while still being exposed to the food system we have today.

I share the life changing habits that have allowed me to maintain my weight for over a decade after losing the extra pounds I had been holding onto – including how to eat out, travel for work, and snack effectively.

After learning to maintain these habits I have never had to diet again, despite the challenging environment we live in with an abundance of tricky marketing and addictive additives in our food that make us eat more than we should. This book is for anyone who is tired of the food industry hijacking their taste buds and wants to take matters into their own hands and become their own food investigator, nutritionist and food activist.

We have the power to change our health faster than anyone else and I wrote this book to show people how to do just that.

+ Check out Vani’s book here & follow Vani on Instagram here.

P.S. A TSC recipe will be up on Vani’s site next week so stay tuned!