
#875: Join us as we sit down with Vani Hari – food activist behind Food Babe, 4x NY Times best-selling author, & founder of the organic food brand Truvani. Vani’s viral testimony before the US Senate ignited a nationwide movement, calling out...
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Lauren Everts
The following podcast is a Dear Media Production. She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire.
Michael Bostic
Fantastic.
Lauren Everts
And he's a serial entrepreneur, a very smart cookie. And now, Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic.
Vani Hari
Are bringing you along for the ride.
Michael Bostic
Get ready for some major realness.
Lauren Everts
Welcome to the Skinny Confidential.
Michael Bostic
Him and her.
Lauren Everts
Hello, everybody. Welcome back to another incredible episode of the Skinny Confidential. Him and her show. Today we're joined by a woman who has shaken the foundations of the trillion dollar food industry. She's taken on Kraft, Subway, Starbucks, and most recently, Kellogg's. And she's winning. With over 15 million views on her viral Senate testimony and a growing movement demanding transparency. She's not just a disruptor, she's a revolution in and of herself. Vani Hari, AKA Food Babe, is here to expose what's really in your grocery cart, how the FDA is failing us, and why the US allows ingredients that are banned around the world and in other countries. Vanny Hari. Welcome to the Skinny Confidential. Him and her show. This is the Skinny Conf.
Michael Bostic
Him and Her.
Lauren Everts
You've been doing a lot of really serious stuff, so people probably want to get really serious with you right off the bat. And then they kind of lose the maybe elements or the facts that, you know, you started doing a lot of what you were doing because you became interested in this world of health and wellness and you have a family and you care about the family and you're a person.
Michael Bostic
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
You know, you're not some, like, robot, but. Yeah, we'll keep it light and easy here.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
Welcome back. It's been a long time. I didn't realize how long we were.
Michael Bostic
Talking off air about how you and I met when we first were bloggers, like 13 years ago.
Vani Hari
Yeah. Yeah, we did. We were like blogging sisters. We were, like, doing blog swaps.
Michael Bostic
Yeah.
Vani Hari
And. And your aesthetic on your blog was so ridiculous. And I'm like, who is this girl? Everything is curated. All the colors are matching. And I'm like, it's like gar. Like, it's like puke on the page.
Michael Bostic
No, it wasn't. Your blog, though, always had the most interesting information. You've always been interested in this topic and passionate about it. So it's cool to now see what you're doing. Thirteen years later. It makes sense.
Lauren Everts
You know what's funny, though? I'm glad you said that you guys would blog and blog swap this long because sometimes, like, the show will get some pickup and, like, the people will be like, so when did you guys get interested in health and wellness? I'm like what? I don't know, like, the entire time, I think.
Vani Hari
Right. No, I was already so into it. I mean. Yeah. I mean, I'm just thinking about even the books that you've written. I mean, everything has been around this wellness sphere where you're just, like, seeking health. Right?
Michael Bostic
I try. I try. And I'm not perfect at it, but that's all we can do, is try.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Michael Bostic
When you see where you. What, where, where you started 13 years ago and you see what you're doing now, how do you feel about all this? Because it's a lot.
Vani Hari
You know, when I was asked to speak on stage at Health and Human Services just recently with Secretary Kennedy and the head of the fda, I took a moment for myself right when I got to the stage and I took a deep breath and I took it all in and I, I just gave gratitude to that moment because I've been working for this for so long, over a decade of telling everyone the truth about their food and, and so much of that falling to deaf ear, especially for our elected officials and our politicians in Washington. And nobody was holding them accountable. It was just citizens like me and you and others just like, you know, sharing petitions, signing them, getting these corporations to change this through, you know, our voices. But, but now we have true leadership that is, is taking my voice and amplifying it all the way to the highest levels of government, all the way up to President Trump. And now in the West Wing and every single cabinet member is, is talking about these issues that we've been fighting for for so long, that we just want transparency into our food system. We want American companies to stop poisoning us with ingredients they don't use in other countries. We want the same safer versions that these American companies make for so many other citizens in Australia and Canada and all of Europe and Korea and India. I mean, it's, it's, it's quite alarming when you see the, the growing list of countries that get better food than us.
Lauren Everts
Can you. I think it's relevant to talk about your journey a bit because one of the things that personally drives me nuts when it comes to this topic is what I mentioned earlier. Like, Lauren and I, I wouldn't call ourselves experts, but we've always been health conscious and health focused and tried to seek out information so that we can live a healthy lifestyle and provider for our family. And what bothers me a lot, and I've been vocal about this, and maybe you've seen it, is that somewhere along the line, this topic of health and ingredients and better for you. Foods and holding companies accountable become. Become real political. And obviously it's because the current administration, the figurehead of that administration, Trump, is. Is a. Is a lightning rod of a figure. But for someone like yourself, I think it's relevant for you to talk about your journey of being, you know, focused on this topic for so many years prior to this administration and prior to Bobby Kennedy and because it's almost like, I think people that get introduced to you now that are unaware of your past, they're just reading the political headlines.
Michael Bostic
Yeah, yeah.
Lauren Everts
And some of the bias. And they're not understanding your passion for this space since the beginning.
Vani Hari
Yeah. And I mean, it started with me being very sick as a child. You know, I was on felt like every prescription drug and then hitting rock bottom in my early 20s where I had an appendectomy and doctors were telling me, I don't need this organ in my body. It's about to explode. Then I have an endometriosis, having another surgery shortly thereafter, and just making a decision that I'm not going to feel this way anymore. And that's what led me to my quest of this insatiable curiosity about what I was eating and what led me to that situation. And when I started to take back control of my food, going from a processed food diet to just real food, just real whole living foods, very simple, not controversial at all, everything changed. I went off every single prescription drug, realized a life I never thought was possible. And then I couldn't shut up about all the things that I was learning. And so my friends saw this dramatic transformation in my body because I went from someone overweight, you know, puffy face, bad skin, not athletic, to now a new being of health, found fitness. You know, all these things, and they're like, hey, I want what you're having. And I wanted to call the blog Eat Healthy forever dot com. And my husband, who is a tech geek in the family, was smart and was like, that's a terrible name, and found Food Babe on auction for 10 bucks and started blogging under the name Food Babe. Because I was still working in the corporate world, I wanted to kind of hide behind this Persona. But then I started to create a community that not only cared about their own health and wanted to learn what I was re. You know, teaching and. And really just sharing my lifestyle. They wanted to hold these companies accountable that I was calling out because I was. I was just sharing specific companies that I felt duped about. Like when I. When I would eat Subway every day on the Job. I thought I was eating fresh. I mean, it was their headline. And I had no idea that there was 50 ingredients and just the bread alone and that they were using artificial food dyes and all kinds of nitrates and artificial ingredients and, you know, flavoring and all kinds of stuff. Ingredients that are banned in other countries. You get fined $450,000 if you get caught using one of the chemicals. I mean, I found out all these things and I was like, how come nobody's looking at the actual ingredients in this food and just believing the marketing. And when I started to call this.
Michael Bostic
Out.
Vani Hari
People were pissed and upset and started calling the companies and demanding change and inspired me to start petitions to take on these corporations. And we've gotten everyone from Kraft to Subway to Starbucks to General Mills to Papa John. I mean, countless chick fil a countless organizations and, and food. Food companies to change. Multi billion dollar food companies to change just through awareness about what was in their food. And, and I think what was the best part of all of this is when you learn the ingredients in your food and you understand why they're there and what the purpose is and you realize that they're there to just improve the bottom line of the food industry and not improve your health. And you start to opt out of that system and say, I'm not part of that science experiment anymore. I don't. These aren't nutritious ingredients. They don't like, provide energy or nutrition or like give you more vitamins or minerals. They're literally there to make the corporations more money. And you say, I'm going to opt out of that system. Like, everything changes. Right? And, and so this is what I wanted to, to awaken in the American public. And I just wanted people to, to never be in that position that I was in. Right. Recovering in that hospital room with a stitch down my side, with an organ taken out of my body when I was in my 22 years old. Like, there's no reason anybody has to go through that.
Michael Bostic
I also had my appendix out. Do you think now with everything you've learned that it has something to do with food? Mine burst.
Vani Hari
Absolutely.
Michael Bostic
How so?
Vani Hari
Well, this is the first thing I researched after having my appendix, House. It's like, well, they tell me I don't need it, but what do you mean I don't need it? Like, why did God put it there? Right, right, exactly. And, and it's from an inflamed digestive system. Huh. And so what was I doing? I was eating inflammatory food. Right. That was completely taxing my digestive system. Not enough fiber, tons of chemicals, a lot of additives. Not organic. So I was eating a ton of pesticides that create little, tiny holes in your gut. And then your appendix. I hope you know this, because you should be loading up on probiotics, but your appendix actually populates your gut with good bacteria. So you need an appendix. You really should have one. Right. Like, it's not, like, something that we just can discard, but that's how the doctors made it out to be. Like, oh, you don't need it. We'll just take it out. It'll be routine surgery, you know, and it's like, wait a minute. Can you reverse. Like, there wasn't even the discussion of, can you reverse this right through healthy eating or anything. It was just like, here's a surgery. You're getting this thing out. It's emergency. You got to do it now. Right? I mean, that's what you.
Lauren Everts
Well, can it cause issues and gangrene.
Michael Bostic
Mine was burst.
Vani Hari
Yeah. Oh, yeah. It was already burst.
Michael Bostic
So if it's already burst, there's nothing.
Vani Hari
Nothing you can do. Yeah.
Michael Bostic
So if you do have your appendix out, you should double up on probiotics.
Vani Hari
Absolutely. Yeah.
Michael Bostic
That's interesting. I always used to wonder, when I was really young, I'd be like, but why did this happen in the first place?
Vani Hari
How old were you?
Michael Bostic
Sixteen.
Vani Hari
Wow. Wow.
Michael Bostic
It's hurts?
Vani Hari
Yes.
Michael Bostic
When it burst.
Vani Hari
Yes.
Michael Bostic
Like, it is the worst. It's the worst. Did yours burst?
Vani Hari
It almost did. Okay. So, yeah, it was a pain where I went to the emergency room, and they. They basically said nothing was wrong. And I was like, wait a minute. I am in so much pain. I'm beveled over.
Michael Bostic
Oh, you can't even move.
Vani Hari
Exactly. And they said, we'll just take an Advil, go home. We think it's like an ovary or something. And I went home. My parents stayed with me that night, and they stayed in my apartment that night with me, and they. They woke me up in the morning. They're like, are you still in pain even after all the Advil? And I was like, yes, I feel awful. I hurt so bad. They're like, you need to go see your other doctor. I don't trust anybody at the emergency room at this point. Like, so I went to go see my other doctor, and it was like, immediate into the. In the surgery room, people text me.
Michael Bostic
And be like, hey, Lauren, I know you got your appendix out. I have a stomachache. Like, do you think I have. I'm like, no, no, no, this is not something that you're like, I don't know. This is something like, get me to the doctor now.
Vani Hari
Yeah, yeah. Like I couldn't get off the couch.
Michael Bostic
Like, I did think it was kind of cool at the time because I love the book. Madeline, she had her appendix out. Oh, it wasn't that cool. So now I have to take extra probiotics.
Vani Hari
I've been reading my kids Madeline Goes to the White House. It's too cute.
Michael Bostic
How do you think about your kids and what they're eating with everything that you know? What are things that are like you don't do in your home? What are things that you'll. You'll be a little more lax on? Talk to us about that.
Vani Hari
Yeah, I mean, my kids have grown up with food, babe, as their mom, right? So they know about artificial food dyes. They know about additives. They know that if there is a cereal box, they're not eating it. Right. They just, they know it's poison. Like they literally, like my little 4 year old can't wait to show me a cereal box when he sees it at the grocery store or at Target or wherever. And he points it out always, he's like, Kellogg's and like, you know, laughs and giggles and runs away and you.
Michael Bostic
Give them another kind of cereal.
Vani Hari
Well, they never ate cereal, so they've never had cereal before.
Michael Bostic
Oh my.
Vani Hari
You know, I think they, they've tried Love Bird before because I'm like, oh, there's this great new brand. It's so good and delicious we just got for them. Yeah. And I'm like, try this. And they're just so not even used to dry cereal that they don't. They're not even into it really. And so we've just done steel coat oatmeal, which, you know, I get one degree is the brand. It's glyphosate free and it's incredible. And I have this amazing slow cooker. It's by 360 Cookware. It's absolutely incredible. It's a stainless steel slow cooker, which is really important. You don't want to get the ones that are, you know, full of lead and other toxic chemicals. Right. So it's really super easy to clean. I set it the night before. It takes me less than a minute to put the oatmeal in the water in there. It's creamy, it's delicious. It's done in the morning so the kids can have that first thing. I put ground flaxseed. So I'm not Like, you know, you're like sleep deprived. You're, you know, you're running around, you have a million things. Press is calling me off the hook. Like so much stuff is happening every morning. It is so nice to have something ready for the kids that's nutritious and amazing. It's quick to just wash some blueberries or berries or whatever, or pomegranate seeds, they love those. Put that in the oatmeal with the ground flax seed. They love it. And then such a good tip.
Michael Bostic
So you have, you take the 360 cookware, the stainless steel, you put the 1 degree oats in it at night and you wake up and the oatmeal's ready to go.
Vani Hari
Yes. And it's absolutely incredible. And it's like, you know, I know that there's no toxins leaching in there. I'm buying the best oatmeal. It's good, nutritious, you know, carbohydrate, it fills them up. And then I love the added, you know, additional flaxseed, which is the omega 3s, and the fatty acids, which is incredible. And the fiber keeps them full. And then the added, you know, antioxidants from the berries. It's like the perfect meal. And then I can, I can handle their other requests which are, mom, can you make bacon? Mom, can you make sausage? Mom, can you fry me an egg? Mom, I want pancakes, you know, and then I'm like, okay, I can have a sip of my coffee. Okay, I can get to the next course. I mean, my kids eat in courses. They, they've just kind of been trained from our travel, lifestyle and everything else of like, I like to go to, you know, every summer we go to St. Bart's and we, we kind of hunker down there for a month. And it's, it's the one thing that I love most about our family and what we do. And we just act like, you know, we're just, we act like for the French and we eat from, you know, we, we cook a lot. We also go out a lot. But they're used to these long, you know, multi course meals because that's how I serve it at home and that's how they're served when we go out to eat. And so it's just, you know, it's just how they were raised. And so they're, they're unique creatures for sure. Right. They're not like most children.
Michael Bostic
You do feel like a bartender as a mother, like I, I bartender for like five years and I've realized I am a bartender in like, can I get ice? Can I get a straw? Can I get a this? Can I. You feel like you're bartending and you're cleaning as you go. It's like literally like you're working in a restaurant.
Vani Hari
And then there's like negotiations happening too. Like, mom, can I have some dried fruit before school? Because I just don't think I'm. I just need to have that before school.
Michael Bostic
Or what about, I'm not hungry anymore, but I love a cookie. I said, but I thought you said you weren't hungry. There's so much negotiating. What did he say to this?
Lauren Everts
I encourage the negotiation.
Michael Bostic
What did he say this morning to you?
Lauren Everts
I don't know.
Michael Bostic
He said he's always wheeling. No, he said, he said, I think I'd like to watch a show.
Lauren Everts
Listen, life is one big negotiation. So I encourage it. I'm like, okay, you gotta refine your pitch a little bit.
Michael Bostic
I call him Baby boss or boss Baby.
Lauren Everts
They're always negotiating around the topic of health and wellness. Everybody as a population, as a people, as a country should be excited about cleaning up our ingredients and focusing on things that make us healthier and getting rid of things that make us unhealthy and creating an opportunity for our children and their children to thrive with better ingredients and better soils and all of these things. And that should just be bipartisan right down the line.
Vani Hari
It should be, right. It 100% should be.
Lauren Everts
But because of the way that we exist, and I, and I do blame media in general, and I'll throw all of our media.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
Because I think a lot of people. It'd be very easy, I guess is what I'm saying, for Lauren and I to shoot to the top of the charts and get way more views and listens. If we dug real deep into one side of the aisle and just pandered to that side and pissed off the others, I think it's much harder to stay somewhat centrist and say, like, listen, there's a. There's a complex issue that requires buy in from everybody.
Vani Hari
It does.
Lauren Everts
That needs to be discussed.
Vani Hari
Well, the only thing that will defeat the enormous amount of money and forces against us, the only thing that will defeat that is people coming together, our voices. That's the only thing. And the more they divide us, whether saying this is a Democrat issue or Republican issue or, you know, one party's doing and the other party's not, like, the more they have these talking points and the. And the more they try to politicize things by denigrating what Secretary Kennedy is trying to accomplish, which is, I see it every day in the media, on the leftist media. I mean, it's, it's, it's so saddening to see what's going on. I mean, I watched a woman on MSNBC say that ultra processed foods and the harms of ultra processed food is a conspiracy theory, that there's no data behind this. Like, I was shocked. I was like, is this real? This is a generated, like is this person really telling the truth here? I mean, it was, it was shocking to see the rhetoric coming off to just, you know, stop these ideas and stop the progress that's happening. And you know, what really should be happening is both sides should be trying to out maha each other, right? We should see who can do it better because that's the situation we're in. We're in a situation where we have the worst life expectancy ever in history. That our kids are at the point where they're going to have a less life expectancy than us compared to every other developing nation. The fact that 38 of us, our kids are pre diabetic when it used to be zero, that our, our cancer rates have increased 40% since 1975, that's enormous numbers.
Lauren Everts
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Michael Bostic
Have changed my hair. Like my hair is so much thicker. The hairstylists who helped me with my hair have noticed it. My friend Alex who dyes my hair has noticed it. I just feel like my hair was shedding with my first baby and now it's so much thicker. And I really think a lot of that has to do with changing my hair color and eating a lot of meat and scalp massage and supplementation. The supplement that I use, you guys know this is Nutrafol. Nutrafol is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand. It's trusted by over one and a half million people. Anything truly worthwhile takes time and effort and with Nutrafol you see thicker, stronger, faster growing hair and less shedding in just three to six months. I think they've done a really good job of really taking a whole body approach to hair so they support you at any phase. So if you're postpartum or it's during pregnancy or maybe you're eating a vegan diet, Neutrophil aims to please I've noticed a huge difference. 90% of women saw overall improvement in their hair after taking Nutrafol Women Hair Growth Supplement for six months this summer. Stop worrying about your hair and start making memories. For a limited time, Nutraful is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping when you go to nutrafool.com and enter the promo code skinny hair. Find out why Nutrafol is the best selling hair growth supplement brand@nutrafol.com spelled n u t r a f o l.com promo code skinny hair that's nutrafool.com promo code skinny hair One thing that is so crazy is that so many people spend so much money on their skin and hair products, but they're not thinking about the water that they're showering in. And I have switched my shower heads in my house and it's a game changer. If you've not heard of Jolie, Jolie is a beauty wellness company that purifies the water that we shower in for better skin, hair and overall well being. Jolie's filter shower head is the best in class for removing chlorine and heavy metals. It's the only lab tested and clinically trialed filtering shower head on the market. Fun facts. It's lab tested to reduce hair frizziness by 40%. It's lab tested to maintain color retention, which for me is amazing. And it's lab tested to protect the hair's surface layer. I also just don't want chlorine on my skin. You guys know I have my skinny confidential non toxic toilet paper that has no chlorine. I don't want it near my skin, especially on my face. And Jolie takes that pain point out of the water for me. Jolie shower heads have a beautiful, sleek design. It's the perfect combination of form and function. And you should know this is important. We all know this. It still gives strong water pressure. Jolie will give you your best skin and hair guaranteed. Head to Jolie skinco.com/skinny. You get to try it out for yourself with free shipping. And if you don't like it, you can return your Jolie for a full refund within 60 days, no questions asked.
Lauren Everts
Again, I don't want to go so down political aisle, but like as it relates to Kennedy and Maha, if he would have won the ticket to be the Democratic candidate, my fear is that you would have people on the right pooh, poohing this idea about Maha and the people on the left would be supporting it. But now you have people on the left trying to crush this. You know, my point is, is like because we live in this left right country right now, good ideas get shot down just by opposition. Because it's like I can't support something that even if it's a good idea, that the other side is saying is a good idea. Does that make sense?
Vani Hari
And that's where I've worked with now both administrators, both sides of the spectrum, right? You know, I was Obama delegate. Now I'm, you know, speaking with Secretary Kennedy and others in the White House. Like it's, it's, it is a situation where we have been working on these issues for so long and now we're given the opportunity to make meaningful change and we have leadership that's again bringing these issues to the West Wing and the cabinet members and across all the agencies of government. And this amazing report that came out last week that details out the truth about the harms of ultra processed foods and the chemicals we're being exposed to in our food. The, the farming chemicals atrazine and glyphosate, the two most used pesticides and herbicides in our country. I mean, the report itself said pesticides 15 times. The fact that that was even in there was a miracle. I mean the chemical lobby worked so tooth and nail to try to prevent that information from getting in that report. Just literally just sharing the data, not even any policy work or anything. And, but we're, we're at that moment now where we have amazing leadership at the state level looking at these issues and creating bills to remove artificial food dyes and other chemicals from their food. And, and to, you know, in California there's a bill that's going to define ultra processed food. And in Texas here just a few days ago, they, they passed a bill that's incredible that's going to put warning labels on all of these additives that are banned in other countries. That's going to spawn an amazing amount of change just within the food industry. And it's, it's what I, what I'm grappling with is how as a human being can you just sit back and sit on your hands and not get involved when the food companies are poisoning us, the chemical companies keep spraying all this stuff all over our food that we can't stop. I mean, you know, our food, many practices we have here in the United States, for example, the spraying of glyphosate before harvest on our wheat, on our oats, on our beans. Why? The reason I buy that specific brand that tests for glyphosate is because our food is being sprayed right before harvest. They're allowed to use this, allowed to use glyphosate as a desiccant to dry the harvest so they can rotate it faster before the, the fall rains and other things that happen. And so it's, it's a way for them to, to just farm a little faster. But there's other mechanisms farmers could use that would eliminate this usage. That's prohibited in Europe, by the way, because they found that the, the use of this is actually the 90, 90% of the dietary exposure we get from glyphosate. So imagine if we just banned that usage of glyphosate, not just the entire chemical, which is going to take a Lot longer and a lot more resources. And we're going to have to pay farmers a lot of money to make that change. But, but even if we did that, that's only 3% of glyphosate used in, in this country. But it would affect 90% of the exposure. We get through that. And it's linked to cancer, it's linked to infertility, it's linked to endocrine disrupting chemicals. I mean, problems in your body, autoimmune disorders, gut issues, so many different things. And then I think about atrazine that was mentioned in that report. Atrazine is banned in 60 other countries. It is making people have small penises. Okay, why do you think frogs gay as Alex Jones said? Right.
Lauren Everts
Well, that's all we need to hear.
Michael Bostic
How is it making someone have someone small penises?
Lauren Everts
And how do these guys avoid destroying their, their hormones?
Vani Hari
Yeah, I mean it's affecting infertility, it's affecting. The guys want to know how to.
Michael Bostic
Avoid it so they don't get a small dick.
Vani Hari
So can you explain it? It's sprayed on non organic corn and sugar in this country.
Michael Bostic
Non organic corn and sugar?
Vani Hari
Yes.
Michael Bostic
So what if they get like, or what? I, I like to buy like organic coconut sugar. Is that a good one?
Vani Hari
Yeah, that's a great way to avoid actraine. But atrazine's getting in our water. So like even if you buy food.
Michael Bostic
So you guys are drinking small penis water.
Vani Hari
And this is not me, Lauren, this. And the only reason I mentioned that study because I knew you get a rise out of it. But also it's true. And the, the problem with it is this is stuff we can't avoid. We can eat organic food all day long and, and make good purchasing decisions, but it's in our water. You know, how are we going to avoid this?
Michael Bostic
Can we get a filter on our water? What's the filter to get?
Vani Hari
I mean not all filters actually get rid of atrazine. You still find little minus. Here's my thing.
Lauren Everts
And you're. I think you know Alex Clark, she's on this show and we talked about the frogs and the gays in the water and all this stuff like turning gay frogs, whatever they are. And what I said, I was like, you know the problem with a lot of these soundbite clips and shows. I'll even like pick on this one.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
Is clips get pulled out of context. And what I think is so important is to do what you're doing and explain to people what is happening, why it's getting into the food supply, why it's getting into the water, what is being sprayed on the crops, how that is, then being ingested. We were talking the other day, like, birth control being the water people. You were like, what are you guys talking about? These things are happening because of the way that we consume, the way that we. We defecate, the way that we get rid of things, the way that we detox all these. And they're getting into the environment and into our food supply and into our cleaning supplies, beauty supplies. And you might not have an issue right away, but over time, you have this toxic overload, and that's when you start to have these autoimmune and breakdowns and gut issues and hormone issues and fertility issues and all these things. And all you have to do is look at the data. All of these things are on the rise. Cancers, lack of fertility, you know, hormone disruptions, gut issues. And it's.
Vani Hari
It.
Lauren Everts
It indicates that we are not living the way that we should be living. Right? And so, like, that's my big passion. I really don't care who accomplishes that or who gets the message out more. Yeah, I don't care if it's the left or the right or Bobby Kennedy or somebody else or. Or you or anybody else that are doing these things. But I think people should just be aware that something is not going right and we need to make a change.
Vani Hari
I'd like to say that the food babe army, the people that have known me the longest have watched this fight, Lauren, others, you see that I'm in it to try to make a change. And no matter who the administration is, I'm gonna be working on this issue. Right. But now we have something spiritual happening. I mean, we really do. Where never before has the president of the United States talked about chemicals in food and pesticides and talk about it during the joint address of Congress. And, you know, even highlighting a boy that has brain cancer and connecting it to what Secretary Kennedy is doing in his position, though this has never happened before in history. We've never had a MAHA Commission report that has detailed out what's wrong with our food and our. In our. And the chemicals that we're being exposed to. On page 38 of that report, there's an incredible chart that shows the entire. All the chemical exposures that a human body is getting right now. That's like an assault on our system. It's. It's the microplastics, it's the bpa, it's the pesticides, it's the. The food chemicals. It's all of it. Right. That's the phalates, the, the bpa. You know, all of it is, is like an assault on us and we have to do something to pull back. Right. And, and there's just common sense things that we could do right now. Like for example, atrazine is a, is a, a Chinese chemical run herbicide and it's a Chinese chemical being sprayed on our food.
Lauren Everts
Chinese meaning it's manufactured?
Vani Hari
Yeah, in China. Right. Okay. And it is being sprayed on our food and not 60 other other countries.
Michael Bostic
Okay.
Vani Hari
So that automatically puts us at a disadvantage from an economic perspective for the amount of healthcare issues that we have to deal with as a result of those chemicals. But also from a. Just a longevity.
Lauren Everts
I'll give you something again that like, is just like people should just like nobody really think people don't. They kind of like it's a cause and effect. People want free health care in this country.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
A lot of people are not happy with the health care system and how we provide it, but we're one of the sickest populations on the planet and so we're not able to afford to provide free health care like other countries that are not some of the sickest populations. The reason we had some of the worst reactions to Covid in this country is because we are metabolically unhealthy and unfit and we are sick as a population. And so our system gets overrun and over and, and breaks down. And then you wonder like why we don't have the same things. It's because if you go to the core of all these things, these other countries don't have the sick burden that we have here. So they're able to economically be able to maybe sustain some of the flare ups that they have in those countries. And I'm using the word flare ups because when someone gets sick over there, it's not the entire population. When we, we as a country just can't sustain that. One, we're a big population and two, everyone like there's a high majority that are just not in a good shape. And so there's no way to provide free health care in this country with the way that we're going. As a matter of fact, like if we don't clean up the health care of the system and we don't get healthy as a population, the country is going to continue to, to go broke. Right. We're not gonna be able to sustain because the, the burden on the financial system is just, it's so drastic that.
Michael Bostic
We just, we can't Keep up from a micro level. How do people avoid what you're talking about? I want to give people. So your own food, Grow your own food. What if they can't grow their own food? What are some things that they, some people can't.
Lauren Everts
And more importantly, what if you don't want to?
Vani Hari
Yeah, yeah, well, that's. Yeah, well, I don't, I don't really want to grow my own food. My husband thankfully grows all food and I just go pick it.
Michael Bostic
I should have married someone who could grow their own food.
Vani Hari
Should have married a farmer.
Michael Bostic
What, but what can we do to avoid it? Are there words we can look for on the food? Because what I don't want to do is just tell everyone to like to feel overwhelmed, that they're all going to get small penises.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Michael Bostic
Without giving them some kind of tangible takeaway. What are the things we can look for?
Vani Hari
Yeah, I mean, I think the most important label at the grocery store is organic. That's the most important label because it automatically eliminates all of these chemicals that I've been rallying against. The chemicals that American companies have taken out in other countries and not using here. The organic standards have already removed those chemicals.
Michael Bostic
And we can trust organic, you know.
Vani Hari
Yes. I mean, I think that it's, you know, it's still, you know, organic food, just to be honest. I mean, the, the problem with the abundance of chemicals we're using in our environment, there's going to be runoff and cross contamination issues and all kinds of stuff. But, but organic food is going to be the easiest way to avoid, first of all, the very toxic pesticides that are used like that I've talked about here today. Glyphosate, natrazine. And then it's gonna, it's gonna help you avoid all of those other chemicals like, you know, azodicarbonamide and caramel, color level four and all the artificial food dyes and BHA and BHT and titanium dioxide. You'll avoid all of that. But then you'll also avoid other chemicals that they use in the production of meat, like ractopamine, which is banned in other countries, but we use it here at the production of pigs. You know, we give it to pigs. It actually says on the label, do not feed the humans. But we give it to our animals and then we eat. Then there is antibiotics. Antibiotics are not allowed for use in organic food or growth hormone. So you're automatically doing better by just choosing that one label. Well, that's the only label, honestly, that I would look for. I Wouldn't care about non gmo. I wouldn't care about gluten free. I wouldn't care about. Unless you have celiac's disease. Right. I wouldn't care about sugar free. I wouldn't care about any of that. I would look for organic and then read the ingredient label. That's it.
Michael Bostic
What's an ingredient that we've all been led to believe is healthy, but it's not Natural flavors.
Vani Hari
So natural flavors is on just about, like, 80 of the products in grocery store shelves. But this is an additive that is made from the same scientist who hooked us to tobacco. And the way they hooked us to tobacco is using flavoring agents to completely take over the old factory system of your brain and, and hijack your. Your taste buds and hijack your brain sensors to remember a flavor and crave that flavor and create addiction. They're now using that same technology in natural flavors. And it could mean thousands of chemicals under that one label because it's not required to list out those chemical names under the one word natural flavor. And, and it's the one thing that literally just keeps you coming back for more. And it's, It's. You know, I talk about. In one of my books, I talk about Annie's chocolate bunnies.
Michael Bostic
Don't do it. Don't ruin the Mac and cheese for me. No, I'm sure that probably I bite yesterday is bad.
Vani Hari
No, these chocolate bunnies are like, you know, I eat them thinking, you know, they're delicious, but I can't stop eating them. And I'm like, why do I keep going back for more? It's. It's the natural flavor, right, that keeps me going back more. So I don't eat them anymore. And, and, and it's, it's. I don't want to be tricked, right? I don't want to, like, have my taste buds hijacked by some chemical that the food industry uses to, like, play tricks on me. So I just decide not to buy anything with natural flavor. Now, occasionally, natural flavor gets in my cart because, you know, I'll have a weak moment. Whatever. Something happens. There's a new product. I don't check the label. Something happens. I'm not perfect. I love a donut. Let me tell you. I love a donut. I won't eat a Krispy Kreme or a Dunkin Donuts, but I'll eat a. A really good donut from a bakery, from something fresh.
Michael Bostic
You know, you don't ever just, like, sit in bed and eat McDonald's.
Vani Hari
No, no. I would never eat McDonald's.
Michael Bostic
You wouldn't know. Not even a Happy Meal once a year.
Vani Hari
No, no, absolutely not. It would, it would disgust me.
Lauren Everts
I would eat it.
Michael Bostic
I like a Happy Meal.
Lauren Everts
Here's the thing. Once in a while, what, What I.
Michael Bostic
Think with just cheese and meat, I.
Vani Hari
Just know too much. I know. I know too much. I mean, the French fries have dimethyl polysiloxane.
Michael Bostic
But here, here's what I think. I think that as long as we. Like, when I eat the McDonald's, I know all the shit that's in it, and I know what I'm doing, and I know I'm gonna feel like shit after, and I think that then it's okay. Because I know, because I looked into it.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Michael Bostic
I think where it becomes a problem is when you, you feel like you're being duped, like you said, and then you eat it and you're like, why don't I feel good? I thought this was like a fresh subway with food. Fresh. Whatever. How do you manage to do what you do and keep the politics out of it? Like, how do you show up to all these events and you just put your blinders on without feeling like you're supporting any agenda?
Vani Hari
Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I think it's just easy because I just, I'm focused on one issue and I just keep going and, you know, I'm surrounding myself. I mean, I think we have an amazing coalition of people, right? There's all walks of life coming together on these issues, and I think a lot of people have put politics aside to work on these issues, and it's, it's beautiful to watch because that's the only thing that's going to change the world. And, and it's, it's, I think, what's so powerful about what's happening. And, and I, I, I really hope the people who are running for office in the future consider what's happening here, because there's a huge political base starting that is now a voting base on these issues. And we're going to be expecting our politicians to be carrying this message year after year, post President Trump and others. Right. And, and who are going to be the next leaders that take on these issues, because it's not going to be done in four years. Right. There's no way to undo the madness that quickly. It's going to take many, probably many decades to, to fix what's been done. And even then, who knows where we'll be? So this is work that's going to continue and it's the very early stages and I just hope that it continues because it's so important. I just, I don't want anyone to ever feel like I used to feel. Right. And I think that there is such a moment for Americans that are suffering with these diseases to get clean of these chemicals and realize a life they never thought was possible and find out why they were meant to be here on earth and go do that work. And I don't really truly think you can go do that work and like find your calling until your brain is clear and the chemicals get out of your body and you start to feel really healthy. Like, I don't think that sick people can do what they're meant to do and like accomplish everything they want to do in this life. I know this because I'm watching my dad suffer from these chronic diseases and I know he doesn't want to be in the position he's in right now. I know he'd rather be out at the university teaching students and doing all the work that he was really passionate about for most of his life. And I see the suffering that's happening. And I think so many people don't even understand that they have a choice right now. I mean, Mark Sissons, who I know is a friend of Yalls too, he said something so profound. He's like, you know, after the age of 40, it's like your full time job to be healthy. It's your full time job to be healthy if you want to live a life that is meaningful and, and is amazing and the quality of life that you want to live when you get older. Otherwise it just goes downhill from there, you know, so we, we have to make this a commitment. This needs to be a priority for all Americans, otherwise we're going to continue down the trajectory. That is frankly just so appalling and so saddening and it brings me to tears when I think about how many people are actually suffering.
Lauren Everts
What do you think the Maha movement and the individuals involved could do better to reach the opposition or people who are hesitant about what you guys are doing?
Vani Hari
Yeah, that's a great question. I mean, I think, I really think they're doing a really good job. I am really impressed with the leadership that Secretary Kennedy has shown in terms of not getting involved in the dog eat dog politics of what's happening in the world where he tells the truth about, you know, the corporate interests and the special interests that are controlling a lot of the elected politicians in that he's working with in his organ, you know, in his agency as well as in other cabinets. And how, you know, he's, he's, you know, really just like, trying to stay as apolitical as possible in a way, while also recognizing the amazing leadership of President Trump by bringing these issues to light. Right. And, and elevating his voice and putting him in that position. And so where I, I draw the line with politics is like, you'll never see me get into, like, a Democrat versus Republican thing. What I'll always do is just tell the truth about what I'm seeing. Right. And, and I think if everyone keeps doing that, then, you know, everything's up for grabs.
Michael Bostic
How do you handle any criticism or comments that you get online? What's your way to deal with it?
Vani Hari
Gosh, I've come a long way.
Michael Bostic
Why did you used to, like, tell us your trajectory? How did it work?
Lauren Everts
Well, I imagine in the early days you probably got very little and people were excited, and then you'd probably start getting a bigger platform. You get more. And then you got into this and you probably, like, get people that have never followed you before that are going nuts. And it's. Imagine it's just like, changed over time.
Vani Hari
Yeah, it has. And, you know, I think, you know what I went through about 10 years ago, where the food and chemical lobby kind of unleashed their gauntlet on me and they had astroturf campaigns where they'd leave no comment left behind or anytime I was featured in the media, there would be like a hundred mean comments or demeaning comments where they call me names like pseudo scientists or anti science or, or woo woo or misinformation. I don't have that pressure anymore. And I, I don't know, I just, I think I have a thicker skin. I realized that this isn't really about me. This mission isn't about me and who I am. It's about a bigger mission of like, helping the world and helping humanity. And so, like, if they want to attack me, I just kind of look past it and just keep going. There's almost like I like a built up, like a thick armor from that time period because I really had to go spiritually deep and figure out the meaning of what I'm doing and why I was doing it and, and what I. If I wanted to keep continuing and then having children, I think has strengthened me tremendously. Becoming a mother, Doing it for them, showing them what's possible and showing them that they can be unconventional and speak out. And even despite all the criticism and everything, you can keep going and tell your voice Well, I think you mentioned.
Lauren Everts
Earlier that there's, like a spiritual awakening, and I'll go with that. But I will also maybe point out that we're living in an interesting time where the general narrative or a lot of the information that was funneled to us for years was through very specific large channels. Right. And it was curated in a way where only certain kinds of information were able to break through those channels. In certain kinds of ways. Right. And now we live in a time where you have channels like this and many others that are able to offer differing narratives or differing opinions to those general narratives. So if you, if you look at it from, like, from an information overload perspective in the past, if it came to what's in our ingredients, you would likely be beholden to whatever lobbying was done and whatever information reached those main channels. Now that can be done. And then someone like yourself can say, oh, by the way, did you guys also see this? Or that? And so it diminishes the power that those original channels initially had, which is why I think you start to see a lot of them in, like, this death row to kind of discredit many platforms like this one, like yours, like others. Yeah, because it's a counter to the information that they're putting out. And it. What it does is it creates this situation where individuals are starting to say, like, wait a minute, I don't know if I really believe that maybe some of it's true. But what about this, this, this and this? And so that it's this information overload now that people are able to say, like, now that I'm aware of all of this, I can come to a different consensus again.
Vani Hari
I just, I want to make this point that this group of wellness health entrepreneurs, all the people that care about these issues, like, we're, we're coming together in such a big way. It's. It's an, It's a movement that is the biggest I've seen. And I think the reason why we're so impactful and we're not getting attacked like we used to is, is we just have such incredible leadership at every helm. And then I'm surrounded by incredible people that understand these issues and have been fighting for these issues. I think about, like Dr. Mark Hyman and Kelly Means and Dr. Casey Means and, and others that, you know, are, Are. Are just incredible voices and have been doing this work. And it's. I don't know, we have, we have a unique time where, you know, people have asked me, like, you know, gosh, you know, you, You're a law, lifelong Democrat. And to see you in the White House, you know, doing this now, it's, it's, it's so weird and, and crazy and, and I have also, you know, non profits that I've worked with for, you know, over a decade that are upset with me and, and, and sending me nasty messages too. And, and I keep asking them why, like, isn't it good for the country that now the Republicans are also concerned about this issue? Like, isn that we have both sides of the political spectrum, the left, Democrats who traditionally carried these issues, you know, the hippies and everybody, right. And now we have the right side leading on this issue. It's absolutely incredible. And we're actually seeing change. I mean, we were getting artificial food dyes eliminated from the food supply. You know, hopefully in the next two years we have infant formula. Taking a look at that and looking at the nutritional data behind that so that we can have better for you. Infant formula is available for, for, for mothers now. As a breastfeeding mother, I wish, you know, everyone could breastfeed. I just know that's not a reality. But we need to stop recommending infant formula where the first ingredient is corn syrup. Right. Like, we need to have better for you things here in the United States. We should not expect, you know, American mothers to have to go to Europe to feed their kids. You know, we, we have, have so much momentum where, you know, we have Secretary Kennedy looking and closing this grass loophole, the generally regarded as safe loophole that's allowed food companies to inundate our food supply with all these chemicals in the first place because they're self policing. They, they approve the chemicals themselves and they get them rubber stamped by the fda. He's going to close that loophole. That's, that's amazing work, right? That's like undoing years of damage to the fact that our regulatory agencies have failed us. And so just those couple things is incredible to get done in four years. And I can't imagine that was just in the first 100 days. Imagine if we just all decided, you know, regardless of politics, we're going to get America healthy again and we're going to all come together on these issues. We would be completely unstoppable. The industry wouldn't know what to do with themselves. We would have new innovation like we would never see before new companies take place. I mean, the reason why I started my company Truvani, was because I was sick of seeing protein powder full of these additives and these gums and they were like Making me bloated and feel sick. I wanted to create something with the least amount of chemicals and when I was creating it, I couldn't believe that some of the chemicals were used for the actual machine, for the machine to run faster. They were putting, excuse me, xantham gum and maltodextrin and other additives like that. That for the machine to run faster so you can spend less time on the machine, so you can spend less on the manufacturing and you make that, those few pennies. I couldn't believe that that's the reason why some of these additives were being added to protein powder. And I decided, you know what, we're going to do it a different way. We're going to run the machine slower, but we're going to put people over profits. Those are the type of companies we need to see in the next generation that are putting people over profits. And the legacy corporations that have, have poisoned us to death need to die.
Michael Bostic
If you could require three things in every child's lunchbox in America, what would you require?
Vani Hari
Oh, that's such a good question. I would require a vegetable, a protein and a fat probably. But the protein could be fat combined, so maybe a fruit. So yeah, that's kind of what I do in my daughter's lunch.
Michael Bostic
So what would you eliminate?
Vani Hari
Oh gosh, Lunchables and Capri sun and.
Michael Bostic
And remember we used to drink Squeeze its.
Vani Hari
I mean we, we used to do everything.
Michael Bostic
Dunkaroos, Gushers, Shark bites.
Lauren Everts
Shark bites are good. Quick break to talk about one of our favorite long term partners and that is Kion. If you're somebody who is struggling to lose weight, have you tried Kion aminos? They are going to help prevent muscle loss and help you feel full when you're cutting. Cal I recently hurt my back which Lauren put me on blast for. It was hurt for months and months and I was worried because I wasn't getting in the gym as often as I wanted to. I wasn't getting as much protein as I would have liked and I was feeling down by myself. During this time I doubled up, almost tripled up on Kion aminos because here's the thing. Essential amino acids are what's inside protein that builds muscle and healthy hair, skin and nails. And Kion aminos ensure you're getting all the essential amino acids from protein your body needs. And these essential amino acids were absolutely critical for me when I wasn't getting as much protein as I wanted. We, we have had Angelo, the founder of Kion on this podcast four or five Times now, he is a wealth of knowledge. We've talked all about the benefits. Aminos, how they can help you lose weight and help you recover better so that you can bounce back and get back to working out, which I'm happy to report I am now. They have all nine essential amino acids. Many BCAAs that people may be taking have only three and some other brands have only eight. With Kion Aminos, you have all nine. So when people ask Lauren and I what aminos we're taking, and I know we've had all sorts of experts come on the show and recommend others, what we say time and time again and what we actually take ourselves are the kion aminos. They taste great, they make us feel great, and they become a huge part of our daily lives. And here's the other thing. We have an incredible offer for you guys with a risk free 60 day money back guarantee. Yes, risk free 60 day money back guarantee. All you have to do is go to getkeon.com skinny to save 20% off on your order. Again, that is getkeownkion spelled k I o n.com skinny for 20% off and a 60 day money back guarantee. Check it out. Quick break to talk about cotton. Is there a better material when it comes to clothing, when it comes to what we're putting on our skin, when it comes to what we're sleeping in, I don't think so. Summer is here and if I have the choice, I am wearing nothing but cotton. I'm sleeping in nothing but cotton. And that's because it's breathable. And here's the thing, it doesn't only look good, it feels good. I love to stock up on cotton shirts. I typically have a bunch of these white cotton. This is 100% pure cotton shirts in a drawer. I can pop them in anytime. You can wear them with a blazer. You can wear them casually. You can wear them dressed down, dressed up. Cotton is what denim is made out of. It is what corduroy is made out of. It is such a versatile fabric. And I get excited just talking about cotton because people don't realize this is what you're putting on your skin every single day of your life. There have been so many studies on what it means if you don't put the right fabric on your skin. So for me and Lauren, when we think about what we're putting on our children, what we're sleeping and what we're putting on our skin, down to our underwear and everything that we wear, we're always looking to Cotton. As Lauren and I have continued to optimize our health and learn from more of these experts that come on our show. When we started to upgrade our house and optimize the way that we sleep, we switched all of our sheets and bed linens to cotton. 100% cotton sheets. And we have not looked back. Our sleep is better, we have better sleep scores, we're happier, we're healthier, and it's all thanks to cotton. And like I said earlier, I love it because it is so versatile and long lasting. I can take this shirt here that's made of 100% cotton. I can throw it in the wash, I can send it to the cleaner and it always comes back looking crisp, presentable, new. And that is so important to me because here's the other thing. Money doesn't grow on trees. When you invest in a piece of clothing, when you invest in something that you're going to be putting on your body, you want it to last. Cotton is definitely going to do that. So whether I'm shopping online or I'm going into the store, I'm always looking at the tag for that hundred percent cotton tag. Because I know that if it's 100% cotton, it's 100% quality. And here's another thing. We are in a hot summer. What I love about cotton is it's breathable and hypoallergenic. So you know that if you're going to be wearing it in these hot summer days, it's going to breathe nicely, you're not going to overheat, you're going to be comfortable. There is nothing worse than not being comfortable in your own clothing. And I know we've been talking about summer and the heat out there and how cotton is going to help you breathe. But here's the thing. It's not only for summer. It's versatile. It's going to last throughout the entire year. You're going to be able to wear it in the winter, the fall, the spring and throughout the summer because this is one of the most breathable, adaptable fabrics out there. I know that listeners and viewers of this show are health conscious people. You want to do the healthiest, best thing for yourselves and for your family. Which is why I love talking about cotton so much. Because it's natural, it comes from the earth. You know that when you wear it, you're doing the most natural thing and you're putting one of the healthiest fabrics on your body. So next time you're looking to upgrade your wardrobe, think cotton 100% cotton. Cotton is the fabric of our lives. To learn more, visit thefabricofarlives.com and be sure to check out that 100% cotton tag. This episode is sponsored by Cotton.
Michael Bostic
How is my skin? You know what? This sunscreen, it's caffeinated, it's mineral, and it does not pile under makeup. I applied it today with a damp beauty blender before I got my glam done. And it lays so nicely under like a foundation or a concealer. But here's the thing that I like the most about it. So when I'm off work and when I don't have to do podcasts or Instagrams or content or I just can just be comfortable, I can wear this caffeinated sunscreen and I still get a really nice, nice tint and a protection. And it looks like my skin is all one even tone, which is nice without all the makeup. It's not like a foundation. It's. It's like the caffeine tightens your skin. It gives you a nice, even tone, and it just gives you a little bit of color. So what I like about this sunscreen is the versatility. So you can wear it when you're off and you're running around and you're running errands and wear it with nothing over it. Or you can wear it like I'm wearing today, right now with foundation and concealer over it. So it works both ways. I will wear this when I'm going to the gym in the morning and just wear it throughout the day with nothing else, or I will wear it with a full look. I created the sunscreen because I couldn't find a mineral based sunscreen with caffeine in it. Caffeine tightens the skin, it shrinks the pores, and I just like how it lays on the skin. And I mixed it with a mineral sunscreen and then we made it SPF 40. So it's a real treatment I think that you guys will absolutely love. Just comes out in a pump, fits in your handbag and it can go through the airport. You can shop this@shopskinnyconfidential.com and it's the caffeinated SPF. Also, if you're like me and you go through sunscreen quickly, you can subscribe and the sunscreen will get delivered straight to your door so you don't have to worry about it. That's shopskimmyconfidential.com Someone needs to take make a brand, okay? They can call it nostalgia and they can bring back all of the things I just listed, Fruit Roll ups.
Lauren Everts
There's companies that do that, though.
Michael Bostic
No, no, but you need to make one full company of all the nostalgic foods, but make them with good ingredients.
Vani Hari
I mean, I feel like Unreal is.
Michael Bostic
Is they've done a good job. We have unreal M M's in our Yum Earth. Yeah, we have Yum Earth.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
The Unreal's, the chocolate, the M M's.
Michael Bostic
We put in our family movie night popcorn, shout out to Pop Smith. That's. We use popsmith, coconut oil and butter. It's the best.
Lauren Everts
And I think this is relevant. We had our friend Sherveen on the show who, you know, and we were, I do think while it is exciting to think about government eliminating some of these practices that these companies are using to take advantage of us, I, I, we, what we try to do on this show is imagine if nothing's gonna change.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
I'm not saying it's like you guys are doing a lot of stuff, but imagine nothing. The individual has to take some personal accountability and get informed on what they're putting on and in their body. Meaning, like, this has not been the largest issue for me personally because I take the time to check the labels and see what I'm doing and seeing where I'm sourcing. Like, I, and you know, I'm not like, I joke I'll eat a McDonald's once every blue moon. But, like, I'm not running around me like, well, the government didn't do this for me, so now I'm just gonna eat like, all the time. And this is like, I, I can't stop myself from living this way because nobody stepped in and regulated this.
Vani Hari
Like, I mean, this is for the mom that doesn't know better, that doesn't have the time, that doesn't, you know, this is for the kids at school that get served artificial food dyes all day long and teachers are wondering why their kids can't sit still. Right. This is for everyone who's getting served this food. And it's for, it's for all of us too, like, that are fortunate to know the truth. I mean, how many times have you traveled and you can't find one thing to eat at the airport? I mean, not one good thing to eat at the airport.
Michael Bostic
It's all, not lunch.
Vani Hari
Right.
Lauren Everts
But here. So, okay, let me give you some, I'll give you some pushback. The mom and the dad that don't have time. I don't believe anybody. You don't have time. Everybody has time for what they make a priority.
Vani Hari
What do you think about my parents who came here as immigrants, very trusty in the American parents food supply. They made everything from scratch back home, came to America, they didn't know what had been done to the food. Right.
Lauren Everts
Like, it's hard. I'm not gonna say it's not hard. I'm not gonna say their circumstances economically and that. But the point is, is the reason you, you do this kind of thing and if you're a parent, like it is part of your obligation to figure out what is healthy, what is good, seek out the information.
Michael Bostic
It is hard though.
Vani Hari
And I think this is where we need school. We do need leadership at the highest levels to make this a priority for Americans and tell them the truth. For so long we have been told what is true about nutrition and food by the media that's been funded by these corporations.
Lauren Everts
But the point is, is we have information and outlets at our disposal. And the airport example, I, I get that example. It sucks. But like if I'm traveling and I know I'm not going to have good options, like I figure something out and I bring it, right? Like there's things people can do and what I don't like and I didn't like this during COVID and I don't like it now. I don't like the idea that government, big government is going to come in and fix this for me because time.
Vani Hari
And time again have transparency in the truth. Innovation and industry will fix itself. Americans will demand it with voting, with their dollars. Right? We'll, they'll start choosing companies like Truvani and others at the grocery store instead. Right? That is what the next wave is, right? It's, it's to spawn innovation in this space. It's, it's the fact that they're saying that our food is poisonous and now we have awareness about that and people are going to be making better decisions. And so it's going to spawn innovation. And, and so when I think about like Gandhi's quote, you, you want to see change that you wish to see in the world, right? Like, wouldn't it be awesome if you walked into every single airport across America and you could get just clean whole foods, no seed oils, like amazing organic food available, right? Like wouldn't it like a sun life or like, you know, where you and.
Lauren Everts
I true food kitchen and where this audience may be shocked is I think I believe in capitalism and I think the options should exist for all of it and people should make if you want to eat the McDonald's or you.
Vani Hari
Want to drink alcohol. I'm not saying these. Yeah.
Lauren Everts
I just don't like the premise that individuals can release personal accountability and that government will fix it. I think it's a partnership where you're like, yes, we would love it if government provided these options and gave us the information.
Vani Hari
But, you know, it's a rigged, it's a rigged market. I mean, the fact that these American companies have already figured out how to make their products safer and better for so many other citizens and not their own American citizens is unethical and it's hypocritical. And the fact that we've allowed them to let that happen, we're going to be closing that loophole. Right. And to, to even the marketplace. Right. And that, and I think those things are very common sense, and they're not the, the nanny state kind of situation that you're describing that the government would get involved in. It's, it's really to, to make things a level playing field for humans enough.
Lauren Everts
To see where government, like, listen, there's a, that I would like to change on the fiscal side and on the economic side around policy, but I can't wait around as an entrepreneur, as an individual for the government to make that change. I have to be able to, like, work within the system and, and, and have the mindset that they're not going to do anything to help me and that I got to figure it out myself. Like, I think of the same thing. I've talked, like, personal health and accountability. Like, if you, if you give all that away and you just say the government will do it for me and it's their responsibility to make me healthy.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
Well, now what you're doing is you're putting someone in a situation where they have an excuse to not be healthy because the government, government didn't do it.
Michael Bostic
But I think that that's why your platform, government aside, is so important, because you are a resource for people who want to know more. And that's what you've always been.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Michael Bostic
Is you've been an outlet for mothers who don't know to come and be like, holy, I didn't know that there was natural flavors in the chocolate bunnies. Like, I think that's what's so cool about what you do.
Vani Hari
Yeah. And, and that's the, the key is to give people options, choices, swap per I, I. Hey, I believe in personal responsibility. And this is the. One of the reasons why you could say that my language when I talk about these chemicals is a little inflammatory. Because I want to get people, people's reaction. I want them to pay attention, I want them to learn this information so they can't unlearn it and they make better choices for their themselves. They wake up. Right. The reason why I compared azodicarbonamide to, you know, yoga mat and shoe rubber is because it is used in, in the application of those. But it's just a way for you to remember that that's a chemical that that shouldn't be in our bodies, that we shouldn't be eating. Right. And, and it's a, it's also like, I think there's just, there's a, there's an amazing thing happening because of the conversation happening at the national level. Everybody's waking up to these ideas and they can start making better choices right here, right now. And they can go to the grocery store, they can go to the farmers market, they can start to grow their own food. Growing your own food is like printing your own money. The fact that I haven't had to buy cilantro or arugula or spinach in the last six months is because of my husband and the fact that he grows this food on our front porch.
Lauren Everts
No, and what you guys have going for you is like that the other side arguing for these additives and these chemicals and the harmful ingredients, like there's not a great argument to have this other than like it drives profit, right?
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
Or makes things cheaper for the consumer. And then I think people go down the rabbit hole. Is cheaper better if it's at the expense of long term health and happiness.
Vani Hari
So.
Lauren Everts
No, I, listen, I, I am always going to give a little bit of pushback because I want people to listen to all of this and make a well rounded decision.
Vani Hari
Yeah. I mean, I mean we could just, we could just stick with the status quo, Michael, and just let the chemical companies overrun our bodies with these chemicals that other countries don't use and just completely decimate our health. Right. I mean, that's the other option.
Lauren Everts
That's clearly not a good option.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
But again, I just, I think it's an, it's an awareness and it's a combination of like, like, we hope these things are going to change. You vote not only with your vote, but with your dollars that these things will change. You support innovative entrepreneurs that are offering healthier, cleaner, better for you alternatives and support those people to do that. But at the same time, you have to have a healthy skepticism that the government can't do all this for you.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
And if you live a way that you believe that they can. And you don't ever make the change because you're waiting for them to go do something. It's kind of like, you know, hey, please stop spending all your money, every paycheck and running your finances into the ground and racking up credit card debt. You're like, well, somebody teaches me about money. I gotta.
Vani Hari
I mean, I don't, I don't know. I mean, I. There could be people waiting around for the government to make these changes, but I think once people learn this information, they start to make better choices. And that's the whole point of it.
Michael Bostic
So some little facts about what your petitions have done is. This is crazy.
Vani Hari
They.
Michael Bostic
Subway is planning to remove chemicals from all their sandwich breads. You got Kraft to remove artificial dyes from their Mac and cheese products. Products. You got beer companies to share their ingredients from their beers. Amheiser, Busch and Miller's. Course, they're sharing ingredients with their beers online. This one, to me is really impressive. The Starbucks, it's, it's in process of removing caramel coloring from all their drinks.
Vani Hari
They've done it already. Yeah.
Michael Bostic
So to me, those are four things that you did without any intervention. The people did that, right?
Vani Hari
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right. The people did that. But it was, it was like, it was, it was really cool, but it was a game of whack a mole. It was like one chemical. Chemical here, one product there.
Michael Bostic
Right. You know, and then what do they replace it with?
Vani Hari
Well, they haven't, thankfully. But, but it's, you know, and this was, and this is where, you know, I found myself at the Senate back in September and, and having this like, deep spiritual moment, being at the U. S. Senate, telling the truth about how these food companies are poisoning us with ingredients they don't use in other countries. And showing the examples of McDonald's French fries in the UK which has three ingredients with salt being optional. And here in the United States, it's 11 ingredients, including dimethyl polysiloxane and TBHQ and all kinds of chemicals that don't belong in our body. Showing those examples of, you know, Froot Loops here versus Froot Loops in other countries. Tricks and Skittles and, and Gatorade and how Gatorade there, you know, there doesn't have any artificial food does. But we're using that caramel color that Starbucks took out here in the United states in red 40. Showing these side by side comparisons really woke up our government leaders. And it was that moment that, you know, I, I stopped to pause. And Secretary Kennedy was in that room as well as Senator Ron Johnson. And I looked at them both in the eyes and I said to them, why is it citizen activists like me and others that follow me holding these companies accountable? Why isn't it politicians in Washington like you? Right. And when I said that, the room went electric and they nodded their heads in agreement. And shortly thereafter, I took 400,000 signatures to Kellogg's headquarters. They told us, told us to get off their lawn. They had a big sign in the window. I've never been so bad in my entire life. And it was the perfect actually gift that day because it made our movement stronger and brought us together.
Lauren Everts
Because they told you to leave.
Vani Hari
Yeah. And we had a thousand people on the ground. It was absolutely incredible to watch. So many kids, so many moms. And they told us to leave. They didn't even let us in with the 400, 000 voices we collected. Didn't even just sit down and just receive them. Nothing. They literally told us to go away. And, you know, we had some elected officials with us that day. They wouldn't even sit down with them. It was, it was quite interesting what they decided to do right there. And I remember tweeting shortly thereafter that Kellogg's refusal to meet with us will be the biggest PR mistake of the food industry. And it has, it's played out. Correct, because shortly thereafter, Secretary Kennedy took our unheard voices on the campaign trail and elevated them all the way up to President Trump. And then President Trump won, put Secretary Kennedy in a position of power. And then within the first, you know, 100 days of, in the first few weeks of the new FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty McCary, they made the announcement that they're phasing out artificial dyes. So not only did, did this one campaign on Kellogg's spawn an entire movement, but gave enough political willpower for the people in power to make a big decision on this, which I, I don't know would have ever gotten done without that.
Lauren Everts
No, likely not. It would just been status quo, probably.
Vani Hari
Yeah, it would have. And, and, and it's incredibly popular, obviously. Moms. I, I, I can't tell you how many mothers I've heard from that, that their children's lives have been improved by removing artificial food dyes, whether it's the ADHD medication that they got to remove or their child's eczema improved or, you know, all kinds of different stories I've heard throughout the years because I've been working on this for so long. But I just think about the mom who, you know, finally is going to be able to go to the grocery store and not have to read the ingredient label of, you know, the icing on the birthday cake and worrying about that at the birthday party or the Doritos and the Gatorade being served after the game or the Easter basket and the Halloween bucket.
Michael Bostic
It's on and on and on and on.
Vani Hari
Right? And it's on and it's every holiday and it's. I call it the holiday death aisle.
Michael Bostic
That comes out every single one on Christmas and birthdays.
Vani Hari
Yeah. Yeah. I'm like, what is Valentine's Day and Easter and Halloween? It's non stop. It's all year long. It's just a big poison fest and it's gotta stop. And it. And thankfully, I think, you know, within a few years we're gonna have some of these chemicals out of the food. But, you know, it's still far from perfect. But it's a start, right?
Lauren Everts
Yeah. I mean, I wanna blanketly say so people are not confused about my position. I've been very supportive about what you and this administration has been doing when it comes to the stuff that you guys have been working on. And I think it's pretty incredible that for the first time in a long time, this is coming to the forefront. But what I do also want to articulate at the same time to this audience, especially parents, is that you and I and Lauren and others have been doing these kinds of things and making these kind of changes in our own lives and in our children's lives for a long time. You know, we've had limited resources and you've had to read every label and you've had to kind of dodge the things that you shouldn't touch. But I don't, I don't want people to think that they can't do these things right now as you guys are also working to get some of these other things out of the market. Right. Because I think that's where people start to lose hope. They're like, well, I'm just overwhelmed and everything's poisoning me and I can't do anything. And there's, you know, as well as there's things right now and ingredients and companies that you can follow and buy that can help accomplish what we're all talking about here.
Michael Bostic
Speaking of, I'm going to do a healthy alternative rapid fire for you. Okay. So I like to give the audience something to take away in their own home. So I'm going to list a bunch of foods and you can give me Your healthy alternative, if there is one.
Vani Hari
Okay.
Michael Bostic
Chip Saoy cookies.
Vani Hari
Siete cookies.
Lauren Everts
I didn't know they made cookies.
Michael Bostic
Yeah, they make really good cookies.
Vani Hari
Sprite Seltzer water with your own lemon.
Michael Bostic
I don't know if my kids are going to go for that one. We add honey.
Vani Hari
So there's a. Okay. There's a. There's a new company called Fresh Fizz. It's going to be available at Sprouts. They have an alternative Sprite made with honey.
Michael Bostic
Okay.
Vani Hari
A date syrup. Yeah.
Michael Bostic
Kraft Mac and Cheese.
Vani Hari
Make my recipe for my first cookbook. Food Babe Kitchen. I don't know anything out of a box with the powdered.
Michael Bostic
Just.
Vani Hari
Just grate your cheese and put it on some pasta with a little milk. Yeah.
Michael Bostic
Doritos.
Vani Hari
I have also a recipe for Doritos in Food Babe family.
Michael Bostic
What if we can't make a recipe for Doritos? If I start making a recipe for Doritos, I think I'm gonna start churning butter in the back of milk.
Lauren Everts
Do you have another chip that's like that or not know?
Vani Hari
Yeah, it may have a problematic or two ingredient in there.
Michael Bostic
I think nothing. Not you should invent it. Can we do a true Vani Dorito?
Lauren Everts
What about Masa chips? Masa chips are pretty good.
Michael Bostic
Masa chips are good.
Vani Hari
Yeah, yeah. Masa chips. And that. The other one that starts with the vvan something but.
Lauren Everts
Oh, Vandy chips.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Michael Bostic
The vanity.
Vani Hari
And there's another one, Tata. Okay. Tatamata's chips. They sent me some chips recently and again, I'm not affiliated with most of these brands but they sent me some chips to try and they use no oil. Oil zero oil, which I thought was so cool. But they're not a Dorito formula. Weston A. Price. Make your own.
Michael Bostic
What if you can't make your own? If you had to pick gun to.
Vani Hari
Your head, maybe something out of Europe or so I would go for. Like. It's because of FDA regulations that they label it as a toddler formula like Serenity Kids. And I would just do the in. I would just do it for your infant. Anyways.
Michael Bostic
Okay.
Vani Hari
Yeah.
Michael Bostic
Lucky chart terms.
Vani Hari
Lovebird.
Michael Bostic
Lovebird, yeah. Fruit roll ups.
Vani Hari
Oh, there's a company called Peaceful Fruits that make delicious fruit roll ups that are organic and delicious.
Michael Bostic
If someone wants to change their cupboard tomorrow. Before you go, what would you eliminate if you were doing a. A food Babe makeover?
Vani Hari
The easiest thing to get out of your cabinet that would eliminate the most ultra processed foods foods. I'm gonna have to pick two. Corn, soy or canola oil and Natural flavor.
Michael Bostic
Where can everyone find you? Where can they find your company? You gave us a discount, you guys. Her protein powder. The plant. The plant based vanilla protein is so good. I've had it before many times. You can shop trevani@shop.trevani.com Skinny and you can use code skinny for 20. Off. Off. But where can we come say hi? Pimp yourself out.
Vani Hari
Yeah, you can come on over to foodbabe.com you can follow me on social thefoodbabe. You can come to truvani.com we have an amazing whey protein coming out very soon. It's made with a hundred percent grass fed milk. Incredible ingredients. Three ingredients for the vanilla. It is going to be a world class renowned way. I'm really excited about that.
Lauren Everts
Did you do something with Aaron Rodgers? Did I see that? Is that, is that officially announced? We can take it out if not.
Vani Hari
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure. Yeah. So we got a small investment from RX3 one of his funds. And. And it's.
Lauren Everts
That's a good fund. I like the people over there.
Vani Hari
Yeah. They're so nice. And it's been incredible because it's helped us expand into Target which is really exciting. So we are in Target now. Congratulations on the protein aisle. It's incredible.
Michael Bostic
So that's really cool. And I'm eating.
Vani Hari
That's my favorite flavor.
Michael Bostic
This is really good.
Vani Hari
That's the cherry.
Michael Bostic
Chocolate is the ingredients. Just so you guys can hear this. It's so transparent. Almonds, cashews, dates, cherries, maple syrup, chocolate, vanilla, sea salt.
Vani Hari
Yeah. And all organic, USDA certified.
Michael Bostic
It's really good.
Vani Hari
Yeah. Ingredients you would find in your own kitchen. That's why it's called the only bar. Only ingredients you find.
Michael Bostic
I think my kids like. You know what I can do too? I can roll it in a protein bar or in a ball.
Vani Hari
Oh yeah.
Michael Bostic
And pretend like that is good dessert. It's really good. Congratulations on everything you're doing.
Lauren Everts
Thank you so much.
Podcast Summary: The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Show featuring Vani Hari
Episode: Vani Hari: Taking Back Your Health: Clean Eating, Grocery Store Hacks, And Fighting For Better Food & Ingredients
Release Date: August 11, 2025
Hosts: Lauryn Bosstick & Michael Bostic
Guest: Vani Hari (Food Babe)
Production: Dear Media
The episode opens with Lauryn and Michael introducing Vani Hari, widely known as the Food Babe, highlighting her significant impact on the food industry. Vani has successfully challenged major corporations like Kraft, Subway, Starbucks, and Kellogg's, advocating for transparency and healthier food ingredients.
Notable Quote:
Lauren Everts (00:25): "She’s not just a disruptor, she’s a revolution in and of herself."
Vani shares her transformative personal experiences that propelled her into the clean eating movement. Struggling with severe health issues in her youth, including an appendectomy and endometriosis, Vani decided to overhaul her diet by eliminating processed foods and adopting whole, living foods. This drastic change not only improved her health but also ignited her passion for educating others.
Notable Quotes:
Vani Hari (05:03): "When I started to take back control of my food, going from a processed food diet to just real food, just real whole living foods, everything changed."
Vani Hari (08:08): "I wanted to call the blog Eat Healthy Forever.com. And my husband, who is a tech geek in the family, was smart and was like, that's a terrible name, and found Food Babe on auction for 10 bucks."
Vani discusses her strategies for holding large food corporations accountable. Through petitions, social media campaigns, and public exposés, she has successfully pressured companies to reformulate products by removing harmful additives and artificial ingredients. Her efforts have led to tangible changes, such as Subway removing certain additives from their bread and Starbucks eliminating caramel coloring from their drinks.
Notable Quote:
Vani Hari (66:55): "The easiest thing to get out of your cabinet that would eliminate the most ultra processed foods is corn, soy or canola oil and natural flavor."
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around Vani's interaction with government officials and the current political climate's influence on food regulation. She highlights how bipartisan support, especially under the Trump administration with Secretary Kennedy, has bolstered her efforts to enact meaningful changes in food safety and ingredient transparency.
Notable Quotes:
Vani Hari (05:03): "We've gotten everyone from Kraft to Subway to Starbucks to General Mills to Papa John's to change just through awareness about what was in their food."
Vani Hari (19:25): "The fact that 38 of us, our kids are prediabetic when it used to be zero, that our cancer rates have increased 40% since 1975, that's enormous numbers."
Vani addresses the backlash and criticism she has faced over the years, including negative comments labeling her as anti-science or spreading misinformation. She emphasizes the importance of resilience, focusing on her mission rather than personal attacks, and highlights how personal growth and motherhood have strengthened her resolve.
Notable Quotes:
Vani Hari (43:53): "I've come a long way."
Vani Hari (43:59): "I realized that this isn't really about me. This mission isn't about me and who I am. It's about a bigger mission of like, helping the world and helping humanity."
Vani offers actionable advice for listeners aiming to adopt a cleaner diet. She emphasizes the importance of reading ingredient labels, choosing organic products to avoid harmful chemicals, and being mindful of additives like "natural flavors" that often mask numerous undisclosed chemicals. Additionally, she suggests practical alternatives for common processed foods, such as making homemade versions of popular snacks.
Notable Quotes:
Vani Hari (35:02): "I would look for organic and then read the ingredient label. That's it."
Vani Hari (37:31): "Natural flavors is on just about, like, 80 of the products in grocery store shelves. But this is an additive that could mean thousands of chemicals under that one label."
In the concluding segments, Vani emphasizes the need for continued collective action to sustain and amplify the movement towards food transparency. She envisions a future where healthier, cleaner food options are readily available, and consumers hold corporations accountable through informed choices and supportive market behavior.
Notable Quotes:
Vani Hari (71:19): "Luckily, I think within a few years we're gonna have some of these chemicals out of the food. But it’s still far from perfect. But it's a start, right?"
Vani Hari (71:46): "You can go to the grocery store, they can go to the farmers market, they can start to grow their own food. Growing your own food is like printing your own money."
Before wrapping up, the hosts engage in a rapid-fire segment where Vani provides healthy alternatives to commonly processed foods, reinforcing the practical steps listeners can take immediately. The episode concludes with acknowledgments of Vani’s ongoing projects and contributions to healthier living.
Notable Quote:
Vani Hari (75:12): "The key is to give people options, choices, swap per. I believe in personal responsibility."
Conclusion:
In this enlightening episode, Vani Hari delves deep into the intricacies of the food industry, her personal health journey, and the broader implications of food transparency. Her unwavering commitment to advocating for cleaner, healthier food options serves as both an inspiration and a practical guide for listeners aiming to enhance their own well-being through informed dietary choices.