757 How the Food Industry Is Feeding You Lies with Vani Hari

This is episode number 757 with New York Times best selling author Vani Hari. Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, a former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur and each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin. Winston Churchill said, courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Encourage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Today we have Vani Hari on, who is a revolutionary food activist, New York Times bestselling author and was named one of the most influential people on the Internet by time magazine in 2015. She started the Food Babe blog in 2011 and now is a founder of Truvani, a startup offering real food without added chemicals and products without toxins and labels without lies. And in this interview we talk about how Vonnie deals with the negative backlash of creating these massive global food campaigns. Also, how to determine what's real and what's fake when credible sources post false facts about your food. This is something that's really scary, guys, especially in America, because there's a lot of credible sources out there that share false facts about your food that could be really harming you and your family and your friends. We also cover how to know if your food is truly organic, because sometimes when it says organic, it's not and that's scary also. And then the three simple questions to ask yourself when you want to eat better. We cover a lot of these different strategies and tools and reveal a lot about the food industry you probably didn't know. So get ready to have your mind blown in this interview. Make sure to share with your friends Lewishouse.com 757 and tag myself, Lewishouse and Vonnie over on Instagram as well.

Let's face it, everyone's juggling long, busy days. That's why Icebreakers gum is made for the go getters. With flavor crystals that deliver a bold cooling effect, Icebreakers keeps you refreshed and ready to take on whatever's next. And here's a bonus. The pack fits perfectly in your car cupholder or bag, so it's within reach when you need it most. Grab Icebreakers gum online or at a store near you.

The Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid has a bold design, a spacious interior with 232 horsepower and a 12.3-inch panoramic display to keep the adventure going and fit with.

The way you live.

And with Sirius xm, every drive comes alive with bringing you closer to the music, the sports talk and podcasts that you love right in your vehicle or on the Sirius XM app. Every SiriusXM equipped Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid includes a three month trial so the experience begins the moment you drive. Learn more@kia.com sportage-hybrid Kia Movement that inspires.

This message is brought to you by Apple Card. It's a great time to apply for an Apple Card. You'll love earning unlimited daily cash on every purchase. That includes 3% daily cash when you buy the latest iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch at Apple through this special referral offer. When you get a new Apple Card, you can earn bonus daily cash. To qualify, you must apply at Apple Co getdailycash Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch offer may not be available elsewhere. Terms and limitations apply.

Welcome everyone to the School of Greatness podcast. We have my good friend Vani Hari in the house. Good to see you. I'm excited you're here. You were back on three or four years ago, I think, right. For your last book.

Four years ago.

Four years ago.

No way is that long.

Yes.

Wow.

Okay.

Yeah.

A lot's happened since then. You had a New York Times bestseller. You had a baby. You got a two year old baby now.

That's right.

You launched a new business called Truvani, which is doing incredible. And you've got a new book out called Feeding youg Lies, which I think is the most brilliant book title ever. How to Unravel the Food Industry's Playbook and Reclaim youm Health. This thing is out right now. And you uncover all the lies about food, right?

That's right.

All the, all the lies that the food industry tries to feed us and tell us, which is actually healthy for us, but when it's actually really bad.

That's right. My mission has always been about educating the public about the chemicals in the American food supply. In my first book, the Food Babe Way was all about the chemicals. How do we get the chemicals out of our diet? And this book actually takes it a step further and goes behind the scenes and shows you exactly the playbook that the food industry uses to continue selling us these chemicals, to continue to confuse us about what's truly healthy so that we continue to buy their products.

Really? So it's like false marketing?

Absolutely.

It's the packaging, it's the marketing, the language, the words they use, the things.

You read on social media, the things you see in the media.

They'll have a fit like healthy looking woman or man on their packaging. Just to say this is how you're gonna look, even though it's not good for you, whatever it may be.

Right?

That's right.

It's all marketing.

A lot of it is, yeah.

Even if they have the ingredients that show that there's all these chemicals and bad stuff in it, they're saying other things. On the front, that's right. On the face it looks nice, but on the back, it's, like, all dirty.

Yeah. A perfect example of this is Diet Coke, right? Diet Coke. Diet is part of the name, Right. It makes you think that you're going to stay lean and trim and that you can get away with eating zero calories and still enjoying this buzz from this caffeine and the sweetness from this drink. But what's really happening behind the scenes in your body is you're consuming artificial sweeteners that trick your brain into thinking that, hey, I'm receiving some nourishment because this thing is sweet and it tastes like something that has calories and nutrition. But in actuality, you're not getting any of those calories. So your body's like, wait a minute, I still need some nourishment. I still need nutrition. And so your body continuously craves additional food. And so you end up eating more than you would otherwise do. And so you end up in this yo yo cycle of dieting and never being able to break free.

How many chemicals are in a diet coat, you know, or how many ingredients? Is it a lot or is it.

It's not a ton of ingredients, but the ingredients are awful.

They're bad.

Yeah. Gotcha. Yeah.

I mean, one of the ingredients is caramel coloring, Right? I mean, caramel coloring is not the kind that you would make, like, when you burn sugar, but it's made in a laboratory. You know, there's been studies that show that, you know, animal studies have shown that it's linked to cancer. You know, this is a caramel coloring you definitely do not want to be consuming on a regular basis in a drink.

Have you been seeing the commercials from Diet Coke?

No.

There's these amazing commercials I was watching a couple months ago that was like this kind of chill looking girl. I think I saw two of them. One was a guy and a girl, and it was like this cool, casual girl who's like, life's short. Have a Diet Coke. Have one, because you can. It wasn't like they was kind of almost saying, like, this is bad for you. Life's short. Just enjoy some Diet Coke. Like, have fun. Like, do this, do that.

I Mean, they're losing the battle right now. I mean, in terms of they're not.

Trying to say this is good for you anymore.

Yeah, well, they've gotten away with a lot of different things. And there's many different stories that I share within the book that show how Coke industry, the soda industry, whether it's Coca Cola or Pepsi, they have tried to change our perspective about health and diet in this country. They've said, you know what, it's not about sugar or carbohydrates, which our food is mainly made up of. It's actually about fat. You should eliminate fat in your diet, or hey, why don't you exercise more? And there's been evidence where, you know, not only have they colluded with the CDC and other government officials, they've colluded with professors at some of the highest degree universities in our country to try to persuade the public that we have a problem with the fact that we don't exercise enough when really we're consuming too much sugar and too many empty calories, which is their products.

So how many of these companies are actually living by this kind of feeding you lies mentality?

That's a good question. The majority of companies that are the legacy big food companies, the Kellogg's, the General Mills, the Campbell's, the Coca Colas, the Pepsis, the Mondelez, the Kraft Heinz, those are the ones that have really gotten away with, and I don't want to say murder, but they really have. Because what has happened is that they're using the same playbook as the tobacco industry when it comes to determining what people crave, what makes them addicted to food, and what makes them continuously buy them. The majority of chemicals that have been invented in the last 50 years or so have been invented for one reason. To improve the bottom line of the food industry. Not to improve our health, not for our nutrition, not to make us healthier, not to help us achieve our health goals, or to avoid disease. They've only been there to improve the bottom line of the food industry. So you just think about that. So when you look at an ingredient list and you see all these different chemicals in there, they are not serving a purpose for your nutrition or your body or to make you feel really great. They're just serving the interests of the food industry. And this example can be shown in a really unethical way when you look at our food versus other food in other countries. So, for example, McDonald's french fries here in the United States, they are made with a slew of different chemicals. One of the chemicals is dimethyl polysiloxane, the same ingredient in Silly Putty. It's also an ingredient that is preserved with formaldehyde and an ingredient that the FDA has not truly even studied or approved to be in our food system. Right.

How can it be in McDonald's if it's not FDA approved?

Well, it's a gras. It's generally regarded as safe, but the ingredient itself is actually deemed safe by the food industry themselves, not the fda. So there's this underlying assumption that our ingredients are being, like, managed and tested and safety tested by the government. Right. But the FDA doesn't have any of the mechanisms to do that. So they rely on the food industry themselves to say, hey, this stuff's okay. Now, in Europe, they have different standards. They say, you need to prove this stuff safe before you put it in your food. So in Europe, when you look at McDonald's french fries, they use three basic ingredients, really. Potatoes, oil, and dextrose, which is just sugar. And then you can add the salt after you fry it. So you can actually determine how much salt you have on McDonald's french fries in Europe. But here in the United States, totally different scenario. And I think one of the most unethical behaviors is when big food manufacturers, especially American food manufacturers, start to change their products overseas to meet regulations and not change them here. So a great example of it is the.

So American food companies change stuff overseas because they have to.

Right here.

They'll cut corners to save money.

Yeah. And a great example of this was the Kraft petition that I started to remove artificial food dyes from Mac and cheese in Europe. If you use Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 in a product or any of these artificial food dyes, you have to put a warning label that says, may cause adverse effects on activity and attention in children. Now, this warning label is mandatory by.

The government if you use these ingredients.

Right. But here in the United States, you can get away with using them. So instead of putting the warning label on Kraft Mac and Cheese in Europe, Kraft said, you know what? We're going to change the ingredients. We're going to put beta carotene and paprika. That's what we're going to use over there. But we're not going to change them here in the United States. So they know that their product could cause hyperactivity in children, but they choose not to change it because our government allows them to get away with it. And I feel like that's the most unethical food practice ever. Because as a company, as someone who is serving food to you as two people, you have, I think, an ethical obligation to say, you know what? I should serve it the least harmful as possible to people. I shouldn't know this information about different regulations and just ignore it for different populations because I can get away with it and make more.

Wow. Crazy.

Now, how many.

You did a campaign against Kraft a while ago, right?

That's right. It received over 300,000 signatures.

No way.

Kraft changed. Yeah. Kraft has now removed artificial food dyes from their Mac and cheese as well. They did, yeah.

So they moved the yellow five or whatever.

It's gone.

Oh, really?

Yeah, it's gone.

So 300,000 names. They removed one or two ingredients or.

Yeah, they actually they re changed it. And it was really funny because the way they launched it, you know, of course they wouldn't give the activists credit or, you know, the. The people out there that were demanding this. All the parents that wrote in and wrote letters instead. They said, oh, this is like new and improved. And you've always the same Mac and cheese you've always loved, you know, and so they really just made.

It wasn't like we heard your voices.

Yeah.

It wasn't like, you know, the customers wanted this.

Right, right.

You did this with Subway as well. I remember you doing a campaign and a video about how it had, like, a yoga mat ingredient in there or something.

That's right.

So that's another example of an ingredient. It was called azodicarbonamide. We dubbed it the yoga mat chemical.

Let me know what that means.

What is it?

Like, what are these chemicals, you know?

Yeah, it's a chemical that's used as a dough conditioner. So, you know, when you look at a piece of bread that's been manufactured and you see all those little itty bitty holes and they're like in this perfect realm. But if you bake a bread at home or something that has a big hole in the middle, and if you get really good bread from a restaurant that they bake there, it's like all. You know, it's not uniform. Well, azodicarbonamide makes it really uniform. So when you're a fast food giant and you want your bread to all be the same and made exactly the same so people know what they're getting when they get there. You know, it does cheapen the process in terms of it makes it faster to produce as well. That's what they were using. And this ingredient was not only banned in Europe and other places around the world, you would get fined, like Several hundred thousand dollars in Singapore. If you use this chemical because of the interactions it had with not only it being up in the air and you can inhale it, but also when it's broken down, it turns into a carcinogen. And so knowing that Subway was using this chemical here in the United States and not elsewhere across the globe, because Subway was the largest, no longer the largest fast food chain because of this campaign.

They were the largest.

They were the largest. Yeah.

Bigger than McDonald's or bigger than they were.

They had more stores than McDonald's.

Not quite really at that point.

Yeah.

Wow.

They did. Yeah. Four years ago they did. They had more stores.

Wow.

They were worldwide. But they were choosing again to service these cheaper, more alarming chemicals here in the United States. And so these campaigns weren't about taking out this chemical or that chemical and suddenly having these products be super healthy. It was about showcasing what is in your food, making people become aware of it. And not only have people become aware of it, there's this amazing trend happening in the marketplace where people are wanting organic and natural foods now. And it's a continuous marketplace that continues to grow because people are becoming aware about what these chemicals are and they don't want to consume them. And it's just a beautiful thing. So we're in this amazing food movement. And through this change and being a catalyst for this change and being a voice for this change, I received enormous pushback from several experts and quote, unquote, experts didn't know that they were hired experts at the time. I had my hunches that they were hired by the food and chemical industry. And I received a ton of backlash online for these campaigns. And it came out of nowhere. And at the time, I really didn't know how to handle it. And the only way that I knew what to do was just to, like, sit here and like, not listen to it. So, like, I canceled Google alerts because.

Not only so much negativity, bro.

There was so much negativity. And I realized that my mission shouldn't be driven upon what people say about me, whether it's positive or negative. So when something would happen positive in the press, I'd ask my mother and my team not to send it to me. And I'd ask also, anything negative, don't send it to me. Because really, my mission should come from within. Right. It's really the reason why I'm doing this is not so that I can be popular or be featured in some mainstream magazine. It was so that I can get this message out I want to talk about the chemicals. I want to talk about the food industry. I want to talk about what's how people's lives can change and not feel like a zombie anymore. Like I used to feel in my early 20s when I was eating all of this processed food. And so, as a result of me being an activist and me getting into this kind of spotlight environment, I mean, right after the book came out, you know, after I was on this podcast, my world just, like, blew up. You know, Time magazine reached out. We're like, you know, we're naming you one of the most influential people on the Internet. And I was just like, what? Like what? Like next to Barack Obama, like, no, you're crazy, Jimmy Fallon. Like, you're crazy, right? You're crazy. And I was getting these kind of accolades, right? But I also, at the same time, was being pressured and pushed by this agenda, this media agenda, to paint me as pseudo scientific or someone who doesn't understand chemicals, or someone who just is being a fear monger trying to make people afraid of these chemicals in this processed food. And they wanted to paint me as this. And so I found myself in this kind of, like, media frenzy of all these people wanting to interview me, but for the wrong reasons. And so I started to just take a look at what was driving some of these interviews. Who are the people behind these requests, and then who are the antagonists in the story that they were interviewing? And it became very, very clear that there was a campaign that was being funded by the food and chemical industry, driven by several different PR firms, to attack me as a messenger of change and to do whatever they could do to get me to stop. Yeah, and not only did they want to do whatever they could do to get me to stop, but they also wanted to confuse the public so that when anybody would listen to something I would say, they would try to question it and say, well, maybe she's just being a little outlandish about this.

I remember seeing this, like, on Twitter. There was tons of responses to everything you'd put out and people just spamming everyone and all this.

The School of Greatness is brought to you in partnership with Airbnb. The holidays are such a special time to travel and gather with loved ones. Think about some of your best trips. Those cozy spaces, thoughtful touches, and the feeling of being right at home wherever you are. Now imagine getting to provide that same experience for someone else, because when you travel, your place is just sitting empty while you're away. Hosting on Airbnb can be a no brainer. And in a season where new experiences creating lasting memories, it's a unique way to help others make their own. And Martha and I both travel a lot, especially with her family in Mexico and mine all over the usa. So we know what it's like to be on the go during the holidays. And from our experience, hosting has always been easy and straightforward. And whether you're traveling often or just once in a while, it can be a simple way to earn a little extra while you're away. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much@airbnb.com host the holidays.

Are here, and with them comes all.

The cheer and the spending.

And I think we've all felt the.

Pressure of finding the perfect gift for the perfect price.

And those prices are sure giving us.

A run for our money.

You know how it goes. One gift turns into 10.

You're trying to stay on budget and.

Before you know it you've spent half.

A day scrolling, comparing prices and wondering if you should should have just gotten everyone gift cards.

It can feel a little stressful trying to make it all feel special without breaking the bank.

But luckily you can get the holiday.

Savings at Metro with the most wonderful deal of the season. Get one line of 5G for only $25 a month and a five year price guarantee on talk, text and data.

The best part is that you can keep the phone you love and keep.

Your number and no activation fees. And that's what I'm talking about. A deal that actually lasts five years locked in. That's peace of mind right there at Metro. Get that more for your money feeling. Visit your local store today. $25 a month with autopay $30 your first month guarantee. Exclusions apply. See site for details.

Let's face it, everyone's juggling long, busy days. That's why Icebreaker's gum is made for the go getters. With flavor crystals that deliver a bold cooling effect, Icebreakers keeps you refreshed and ready to take on whatever's next. And here's a bonus. The pack fits perfectly in your car cup holder or bag, so it's within reach when you need it most. Grab Icebreaker's gum online or at a store near you.

Right? And that was actually an Astroturf campaign. And actually this is a tactic that's not only used to take down activists, but it's used to take down ideas in the public. So when the food industry wants you to believe a certain thing, or the chemical industry or a big conglomerate or any type of industry, they Will hire not only astroturfers, like groups of online trolls really, just to try to get.

You to shut up.

Just to try to get people to shut up or to make people who are trying to change the status quo feel stupid about it. So they'll do whatever they can to try to get you to stop sharing the truth. And so not only will they bully you online, but they'll go into comment sections of mainstream media articles and try to fight with people in there and try to showcase fake comments to take the side of the food industry, to take the side of the corporations. And not only are there these online troll groups, but they're really being driven by these front groups that are, they look like third party independent groups, right? They have these long fancy names, these councils, associations, they have these long fancy names, but really they're just, they're really there being funded by Coke and Monsanto and all of these other giant food and chemical companies that are trying to drive the agenda. And one perfect example of this that happened recently is, I'm sure you saw it headlines everywhere. Coconut oil isn't healthy. It was on the front of the USA Today.

Wow.

It was everywhere. And as a person who's been studying health and nutrition now for over 10 years, I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa.

How'S it not healthy?

Yeah. And it was every. I mean, I'm not talking. It was just in usda. I mean, it was on everything. And it was because the American Heart association was the one delivering the message. And people believe this association. Little do they know that the aha seal used to be on Trix and other cereals that were terrible for your health. But they've had their seal. Their seal. You know, you can buy their seal, basically and put it. I mean, it was on Subway, it was on a lot of different fast food chains. But not only that is, you know, people see this American Heart association and they just automatically believe it. They don't even know that a lot of it's being driven by the food and chemical industry and that their experts are being paid secretly. Behind the scenes from the corn and the canola industry.

Crazy.

So the corn and canola industry is driving this message that coconut oil is unhealthy because they see coconut oil sales take over their sales because people are becoming aware of, wait, how is corn oil produced? How is canola oil produced? Oh, it's produced with hexane and a very carcinogenic gas and, oh, it's inflammatory causing. In my system it is an abundance of omega 6 fatty acids and no wonder I need omega 3 in my life and why my body's so out of whack and why I'm experiencing depression and Alzheimer's and all these other diseases because of this reason, right? So you see that you look something, you know, you see a headline and you just automatically believe it. I mean, it was so believable that my mom is texting me and she's like, mom. She's like, vonni, I told you so. I didn't like coconut oil anyways. Like, she's always been like, she just likes good old fashioned butter, which is good. But I've always told her like, if you fry something, fry it in some coconut oil versus like canola oil or corn oil or soy oil. And she's like, look, it's all over the paper and she's even believing it. And meanwhile, if you don't look behind the headline, you don't look into who's driving this message and the experts who are being paid to promote this agenda, you are going to suffer as an individual because you're going to believe this information. You're going to make these choices about your health and what you're feeding your family and you're setting them up for failure. And so this is what feeding you lies is about. Exposing these tactics, exposing this playbook so that you as the consumer, you become a health investigator yourself. You can see beyond a headline now after reading this book, you can see when you see slews of comments believing one thing that just your intuition is like saying, I don't know about this, you can kind of dig deeper and see, whoa, is this an astroturf campaign? And I give you tactics on how to handle that. If that happens to you. If you're leaving a comment and people are bullying you about a certain belief or view, and not only that, but there are specific lies in there that affect us every single day. At the grocery store. When you see a label that says gluten free and you're on a gluten free diet, doesn't mean that that product is safe. It doesn't.

It might be gluten free, but it might be filled with all these other chemicals.

That's right. I mean, the food industry loves a good diet, right? They love anything that they can use to market processed food in a different way that is fashionable and trendy. And the trendy thing right now is gluten free, right. Actually, the next one is keto, right? And you even see like Slim fast getting into keto products and their products are garbage. It's absolute garbage for your body. I mean, they're full of synthetic chemicals, vitamins and minerals, different artificial sweeteners that make your metabolism just completely like, shut down because it starts to create leaky gut. And you have all of these chemicals that really shouldn't be part of your diet. When it's really as simple as the three question detox that I talk about in the book.

Why doesn't the food industry just have organic foods? Why do they need so many chemicals? Is it just because it makes it cheaper and they can make more money and that's the only reason?

Yeah.

I mean, it makes maybe taste, maybe more sugar or something.

Well, I mean, it's really about shelf life. Like how long can we keep it on the shelf? Right. And then how addictive can we make it so that people keep buying it?

Wow.

And the most addictive and ingredient right now in our food supply is flavors, added flavors. Because these flavors are not found in nature. They. Even if they say. Yeah, even if they say natural flavor, it's not a flavor that is found in nature. Because when you eat the best blueberry you've ever found in nature, it's coupled with fiber and micronutrition and vitamins and minerals and everything for you to have that amazing taste together that sends a signal to your body that it's satiated. It feels great. You're getting nutrition from this. You're not going to overeat it. You're going to eat a few and you're going to feel really great. Now, if you eat chips that are laden with these flavors or yeast extract or some of these other tactics that the food industry uses, you're going to eat more and more of those foods. And those foods are processed dead. Garbage that is used to is. They're literally using garbage to sell to us so that we just keep eating it. And it's really not providing nutrition to the body.

And so that's why you need more of it, because there's no nutrition.

Yep.

It's so addictive, you just want more to fill yourself up.

Right.

That.

And then you're getting that. That brain hit from that chemical that's like, oh, this tastes so good. Because it wouldn't, you know, without these flavors, that food wouldn't taste good. Yeah, it just wouldn't. You'd be kind of like it's. It's not that great. Yeah.

Synthetic.

But it tastes good. Yeah, unfortunately.

Yeah. And they're using. I mean, they're using the exact same science that they used with the tobacco industry to make Cigarettes addictive. They're using those same scientists to make food addictive too. So we have to be aware of this, right? If we're living in a nation where we're undeniably sick, we have skyrocketing disease rates here, we have a problem and we have to pay attention. And thank goodness for social media and thank goodness for activists and people out there. You know, I love the people who follow me online because not only do they care about their own health, they're willing to like spread this message. And that's how we've gotten the food industry to change. I mean, without them spreading this message and sharing these campaigns and sharing this information in this book and sharing what's happening in the food supply, the these changes wouldn't be happening in terms of people asking for higher quality food.

Right?

I want to take a moment from this interview and share with you guys about my Inner Circle program. Now imagine what would happen if you had every resource you could need all in one place to help you grow your business, to help you generate more leads, more traffic, more sales, and automate the growth so you can make a bigger impact in the world. What if this place existed and all you needed to do was sign up and commit? This is what's possible when you join the monthly membership program, Our Inner Circle. Every month I bring you the top guest experts from every industry and host a live two hour training. We have a massive Facebook community with over 3,000 plus impact driven members, all holding each other accountable and learning together. And as a community, so many of my students have grown tremendously. They're following in their sales, in their audience, in their traffic, They've launched books, they've become TEDx speakers, they've constantly scaled their business, their growth and their impact. And that's what this is all about. And if you're interested in growing your business and getting the best training in the world every single month and online coaching from me, then go to inner circle.lewishouse.com and commit yourself to living a greater life in business today. Again, go to inner circle.lewishouse.com and sign up today. And now let's get back to the episode with Bonnie.

The challenge is the fake news. You know, with USA Today and all these other credible news sites posting these things, how do you know what's real and what's fake when the more credible sites are getting caught up on these headlines also?

Yeah, I mean, it's really sad because I think a lot of journalists were unaware of what was happening. You know, a really great example Is I was interviewed to be in the Atlantic, and they did a profile piece on me and Dr. James Hamblin, who I love his writings and he's a really fantastic writer for. He's a doctor, went to Harvard. And one of the antagonists in the story is he interviewed a professor from University of Florida. And when he was asking me for direct comment about this professor, I said, listen, I'm pretty sure he is working with Monsanto and the chemical corporations, and you need to look into this. And, you know, he asked him fort blank, you know, are you working with the chemical corporations in Monsanto? And he denied it. And then, you know, six months later, on the front of the New York Times is revealed that this guy is taking money from Monsanto through the Freedom of Information Request Act. And this is stuff that wasn't disclosed. And these were experts interviewed that were people who were trying to say that my message is too outlandish, that I don't, you know, there's no scientific backing behind anything that I'm saying. And the worst part about it is they tried to attack me as an individual versus attacking the actual ideas that I was bringing about. Because every single campaign, there was scientific evidence and nonprofit organizations who have scientists that work for them backing up what I said, Whether it was the nrdc, the Consumers Union, the Environmental Working Group, or the center for Science and Public Interest, every single one of those agreed with the removal of these chemicals that I was proposing or the transparency that I was asking of companies like Starbucks. One of my big campaigns was on Starbucks and actually pumpkin. Yeah, Pumpkin spice latte.

We went to Starbucks together down the street.

Yeah. We asked them.

You were like, show me the bottle. You were looking at all the ingredients. And I was filming it for you.

Yeah, yeah. And I loved it. We were like on a little hunt.

It was fun.

It was great. And not only did Starbucks respond to that campaign and remove caramel coloring from the pumpkin spice latte, they finally disclosed the ingredients in all of their drinks for the first time in history. As a result, because that was the basis for that campaign, was the fact that people were buying all of these drinks at Starbucks left and right, and they had no idea what was in it. And for years and years and years, Starbucks got away with just not disclosing what was in it. And the worst thing about it is not only did they have the same kind of ingredients like that are in Diet Coke, but they were getting away with being like this high living More premier coffee establishment, but they were using the same ingredients as Dunkin donuts and others, once you found out, was actually in them.

Both addictive? Yeah. Yep, they're very addictive. Tastes so good. That's why I don't drink them anymore. Cause it's just too good to be true, you know, it's too much sugar. Now, what are the questions? You said there's three questions we should be asking ourselves to detox.

Yeah. So this is a challenge that I propose for anyone that really wants to change the way they eat. Don't worry about going on a new diet. Don't worry about the latest health trends. Do these three simple things. Just ask yourself these three simple things and see where it leads you after a week. And so the first thing I want you to ask you, so there's a plate of food in front of you where you go, you're determining what to eat. The first thing I want you to ask yourself are, what are the ingredients? And if you can identify all the ingredients in what you're eating and you know why they're there, and maybe you identify some things that aren't supposed to be there or things that you don't know what they are, well, then I don't want you to eat those things until you know and you figure it out. And it's as simple as a Google search or coming to foodbabe.com and looking at our additive glossary and determining if this is something that I want to put in my body. Okay, what are the ingredients? Then I want you to take a chance and say, all right, here are the ingredients that I'm eating. Are these ingredients nutritious? Are these going to actually serve a beneficial part of my daily life? Are they going to actually help me feel great, give me energy, give me vitamins and minerals, help me avoid disease? Are there ingredients in here that are really going to serve my body? Are they nutritious? Now, one of these ingredients may be like sugar. Right. You might identify, okay, I know what sugar is. What are the ingredients? I know what sugar is. But now you're like, is sugar nutritious? Well, we all know the answer to that, right? There's no nutrition in sugar. Right.

Just tastes good.

Yeah, it just tastes good. Right. It's addictive. It's more addictive than cocaine. It causes your immune system to break down. It causes liver disease. I mean, there's so many different things. Diabetes, heart disease. So you got to make a choice then. Are these ingredients nutritious? If you just ask yourself that, you may eat a little less of that sugar, I think you will. And Then the third question that I want you to ask is, where do these ingredients come from? And you may still look at that sugar component and be like, well, where does this sugar come from? Wait a minute. This is white refined sugar that I'm eating in this donut. Or whatever. Or whatever you're eating. I'm not saying you're gonna eat a donut. And you might be like, well, how did it get white, first of all? Cause sugar cane out there is, like, green and brown. And, like, how did it get white? Well, they're bleaching it, right? Where did this ingredient come from? Or maybe it's a piece of meat that you're eating. It's a piece of beef. And you realize, okay, what are the ingredients? It's a piece of beef. Are these nutritious? Yeah, beef has a lot of nutrition. But now you're asking yourself, where does this come from? Is it coming from a feedlot in a factory farm where the animal is being pumped full of growth hormone or antibiotics to make it fatter and to grow faster than it should and eat GMO corn and soy eating things that it's not supposed to be eating? You know, one of the stories I tell in here is that old Skittles is being fed to cattle, and it's completely true.

Really?

Yeah. Old candy is. Old candy is fed to animals in this country to fatten them up. I'm not saying every single farm does that, but I'm saying that there are some. And so you really need to know where your meat comes from. And if you're, you know, you are what you food eats, too. So find out where your meat is coming from. Find out where your food is coming from, how it's produced before you eat it. And if you ask yourself those three simple questions every single time you eat, you will not only learn so much about how you're eating and what you're eating, you'll start to really question your own diet into, I think, I hope, into a way that provides you the avenue to research and learn more about what you want to eat in this world. And I think that is the ultimate key to feeling great is to know what you're eating.

That's it.

Yeah.

Yeah. I'm very picky with what I eat, and I eat, like, the same three places every. Every week. You know, it's just like, salad, veggies, and, like, a little bit of meat. I try to take the Mark Hyman approach, where it's like, mostly vegetables, some fruits, seeds, nuts, and some meat every now and Then I think if you just live by those simple principles and you make sure you know where it's coming from and that there's not added chemicals on there, that you're gonna do pretty well.

Yeah, I mean, that's how I feed my daughter. That's exactly how I feed my daughter.

Is I give her.

I eat vegetables.

Yeah. I start with vegetables and then we go with like a little bit of meat, maybe some, like, seeds and nuts and then fruit, you know, and that's it.

Although I realized that I was eating so many almonds and having so much almond milk, almond butter, snacking on almonds all day that I was starting to get, like a little eczema breakouts.

Oh, really?

Yeah, I think it was from almonds because I was eating so much of it.

Yeah.

I was having like two smoothies a day with almond milk, eating almonds, almond butter on apples and bananas, just like all almond all the time. Because I heard peanuts were bad for you. Right. So I was like, okay, let me do this almond thing for a while. And now that I've cut back on that, he's like, just have some other nuts. Have like coconut butter for a while. Like, just pull back on that. I haven't had any of those breakouts.

Oh, that's really good.

And he's like, it's probably a nut overdose. And so some of these things that are healthy, you've got to be aware that they might also affect you in some ways if you overdose on them.

Yeah. And that's one of the reasons why you'll never see me prescribe a certain diet. Right.

Someone's different.

Everybody's different. But the principles of the three question detox reign true no matter who you are.

Yeah. And what's the 48 hour toxic takedown?

Yeah. So the toxin takedown is all about in 48 hours. You know, you read this book, you're like, oh, crap, my pantry's full of this stuff. I need to figure this out or I need to change. I've been buying the wrong things. I've been feeding into these lies. Right. And I need to do something about it and I need something drastic. So that's the 48 hour toxin takedown at the end of the book. And I just break it down for you. In 48 hours, here's what you're going to eat. Here's what you're going to do. Here's how you're going to clean out your pantry. Here's what you're going to need to watch out for. And then that will just, boom. Get you set up so that then you can start the three question detox from scratch and say, all right, here's how I'm going to live my life from now on when I decide what I'm going to eat.

What about organic food? Is all organic food good? Or some of these organic companies now using the organic name, but also having other ingredients on the back end that are not, you know, that are chemicals as well?

Yeah.

So can you get away with that? If you say organic, does it have to be fully organic?

Yeah, there's different levels of organic, right? Yeah. So there's 100% organic, which you'll see the USDA certified seal on as well.

That's something that you can trust, right? 100% organic. It should be okay.

Yes. And then to use the USDA Certified Organic Seal, only 95% of your ingredients have to be organic. And so the other 5% can be other non organic approved items on the list. So there's a long list of approved non organic items that are allowed in organic food. One of those ingredients, by the way, is carrageenan, which is being questioned right now. And they're proposing to take that, to take that off that list, which is great because that's one of the ingredients that you'll find in the nut milks that actually can disrupt the gut and affect your metabolism. And it's also linked to cancer, too. So the other piece is that could be 70% organic. So to use the word organic, you only have to use 70% organic ingredients. So the other 30% can be anything under the sun. So that's the one that I'm most concerned about is when you see organic on the label with no USDA seal, you really got to turn it over and look at the ingredients and make sure all the ingredients are good. Now this got me. I fall victim to this all the time because I see the word organic sometimes and I'll just grab and go sometimes. And even me, who I'm the best label reader in the world. Right. Like know everything. I feel like I know a lot about labels.

You studied this for years, right?

Got me, you know, wow. So you really have to pay attention to that. The other thing that happens too is that big companies like to buy up a lot of smaller organic companies. And when they buy these organic companies, they change the ingredients a lot of times. This is actually one of the reasons why I started my own food company, Truvani, because of this reason. I was tired of it happening and it happened with my own Turmeric supplement that I was taking.

So you were taking a supplement? Another company bought it and then changed the ingredients?

Yep.

Really?

Yep. So I said, no longer. This is. I'm going to make it my mission to make sure that I create my own products that I truly believe in. And that's what I did with Truvani. And it's been an amazing ride. It's. It's. We've. We have five products now. It's so fun to see everything come to life. We have literally the, I feel like the cleanest vegan protein powder on the market. I mean, it has five ingredients. It's just incredible.

I say five ingredients.

Five ingredients.

It's funny because Derek Halpern's a good friend of mine as well, who's working with you on Truvani. He was saying to me one day, he was like, it's almost. He was like, it's almost so hard to create a product because Vani is so particular on what is allowed in. We can only allow, like, certain amount of ingredients that you can't find some of the stuff you need to make these products. So it's the top of the line and some of the best quality, and we could put out so many other things quicker, but we're not allowed to because of the standard that Vonnie has. So you have this high standard, trustworthy products. It's amazing. Our friend Mark Sisson just sold his company, Primal Kitchen, to, I think, Heinz. Is that right?

That's right.

For a couple hundred million dollars. And I think that was one of his concerns, like, are they going to try to take the ingredients and. And change them? And he told everyone, I think, in a press release, that they aren't and that he's going to be on the team for a long time. And I think that's a concern that a lot of people have is these companies that we love, these foods that we love get bought up and then we don't know what's going to happen to them.

Right. And it all depends on who's in charge of the ingredients. Right. If Mark stays in charge of the ingredients, I have really good faith that that's going to stay clean, because I love Mark. I love what he's doing. His ketchup is amazing. This is the only ketchup I'll let my daughter eat.

Really?

So, yeah, I mean, it's no sugar in it. It's incredible.

Heinz is probably like, all sugar, right?

Yeah, it's all sugar. It would be great to see Primal Kitchen at every burger bar. Across America. Like everyone dipping their french fries in. That would be incredible.

It'd be amazing.

It'd be great. But yeah, I'm really stoked about that because I would love to have better ketchup available. I love ketchup. It is so good. So, yeah, I mean, you guys are.

On a mission now to build Trevani and have a stand. What's the standard for ingredients for you guys?

This episode is brought to you by Facebook. Finding the perfect secret Santa gift can be stressful. You want it to feel personal and unexpected, but not random. That's where Facebook comes in. Facebook is all about turning small moments into real, meaningful connections. Just like giving the perfect gift, it brings people together in thoughtful ways, helping us show we truly see and appreciate the people around us, whether they're co workers, friends or family. And you can check someone's profile to see what they're into. Explore marketplace for unique gifts or join groups to swap creative ideas and inspiration. Facebook connects you with people who are into the same things as you and helps you find something that truly feels fits making the perfect find feel more special and personal. And I've actually seen this firsthand with my own community. We have a Facebook group for everyone who's ever attended my Summit of Greatness event. And it's incredible to see how people stay connected long after the event is over. They share updates, support each other's goals, and celebrate wins big and small. And it's a reminder that when people stay connected, great things keep happening. Let's reconnect this holiday season. Explore more with Facebook today.

The best B2B marketing gets wasted on the wrong people. So when you want to reach the right professionals, use LinkedIn ads. LinkedIn has grown to a network of over 1 billion professionals, including 130 million decision makers. That's why LinkedIn has the highest B2B ROAs of all online ad networks. Spend $250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get a free $250 credit for the next one. Just go to LinkedIn.com Lewis that's LinkedIn.com L E W I S Terms and conditions apply.

So it's gotta be things that we don't use any unnecessary additives. That's one. You know.

What's that mean? What's an unnecessary additive?

So a lot of companies will use additives so that their product has a certain appearance or the product flows better in a machine because it's being mass produced or mixes better. Right. Or is used for a shelf extender so that they can keep it on the shelf longer, and so they make more money. That's been one of the battles going back and forth with different manufacturers is like, hey, we're not going to use these preservatives. No, sorry. We're not going to use vegetable glycerin. Even though it's kind of an okay ingredient, it's not something I would cook with in my kitchen. Right. We're not going to be using that. We're not going to be using natural flavors that are there to trick the person into believing that real vanilla is in their protein powder. Right? No, we're just going to use real vanilla bean. Yeah. It costs a lot of money to have organic vanilla bean powder in our product. But I want people to have the real thing. I want people to eat real foods. So our mission is real food without added chemicals, products without toxins, labels without lies. And that's what it's all about. And what's interesting is when bigger companies do buy up smaller companies, a lot of these products do change. But one of the biggest trends that's happening right now is the non GMO label. You see non GMO products everywhere. Right. You see the butterfly label or another non GMO signal. And this was as a result of a campaign to get the federal government to label our products whether they were genetically engineered or not. And what's really sad to say is that people see this label and they say, hey, it's non gmo. It's safe to eat. But what they don't realize is that, yes, it doesn't have food that's made from seeds that are created to withstand heavy doses, heavy doses of these chemicals like Roundup. But it also still has Roundup or other pesticides, because there are a ton of conventional crops that still use Roundup and these other pest, synthetic pesticides. So one of the reasons why I wanted GMOs labeled was not so much the genetically unmodified seed that was being patented. I wasn't really so concerned about that seed. I was concerned by the fact that. That it was created to withstand those heavy doses of chemicals. Right. I didn't want the chemical load in my body. I didn't want the constant exposure of glyphosate, which is the main ingredient in Roundup, in my body, because it's linked to cancer. Right. So I am kind of saddened at the fact that there's this huge industry of non GMO foods, but people don't recognize that it also needs to be organic in order to safeguard yourself from These synthetic pesticides.

So you should be looking for organic and non GMO together.

Yeah.

And then you know it's safe, right?

Yep, that's it. And this is the information that I detail out in this book. You know I had to go through some serious lawyer reviews.

Yeah, you told me about this.

To get this information out. And you know you will see everything footnoted and noted to the end of day.

Amazing. Everything you guys need is in this book. Make sure you guys check it out. Feeding youg how to Unravel the Food Industry's Playbook and Reclaim youm Health. Got a couple questions final for you. I don't think I asked you this last time. It's called the three truths. Okay, so imagine it's your last day on earth, as many years away as you want it to be. But you have to pick a day and it's your last day. You've done everything you want to do. You've accomplished everything. You've taken down every food company that tries to poison people. You've raised your family. You've done it all. And you get to leave three lessons behind for the world. Three truths that the world will remember you by. But you've got to take all of your other information with you. So they don't have access to your work or your books anymore, but they have these three truths. What would you say are yours?

Eat from the earth. Find out why you are here and go do it. Be present.

It's a good lesson lately, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Being a mom.

What does that tell you about being present?

Wow. I mean, it's everything. It is absolutely everything. There's nothing more important to my daughter and to her well being than for me to be present with her.

Yeah, that's powerful. How long have I known you now, Vonni?

Six years.

Six years?

I think so.

Is it really?

Yeah, I think it's six years.

Do you remember when we met originally?

I think it was at.

Where was it?

Was it at. Gracias Madre.

Was it here six years ago?

Yeah.

Was it?

Yeah.

No.

Yeah.

Really?

Who did we meet with? Do you remember we were with. No, we met. We met me and you met at. Oh man, I can't remember.

Ryan and Samantha, Was that right? Yes.

I thought we met at like down at like some hotel lobby. Like maybe there's another time. I can't remember, but. Six years ago, huh? Crazy.

Five and a half. Six years ago, maybe.

It's true. I'd been in la. I just moved in la.

You just moved here?

Yeah, about six Years ago.

Got it. Yeah. We walked up and down Sunset and went to Starbucks.

Was that the first time we hung out?

I think so.

Wow. Gosh. Okay, cool.

Maybe we had talked on the phone before that.

Yeah.

I can't remember.

I just remember us like we were best buds.

We were. It was great. It was great. And we were. And I was. We took me on an investigation hunt and all these things.

Things.

It's been a pleasure getting to know you over the last five, six, four years, however long it's been. And I want to acknowledge Yovani for constantly showing up and doing this work, because I know what it's like to get attacked and get, like, people trying to take you down. It's not fun. And the fact that you continue to show up and create work like this and spend years of time researching and studying and applying facts and data to back your information, it's really challenging to do. And you're helping a lot of parents, you're helping a lot of kids and human beings who might be suffering from misinformation. So I acknowledge you for all the work you continue to do and that you are a great mom in the process of living your dreams. So I acknowledge you for all of it. Final question for you. People can find you on@foodbabe.com thefoodbabe.com yeah, just foodbab.com foodbabe.com is hefoodbabe on Instagram, food Babe on Facebook and Feeding youg Lies. Go pick up the book right now. It's on Amazon and bookstores everywhere. You want to get it? Final question for you is, what's your definition of greatness?

I would love to go back to my original interview with you and see what I saw.

I can't remember.

Gosh, I don't know. I wonder if it's changed.

Yeah, it probably has.

Okay.

Now that you're a mom, right?

It has definitely changed. Live. Live every day like it's your last. Yeah. I mean, really, the definition of greatness is, like, living every day like it's your last because you'll have no regrets and you will love and be present and do what you need to do, and you'll, I think, live with the most integrity.

There you go. Bonnie. Hi.

Cool.

Thank you.

Thank you. Appreciate.

There you have it, my friends. I hope you enjoyed this interview. Vani Hari, the food Babe. If you did, make sure to tag me at Lewishouse and tag Bonnie Hari as well. Let her know what you thought about this over on Instagram and share this with your friends. Lewishouse.com 757 we also just hit 400,000 subscribers over on YouTube. So thank you to all our subscribers over there. If you haven't subscribed yet to the YouTube channel, this is where we release all of our videos every single week. And other things that aren't on the podcast, inspirational videos, motivational videos and resources, go to YouTube.com lewishouse subscribe today. Or you can go to the show notes right here, Lewishouse.com 757 and you'll see the video with me and Bonnie and you can subscribe right there. Let's get it up to 500,000 soon. I appreciate all your support. Big thank you again to Vonnie for coming on. For me, food has become an integral part of my life. As I continue to get older, my body changes and evolves and I need to make sure that I'm optimizing my health to the best of my ability. And that's why we need to know what's in our food and what we are intaking in our body. Because what we intake, we output with our energy. So make sure that you guys consume this information. Share it with a friend who you think it might be helpful. Share it with a mom who's got kids, kids who cares about their kids health and their family health. We want to get this out there in a big way again. As Winston Churchill said, courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. If you see something wrong in the world, make sure you stand up and speak out about it. Make sure you use your life to impact other people around you who might be struggling with something, whether it's their food or something else. This is your opportunity to make an impact. I love you all so very much. And as always, you know what time it is. It's time to go out there and do something great.

The School of Greatness is sponsored by Capital One. Nowadays, most people subscribe to everything. Music, tv, even dog food. And it rocks. Until you have to manage it all. Which is where Capital One comes in. Capital One credit card holders can easily track, block or cancel reoccurring charges or right from the Capital One mobile app at no additional cost. With one sign in, you can manage all your subscriptions all in one place. Learn more at Capital1.comsubscriptions Terms and Conditions apply.

Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to eat out at a pricey restaurant. Healthy choice simply steamers grilled chicken and Broccoli Alfredo is an easy high protein meal with nothing artificial. The steam tray keeps the sauce separate so you get crisp broccoli, creamy Alfredo sauce and tender grilled chicken that's delicious every time. And it's a satisfying meal with 28 grams of protein. You can find it in the frozen aisle. Healthy choice what having it all tastes like at Sierra Discover top workout gear at incredible prices which might lead to another discovery.

Your headphones haven't been connected this whole time?

Awkward.

Discover top brands at unexpectedly low prices.

Sierra let's get moving.

Is it time to reimagine your future? The right business skills may make a difference in your career. At Capella University, we offer a relevant education that's designed to focus on what you need to know in the business world. We'll teach professional skills to help you pursue your goals like business management, strategic planning and effective communication, and you can apply these skills right away. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more@capella.edu.