Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Do You Know the Food Babe?

Have you ever heard of The Food Babe? Maybe you follow her on Facebook. Maybe you have seen her on the Today Show, NBC Chicago, and the like? Maybe you've seen this graphic that was crafted to scare all of you pumpkin spice latte drinkers:


and this one:




I don't know much about the Food Babe, other than there is not a time in my life that I have ever been considered a "babe," and much less would want to be professionally known as a "babe."

I also know, just from briefly perusing her website and reading the words, "Monsanto Milk" on this graphic, that while we may share interest in keeping our families healthy, obviously use a nice flat iron, and maybe would have been in a class or sorority together in college or a something like that, we do not agree on food production and consumption. We maybe would be Facebook friends, but after reading some of her insights that are rather one-sided and ill researched, I would hide her. I'm not an unfriender, just a hider…I know, passive aggressive. I tend to err on the side of my grandma, who is 100 and still living in her own home, sharp as a tack. She would choose water over this latte, but if she had one, she'd probably not keel over, as the Food Babe is suggesting by her marketing.

Anyway, back to the graphic: Do you see the trendiness? Do you see that she mentions there may not be real pumpkin in this latte? Umm…no kidding. That's why it's called flavoring. It's a version. And
"possible pesticide residue" because the beans were not organic. Possible.

Again, I haven't done much research on this woman, and perhaps she has a zillion degrees in nutrition and food science, but I'm just guessing that she is trying to scare the pants off of you to get you to join her #FoodBabeArmy and reap the benefits of a good blog following.

That's just my assumption, and I would be happy to change my tune if necessary.

So this is the beginning of my research. Do you follow the Food Babe? Why? Are you a believer in her research? Do you think she's onto something? Do you follow her to disagree with her? What's her secret to getting her #FoodBabeArmy, and where's the agricultural antithesis of this?

I'm getting to the bottom of it, my friends, as I'm curious.

And I may have mentioned in a previous post, I had a mocha today…and it wasn't vegan, or decaffeinated, yet it was delicious.

8 comments:

  1. I have tried to reach out to her several times in regards to what "Monsanto Milk" was and still no response. I was banned from commenting or messaging to her Facebook page.

    This gal doesn't want to open the floor to any sort of debate or discussion. She just wants to preach what she feels is correct information.

    She worries me because our society tends to latch on to "celebrities" and "role models" like her.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love your refreshing views on hot topics! Like you, I'm sure the Food Babe and I have a few things in common, but our views on food are not one of them. She is a powerful communicator and marketer. I'll give her that

    ReplyDelete
  3. I see her posts as I am a clean eater & follow her page, but yeah, she is a fear monger. I believe she is on the right track, other than the GMO argument. We farm in Illinois & I try my best to read every research article on the subject. I have no problem eating something that is modified, at this point. But I do believe that the chemicals & preservatives have caused many health issues in our society. Moderation no longer exists for some people! I think it's great that she exposes the crap that food companies are putting in food. She is reaching some people and helping them to pay closer attention to what they are putting into their body...And that is a good thing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think the internet ate my first reply...hopefully this doesn't post twice.

    Thank you for writing this post. Have you seen the FB post being shared with a farmer spraying Monsanto chemicals on their crop (he is in a full hazmat suit)? It's so sad to see the fear mongering and ill informed people spreading FB posts like wildfire.
    When did we (non organic farmers) become the enemy? So sad and frustrating!

    ReplyDelete
  5. JMO - Nothing is organic. Nothing. Do birds not fly over "organic farms"? Do wild animals not walk/cross "organic farms"? Water evaporates makes rain, does that rain not fall on "organic farms"? After all these years of "farmers" contaminating soil, how come people are living longer and longer now days? Sorry I bombarded you with questions. Could you maybe add them for her to answer? Wonderful post btw.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love your insight on the Food Babe. It is frustrating to see someone who doesn't want to hear the farmer's side of the story. She wants to generate a large following, yet doesn't seem to have all the facts about growing/consuming food. Glad there are farmers like you who are sharing how important food safety is to us because after all, we eat the food we grow.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! Food Babe's graphic shown above is the epitome of fear-based marketing. It's too bad her skewed messages reach a large audience. I'm glad you took the time to share this story; I'll definitely keep my eye on this topic! Great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Following what Armenda said, Thanks for bringing this to our attention! I As an Ag Comm student and learning how to handle these type of situations, I think that you managed to have a positive response. You were able to listen to what she has to say but also not go overboard with frustration. I will definitely keep my eye on more topics like these! Great Job!

      Delete