Orthorexia: Food Babe’s eating disorder

ef bb d b f dd e

“There is just no acceptable level of any chemical to ingest, ever.” – Vani Hari A.K.A. Food Babe

Everything is made from chemicals, but Food Babe wants to spread fear of “toxins” and lead her legions towards an eating disorder. She’s anti-GMO, anti-chemical, anti-flu shot, and pro-orthorexia. And that’s just barely scratching the surface.

Last fall I spoke with a couple of eating disorder doctors (for this NPR article) who both explained that eating disorders have seen a shocking increase in recent decades due to a rise in obesity rates coupled with an explosion of fad diets. What used to be primarily a condition that afflicted young, Caucasian women has spread across genders, ages, race and socio-economic status. Many begin with an honest desire to lose weight, be healthier, get in shape etc., but get sucked down a rabbit hole of misinformation and fear that creates an obsession of eating only the “right” foods and avoiding the “wrong” ones. Both of these doctors agreed that, although not in the DSM-5, “orthorexia” is a legitimate lay term to describe a very real condition: an obsession with “clean” eating.

Food Babe has become the poster child for orthorexia, and she’s making a lot of money from it.

Read about how the Food Babe’s new book contains many passages that are highly similar to messages found on a pro-anorexia site.

Read full, original blog: Which is worse: Food Babe or food poisoning?

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}

Related Articles

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Does glyphosate—the world's most heavily-used herbicide—pose serious harm to humans? Is it carcinogenic? Those issues are of both legal and ...

Most Popular

Screenshot-2026-06-15-at-1.50.43-PM
Viewpoint—Gutting the CDC: Survey of current and past CDC workforce accuses RFK, Jr. and Trump of destroying the agency and endangering public health
Screenshot-2026-07-02-at-10.03.56-AM
‘Trust, access, and equity’: After billions of doses worldwide, yet another review of COVID vaccine confirms its safety and effectiveness
Screenshot-2026-07-02-at-11.22.28-AM
Is Ebola a hoax created by fake humanitarians to steal African land and resources? Disinformation sweeps through the Congo. 
Picture1
The Lackland flu outbreak is fading but Hegseth’s military anti-vaccine fiasco is not
Screenshot-2026-06-30-at-10.43.50-AM
Viewpoint: Why are there no approved bioengineered insect-protected (Bt) apples?
full
Misnamed ‘medical freedom’ movement stalls in Florida as Republicans fail to advance legislation ending school vaccine mandates
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-25-2026-12_23_17-PM
No, Bill Gates did not secretly engineer ticks to promote veganism
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-25-2026-01_14_50-PM
Viewpoint: Disinformation grift: The wellness industry is a lucrative and mostly worthless marketplace of ‘balms, brews, and baloney’
ChatGPT-Image-Mar-10-2026-01_39_01-PM
Viewpoint—“Miracle molecule” debunked: Why acemannan supplements don’t work
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-30-2026-01_09_47-PM
Viewpoint: As MAHA blows up over Supreme Court ruling limiting glyphosate litigation, Trump offers toothless plan to reduce pesticides in food
ChatGPT-Image-Jul-2-2026-11_46_46-AM
Viewpoint: Weaponizing misinformation
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-23-2026-12_19_35-PM
Ideological red flag: Led by anti-vax doctor, Tennessee is now the U.S. epicenter selling potent ivermectin shown worthless to prevent or treat Covid
Screenshot-2026-06-05-at-2.12.30-PM
Some plants can poison you. So how did humans figure out what is safe to eat?
marijuana-pot-in-hand-nveri-st-xpm-t-abq-fkifeos-s-rws-cmpx-
Facts & Fallacies podcast: Legalized weed drives drug addiction, psychosis?
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.