The Food Babe Way by Vani Hari (2015): Food list

The Food Babe Way (2015) is a 21-day program to remove toxic chemicals from your diet to improve your health and lose weight.

• Eat real organic foods, mostly raw, and limit animal proteins.
• Start every day with warm lemon water and a green drink.
• Avoid foods containing chemicals, fast food, sugar, and white flour; limit alcohol.

Below on this page is a description of the food recommendations in the diet.  Week 1  |  Week 2  |  Week 3  |  General guidelines.  There’s a lot more in the book.

Use this page as a cheat sheet alongside the book. Send this page to friends, family, and anyone else who you want to understand what you’re eating on this diet.

Get a copy of The Food Babe Way for common chemicals and additives and why they’re bad for your health, how to follow these recommendations at lower cost, meal plans, recipes, snack ideas, and more.

The reasoning behind The Food Babe Way

This book argues that artificial chemicals and additives found in many manufactured and food service foods lead to health issues. There are around 10,000 of these. Although they may be classed as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) by the FDA, they are often untested – and many are banned in other parts of the world. Some of these chemicals are obesogens, chemicals that trigger our bodies to store fat even though we might be restricting calories.

The Food Babe Way diet plan – what to eat and foods to avoid

The book takes you through 21 days of changes, leading you to guidelines for long-term healthy eating.

Week 1  |  Week 2  |  Week 3  |  General guidelines

Week 1 of The Food Babe Way

The goal of week 1 is to clean up your body, getting rid of the toxins and antinutrients you’ve been putting into your body

(1) Add warm lemon water  (2) Add green drinks  (3) Stop drinking with your meals  (4) drink clean water  (5) cut back on dairy foods (6) cut soda  (7) avoid/update alcohol

• Follow the Week 1 meal plan in the 21-Day Food Babe Way Eating Plan (pages 282-283 of the book)
• Starting from day 1 – warm lemon water
  • Drink a cup of warm lemon water with cayenne pepper as soon as you get up in the morning (recipe and instructions on pp. 82-83 of the book)
  • Drink at least 12 ounces, followed by another 8 ounces of water, before you eat or drink anything else
  • Drink it through a glass straw so your teeth aren’t exposed to the acid
  • Alternately, you could have apple cider vinegar in a cup of warm water
• Starting from day 2 – green drinks
  • Drink a green drink every day – a smoothie or juice made mostly from kale, spinach, and other leafy vegetables. Recipes are on pages 291-295 of the book
  • Enjoy juices as a snack, not a meal. Use it like a supplement – within 20 minutes before a complete meal
  • Use a wide range of vegetables, not the same ones each day. Recommended vegetables which are nutrient-dense (highest nutrient density first): mustard greens/turnip greens/collard greens, kale, watercress, bok choy/baby bok choy, spinach, broccoli rabe, chinese cabbage/napa cabbage, brussels sprouts, swiss chard, arugula
  • Add some fruit – this adds some sweetness and cuts down on bitterness that might come from the greens, as well as providing additional fiber
  • Limit sweet fruits and vegetables – e.g. apples, pears, watermelon, carrots – to a maximum of one piece per serving
  • Suggested serving size – 12 ounces
  • Suggested timing – 10 minutes after your lemon water
  • Drink it on an empty stomach
  • Drink it immediately after making it – within 15 minutes – unless you have a slow masticating juicer or twin-gear (can keep up to 36 hours in an airtight container filled to the top with no air gap), or Norwalk press juicer (can store up to 72 hours); be sure to refrigerate
  • Swish the juice or smoothie around in your mouth or move your jaw up and down for a couple of seconds before swallowing it to release saliva, which helps with digestion
  • You can blend your own smoothies – recommended blender brands include Vitamix, Blendtec, NutriBullet, and Ninja
  • You can juice greens for concentrated nutrition – recommended juicer brands include Breville Slow Juicer, Hurom Slow Juicer, Omega Slow Juicer (these first three are masticating juicers that grind the vegetables against a filter, rather than working as a centrifuge – one of the book author’s favorites), Green Star Juicer (masticating juicer), Norwalk Juicer (juicer with a vortex triturating head for complete cutting and grinding and a hydraulic press that extracts the nutrients from the pulp provided by the triturator), Breville Juicer (stainless steel centrifuge juicer that spins vegetables until they separate into juice and pulp), and Jack LaLanne Juicer (a centrifuge juicer made of white plastic, which is cheaper but may be harder to clean). Be sure to clean your juicer thoroughly
  • Alternatively, you could have a shot (1 ounce) of wheatgrass – you can buy premixed wheatgrass juice or wheatgrass powder, which you can blend with water or any type of organic fruit or vegetable juice
  • You can use certain store-bought juices. Fresh raw organic juices (best) include Blue Print, Evolution Fresh (some), Juice Press, Luna’s Living Kitchen, Organic Avenue, Suja juice, Suja Elements, TurmericALIVE, Viva Raw. 100% organic not from concentrate (better, but not best) include 365 Everyday Value, Bolthouse Farms, Lakewood, Odwalla (some), Trader Joe’s (some), Uncle Matt’s Organic
• Starting from day 3 – stop drinking with your meals
  • Don’t drink at the same time that you’re eating your meals. Chew well enough that your body produces saliva to help you swallow food
  • Best time to drink – drink water or other liquids 20 minutes before meals
  • Next-best time to drink – at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour after your meal
  • If you must drink with your meal, sip on a warm beverage such as herbal tea or warm water with lemon or ginger tea
• Starting from day 4 – be aware of what’s in your water
  • Filter water (don’t drink water straight out of your tap/faucet). Try to get at least a 2-stage water filter; learn about water filters from http://www.ewg.org/research/ewgs-water-filter-buying-guide
  • Use a reusable stainless steel water bottle or glass water bottle. The book author’s favorite brands are Klean Kanteen, Thinksport, bkr, and Lifefactory
  • Avoid bottled water in plastic bottles
• Starting from day 5 – ease back on dairy foods
  • Eat dairy in limited quantities and use it as a condiment
  • Consider raw milk
  • Introduce goat cheese into your diet
  • Use non-dairy milks, which you can make yourself – e.g. almond milk, brazil nut milk, cashew milk, hazelnut milk, macadamia nut milk, pecan milk, pistachio milk, walnut milk, flax seed milk, hemp seed milk, sesame seed milk, sunflower seed milk. If you purchase nut or seed milks, look for brands that don’t contain carrageenan – the book author recommends Natural Value organic coconut milk, So Delicious culinary coconut milk (regular and light versions), Native Forest coconut milk, Thai Kitchen organic coconut milk, Pacific Hemp Original, Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value almond milk, Tree of Life almond milk
  • If you want dairy milk, choose organic
• Starting from day 6 – avoid soda
  • Avoid sodas – regular and diet
  • If you can’t go cold turkey, try cutting back by ¼ in the first week, ½ in the second week, ¾ in the third week, then quit for good
  • Use soda alternatives such as: GT’s Enlightened Organic Raw Kombucha, sparkling water, water/sparkling water with fruit, fruit juice, or cucumbers, Zukay probiotic drinks, 100% raw coconut water, cold brewed organic tea
• Starting from day 7 – avoid alcohol / change what alcohol you drink
  • Avoid alcohol if you want to lose weight and feel great
  • If you do choose to have alcohol, have limited amounts and pay attention to alcohol consumption. Beer, wine, and distilled liquor may contain additives, which should be avoided. Better choices are additive-free mainstream beers (see http://foodbabe.com/cleanbeer), German beers, certified organic beers, craft and microbrew beers (independently owned); organic and sulfite-free wines; organic liqueurs

Week 2 of The Food Babe Way

The goal of week 2 is to learn to support your body with the nutrition it needs – good proteins, raw fruits and vegetables, beneficial fats, fiber-rich grains, and some superhero foods; as well as getting away from fast food and refined sugar.

(8) Avoid fast food  (9)  Avoid added sugars  (10)  Eat meat and proteins responsibly  (11) Eat raw more than half the time  (12) Cut out processed carbs  (13) Balance healthy fats  (14) Supplement with 10 Superhero foods

• Follow the Week 2 meal plan in the 21-Day Food Babe Way Eating Plan (pages 283-285 of the book)
• Starting from day 8 – give up fast food
  • Avoid food and beverages from fast food restaurants – e.g. Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Jack in the Box, Papa John’s, Little Caesars, California Pizza Kitchen, Mellow Mushroom
  • Instead, make your own food from scratch and carry healthy foods with you in case you feel hungry, or eat from fresh salad bars
• Starting from day 9 – avoid added sugar
  • Avoid added sugars (and foods that contain them): agave nectar, barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered syrup, caramel, carob syrup, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, dextran, dextrose, diastase, diastatic malt , ethyl maltol, fructose, glucose, glucose solids, high-fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, malitol, mannitol, raw sugar, refiner’s syrup, sorbitol, sorghum syrup, sucrose, turbinado sugar, yellow sugar
  • Avoid artificial sugars (and foods that contain them): aspartame, erythritol, saccharin, sucralose, etc., as well as processed stevia (e.g. Truvia, Stevia in the Raw, Pure Via)
  • It’s okay to eat naturally occurring sugar from fruits and vegetables, coconut palm sugar, honey, maple syrup, and also unprocessed stevia (fresh or dried stevia leaves, or 100% pure stevia; there are also instructions in the book on how to make your own liquid stevia extract)
  • See the book p.158 for natural options to satisfy your sweet tooth
• Starting from day 10 – eat meat and proteins responsibly
  • Eat a diet mostly from plant-based foods – limit the amount of meat you have, preferably eating it as a condiment. The book author eats around 8 ounces of meat once every week or two weeks
  • Choose meat that’s raised under humane conditions, not pumped full of growth hormones and antibiotics, and grown locally. If you can’t find that, choose USDA organic meat, milk, and eggs. Boycott factory farm meat
  • Look for these labels: American Grass-Fed Certified (dairy, beef, lamb, and goat); American Humane Certified (dairy, eggs, chicken, turkey, beef, veal, bison, lamb, goat, pork); Animal Welfare Approved (dairy, eggs, chicken, goose, duck, turkey, beef, bison, lamb, goat, pork, rabbit); Certified Humane (dairy, eggs, chicken, turkey, beef, veal, lamb, goat, pork); Certified Organic (dairy, eggs, chicken, goose, duck, turkey, beef, bison, lamb, goat, pork), Global Animal Partnership (chicken, turkey, beef, pork)
  • Avoid factory-farmed fish and shellfish
  • Be careful about which protein powders you consume, as many contain GMOs, artificial and refined sugars, heavy metals, or destroy vitamins. Look for protein powders that are free of pesticides, GMOs, and chemicals – e.g. Nutiva hemp protein powder and Tera’s Whey organic whey
  • Avoid fake meat and eggs / meat replacements, including fake beef, fake chicken, veggie burgers which are loaded with chemicals and possibly GMOs. Recommended veggie burgers are Hilary’s Eat Well burgers and Sunshine Burgers
• Starting from day 11 – eat raw more than half the time
  • Eat raw, organic, natural, non-meat foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds that are uncooked, as more than half of your food intake (aim for 60%)
  • Start by adding one or two raw foods to your diet – today – e.g. adding a fresh piece of fruit to your daily green juice at breakfast, or including ingredients like tomatoes, dark leaf lettuce, sprouts, onions, and cucumbers to your sandwiches
  • Move from there to having one or two raw vegetable salads dairy – at lunch and dinner, for example
  • Experiment with different types of salad greens, such as dandelions. Choose dark-colored salad greens
  • Combine raw food with cooked foods – eat raw foods (e.g. salad, berries) along with your cooked foods
  • Snack on raw, cut-up organic veggies – e.g. carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers. Or have a piece of fresh fruit or a cup of fresh berries
• Starting from day 12 – cut out processed carbohydrates
  • Cut out starchy white carbs – white rice, white flour, white pastas, white flower products
  • Watch out for brown breads – even those marked 100% whole wheat may contain a lot of additives and chemicals
  • Eat bread only a few times a week, with some exceptions when traveling. Choose organic breads; sprouted grains; ancient grains such as spelt, quinoa, amaranth, millet, and sorghum; healthier gluten-free breads. See the book for brands (p.184)
  • Choose alternative pastas, such as zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash noodles, bean pastas, soba buckwheat noodles, sprouted grain pastas, ancient grain pastas
  • Try intact grains – barley, brown rice, buckwheat, farro, millet, oats, and quinoa – containing 100% of the original kernel, including the bran, germ, and endosperm
• Starting from day 13 – balance your healthy fats
  • Reduce/avoid oils high in omega-6: canola oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, grape-seed oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil
  • Avoid trans fats – may be found in pancake mix, packaged cookies, ready-made frosting, microwave pizzas, microwave popcorn, ready-to-bake garlic bread, pot pies, commercially baked pastries, fast foods (especially fried). Also check ingredients for “partially hydrogenated” oils, and check with restaurants what oil they fry foods in
  • Avoid non-organic butters and butter blends with phrases on the labels like “with olive oil” – check the ingredient list
  • Choose organic butter, preferably grass-fed, or try ghee
  • Choose 100% coconut oil, coconut manna, olive oil, red palm oil (if sustainably harvested), sesame oil, hemp oil
  • Enjoy high-quality nut butters as a source of dietary fat – avoid conventional peanut butter, choose raw almond butter instead
• Starting from day 14 – supplement with superhero foods
  • Add these foods to your diet, at least one each day – tips on how to incorporate them are included in the book
  • Fermented foods, e.g. kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, kombucha, live active yogurt (grass-fed organic)
  • Raw cacao and raw cacao nibs
  • Goji berries
  • Chia seeds
  • Spirulina
  • Hempseeds
  • Maca
  • Golden berries (also known as Cape gooseberries or Incan berries)
  • Quinoa
  • Sprouts – from almost any seed, whole bean, most whole grains. Never use tomato seeds or tomato sprouts, as these are poisonous

Week 3 of The Food Babe Way

The goal of week 3 is to gain lifestyle habits that will complete your transformation.

(15) Recognize GMOs  (16) Dine out mindfully  (17) Clean out your kitchen  (18) Change your grocery store  (19) Cook at home  (20) Fast every day  (21) Travel organically

• Follow the Week 3 meal plan in the 21-Day Food Babe Way Eating Plan (pages 285-286 of the book)
• Starting from day 15 – recognize GMOs and avoid them where possible
  • Look out for high-risk ingredients and foods
  • GMO crops may include: alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, Hawaiian papaya, sugar beets, yellow squash, zucchini
  • Possible GMO ingredients include: aspartame, baking powder, canola oil, caramel color, cellulose, citric acid, cobalamin (vitamin b12), colorose, condensed milk, confectioners’ sugar, corn flour, corn masa, cornmeal, corn oil, cornstarch, corn sugar, cottonseed oil, cyclodextrin, dextrin, dextrose, diacetyl, diglyceride, equal, erythritol, food starch, fructose, glucose, glutamate, glutamic acid, glycerides, glycerin, glycerol, glycerol monooleate, glycine, hemicellulose, high-fructose corn syrup HFCS, hydrogenated starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, inositol, inverse syrup, inversol, invert sugar, isoflavones, lactic acid, lecithin, leucine, lysine, malitol, malt, malt extract, maltodextrin, maltose, malt syrup, mannitol, methylcellulose, milk powder, milo starch, modified food starch, modified starch, mono- and diglycerides, MSG, nutrasweet, oleic acid, phenylalanine, phytic acid, protein isolate, shoyu, sorbitol, soy flour, soy isolates, soy lecithin, soy milk, soy oil, soy protein, soy protein isolate, soy sauce, starch, stearic acid, sugar (unless specified as cane sugar), tamari, tempeh, teriyaki marinade, textured vegetable protein, threonine, tocopherols (vitamin e), tofu, trehalose, triglyceride, vegetable fat, vegetable oil, vitamin b12, vitamin e, whey, whey powder, xanthan gum
  • Buy USDA-certified organic food, or food with the Non-GMO Project verification label (nongmoproject.org)
  • Check fruit and vegetable label numbers – any 5-digit number beginning with an 8 is a GMO, although such labeling is optional and not in wide use
  • Eat less processed food and cook your meals from scratch, and shop locally at farmers’ markets and co-ops
• Starting from day 16 – dine out mindfully
  • Watch out for foods from popular restaurant chains – the book gives examples of chemicals contained in some of these foods (p.228)
  • Make dining out a special occasion
  • Eat ½ a grapefruit before dining out, and drink a large glass of water about 20 minutes before going out to eat
  • Order a salad as your first course with a dressing and/or cheese on the side
  • Quiz your server about what’s in the food, and communicate your allergies or food sensitivities
  • Order organic proteins
  • Order off the menu
  • Tips for eating at various types of ethnic restaurants are in the book (p.234)
• Starting from day 17- do a kitchen cleanout
  • Clear out your pantry and refrigerator, shelf by shelf. Look at the ingredients list for all foods and cross-reference to the Sickening 15
  • Restock with healthy foods
  • Keep it that way!
• Starting from day 18 – change your grocery store to a natural-foods store
  • Change your supermarket to a grocery store that specializes in natural, organic, chemical-free foods
  • Buy mainly whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, beans, sustainable meats, and grains
  • For produce, check out the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen lists at http://www.ewg.org and shop for the produce with the least pesticide
  • Buy these foods organic if you can:
    • Dairy (milk, cheese , yogurt, ice cream , etc.)
    • Meat (look for 100% grass-fed, antibiotic-free, and growth hormone–free, fed an organic and non-GMO diet)
    • Corn, soybeans, zucchini, yellow squash, canola, sugar beets, papaya, and cottonseed oil. All of these are high-risk GMO crops. Remember to check the ingredient list on all packaged goods for these foods
    • The following fruits and vegetables: All leafy greens (kale, arugula, collards, spinach, cilantro, parsley, dandelion, chard, etc.), all berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries), sweet bell peppers, apples, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, grapes, hot peppers, nectarines, peaches
    • Eggs (stick to pasture eggs and chickens fed an organic diet)
    • Tea and coffee
    • Dried herbs and spices (nonorganic herbs and spices are irradiated, reducing medicinal quality)
    • Chocolate
  • Buy organic foods online
  • Buy local at farmers’ markets and CSAs
  • Grow your own
• Starting from day 19 – cook at home
  • Start slowly and keep cooking simple
  • Avoid microwave ovens
• Starting from day 20 – fast every day
  • Avoid food for 12 continuous hours each day, to help detox
  • Keep a regular, established dinnertime, e.g. between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. every day. Do not eat anything after dinner is over. Go to sleep around the same time each night. Upon waking, drink your lemon water (see Day 1). Then it’s time to break your fast. Have breakfast no earlier than twelve hours after the last morsel passed your lips. Don’t skip breakfast
• Starting from day 21 – travel organically
  • Before you travel, check that you’ll be able to obtain suitable foods
  • Bring food for the airplane trip, snacks, and superfoods

General guidelines for The Food Babe Way / 21-Day Food Babe Way Eating Plan

What to eat  |  Foods to limit  |  Foods to avoid

General foods to eat in The Food Babe Way

The pantry list for the book is at http://foodbabe.com/pantry-list.

These foods are listed in the guidelines for each day of the diet, the 21-Day Food Babe Way Eating Plan, and the pantry.

• General guidelines
  • Eat at least half of your diet as raw and organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds (aim for 60%)
  • Avoid food for 12 continuous hours each day, to help detox
• Proteins
  • Real vegetable proteins
  • Approved veggie burgers – Hilary’s Eat Well burgers, Sunshine Burgers
  • Approved protein powder – Nutiva hemp protein powder and Tera’s Whey organic whey
• Produce – fruits and vegetables
  • Certified organic if possible
  • If certified organic isn’t possible – local and seasonal fruits and vegetables bought from farmers’ markets
  • Wash your produce well
  • Include these foods to detox your system from heavy metals and neutrotoxins: cilantro; cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cabbage, kale) and others with antioxidants such as dandelion; sulfur-rich foods such as onions and garlic
  • Vegetables – e.g. artichokes, arugula, avocado, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, cucumber, dandelion, eggplant, fennel, garlic, ginger, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peppers, romaine, scallions, shallots, spaghetti squash, spinach, sweet potato, tomato, yellow squash (organic), zucchini (organic)
  • Herbs – e.g. basil, bay leaves, cilantro, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, stevia leaves, thyme
  • Fermented vegetables, e.g. kimchi, sauerkraut
  • Nori / dried seaweed
  • Fruits, fresh or frozen – e.g. acai, apples, bananas, mixed berries, blueberries, cranberries, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mango, oranges, papaya (organic), peaches, pears, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries
  • Dried fruits – e.g. currants, goji berries, golden berries, dates, dried figs, dried mango, dried plums / prunes, raisins
• Beans/legumes
  • Dry or canned beans in BPA-free cans – e.g. black beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas/garbanzo beans, red kidney beans
  • Lentils – e.g. green, yellow, sprouted
  • Fermented legumes – e.g. miso, tempeh
• Grains
  • Flours and foods made with flour (such as breads and baked goods) – almond flour, buckwheat flour, whole oat flour, quinoa flour, rye flour, spelt flour, whole wheat flour, whole grain flour
  • Eat bread only a few times a week, with some exceptions when traveling. Choose freshly-baked organic breads without dough conditioners; sprouted grain breads and tortillas; ancient grains such as spelt, quinoa, amaranth, millet, and sorghum; healthier gluten-free breads. See the book for brands (p.184)
  • Watch out for brown breads – even those marked 100% whole wheat may contain a lot of additives and chemicals
  • Pastas – 100% buckwheat noodles/soba buckwheat noodles, sprouted grain pastas, ancient grain pastas, Tolerant Foods lentil pasta, Food for Life Ezekiel penne pasta, Food for Life Ezekiel linguine
  • Whole/ intact grains containing 100% of the original kernel, including the bran, germ, and endosperm – barley, buckwheat, farro, millet, oats, quinoa, quinoa flakes, TruRoots sprouted quinoa, brown rice, Red Himalayan rice, Black Forbidden rice, wild rice
  • Breakfast cereals and grains – Food For Life Ezekiel English muffins (cinnamon raisin), oat groats, buckwheat, steel-cut oats, gluten-free rolled oats, Nature’s Path Qi’a cereal, Food For Life Ezekiel cereal, Kaia Foods raw buckwheat granola dark, Purely Elizabeth granola, 2 Moms in the Raw cereal
  • Popcorn kernels
• Sprouts
  • g. alfalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts, clover sprouts, lentil sprouts, mung sprouts, radish sprouts, sunflower sprouts, and more
• Fats, nuts, and seeds
  • Fats high in omega-3: coconut oil (extra virgin), hempseed oil, olive oil (cold-pressed), red palm fruit oil (sustainably farmed), sesame oil
  • Nuts (preferably raw) – e.g. almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, walnuts
  • Unsweetened coconut flakes / shredded coconut
  • Seeds (preferably raw) – e.g. chia seeds, flaxseeds, hempseeds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds
  • Nut butters and seed butters – e.g. almond butter, sunflower butter, tahini
  • Nut flours – e.g. almond flour, coconut flour
  • Butter – grass-fed, or ghee
• Sweeteners
  • Nonrefined sugars – dates, fruits, coconut sugar / coconut palm sugar / coconut manna, date sugar, honey (preferably raw local), maple syrup
  • Moderate amounts of pure stevia leaf powder or liquid form
• Beverages (drink between meals, not with meals
  • Clean water – filtered, not stored in plastic bottles
  • Warm lemon water
  • Green drinks – green juice, green smoothies, wheatgrass juice
  • Sparkling water
  • Approved teas – they should not contain pesticides or natural flavors and should not have tea bags that contain plastics. The book author’s favorite digestive teas (preferably between meals) are: Numi Tea (any flavor), Yogi tea (certified organic, any flavor), Traditional Medicinals (any flavor), Rishi (any flavor), Organic India (any flavor)
  • Organic coffee
  • Acceptable store-bought juices. Fresh raw organic juices (best) include Blue Print, Evolution Fresh (some), Juice Press, Luna’s Living Kitchen, Organic Avenue, Suja juice, Suja Elements, TurmericALIVE, Viva Raw. 100% organic not from concentrate (better, but not best) include 365 Everyday Value, Bolthouse Farms, Lakewood, Odwalla (some), Trader Joe’s (some), Uncle Matt’s Organic
  • Nondairy milks (homemade or without carrageenan) – e.g. almond milk, brazil nut milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, hazelnut milk, macadamia nut milk, pecan milk, pistachio milk, walnut milk, flax seed milk, hemp seed milk, sesame seed milk, sunflower seed milk
  • Coconut water
  • Kombucha
• Condiments and pantry
  • Broth (MSG-free), organic ketchup, mirin, yellow mustard, stone-ground mustard, ponzu sauce, soy sauce (low-sodium and non-GMO), Himalayan sea salt, tamari, tomato paste, vinegar (e.g. apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, champagne vinegar, organic rice wine vinegar)
  • Aluminum-free baking powder, vanilla, vanilla extract
  • Olives, pickles, sun-dried tomatoes
  • Non-irradiated, organic spices – e.g. black pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, curry powder, garam masala, garlic powder, mustard seeds, onion powder, nutmeg, paprika, red pepper flakes, turmeric
  • Fair trade chocolate (organic), preferably raw chocolate; raw cacao powder; cacao nibs
  • Goji berries, spirulina, maca powder, golden berries / Cape gooseberries / Incan berries
• Packaging
  • Food in BPA-free cans or in glass jars / packaging that doesn’t leach chemicals in the food
  • BPA-free plastic for food and drink storage

General foods to limit in The Food Babe Way

• Animal proteins
  • Animal proteins – organic, grass-fed and/or pasture-raised, antibiotic-free meat (beef, uncured bacon, etc.), poultry (chicken, turkey)
  • Dairy – grass-fed and organic, and preferably raw – e.g. goat cheese, live active yogurt (unsweetened), non-GMO cheeses
  • Organic pasture-raised eggs
  • Wild fish, e.g. salmon, preferably locally caught. Limit fish to once or twice a week, and go to http://www.seafoodwatch.org/ to choose fish with low levels of mercury
• Alcohol
  • If you choose to consume alcohol, have limited amounts and pay attention to alcohol consumption. Beer, wine, and distilled liquor may contain additives, which should be avoided. Better choices are additive-free mainstream beers (see http://foodbabe.com/cleanbeer), German beers, certified organic beers, craft and microbrew beers (independently owned); organic and sulfite-free wines; organic liqueurs

General foods to avoid in The Food Babe Way

Items marked * are listed as “The Sickening 15” – chemicals and other food-related substances that can make you sick. The rest are listed throughout the book.

• Protein
  • Growth hormones in meat*
  • Antibiotics in meat*
  • Factory-farmed meat, fish, and shellfish
  • Fake meats, fake eggs, processed veggie burgers
  • Carrageenan* added to foods – look for it in dairy and nut milks, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, whipping cream, ice cream, and processed deli meats, amongst other foods
• Dairy foods
  • Non-organic milk and milk products
  • Frozen yogurt – watch out for what these contain; avoid those with processed sugars, sugar alcohols, emulsifiers, stabilizers, carrageenan, natural and artificial flavors, dyes and colorings, artificial sweeteners, growth hormones and antibiotics, and genetically engineered corn syrup / HFCS
• Produce (fruits and vegetables)
  • Non-organic produce – pesticides*, fungicides, and herbicides on fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds
• Grains and foods made with them
  • Refined and enriched flour*, white flour
  • Microwave popcorn (in bags that you put in the microwave)
  • Dough conditioners* in breads and baked goods – look for “dough conditioners” or specific names like azodicarbonamide (found in yoga mats), DATEM, potassium bromate, monoglycerides, and diglycerides. These are often found in fast-food products
• Fats
  • Oils high in omega-6: canola oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, grape-seed oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, vegetable oil
  • Trans fats* – any ingredient with “partially hydrogenated” on the ingredient label of foods such as crackers, pancake mix, packaged cookies, ready-made frosting, microwave pizzas, microwave popcorn, ready-to-bake garlic bread, pot pies, commercially baked pastries, fast foods (especially fried), pies, and other bakery items; dough; and snack foods. Don’t believe the “No Trans Fat” label on some food packages – check the ingredients list anyway. Check with restaurants what oil they fry foods in
  • Non-organic butters and butter blends with phrases on the labels like “with olive oil” – check the ingredient list
• Sweeteners
  • High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)*
  • Artificial sweeteners* – e.g. acesulfame K / Ace-K, acesulfame potassium, aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), erythritol, neotame, saccharin (Sweet’N Low), sucralose (Splenda), processed stevia (e.g. Truvia, Stevia in the Raw, Pure Via)
  • Refined sugars (and foods that contain them): agave nectar, barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered syrup, caramel, carob syrup, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, dextran, dextrose, diastase, diastatic malt , ethyl maltol, fructose, glucose, glucose solids, high-fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, malitol, mannitol, raw sugar, refiner’s syrup, sorbitol, sorghum syrup, sucrose, turbinado sugar, yellow sugar
• Condiments and pantry
  • Kosher salt
  • Cornstarch
  • Irradiated spices
• Beverages
  • Soda
  • Sports drinks
  • Coffee from developing nations, where chemical spraying is less regulated
  • Decaffeinated coffee
  • Teas – GMO, or with added flavorings, or in plastic teabags / unsafe packaging
  • Commercial fruit juices: Questionable juices – organic, but from concentrate or with additives – Honest Kids, Purity, Santa Cruz Organic; Non-organic, pasteurized juices such as Del Monte, Minute Maid, Mott’s, Naked Juice, Ocean Spray, POM Wonderful, Simply Orange, Tropicana, V8, Welch’s, Zico
• Common genetically engineered foods like corn, soy, canola, sugar beets, cottonseed, papaya, zucchini, and squash (unless they’re organic)
• Fast food
• Processed foods
• Food packaging
  • Bisphenol (BPA)* in food packaging and can linings
  • Plastic water bottles
• Additives
  • Preservatives*
  • Artificial and natural flavors*
  • Artificial food dyes* – The worst offenders are Yellow #5 or tartrazine (E102) and Yellow #6 (E110), both of which may be contaminated with the human carcinogen benzidine. Other harmful dyes are Citrus Red #2 (E121), Red #3 (E127), Red #40 (E129), Blue #1 (E133), and Blue #2 (E132). Also, watch out for “caramel coloring,” which can be artificially derived. These artificial dyes are found in sodas, candies, and baked goods, and may be used to dye some fruit, such as cherries and fruit cocktails
  • Monosodium glutamate (MSG) – may be known as or found in ajinomoto, autolyzed yeast, calcium caseinate, calcium glutamate, anything “enzyme modified”, anything containing “enzymes”, anything “fermented”, gelatin, glutamate, glutamic acid, anything “hydrolyzed”, any “hydrolyzed protein”, magnesium glutamate, monoammonium glutamate, monopotassium glutamate, natrium glutamate, protease, anything “protein”, anything “protein fortified”, sodium caseinate, soy protein, soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, soy sauce, soy sauce extract, textured protein, torula yeast, vetsin, whey protein, whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, umami, yeast extract, yeast food, yeast nutrient
• Cooking methods
  • Microwave ovens
• Heavy metals and neurotoxins* – found in pesticide-sprayed food, farmed fish, and food packaging material

Health benefits claimed in The Food Babe Way

The diet in this book claims to reduce the risks for: allergies, asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bloating, cancer (breast, endometrial, lung, ovarian, prostate, skin, stomach and other types), chronic fatigue syndrome, dull complexion, depression, dizziness, dementia, dermatitis, eczema, fatigue, inability to focus, food cravings, headaches, heartburn, heart disease, high blood pressure, indigestion, infertility, lower IQ, irritability, mental illness, nausea, overweight/obesity, respiratory problems, ulcers

As always, this is not intended to be a replacement for professional medical diagnosis or treatment for a medical condition. Consult your doctor before starting a new diet. This page describes what the authors of the diet recommend – Chewfo is describing the diet only, not endorsing it.

Get a copy of The Food Babe Way for common chemicals and additives and why they’re bad for your health, how to follow these recommendations at lower cost, meal plans, recipes, snack ideas, and more.

The book author Vani Hari’s website is http://foodbabe.com – this includes her investigations and eating guides, as well as a shopping site. She’s on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thefoodbabe, Twitter at https://twitter.com/thefoodbabe, Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/foodbabe, and YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/TheFoodbabe.

How has this diet helped you? Please add a comment or question below.