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Thanks to Meals Science Babe, who not solely offered me with the photographs and knowledge for this Flavcity evaluation, however who has additionally valiantly fought towards Flavcity’s misinformation on many events. As all the time, this publish is my opinion.
Bobby Parrish, aka FlavCity, isn’t a meals scientist or a dietitian. He’s a house chef with large opinions about diet. He has a multimillion enterprise with lots of of hundreds of followers that promotes merchandise, recipes, and diet content material.
Folks eat up Bobby’s goofy jokes and ‘eat this, not that’ kind of rhetoric. He talks about ‘cruddy components’ loads. He posts loads of movies of himself strolling by grocery shops, declaring which meals are good, and which meals we shouldn’t eat.
In a single current video, Bobby is cautioning us towards shopping for garlic from China. He incorrectly says that it’s grown in sewer water and has all kinds of scary chemical substances like CHLORINE sprayed throughout it. Meals Science Babe, a meals scientist and RD who really is aware of what she’s speaking about, mentioned this about his video:
That is his factor…he factors out an ingredient he can’t pronounce and/or doesn’t perceive what it’s used for, like monosodium glutamate (which he has additionally fearmongered over a number of occasions) or like on this case farming practices that he doesn’t perceive to say “ewwww don’t eat that.” On this case it’s particularly relating to garlic from China regardless of not offering any knowledge in any way that it’s much less protected because of these farming practices, which once more, are usually not distinctive to China and even essentially true or unhealthy within the first place.
In one other recipe video, Bobby is consuming rooster nuggets from ChikFilA. As he eats, he reads off a listing of the components within the meals, apparently as a cautionary explainer for why this meals tastes so nice. It’s the substitute flavors! It’s the MSG! So horrible for us! But it surely tastes wonderful, as a result of CHEMICALS!
Bobby says he hasn’t had a rooster nugget in a extremely very long time, implying that this kind of meals is beneath him as a result of he’s a lot more healthy than that.
He appears to actually be having fun with himself, although. In reality, he says the meals is so good, it’s ‘like crack,’ fully ignoring the truth that there are folks on the market who’re really hooked on crack and that they – or their households – wouldn’t ever evaluate a bit of fried rooster to a severe, life-destroying avenue drug.
And in one more video, Bobby is together with his daughter at Costco, declaring how Goldfish crackers aren’t a sensible choice as a result of they’ve ‘GMO cheese’ and ‘processed oils.’ He tells us that we must be shopping for non-GMO oatmeal as a result of they don’t have glyphosate in them.
GMO cheese doesn’t exist, however okay.
Bobby’s daughter Rose has her personal Instagram account with over 200,000 followers. Bobby typically options his daughter in his movies, whereas he talks about how sure meals are unhealthy and dangerous. Rose is 2 years previous. Her not too long ago revealed twee little image e book tells a narrative during which she makes cookies with Paleo flour.
I don’t assume it’s proper to speak about meals like he does, in entrance of youngsters.
However I’m additionally considering that utilizing Rose helps Bobby promote issues and get clicks and views. That’s simply my opinion.
Nonetheless, folks wish to defend Bobby. In some instances he validates their cognitive biases, and in others, folks simply don’t know that what they’re watching could also be defective.
They are saying issues like, ’he’s simply instructing folks what to eat! That’s a superb factor!’ and, ‘I wish to know what’s in my meals!’ and,‘he’s not corrupt, like Massive Ag and Massive Meals! Thank goodness for Bobby who tells us the TRUTH!’
Bobby has been publicly referred to as out for his content material, most notably on this scathing open letter by Farm Babe in Ag Day by day. It reveals an trade between her and Bobby, during which he cites EWG and Cornucopia, in addition to ‘farmers,’ as his proof sources to justify selling solely natural meals and speaking down about typical ones.
Even in the event you wish to know what’s in your meals, that info is ineffective when it’s not appropriate or given within the appropriate context.
In the event you didn’t know, the EWG and Cornucopia Institute are natural meals activist teams, not respected sources of unbiased info. (I reviewed the accuracy of EWG’s Soiled Dozen and Clear Fifteen right here). Natural meals is usually a ruse, too – it’s far dearer, and no research have proven it to be considerably higher nutrition-wise than typical meals. But, Bobby is a hard-core promoter of an all-organic weight loss plan.
Bobby has been principally smug, evasive, or unresponsive when confronted with questions on his sources, content material, and {qualifications}.
Right here’s an trade between Bobby and Meals Science Babe round his beliefs on flavourings. He calls her, ‘my buddy,’ which is IMO simply so infuriating and demeaning:
What did I simply learn?
His feedback on social media posts are generally obtuse AF.
HEY, BOOBY: MS IS NOT CAUSED OR CURED BY DIET.
How precisely will we ‘pay for it later’ if we eat low cost deli meat?
I typically get requested for my opinion about media personalities and ‘diet specialists.’ It’s an unlucky reality that even when half of what somebody has to say is legit, when the opposite half consists of misinformation, conspiracy theories, concern mongering, or simply unproven claims, it ruins their credibility. All of it.
So, whereas a few of what Bobby says could also be appropriate, the opposite stuff is what bothers me extra, at the very least as a dietitian.
I needed to evaluation FlavCity aka Bobby for myself.
It might be unimaginable for me to handle every bit of content material that Bobby has put on the market, so I selected just a few of his YouTube movies to see what he’s all about.
In a March, 2020 YouTube, Bobby is in Entire Meals. He begins off with the well-worn and disproven fantasy that we must always the perimeter of the grocery store, saying, “There’s a whole lot of unhealthy actors within the center aisles of the grocery store’ which can be unhealthy for mind, intestine, microbiome, intestines…”
Does he imply that the intestine, microbiome, and intestines are all separate issues? I feel he’s referring to at least one. factor. right here, however utilizing three phrases. SCIENCE!
He then begins to drag objects off the cabinets and clarify why they’re so horrible for us. Predictably, he begins with oils.
In the event you didn’t know, Bobby hates seed and vegetable oils. I do know he has movies particularly on oils, however he talks about them on a regular basis in different movies like this one.
He tells us that agricultural cooking oils like canola are extremely processed and refined. That in the event that they aren’t natural, they’re processed with hexane, and that oils like this are ‘extremely inflammatory’ and so they trigger increased ldl cholesterol as a result of the ldl cholesterol ‘goes to the physique to scale back irritation.’
He then drops the bomb that ‘our brains can’t acknowledge and don’t know what to do with fatty acids from oils which can be processed with such excessive warmth.’
Is that this true? No. It isn’t. It’s really crazytalk. Oils like canola are completely protected, and they aren’t inflammatory in line with any analysis. Hexane ranges in canola oil are minute. And that stuff about our brains not recognizing fatty acids? I don’t know what he’s even speaking about. Keto bros like Booby like to hate on seed oils, even with the dearth of proof for doing so.
Additionally: ldl cholesterol doesn’t ‘go to the physique to scale back irritation.’ That’s not a factor. Our our bodies don’t produce ldl cholesterol as a way to calm irritation.
In one other video, he assaults the oils in dietary supplements (whereas placing in a plug for dietary supplements he promotes, OF COURSE).
He strolls down the vitamin aisle and tells us that there’s ‘processed inflammatory GMO corn oil and soybean oil’ within the vitamin D he picks up. He says that these items ‘reverse the impact’ of the complement, and that processed oils are extremely inflammatory, and that they comprise free radicals that ‘destroy the cells in your physique.’
This isn’t appropriate. The quantity of oils in dietary supplements is minute and even so, they don’t ‘reverse’ something in regards to the complement.
And about that free radical remark: oils don’t ‘comprise’ free radicals, free radicals are created by the physique. Even when a substance creates free radicals within the physique, different issues we eat (antioxidants, anybody?) and do can do away with them. That is simply pure, overblown concern mongering.
Again to the March 2020 vid, Bobby then begins in on carrageenan. He factors out a can of whipped cream that incorporates carrageenan, and warns us to keep away from it as a result of it’s ‘very inflammatory and it’ll ‘do unhealthy issues to your intestine and intestines.’
What unhealthy issues, he doesn’t say. And hey, Boob, the ‘intestine’ and ‘intestines’ are the identical issues.
He does inform us that ‘in some research, medical doctors give sufferers carrageenan to induce irritation. I’d not put that in my physique, there are different emulsifiers which can be a lot safer’ The usage of the phrase ‘safer’ implies that this ingredient is unsafe, however this isn’t supported by proof.
In his medical reference, Bobby seems to be complicated food-grade carrageenan with poligeenan, which is NOT utilized in meals. And it’s not given to ‘induce irritation;’ it’s added to barium to alter its viscosity for imaging procedures.
On a tangent, Bobby says ‘pure flavors aren’t pure,’ prefer it’s some kind of tagline. Bobby hates pure flavors, and he even goes off on RX Bars as a result of they had been beforehand ‘Bobby accepted’ however they tricked him with their pure flavors.
It’s necessary to notice that pure flavors aren’t ‘unhealthy’ in any respect. There may be nothing dangerous about them, particularly within the quantities we devour. This kind of blanket ‘it’s all unhealthy’ language pops up loads within the FlavCity movies. It’s a flawed and unhelpful approach of speaking about a whole group of components.
In Feb 2022, Bobby launched one other grocery retailer video. It begins with Bobby in a traditional rant:
‘That is Bobby coming atcha from the grocery retailer, and I’m MAD. I’m mad as heck and I’m not gonna take it anymore, as a result of while you stroll across the grocery retailer and see the components in these meals merchandise that persons are shopping for every single day, it makes me so offended as a result of these aren’t even actual components, generally they aren’t even actual meals, simply loaded with filler, sugar, and components which can be going to make you fats, sick, and practically lifeless.’
That sounds scary! Booby is mad and ranting about pretend meals, and we’re going to die if we eat issues! He doesn’t look mad, although. Perhaps that’s as a result of he is aware of that when he makes movies and promotes merchandise, he’s going to earn a living!
Newsflash: in the event you’re consuming meals, it’s not ‘pretend.’ Some folks can solely afford to purchase the ‘pretend meals’ with ‘grubby oils’ that Bobby sh*ts throughout. One thing to consider. Not everybody can afford to buy at Entire Meals, Booby.
After all, Bobby stops ranting lengthy sufficient to say his ‘Bobby Permitted’ app, which he does loads. In reality, in each video I watched, Bobby plugged his app, the e-commerce web site Thrive Market, and plenty of different merchandise, which he manages to name-drop very unobtrusively.
On this video, Bobby reveals us Laird Pili nuts. I discovered these on-line for $13 USD for 3-1oz luggage.
He doesn’t say that they’re paying him to say them, however ‘Laird Superfoods’ is on the ‘Promos’ web page on his web site. Bob tells us to make use of his promo code – in the event you spend $40, you get 20% off.
How curious is it that I discovered this ‘Bobby Parrish Bundle’ on the Laird Superfoods web site:
A bunch of issues that no person wants, for nearly $100. What a deal!
Isn’t it unlawful to advertise merchandise with out disclosing the connection between promoter and the product firm? The FTC says it’s.
As a result of it’s Tremendous Bowl weekend (He makes lame Tremendous Bowl jokes all through this video), Boob decides to sh*t on Doritos. He says, ‘There are a pair chips that I discover felony.’ Doritos are one in all them, as a result of they’re comprised of ‘GMO corn fried in sunflower oil are GMO corn oil.’ He seems on the ingredient checklist on the bag, and says, ‘while you see that many components, it makes crimson flags go up.’
The variety of components in something doesn’t mechanically imply that the meals isn’t wholesome, however anyhow. This too is a drained previous fantasy.
I knew that when Bobby picked up the Doritos, he was going to go on an MSG tirade, and I wasn’t dissatisfied.
He factors out MSG within the Doritos ingredient checklist, and tells us, ‘MSG IS BAD FOR YOU. MSG is a chemically made, man-made flavour enhancer that has one job: to hijack your tastebuds, makes your mind excited, produce ‘excitogens,’ and makes you crave extra meals.’ In one other video he says that MSG is ‘pure chemical substances that may actually mess up your mind.’ He says that it tips your mind and style buds to crave extra meals, in order that meals firms make more cash.
In the event you haven’t seen but, Booby likes to catastrophize outcomes and weaponize meals to make them seem ‘poisonous.’
Let’s get this straight, then:
Meals firms utilizing MSG so folks assume their merchandise are scrumptious and purchase extra = unhealthy.
Earning money by spreading concern and misinformation about meals = good?
You don’t say.
MSG makes meals style scrumptious, and has been used around the globe for many years. Bobby mentions pure MSG which he declares is ‘fantastic,’ and ‘man-made MSG is horrible for you.’ In addition to the truth that naturally-occurring MSG isn’t any completely different nutritionally from packaged MSG, there was no proof in any respect that helps the declare of MSG being dangerous to people.
That is referred to as the ‘naturalistic fallacy,‘ and it’s one Bobby makes use of loads. It’s when somebody argues that if one thing is pure, it have to be good for us. It’s unfaithful, after all, therefore the title ‘fallacy.’
Do I would like you to eat limitless quantities of Doritos? After all not. However, I would like you to have the ability to get pleasure from meals and make educated selections about what you eat, as an alternative of selecting out of concern.
Bob then decides to assault juice, particularly Eating regimen Ocean Spray, which he says is ‘principally watered down concoction of actually unhealthy components, it’s actually unhealthy information, and Sucralose, that’s a horrible sweetener that’s very unhealthy to your intestine.’
The research on the impact of Sucralose on the intestine are in animals and lab dishes. They’ve been completed by giving rodents Sucralose in quantities so massive that the majority of us would by no means devour that a lot, or in cells in lab dishes, and extrapolating it to people. This tells us nothing about how this ingredient behaves in an precise human physique.I don’t need you to take what Bobby says and let it flip you right into a nervous wreck about having sweeteners occasionally.
Taking a grain of reality and blowing all of this out of proportion is a standard technique that’s used within the Wellness sphere to get us to undertake a sure mind-set (and to spend cash). It additionally appears to be Bobby’s intention to scare us about components and meals, then give us ‘info’ to ‘save’ us, all of the whereas convincing us to embrace his narrative and purchase his ‘Bobby Permitted’ merchandise.
He then turns to Goldfish crackers, saying, that the enriched flour in them is ‘actually processed, it has no diet. And I don’t assume children or anybody must be having an excessive amount of gluten, as a result of it’s inflammatory… the oils in these crackers, GMO processed canola oil, and GMO processed soybean oil, and the cheese isn’t natural.’
Additionally: gluten just isn’t inflammatory, except you’re allergic to it. Entire grains are literally anti-inflammatory, in line with the science.
So sure, you may feed your children gluten-containing meals.
In maybe essentially the most egregious present of elitism (and there have been many, up till this level), Booby hits the child method aisle and begins his insupportable bloviating.
‘The primary ingredient is corn syrup solids. Corn syrup is essentially the most addictive type of sugar there’s actually child steps to presumably childhood weight problems, childhood diabetes.’
Wow. Meals shaming and anxiousness for fogeys. Not okay.
He then factors out {that a} method has ‘partially hydrolyzed nonfat milk,’ and says, ‘not even common milk, it’s hydrolyzed GMO milk.’
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS GMO MILK, BOOBY.
And right here’s a chemistry lesson for you: you might want to hydrolyze milk in child method – that’s the method to interrupt down the amino acid chains right into a extra manageable type for BABY GUTS. He provides that the method incorporates ‘artificial nutritional vitamins,’ which yeah, so what? What does he assume dietary supplements are comprised of? It’s fully inane.
Bob tells us that he recommends X manufacturers, that are natural and European formulation. He says that the very best one is a ‘grass-fed toddler method that’s not technically accepted for infants, however seek the advice of your physician about that as a result of I feel it’s principally the identical method.’
Okay. Toddler milk and toddler method are NOT even CLOSE to the identical. DO NOT feed your child toddler milk. AND DO NOT GET HEALTH ADVICE FROM THIS PERSON.
He ends his rant on child method with an obnoxious, dismissive, ‘These things, ugh, I don’t even know what to say!’
He’s like a male mashup of Kourtney Kardashian, Meals Babe, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Briefly.
Like I mentioned, it might be unimaginable (and insupportable) for me to evaluation all the pieces that Bobby Parrish has ever mentioned. However what I’ve seen, in my skilled opinion, has a substantial quantity of misinformation and concern mongering.
I really feel that generally, he may not disclose his affiliations. I could possibly be fallacious right here, however let’s simply say this: Bobby is a promoting machine. And everybody who buys into it, is paying him.
Who cares if components are ‘Bobby Permitted,’ if he concern mongers all the pieces and doesn’t appear to know the way to clarify precisely why he’s towards sure meals? He ought to be capable to give a rational, scientific rationalization for his decisions. As an alternative, I heard phrase salad with science-y phrases and scary warnings, interspersed by what seem like gross sales pitches for merchandise and his app.
Kind of jogs my memory of V-Shred, to be trustworthy. (Learn my VShred evaluation right here)
No diet skilled needs folks to eat solely ultra-processed meals. However implying to folks that the components in them are dangerous in any dose, I consider, is irresponsible and unfaithful.
Lastly, one thing that many individuals in all probability haven’t linked with FlavCity’s content material, is that selling costly, natural meals and looking out down on anything, marginalizes individuals who can’t afford to purchase what he’s recommending.
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