The Food Babe On What 5 Popular Diets Get Wrong

If you’ve nixed gluten from your life or shunned all cooked foods, you probably think you’re doing what’s best for your body. But according to Vani Hari, aka the "Food Babe," there may still be important nutrients you’re missing — and toxic ingredients that you're eating.

Vani, a food activist and author of The Food Babe Way, is known for calling out corporations such as Kraft and General Mills for including unnecessary artificial additives in their foods. She’s spent years researching food politics, nutrition, and diets — so if there’s a downside to a popular diet, Vani knows it. In this exclusive video, she shares how five popular diets might steer you wrong. To start:

If you’re a paleo diet fan, don’t overdo the meat consumption! Eating a combination of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds can help keep you disease-free.

Giving gluten the heave-ho? Always read the ingredients label and skip processed, packaged gluten-free foods.

Raw foodies should steer clear of sugary foods such as agave nectar — though raw, the fructose it contains can cause a serious blood sugar spike.

Gone vegan and substituting soy for meat? Watch out for soy protein isolate, a common ingredient that Vani warns is made using a carcinogenic gas.

If you stick to a Mediterranean diet, don’t fall for cheap olive oil that’s cut with lower-quality ingredients.

Watch Vani explain more diet dangers in the video, above.

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