365: The Shocking Truth About Food Labels, Natural Flavors, Dyes and Why Our Food System is Broken with Ashley Nickelsen
Dec 16, 2024
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Ashley Nickelsen, founder of B.T.R. Nation and biochemist, shares her mission to improve the food system through healthy snacks. She reveals the biggest culprits in food ingredients, explaining the mysteries behind natural flavors and dyes. Discover why hospital food is notoriously unhealthy and the hurdles in changing it. Ashley advocates for transparency in food labeling, emphasizing that a balanced diet shouldn’t add stress. Plus, she recounts her journey to wellness and the importance of simple, nutritious choices for busy lifestyles.
Ashley Nickelsen emphasizes the importance of understanding food labels to navigate misleading ingredients like natural flavors and dyes effectively.
The podcast highlights the dire need for quality nutrition in hospitals and the logistical challenges of introducing healthier food options into care settings.
Listeners are encouraged to adopt small, sustainable health practices, reinforcing the idea that moderation is key to achieving overall wellness.
Deep dives
Understanding Wellness in the Food System
The podcast investigates the complexities of the food system, highlighting growing public confusion about processed food ingredients such as natural flavors and artificial dyes. The conversation addresses why hospital food is often of low quality, emphasizing the need for better nutritional options in care settings. Insights from industry expert Ashley Nicholson reveal that food distribution heavily influences the types of food available in hospitals and other institutions. This discussion prompts listeners to reconsider what constitutes wellness and the role of food choices in achieving it.
Personal Experience Shaping a Mission
Ashley Nicholson shares her personal journey that led her to establish BTR Nation, inspired by her parents' battles with rare cancers. Her experience with hospital food during her parents' illness illuminated the problematic nature of nutritious food availability in healthcare settings. This drove her to create healthier snack options, demonstrating the intersection of personal trials and professional ambitions. Her mission aims to clean up the food industry, offering appealing alternatives that prioritize health.
Navigating Food Labels and Ingredients
The discussion emphasizes the importance of being vigilant when it comes to reading food labels, especially concerning natural flavors and food dyes. These components are often misleading; natural flavors can contain synthetic additives that consumers may not recognize. Listeners learn that awareness about these ingredients can improve food choices and overall wellness. The conversation also challenges the perception that food need not be nutritious while being enjoyable, advocating for balance in dietary choices.
The Challenges of Distributing Healthy Foods
Ashley explains the intricate logistics involved in getting healthier food options into mainstream distribution channels such as hospitals and grocery stores. Competing against large food corporations presents challenges related to scaling and affordability. The conversation highlights the difficulties smaller brands face in securing shelf space while ensuring product quality and accessibility for consumers. This segment sheds light on the broader issues within the food industry that affect availability and consumer choices.
Cultivating a Balanced Approach to Wellness
The podcast concludes with a discussion on finding balance in personal wellness routines amidst busy lifestyles. Non-negotiables for maintaining health include regular walks and mindful eating, emphasizing simplicity over complexity in wellness practices. Listeners are encouraged to consider small, sustainable changes instead of complete dietary overhauls. The idea of moderation is reinforced, promoting a realistic approach to healthy living that accommodates individual circumstances.
Ashley Nickelsen is an entrepreneur and founder of B.T.R Nation, a healthy snack company on a mission to help fix our broken food system. With a background in biochemistry, Ashley has a unique understanding of the science behind many of the ingredients found in our food. She joins the show to discuss the worst ingredients on the market today, what to look for on food labels, what exactly goes into natural flavors and dyes, why hospitals have such bad food, how food distribution works and why a perfect diet isn’t realistic.
This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.
Listeners can get 25% off B.T.R. NATION with code: ARIELLE at btrnation.com