Cellulose and Cheese: Food Babe Strikes Back!

**"*Shocking is her favorite word, fiber is bad, and she's not a fearmonger." Chow Babe placing commentary on Food Babe's article "Are You Eating This Substance That Lines Food Industry Pockets?"***

As of Feburary 17, 2016, Vani strikes a home run of fearmongering and pseudoscience again! Since she realized her army is diminishing like hotcakes, she has now attacked an innocent ingredient MADE FROM NATURAL WOOD that is a nice source of fiber: Cellulose!

~"***2/27/2015 Update****: Ground breaking research was just released that links this additive to weight gain, inflammation and digestive problems."~ Vani updated this quack-ticle for your viewing pleasure and made this fib-full quote. Fiber **PREVENTS** too much weight gain, and also prevents digestive problems and inflammation.*

## Why is this gem bullshit?

Okay, guys and gals. I debunk Vani's "Wood Pulp 101" for your viewing pleasure...

* Cellulose can be called by these different names on the ingredients label: Carboxymethyl cellulose, Microcrystalline Cellulose, or MCC, and Cellulose Gum.
* Cellulose is much cheaper to obtain from wood, than real food ingredients and is manipulated in a laboratory to form different structures (liquid, powder, etc) depending upon the food product it is used in. **Vani must be thinkin' "If it's made in a laboratory and has ppms of GMOs in it, it must be bad, right? I don't know?!"**
* The most economical choice for cellulose comes from wood by-products, however cellulose can also come from vegetables, but will be listed on the label as such.
* The cellulose wood pulp industry is at it’s all time high (up 8% from 2009-2011).
* Humans cannot digest cellulose. It has no caloric value. The food industry tricks consumers who eat foods with a high cellulose content to feel full physically and psychologically without having consumed many calories. **Nice try, but an epic fail, Vani! Fiber naturally reduces calorie consumption to help you lose weight.**
* According to the FDA: “In humans, virtually 100 percent of orally ingested cellulose can be recovered in the feces within four days, indicating that absorption does not occur.” This substance just passes through your body, while lining food industry pockets. Nice! **Fiber naturally is not digested, and of course, fiber's what makes us poop, guys! The 'food industry' knows that Americans need MOAR FIBER in their diet, and 'wood pulp' is one such way to achieve this.**
* The FDA sets no limit on cellulose content in processed food, however sets a limit for meat products at 3.5%.
* Cellulose can by used as a supplement to bulk up foods with fake fiber. Next time you see “added fiber” on the label, take a look at the ingredients, it usually contains cellulose. **The 'fake fiber' Vani screeches about is no more fake than fiber in brown rice, which is actually very tasty. Oh yeah, and the 'fake' fiber still works.**
* The gelling action of cellulose when combined with water creates an emulsion, suspending ingredients, making processed food products creamier and thicker than they would be otherwise.
* Cellulose can absorb water and is used as an “anti-caking” agent in shredded and grated cheeses, spice mixes, and powdered drink mixes. **Because nobody wants a jar of moldy parmesan cheese, Vani. Mold does your stomach no good, but fiber does.**

## The Terribly Funny InfoMercial of the same name!

In order to help milk more attention out of her FBA members, Vani filmed herself in a Charlotte forest dressed as a fancy lumberjack, only to screed about how terrible food is if it doesn't decay like the disgusting decaying apple in the video.

An apple decays because food is usually dead, anyways, unless you devour a squirming shrimp or fresh celery stalk straight from the ground. Vani uses this clever appeal to nature scheme to stir up outrage amongst her FBA soldiers.

The reason the wood she points out at does not decay for 'thousands of years' (I don't think most trees could even live that long) is because the tree is a living, breathing organism that is still alive. Trees that are alive use water, sunlight and nutrients to stay alive every day as they produce oxygen for us to breathe. Until a tree is burnt or cut down, its wood will not rot for as long as the damn tree is alive!

Wood *can* rot, but only if it is dead. Airborne microbes and mold eat the wood for energy to sustain themselves.