Sweet and sour turmeric sparkles literally danced out of my pores like I was Thumbelina. My blood turned the color of a dragonfruit smoothie bowl topped with pistachio butter and bee pollen. I felt as if my entire body had been dipped in a pool of #blessed and dried with an organic bamboo towel.
I mean it was like a green juice cleanse met Whole30 met the diet of the Zeus himself. In the very same week I got engaged, impregnated with twins, found my dream house, and got promoted. (<--I kid).
I read a quote about the drink that stated, "It's full of additives that do nothing good for your body." I beg to differ. All that sugar and carrageenan and spirulina and whipped cream and "natural flavor" didn't murder me after all, oh no. I think all those funky add-ins actually made me immortal.
STOP TRYING TO MAKE FOOD SHAMING HAPPEN.
Working with women suffering from eating disorders on a regular basis has taught me a lot about the internet and how predatory articles that vilify certain foods can lead to disordered eating. At first, this level of preying on our weak emotions may seem so ridiculous that it's almost funny; but it leaves people feeling vulnerable and hopeless. Did you know that there are about eight million people suffering from eating disorders at this very moment?
I'm all for nutritional transparency, but I'm not at all a fan of taking those nutrition facts and spreading fear and misinformation about the "toxic" effects of a certain food. Calling out the spreading of misinformation is not, in my opinion, the equivalent of shaming.
I can't tell you how fired up I got last Friday as I poured through all the Facebook posts touting the hazards of Starbucks' new drink. If I saw one more red circle of death around the ungodly amount of sugar in a venti with whip I thought I may rip my eyeballs out. It felt like that one time when my sixth grade boyfriend broke up with me via an email that read, "Yer dumped." But like, ten times worse.
Did I miss the memo that Starbucks was promoting their new drink as a weight loss supplement? I mean when did it become Starbucks' responsibility to healthify their drinks? Why can't we appreciate the unicorn frappuccino for what it is rather than shaming it for what it isn't? It's a fru fru coffee shop drink, not a kale salad!
Are we going to start drawing red circles around Häagen-Dazs ice cream? And root beer? And Frosted Flakes? And any other product on the market that clearly has a bunch of sugar?
If I wanted to know how many grams of sugar were in my drink or my glazed donut or my favorite molten lava cake, I'd ask. If I wanted to feel like I was being poisoned by everything I didn't grow in my own backyard with composted soil, I'd go to Dr. Mercola's website or I'd read Grain Brain. But I don't want to know. I don't want to break up with sugar or carbs. I want to enjoy a damn treat without social media down my throat about how it's going to give me cancer.
If the uni frap were marketed like a green smoothie, I'd get the pushback. I'd feel cheated. There would be an obvious disconnect there. But what I can't wrap my brain around is the utter SHOCK by the world that the unicorn frappuccino has a ton of sugar. If I wanted something low in sugar I'd take accountability as an educated consumer and I'd order a regular coffee. I'd eat a damn salad.
And might I point out (as registered dietitian who has taken several food science and nutrition classes) that the colors in the shake are natural. Notice turmeric, spirulina, and fruit and vegetable extracts in the ingredient list? There's a ton of ingredients, yes, because it's made with a bunch of different syrups. It actually makes plenty of sense.
Starbucks trademarked the word "frappuccino" and it literally means cold coffee or another base ingredient blended with milk, ice, and other add-ins topped with whipped cream and sauce. They didn't break any promises here. The main ingredients are (in order) ice, milk, and various syrups. The pink powder is colored with apple, cherry, radish, and sweet potato. The mango syrup is colored with turmeric. The sour blue powder is colored with spirulina (blue green algae). The demonization of citric acid in the ingredient list is actually hilarious to me. It's used in TONS of products you probably eat all the time as a naturally-occurring preservative or to add sourness (which is the use here).
In short, I don't condemn Starbucks for the unicorn frap. I commend them.
If you don't want to drink what you think is the edible equivalent of cancer, then by all means don't. That's your right. But you surely don't need to judge everyone else that does.
And one more thing. Do they think this mass produced item that Starbucks is probably selling three trillion of would seriously even be preservative free? Do they think they grew the mango syrup in their backyard amidst hydroponic purple cauliflower?!
People have these expectations that everything in the food industry should be super fresh and have zero preservatives ever but besides being unnecessary, it's expensive and unsustainable. I work in a restaurant every single day, and a pretty darn "healthy" one at that. Everyone thinks they want all local, organic, fill in the blank foods but the second we run out of our house-made soup at Alchemy, people complain. Consumers still expect food at all times at an affordable price, in season or not. Yes, we ran out of soup because it didn't come from a bag. And yes, your bowl of soup is five dollars because it was made by a human with fresh produce in a small batch. We're fortunate to be able to do that at Alchemy. And we're fortunate to have customers that can afford soup that doesn't come from a can.
But guess what? More than 800 million people are food insecure and can't afford the organic, pristine, superior version of everything. And I'm willing to bet that even those who aren't food insecure wouldn't want to pay double the price for a squeaky clean version of their coffee shop favorites. Instead of demonizing the drink, why don't we praise the step Starbucks took toward natural colors? Seems to me they're doing what they can to meet consumer needs. And oh I know---the drink has more sugar than a batch of cookies. The blasphemy!! I have an idea. Ask for it with half the syrup. Get a small instead of a large. Or just relax and rest assured that one sugary drink doesn't define who you are.
Ever wonder why the vast majority of people in Europe have such a wonderful relationship with food? How they eat pastries for breakfast and stay fit with pretty much zero gym culture? Because they savor their food and the beautiful moments that meal times create. They listen to their bodies. They don't over-stress about food. They don't rush eating. They walk. They have work life balance. They relish in beautiful connections and food and wine. Even if they don't drink uni fraps, they freaking LIVE AND LET LIVE.
To food shamers everywhere: reconsider how you send your message. Consider not answering questions we didn't ask. Let us have our unicorn frappe with extra citric acid and eat it too. Let us eat our "garbage" without making us feel like garbage. With all the free time you have not shaming people for their exorbitantly toxic food choices, consider taking a food science class.
Chana says
I love this. I feel the same way about the new fake meat burgers (Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods) for being criticized for not being 100% healthful. It's a fast food burger!
Alexis says
Amen!!
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Julia @ Drops of Jules says
Wow. This is the first post I’ve read on your blog (I think!), and all I can say is AMEN. I’m subscribing asap. As someone who severely struggled with anorexia a few years back, I want to extend a huge statement of gratitude. We need more voices like yours in the world.
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious says
I don't understand why so many people are emotionally tied to food that they feel the need to discriminate. I feel like things have become overly complicated even with things like gluten free, vegan, Paleo, dairy free, etc. People have too many misconceptions about food and are too quick to judge. Well said, lady!
Courtney @ NeighborFood says
Slow clapping over here. I appreciate this so much. The food insecurity issue is one I struggle with a lot, because I live in a neighborhood with many people who absolutely cannot afford to buy organic or grass fed or whatever other label deemed superior these days. Eating that way is a privilege, and we cannot shame people for doing their best with what they have and what they know. Have you read "French Kids Eat Everything?" It was so fascinating and enlightening to read about the way the French approach food. They eat everything--pastries, fish, salads, steaks, decadent desserts, BREAD, but they make a point to sit down and enjoy meals together. They eat in moderation. They TASTE their food. They respect their food. And they enjoy so much freedom from the constant guilt, shame, counting, and punishment we put ourselves through. I feel like I'm just repeating what you said, only less eloquently. HA. WELL DONE.
Cora says
Applause whistle applause. I just wish people would stop putting food on such a hyperactive pedestal. We can't stop finding ways to talk about it and make people feel ashamed for any little thing they eat. Obviously something isn't "great" for you. We should just know this. Make your own decisions about it. Eat it, or don't eat it. But let's talk about real problems and stop caring so much about what people put in their mouths? I know its hard when there is a very serious obesity problem... I guess that is the difficult balance to find in this debate. Regardless. Thanks for sticking up for us in a way that's never been done before.
Heather @ Sugar Dish Me says
ALLLLL OF THIS! Gah thank you for writing all the words down here. It could not be more perfect.
Hillary says
Yes! I have been a baker for years and now work as an Assistant Manager in the pastry department of a more "natural" grocery store. Multiple times every day I have someone talking about how "bad" everything is in the pastry case or how they are "not eating sugar" and "trying to be good". Ugh. As someone who is still in the process of recovery from anorexia/restrictive eating this is so frustrating. I wish everyone was required to take some food science classes. We need carbs, our brain thrives on carbs, and guess what? All carbs eventually break down into glucose! Yes, whole grains are processed in our bodies a little differently, but sugar will not kill you. And don't get me started on the "obesity epidemic". A lot of that problem relates back to food and body shaming and dieting. We need more voices of reason out there. Keep on, keeping on, girl!!
Julie says
Hi,
I just real your post and I love it!
But I have to say you are wrong about Europa.
In Europa people become more and more obese. The number of people who are suffering from obesity and eating disorders increases every day.
The gym/fitness culture is exploding! We are just right behind the States.
Love from EU, Denmark
Sarah | Broma Bakery says
PAH-REACH GIRL! Love. All. This.
Courtney Ramsey says
Love it love it love it!!!!
Edie says
Round of applause for this. Food shaming, like any other form of shaming or judgment, is unfortunately so prevalent that it's practically second nature to automatically shame / judge what other people are eating, how much they're eating, etc. We all have our own nutritional needs, cravings, and food preferences, and those should always be honored without guilt. Thank you for writing this!
Shashi @ Savory Spin says
I saw this on FB yesterday and couldn't wait to hop over as soon as I could - So so loved this posy Alexis! And this line > " It’s a fru fru coffee shop drink, not a kale salad!" heck yeah!
Chloe says
*bows down*
THIS IS AMAZING. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.
Emily says
now me thinks that a Unicorn Frappucino would be tasty, but .... Starbucks is so expensive. O_O I'm so thankful that you are writing about food judgment and really really zooming out to a bigger picture in your posts.
Beth says
Holy crap. This has to be one of my favorite posts of yours, ever. This post literally defines my feelings right now.
I read an article on Yahoo earlier this week (or maybe last) about how horrid this drink was health-wise, and it made me sad because it looked so beautiful. Here that article did deter me from trying it, as it did shame the drink.
Yet, you're right. It's not trying to be a kale salad. It's a freaking unicorn frappuccino.
It's sort of like... we should accept food for what it is and accept each other for what we are... unique and not like anyone or anything else, and not to be compared and measured up against something 'better.'
Here I eat healthy most of the time, but I'm going to have my cream-filled donut from time to time. I like that as an RD, you put things in perspective.
Life is meant to live and enjoy the imperfect and we shouldn't be contained by all of these 'unhealthy' labelings.
Your doing great work with bringing to the surface the importance of anti-food shaming. Kudos to you. : )
Beth says
you're*
Amanda @ Fueled Fork says
Preach girl! The world needs more of this on the internet. Thank you for being awesome!
Jamie says
Holla!! Very nicely put 🙂 I really can't believe the over dramatized reaction to this fun, desert drink.
I love the LIVE AND LET LIVE part.
Sarah says
Alexis, I could not agree more and I think one of the biggest problems in this country is that industries demonize food. Food is food, and it should not be deemed good or bad. And you are right, we are in charge of our own health decisions. If someone wants to know the ingredients or macros in any give food item they are free to look up that information. We should not shame each other for food choices. Great message as always <3 and I love that I can feel you passion in your writing!
Selena says
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I may have thought the drink tasted terrible (way too sweet and sour for me), but you bet I enjoyed every last bit of that drink with a smile... because it's fun! And why not? I don't eat sweets or drink sugary drinks, so it was a treat for me. It was like going to the county fair and eating cotton candy. You eat it because its a fun, fluffy treat that makes you feel more 'in the spirit.' That's exactly what this drink did for me. I felt in the magical spirit with everyone else on social media that was enjoying sharing their colorful drink photos. #NoShame #ThankYou
Ann Meyer, RD says
I totally agree that anyone who chooses to enjoy one or a hundred Starbucks unicorn fraps does not deserve to be shamed. But, as someone who lives slightly too far from the coffee shop in Williamsburg serving one of the original ayurvedic "unicorn" latte drinks, I was frustrated to see that Starbucks' iteration does not really do the original justice. If Starbucks is going to bring a niche trend to a larger market, I wish they would really bring it!
Sarah says
I seriously love you and your posts lately!!! As someone working on intuitive eating with previous binge eating disorder, it is so nice to read a post like this from someone who knows what they are talking about! While unicorn fraps aren't my treat of choice (I much prefer loads of chocolate), just further confirming that eating these sorts of things is normal and part of the intuitive eating process is so refreshing. Recently I have been so much more in tune to food shaming, and when I overhear people talking about cutting out all sugar, carbs, what have you, it really irritates me!! Thanks for being your awesome self and inspiring us!!!
Mary says
YES. We need more of this in the world. No one is forcing people to drink the unicorn drink. Starbucks is not hiding the ingredients or nutritional info -- its right there on the website who anyone who chooses to take a gander. High five to you!
Sam @ Hygge Wellness says
Great message, Alexis! I thought the same thing the other day.... I don't think Starbucks intended to promote it as a health drink lol. If you don't want it, don't drink it. No one is forcing you to drink it, buy it, or even look at it. Or as Wanda Sykes would say, "If you don't agree with gay marriage, don't marry somebody of the same sex." For some reason, that applies to this situation in my head lol
Lili @ Travelling oven says
Thank you for spreading this message! I totally agree with everything you said! I have a blog that is focused more on healthier/unprocessed food but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy my slice of decadent chocolate cake, grilled cheese sandwich or a raspberry & pistachio macarons when I want (and deserve) a treat! People who unfollow me because I post something like that occasionaly on my social media or blog are people who I really don't need as my followers. I'm so glad I discovered your blog today and will be stopping by again for sure! Love, Lili
Hannah says
yes, girl...effin' yes.