193. Jen Smiley: How to Read Food Labels to Avoid the Hidden Toxic Ingredients in Your Food!

The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka

Gary Brecka

Health & Fitness

4.8 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 19 August 2025

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if the solution to your chronic fatigue, stubborn weight gain, and persistent inflammation is hiding in plain sight on every food label you ignore? In this conversation with food label expert Jen Smiley, we expose the deceptive marketing tactics that keep you sick while revealing the simple food swaps that can transform your health in weeks, not years. Join the Ultimate Human VIP community for Gary Brecka's proven wellness protocols!: https://bit.ly/4ai0Xwg Listen to Jen Smiley on all your favorite platforms! YouTube: http://bit.ly/4lA26U9 Spotify: http://bit.ly/41G2k4Q Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/4mhVGKh Get Jen Smiley’s “Food Scanner App” here: https://apple.co/4g1HV0l Connect with Jen Smiley Website: https://jensmiley.com/ Blog: http://bit.ly/4mobQC6 YouTube: http://bit.ly/4lA26U9 Instagram: http://bit.ly/45ULaTy Facebook: http://bit.ly/45PV2xX TikTok: http://bit.ly/4oMIf75 LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/4oKjvfK Thank you to our partners H2TABS: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4hMNdgg BODYHEALTH: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: http://bit.ly/4e5IjsV BAJA GOLD: "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3WSBqUa EIGHT SLEEP: SAVE $350 ON THE POD 4 ULTRA WITH CODE “GARY”: https://bit.ly/3WkLd6E PEPTUAL: “TUH10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4mKxgcn COLD LIFE: THE ULTIMATE HUMAN PLUNGE: https://bit.ly/4eULUKp WHOOP: JOIN AND GET 1 FREE MONTH!: https://bit.ly/3VQ0nzW MASA CHIPS: 20% OFF FIRST ORDER: https://bit.ly/40LVY4y VANDY: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: https://bit.ly/49Qr7WE A-GAME: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: http://bit.ly/4kek1ij CARAWAY: “ULTIMATE” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3Q1VmkC HEALF: 10% OFF YOUR ORDER: https://bit.ly/41HJg6S BIOPTIMIZERS: “ULTIMATE” FOR 15% OFF: https://bit.ly/4inFfd7 RHO NUTRITION: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: https://bit.ly/44fFza0 GOPUFF: GET YOUR FAVORITE SNACK!: https://bit.ly/4obIFDC GENETIC TEST: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Yg1Uk9 Connect with Gary Brecka Instagram: https://bit.ly/3RPpnFs TikTok: https://bit.ly/4coJ8fo YouTube: https://bit.ly/3RPQYX8 X: https://bit.ly/3Opc8tf Facebook: https://bit.ly/464VA1H Website: https://bit.ly/4eLDbdU Merch: https://bit.ly/4aBpOM1 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/47ejrws Ask Gary: https://bit.ly/3PEAJuG Timestamps 00:00 Intro 0:28 Why food labels matter 1:27 Jen's personal health journey 4:50 How food companies manipulate nutrition labels 10:20 The hidden inflammatory ingredients 11:22 Exposing the intentional food addiction industry 16:01 Make America Local Again movement 18:36 Why kids don't need lectures, they need clean food 20:55 Simple family meal swaps that actually work 24:07 Hidden dangers in bread, non-dairy milk, & protein bars 26:28 Di-potassium phosphate & other toxic stabilizers to avoid 30:28 Deceptive "healthy" labeling on gluten-free & vegan products 31:47 The 1994 nutrition label designed to hide ingredients 33:05 How to eat clean when dining out 41:54 Local farmers have 200-300x more nutrition density 44:27 $14 billion food advertising targets kids with cartoon manipulation 50:43 Clean sweetener alternatives 56:56 How to actually find & support local farmers in your area 58:58 What does it mean to you to be an Ultimate Human? The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The Content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	When you go to the grocery, what you're seeing on a label, it's 98% marketing. It's their billboard. They're trying to tell you what's not inside. The ingredient list is from top to bottom. It's tiny. Then I started realizing I can't even pronounce these ingredients. Even if you don't understand how to read a label. I'm going to read the ingredients in this. See if I could find these ingredients in the store and build this on my own.
0:23.0	If you don't recognize an ingredient, neither does your body. These preservatives and these
0:27.3	additives that have made the food look better, taste better, extended shelf life, and ultimately,
0:31.9	it's leading to inflammation. It's being engineered chemically to stimulate our dopamine
0:36.8	and to avoid satiety.
0:38.6	So our kids love it. Yeah, I tell parents that kids don't need a lecture of how to eat clean.
0:44.6	They just need tasty food. That's all they need. I also think that kids are tough because it's not
0:49.7	about the goals that you have for them. It's about the habits you can get them to adopt.
0:53.3	Kids will never listen to what you say, but they never fail to repeat what you do.
0:58.0	So it has to start with the parent.
1:01.0	As a mom, I'm sure your first concern is your kids.
1:03.0	Kids particularly are the target of a lot of convenience packaging.
1:08.0	It's a marketing ploy.
1:09.0	So where does a mom start?
1:11.2	I almost want to cry when I think of this,
1:12.8	but I feel like the lost art in most people's lives is the art of...
1:17.3	Hey guys, welcome back to the Ultimate Human podcast.
1:32.1	I'm your host, human biologist, Gary Brecker, where we go down the road of everything
1:36.1	anti-aging, biohacking, longevity, and everything in between.
1:40.2	And as you can tell from the smile on my face, because the whole team was cracking up before I started this intro, we have a very special guest on the podcast today.
1:49.3	And she is going to make you smile.
1:51.3	Her name is Jen Smiley.
	...

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