iPhone app iPad app Android phone app Android tablet app

Robyn O'Brien
GET UPDATES FROM Robyn O'Brien
 
Robyn O’Brien authored "The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It." A former financial analyst, author, TEDx speaker and mother of four, Robyn brings detailed analysis to her research into the impact that the global food system is having on the health of our children. She founded www.allergykidsfoundation.org and was named by Forbes as one of "20 Inspiring Women to Follow on Twitter." The New York Times has described her as "Food's Erin Brockovich." Watch Robyn’s TEDx Austin talk here or learn more at www.robynobrien.com.

Blog Entries by Robyn O'Brien

Organic Food vs. Conventional: What the Stanford Study Missed

(105) Comments | Posted September 6, 2012 | 12:32 PM

Yesterday's report out of Stanford that organic foods may not be much healthier or more nutritious than their conventional counterparts has caused quite a stir.

A deeper investigation into the study reveals a few things that the researchers failed to report.

While the scientists analyzed vitamins and minerals,...

Read Post

Jamie Oliver Speaks With People Around the Globe on Food Revolution Day (VIDEO)

(3) Comments | Posted May 22, 2012 | 10:15 AM

Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide. To address it, Jamie Oliver launched the first-ever, global Food Revolution Day which took place in 620 cities around the globe and brought a focus to food education.

As part of that effort, Google hosted a Hangout that included four participants...

Read Post

8 Simple Ways You Can Avoid Chemicals in Cans

(2) Comments | Posted March 22, 2012 | 5:38 PM

Campbell's Soup recently announced that they plan to remove a hormone-disrupting chemical from their soup cans. The move can't come fast enough, as consumers, especially young mothers, are running so quickly from the canned food aisles that sales are dropping.

And it's causing an upheaval in the food...

Read Post

An Earth as Sick as Our Children

(10) Comments | Posted June 24, 2011 | 4:28 PM

I suppose it would come to this. Having spent the past several years talking about allergies and children's health, it is a lens through which I often view the world.

So as I watched a recent video about climate change, all I could think was, "The Earth...

Read Post

Toxins in Our Kids' Foods: Where Is the FDA?

(272) Comments | Posted April 1, 2011 | 12:13 PM

Yesterday, in the face of a just-released report by the National Cancer Institute that showed a 9.4% increase in childhood cancer between 1992 and 2007, the FDA let moms and dads all across America down. Instead of making the long overdue move to do something serious about getting...

Read Post

Dear Secretary Vilsack: Please Reconsider the Fate of Our Milk

(4) Comments | Posted January 28, 2011 | 4:06 PM

On January 27, 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture approved the biotech industry's newest product, a livestock feed given to our nation's dairy cows -- genetically engineered alfalfa. This livestock feed (alfalfa) will not only affect our nation's milk supply, given the novel proteins and allergens that it contains,...

Read Post

FDA Says Science Around New Salmon Is Inconclusive

(92) Comments | Posted September 21, 2010 | 9:00 AM

On Monday evening, after two days of hearings, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded "that they do not yet have sufficient data to determine that a genetic modification that enables salmon to grow twice as quickly is safe for the affected fish or for consumers," according to ABC...

Read Post

"Sugar is Sugar" Claims the Corn Refiners Association. But Is It?

(286) Comments | Posted September 15, 2010 | 9:10 AM

2010-09-15-cornsyrupbeekers.bmp

I'm sure you've seen it. The new campaign for high fructose corn syrup in which the Corn Refiners Association has decided to rebrand and rename their product. Reflecting on changing consumer sentiment around high fructose corn syrup and declining sales, the Corn Refiners Association...

Read Post

Salmon Stranger Than Sci-Fi

(60) Comments | Posted September 13, 2010 | 7:11 PM

2010-09-11-kidsalmon.jpg

Now I'm not sure about you, but these headlines about our food supply are getting pretty tough to stomach. From egg recalls large enough to feed every American two scrambled eggs to meat recalls warning us about E. coli in our...

Read Post

How Coke & Pepsi Could Save Us From High Fructose Corn Syrup

(95) Comments | Posted September 7, 2010 | 11:05 AM

On November 6, 1984, a bomb went off in the food industry that forever changed the course of consumption: Coca-Cola and Pepsi announced plans to stop using sugar in their soft drinks, instead replacing it with high fructose corn syrup. With the launch of two press releases, U.S. sugar consumption...

Read Post

The Power of Moms

(0) Comments | Posted July 26, 2010 | 12:40 PM

When it comes to moms, a brilliant ad mind once said...

"If you threaten their babies, a mom turns into one hell of a defense mechanism. And today, the babies are threatened. Our very own CDC has said our babies won't enjoy a life as long...

Read Post

How Real People on Real Budgets Can Afford Organic

(6) Comments | Posted July 14, 2010 | 2:00 PM

In a world in which we are constantly worried about the health of our families, the stability of our jobs, paying the mortgage and all of life's responsibilities, the simple act of trying to eat healthy often becomes a challenge.

2010-07-14-soaringfoodprices.jpg

Not to mention...

Read Post

The Importance of Being You

(0) Comments | Posted July 7, 2010 | 11:42 AM

I'm not sure about you, but I spent a good part of the weekend patriotically reflecting on the state of our country. Given our recent debt binge, food crises and oil spills, I have to admit, I wasn't quite as proud of the good ole U.S. of A. as I...

Read Post

Supreme Court Rules Monsanto Is "Innocent Until Proven Guilty" As Children Bear Witness

(13) Comments | Posted June 22, 2010 | 1:02 PM

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Monsanto Corporation on Monday and struck down a 2007 restriction that barred farmers from planting Monsanto Co.'s Roundup Ready alfalfa seed. The ruling allows the interim planting of Monsanto's product, RoundUp Ready alfalfa, pending USDA...

Read Post

Calling For an Oil Spill Band-Aid of Epic Proportions (VIDEO)

(2) Comments | Posted June 14, 2010 | 11:17 AM

This morning, as we watched a You Tube video called "Yours Truly, BP" one of my kids asked, "Is that oil going to stay in the ocean forever, Mom?"

"No." I immediately replied. "We'll clean it up, I promise."

And there I was. On record. Doing what moms do best....

Read Post

The Superhero Is You

(5) Comments | Posted May 19, 2010 | 8:00 AM

It's official. The headlines stink. We've got toxic assets in our banks, our oceans and our food. And our national binge on oil and debt is wreaking havoc on the health of our country.

On top of that, our children are expected to have shorter...

Read Post

Eating Oil? What We Can Do to Protect Our Kids

(1) Comments | Posted May 6, 2010 | 10:42 AM

Every 24 hours, the U.S. spends $1 billion on imported oil, with food production accounting for 10-17% of our energy consumption.

As oil continues to pour across the Gulf and into our oceans, it is more poignant than ever to remember that our industrialized agricultural system in the...

Read Post

What Does 'Organic' Actually Mean?

(6) Comments | Posted April 15, 2010 | 2:20 PM

Organic 101

A recent study into organic food found that it appears to:

• Strengthen your immune system
• Improve sleeping habits
• Cut the risk of cancers
• Reduce the risks of heart disease
• Reduce a child's exposure to hidden allergens
•...

Read Post

Achtung, Baby! -- Protect Your Skin

(2) Comments | Posted April 13, 2010 | 9:51 AM

Skin is our largest organ. And just as we wouldn't slather our livers with chemicals or smooth petroleum based lotions on our lungs, it is in our best interest to try to avoid doing the same thing with our skin.

Thankfully, in an effort to inspire change and protect...

Read Post

Eight Steps the Department of Justice Could Take to Reform Farming

(2) Comments | Posted March 12, 2010 | 10:56 AM

On Friday in an unprecedented move with the USDA, the Department of Justice will launch an investigation into the farm business. The investigation begins a 7-state probe into how Monsanto treats its customers, our nation's farmers.

I recently had the honor of presenting for our nation's top producing...

Read Post