Welcome back to another blog of the Fruitful Three Show, where we dig deep into truth, culture, and faith. Today, we're tackling something that affects every single one of us: health misinformation.

Living in the Age of Confusion

We're living in what should be the age of information, but somehow it feels more like the age of confusion. One day you're told to eat something, the next day it's going to kill you. Corn is good, then it's bad. Bread will sustain you, then it's toxic. Eggs are healthy, then they'll make your heart explode. Should you eat just the whites? No, eat the whole egg!

It's exhausting.

Everybody claims to be a health expert these days. Everyone has the cure to every disease imaginable. Yet somehow, we're more misinformed than ever before.

Misinformation vs. Disinformation: Know the Difference

Let's start with the basics. There's a critical difference between misinformation and disinformation:

Misinformation is accidental. It's when someone shares something false without knowing it's wrong. They genuinely believe it's true. Like your friend reposting a TikTok claiming celery juice cures cancer. They mean well, but it's just not accurate.

Disinformation is intentional. It's creating false information on purpose to deceive, manipulate, or profit. Maybe that same friend is now promoting their new celery juice product line. They know the claims are exaggerated, but there's money to be made.

The numbers are staggering. An MIT study found that false stories spread six times faster on social media than true ones. Why? Because lies are usually more emotional, more shocking, and more shareable.

Here's what really shocked us: A 2024 study found that just 0.25% of X (formerly Twitter) users were responsible for spreading 73-78% of low-credibility content. A quarter of one percent of users are poisoning the well for everyone else.

And it gets worse. 38% of US news consumers admit they've unknowingly shared fake news themselves. It's not just trolls and bad actors—it's regular people like you and me getting caught up in the chaos.

Why Does Misinformation Spread So Fast?

Outrage is the key to virality. The more explosive and emotional a post is, the more it gets shared. But here's the real problem: corrections never go as viral as the original lie. By the time fact-checkers catch up, the damage is already done.

How Everyone Became a Health Expert

In the last decade, everyone suddenly became a health expert. How did we get here?

It starts with access. The internet made every piece of human knowledge one search away. That's both a blessing and a curse. People read a few articles, watch a few YouTube videos, and suddenly think they have a PhD in nutrition or medicine.

Then there's social validation. If a post gets enough likes or shares, it starts to look like the truth, even if it's complete nonsense. That's the illusion of expertise.

And of course, there's money. If you've got a course, a supplement, or a program to sell, there's every reason to sound confident. Confidence sells, even if the science doesn't.

The influencer marketing industry is projected to hit $480 billion by 2027. That's nearly half a trillion dollars. 60% of consumers say they trust influencer recommendations, and almost half of all purchasing decisions are influenced by them.

But here's the catch: many of these influencers spread false information about health, politics, and social issues despite having zero credentials.

The Liver King Example

Remember the Liver King? The guy who claimed eating raw liver and living like a caveman made him jacked? Turns out he was on steroids the whole time. And yet people followed his diet religiously. Why? Because people crave quick answers and visible results more than they crave the truth.

The Superfood Scam

Let's talk about "superfoods" for a second. The word sounds powerful, right? Like the Avengers of nutrition.

Here's the truth: there's no scientific definition of a superfood. It's a marketing term originally used to sell bananas in the early 1900s, particularly after World War II, when veterans were coming home.

Now every product wants to be "super" something—super tea, super fruit, super smoothie. But your liver and kidneys already detox your body naturally. You don't need to spend $15 on miracle green powder to do what God already designed your body to do.

And here's something interesting we've noticed: most foods labeled as "superfoods" are either genetically modified or crossbred. Broccoli? Crossbred. Bananas? Crossbred from two different types to create the variety we eat in America. Carrots? Crossbred (which is why we mainly see orange ones, though purple and yellow varieties exist elsewhere).

When Science Becomes Marketing

If influencers can fake it and companies profit from it, maybe science is the last place we can trust, right? Not exactly.

Here's the twist: even scientific research can be misleading. Why? Because money talks.

A lot of research is funded by the very companies that benefit from certain results. Coca-Cola funded studies to make sugar look less harmful. Drug companies sponsor research that makes their pills look more effective.

Here's a wild fact: In the late '80s and '90s, a cigarette company (Philip Morris) bought Kraft and other food companies (General Foods, Nabisco). They hired the same guy who made their cigarettes more addictive to make food more addictive.

The Pressure to Publish

Scientists have to publish constantly to keep their jobs. Sometimes they cut corners or focus on flashy results over accurate ones. Then the media jumps in with headlines like "Chocolate Helps You Lose Weight!"

(Which is actually somewhat true if you get pure cacao without all the sugar and processing. But that's not what most people are eating.)

That chocolate study? It had only 12 people in it for two weeks. And based on that, headlines went viral.

The Paper Mill Problem

As of January 2025, around 55,000 fake research papers have been retracted. These are papers that made it through the system and were published before anyone caught on.

Experts estimate that as much as 3% of all medical publications might be the result of "paper mills"—companies that literally sell fake research papers to scientists who need to publish to keep their jobs.

Paper retractions hit a peak in 2023. It's not getting better; it's getting worse.

That's why you can find a study to support almost any claim you want. Somewhere, somebody published something, whether it's real or not.

Understanding Food Labels and Codes

Here's some practical information that can help you make better choices at the grocery store:

Fruit and Vegetable Stickers:

5-digit code starting with 9: Organic
4-digit code starting with 3 or 4: Conventional (grown with herbicides and pesticides)
5-digit code starting with 8: Genetically modified

The Chemical Ripening Problem

Many fruits are chemically ripened using substances like:

Calcium carbide (can contain toxic arsenic and phosphorus, linked to neurological problems)
Ethephon (releases ethylene gas, but the chemical itself can be harmful)
Formalin (used to preserve, but it's carcinogenic)

These chemicals can cause neurological disorders, dizziness, vomiting, and respiratory problems. Some even react with water to produce gases.

One disturbing study found that strawberries grown with pesticides retained those chemicals in their juice—and you could use that juice to grow new strawberries with the same pesticide levels. It cycles through.

The Orange Juice Trap

Store-bought orange juice in plastic gallons is loaded with sugar and preservatives. But what if you make "fresh" orange juice at home with chemically ripened oranges? You're not much better off.

Plus, most bottled juice is pasteurized (boiled), which destroys much of the nutritional value. You're left with sugar water and preservatives with very little nutritional benefit.

Even "frozen concentrate" juice is often pasteurized, though some brands are better than others. Always read the fine print—and we mean all the print.

The Oil Situation

Avoid Seed Oils

Stay away from ultraprocessed seed oils like:

Vegetable oil
Canola oil
Palm oil

These oils are typically bleached and heavily processed to look clean and clear.

Better Oil Options

For salads and minimal cooking: Cold-pressed olive oil or avocado oil
For cooking eggs: Butter
For high-heat cooking (over 350°F): Coconut oil, lard, or tallow

Saturated fats like coconut oil and tallow have a low oxidation point, meaning you can cook with them multiple times. Unsaturated fats (liquid oils) are unstable and oxidize quickly when heated, which is why you shouldn't cook with them.

Hidden Sugars and Misleading Names

Companies love to hide ingredients by changing their names. Here are some examples:

The Aurora Red Trick

One drink company proudly stated, "We do not use Red 40 in our products." Sounds great, right? Except they use "Aurora Red"—which is Red 40, just with a different name.

Sugar by Any Other Name

A product might claim to be low in sugar because "sugar" is the third ingredient. But as you read down the label, you'll find:

Corn starch
Corn syrup
High fructose corn syrup
Cane sugar
Sucrose
Glucose
Fructose

They split up the sugar into different forms so it doesn't have to be listed as the first ingredient, even though the product is loaded with it.

The Celsius Energy Drink Controversy

Celsius got in trouble for advertising "No artificial sugars" on their cans while using sucralose, an artificial sweetener also found in rat poison.

Echo Chambers and Big Pharma Distrust

Some distrust isn't random. There are legitimate reasons people don't trust big corporations:

The opioid crisis
Sky-high insulin prices
Medications that cost pennies in other countries but hundreds of dollars in America

People feel used, like their health is just a profit machine.

But here's where it gets dangerous: when we swing so far in the other direction that we trust no one, we start believing anything. Algorithms feed us what we already agree with—that's called a confirmation bias loop.

Research shows that people with extreme views on either side are more likely to see misinformation early and believe it. By the time fact-checkers catch up, it's already too late.

Here's a wild stat: 59% of links shared on social media have never actually been clicked. And 60% of people have shared a news story without even reading it. We're literally spreading information we haven't even consumed—we just read the headline, feel something, and hit share.

Where We Find Truth

When we can't tell who's lying, who's selling, and who's just guessing, we turn to something that doesn't change: the Bible.

Second Peter 2:1 warns us: "There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies."

Proverbs 14:15 says: "The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps."

That's discernment. That's testing everything you hear, no matter how convincing it sounds.

We're not saying don't trust science. We're saying: trust, but verify. And verify through the word that never changes.

Biblical Eating Principles

Following Old Testament dietary guidelines tends to result in a stronger, healthier body. For example:

Avoiding "bottom feeders" (shellfish like lobster, crabs, shrimp)
Eating whole foods as God created them
Avoiding processed and artificial ingredients

You have to test what works for your body. Give yourself at least three weeks—it takes 21 days to build a habit and 90 days to build a lifestyle.

How to Protect Yourself from Health Misinformation

Evaluating Research Papers

If you want to dig deeper than Instagram infographics:

Watch for vague language like "toxins" or "chemicals" without specifics
Check the journal - Predatory journals use Gmail addresses and spam researchers
Look at the authors - Do they work for real institutions? Do they have conflicts of interest?
Remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is

Red Flags on Social Media

"Doctors don't want you to know this" - That's manipulation, not wisdom
Miracle cures or overnight results - Real healing takes time
Fear-based marketing - If they're scaring you, they're selling something
No credible sources - "It just worked for me" isn't science
One-size-fits-all advice - Everybody's journey is unique

The Fitness Journey Reality

Most people start a fitness journey and give up after the second week because they see no results. But it takes three weeks to start seeing results, and six months to see a real transformation.

We've personally tried veganism, vegetarianism, carnivore, and various other diets over the years. The key is taking what works and leaving what doesn't. Build your own approach based on what actually works for your body.

The Road Ahead

We're glad people are starting to realize these issues and do their research. The FDA is beginning to ban harmful additives like Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and others.

But there's still work to do. We need to address ultraprocessed oils, hidden sugars, and misleading marketing.

The good news? We have the entire worldwide web as our resource to research anything we need. We can look up information right on our phones. Knowledge is available—we have to be willing to slow down and actually consume it.

Final Thoughts

In a world full of noise, truth still speaks—but it whispers. You've got to slow down, listen carefully, and measure everything by the light of truth.

Be curious, not cynical. Be open, but not gullible. And most of all, be fruitful in your pursuit of wisdom.

Real health takes time. Real change requires consistency. And real wisdom comes from testing everything against the truth that doesn't change.

Stay grounded. Stay growing. Stay fruitful.

We're Being LIED To: The Truth About Health "Experts" & Fake Science