Sports Illustrated model combating ultra-processed food shares key to longevity

Fox News

02-04-2025

MAHA mom and Sports Illustrated model Kristen Louelle Gaffney has been outspoken about her support for the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS secretary.
Gaffney told Fox News Digital in an interview that she's excited for RFK Jr. to take a more active approach to healthcare, calling him the "white horse for moms."
She said the MAHA movement has created a community of Americans and parents who are "fed up with the system and seeing their kids sick, having diseases, behavioral issues and want to get to the common denominator of it."
Gaffney is married to Ty Gaffney, a former NFL running back.
The couple has three children.
"How can we live a proactive lifestyle to avoid things like dementia or cancer or any other diseases relating to behavioral or mental illnesses?" said Gaffney.
"What can we proactively do to be better so that it's not too late?"
The key to living longer, she said, lies in loving oneself by taking care of the mind, body, soul and the gut.
"Everything is connected. You have to follow your gut and heal your gut," Gaffney said.
"That's through food and supplementing as well," she said.
"I think a good supplement routine [is] staying active every day, getting sunlight and breathing fresh air. It really is a simple recipe, but the hard part is consistency."
Gaffney joked that after having three babies, she will never be in the same shape again, but said that healing begins on the inside and impacts other aspects of life.
"When I put in the work, I feel like a better person," she said. "I have more energy. I'm a better mom. I'm a better wife."
Gaffney said she stays as active as possible and always continues moving.
"If you don't use it, you lose it," she said.
Gaffney is a big proponent of cooking at home for herself and her family.
"I think we overcomplicate things and think we need a chef and meal prep and expensive equipment. You just need to get sun and go walk outside for 20 minutes and cook your own dinner."
"When I put in the work, I feel like a better person."
Gaffney said that when she is grocery shopping, she avoids seed oils and dyes, making sure to look at each label of products she is purchasing.
"I tell people, 'If you can't pronounce something on the ingredients, you should probably put it back," she advised.
Gaffney decided to lead the effort to combat ultra-processed foods by developing her own line of snacks for kids called Super True.
The chocolate chip brownie and peanut butter banana chocolate chip bars are gluten-free, non-GMO, free of dairy and artificial ingredients or dyes and colored by nature.
Each bar has protein and fiber — and is sweetened with monk fruit and Stevia extract.
Gaffney said it is critical to educate children about the different foods they are putting in their bodies.
"I always try to educate them [about] the 'why' instead of, 'No, you can't have soda.' [I say], 'No, you can't have soda because there's 60 grams of sugar in it and because that's going to lead to yucky cells growing in your body.'"