{"id":445280,"date":"2026-11-02T17:52:10","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T17:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/445280\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T17:52:10","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T17:52:10","slug":"influencer-steven-adelman-brings-anti-sludge-movement-to-usf-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/445280\/","title":{"rendered":"Influencer Steven Adelman brings “anti-sludge movement” to USF campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>On Monday, Oct. 26, Adelman spoke up against junk food in a health crusade in front of USF\u2019s Sessums Mall Chick-fil-A. ORACLE PHOTO\/ALEXIS CARUTHERS<\/p>\n

An Instagram dietary critic with more than half a million followers came to USF to confront college students\u2019 eating habits firsthand.<\/p>\n

Steven Adelman, known online as @antisludgemovement<\/a> and @adelman.aspires<\/a>, has built a following by critiquing what he calls \u201csludge\u201d: heavily processed foods with preservatives and seed oils.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His critiques range from potato chips to Chick-fil-A, which is where he was at USF on Monday, Oct. 26.<\/p>\n

As of Oct. 30, Adelman\u2019s primary Instagram account has 526,000 followers, with another 69,000 on TikTok<\/a>. Over just the past week, he\u2019s racked up more than 4 million views on his videos.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His signature delivery is monotone and surreal. Adelman wears a full suit and scrolls through while injecting critiques about the food shown on a scrolling panel on the right.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He has a running bit of using the word \u201coptimal\u201d when referring to healthy, whole foods and \u201csludge\u201d when referring to unhealthy junk food.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a recent Reel<\/a> reacting to a creator\u2019s meal, Adelman said, \u201cIf this dish becomes consistent, your doctor is going to become a very rich man,\u201d warning viewers that usual \u201csludge\u201d will leave them in poor health.<\/p>\n

He is direct, and his videos are fast-paced and straight to the point, pointing out that certain users who eat \u201csludge\u201d will get chronic disease.<\/p>\n

At USF, however, the character gave way to a polite organizer eager to debate a crowd of students raising their hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Between discussions, Adelman handed out packets of protein cereal from Lovebird<\/a>, which donates 20% of their profits to children\u2019s cancer funds, according to their website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond his campus giveaways, Adelman promotes an online \u201cAnti-Sludge Movement\u201d store<\/a> featuring slogans such as \u201cResist The Sludge,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m Anti-Sludge\u201d and \u201cEat Real Food.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related: USF graduate turns food delivery job into growing local deals app<\/a><\/p>\n

The visit was part of a tour across Florida\u2019s largest colleges, following stops at Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University and a 200-student turnout at Miami-Dade College.<\/p>\n

Adelman said his movement began in 2025 after realizing that 99% of prepackaged food is \u201csludge,\u201d leaving home-cooked whole foods as the only way to eat clean. He expressed pity for those trapped in modern eating habits.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have no idea what they\u2019re doing,\u201d Adelman said. \u201cThey don\u2019t know what it really feels like to be a human, to thrive, to have good energy, to have mental clarity. They\u2019re so caught up in just eating normalized, poisonous food that they just don\u2019t truly understand what they need to be really eating.\u201d<\/p>\n

For students in the crowd, reactions ranged from genuine curiosity to skepticism over whether the event was just an extension of the existing bit Adelman keeps up.<\/p>\n

Braylon Okine, a freshman cybersecurity major and self-described \u201cpro-sludge\u201d consumer, said that the protest felt performative.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like most people here probably didn\u2019t know who he was before, and just saw a crowd and came over,\u201d Okine said.<\/p>\n

Okine added that watching Adelman talk was not going to inspire him to lead a healthier lifestyle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m good,\u201d Braylon said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related: USF\u2019s Muslim students find on-campus dining options for Ramadan<\/a><\/p>\n

Geoffrey Green, a sophomore history major, agreed that while advocating for proper nutrition is valid, Adelman\u2019s delivery lacked scientific backing.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting vitamins, eating vegetables, and eating whole foods is a really good point,\u201d Green said. \u201cBut the sensationalism of eating healthy is going in the wrong direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others saw the persona as a hook for a more sincere message. Adrian Molinero, a sophomore biology major, noted that while Adelman\u2019s early videos focused more on building a character, his campus visits show good intentions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like he might just be building a character so people get attached, [but] I think he\u2019s pushing things that he actually believes in,\u201d Molinero said,\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s just doing it for the views.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event also drew its own share of absurdity: Devon Weish, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, showed up to eat a full raw chicken in a way of protest to Adelman.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While insisting he was \u201cnot trolling,\u201d he said his actions were an ironic response to Adelman\u2019s claims about health and that eating a raw chicken was \u201ctrue whole foods.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond the theatrics, students weighed in on the reality of avoiding processed food within a college lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Lauren Acevedo, a senior communications major, said his content inspired her to lay off \u201csludge,\u201d though convenience often wins out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a college student, so sometimes I just need quick things,\u201d Acevedo said. \u201cSometimes I need Subway or Chick-fil-A real quick, so honestly, it could be hit or miss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Youssef Charrada, a third-year econometrics major, initially came to laugh at Adelman\u2019s work, but was impressed after asking Adelman about seed oils and food addiction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe actually was pretty informative, and he gave proper points that made sense,\u201d Charrada said. \u201cI think he probably became funny and turned to an actual movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charrada added that USF \u201c100%\u201d has a sludge problem, pointing out that campus dining halls and fast-food chains rely on calorie-heavy, processed ingredients.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With more campus stops ahead, Adelman plans to escalate his in-person approach.<\/p>\n

\u201c We\u2019re going to keep doing them, [and] they\u2019re going to get bigger and bigger,\u201d Adelman said. \u201cA lot more in-person content, approaching people, really just doing crazy stuff\u2013 and it\u2019s going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

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