Busting Nutrition Myths with Dr. Jessica Knurick
Are seed oils really that bad? Are people getting enough protein?
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Paul Mecurio, & Gary O’Reilly cut through the noise on health myths, food misinformation, and the forces making it harder than ever to eat well with nutrition scientist, Jessica Knurick, PhD.
Were we ever actually healthier? We explore metrics that Americans have improved upon and ones we struggle with. We discuss GLP-1 drugs: are they a genuine breakthrough or just the latest quick fix? What makes a food ultraprocessed? Are all ultraprocessed foods bad? StarTalk
Why is nutrition so uniquely vulnerable to fads and moral panic? We dig into the protein obsession fueled by the manosphere and carnivore movement, the new HHS food pyramid, and the troubling conflicts of interest shaping the latest U.S. dietary guidelines. We break down the villains of the current wellness moment: seed oils, food dyes, and whether Himalayan salt and raw milk have any actual benefits.
What is pasteurization? Are any of these concerns actually grounded in evidence? We break down how misinformation spreads by taking real biological mechanisms wildly out of context, why scientists have been losing the public communication war, and what happens when trusted institutions like the CDC start changing their guidance under political pressure. What’s a person supposed to trust?
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