Busting Nutrition Myths with Jessica Knurick

About This Episode

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? 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?

Thanks to our Patrons Rand Richards, Robert van de Walle, C jones, Abbie Dorable, Dave Guhlke, Kyle Ditzig, Ryan Mulcahy, Emil Brandin, David Neris, Michael v. D., Davy Molhoek, Barry Ginsburg, ÆfelRound and find out, Chris Straley, Sumit, Aaroncavelero, Shaunte Martinez, meanbeanmachine, Jeremy Bolduc, Carly Schwartz, Andrew G. Williams, Sharptooths, Areich Richardson, Daniel Weber, Jerry Agrinzoni, Bryan Woodruff, Martynas Jonaitis, Chris sides, John Carmel, Larry Welch, Ryan Morton, Hayden, AstroAigle, Karl Meier, Ryan, Yair, Patrick Hagerty, Chiara, Jess, April Walsh, Pat, sailing dreamweaver, JohnH, Jason Sterling, Donna Friedman, immi white, Marieke Folbert, Shadow, BL, Austin Cobb, Jacob Nicola, Tom Hardgrove, Alexandre Codina, Ian Stafford, vincent oldershaw, Psyonik, BoothBees, Adrian Strehlou, Juan Fernandez, trustabe Cat, G J, Alex, Daniel Ramirez, Sergei Mnatsakanov, Dan R, Destiny Morris, Jraché, Tom Malcolm, KenG, Devin Ulin, Ken San, Ken, ft, Tim Potkay, Matt Anderson, Dejan Fortuna, Jordan Dziedzic, Damein Alexander, Jeb Enoch, Catherine, Cleric Rufio, Aleem Salami, Gfjsyughj, Jesse Hanrahan, Poob, Jayanta Banik, LawfulnessLast, Paul Eibe, kruz, Lucas, Sally Young, Jeff Valle, Eli Blezard-Revill, Connor Simonton, Renée, James Fitzgerald, Guillaume “gee-YOHM”, Parent-Teacher of the Abyss, Eric Varela, Shelby Jenkins, and Josh Duncan for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free.