Libsyn Directory

345 - Stanford Nutrition Scientist: What The New Dietary Guidelines Get Wrong

Release Date: 02/11/2026

345 - Stanford Nutrition Scientist: What The New Dietary Guidelines Get Wrong

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“You’re bombarded with all these messages. Try to think of the one that means the most to you. Is it your kid’s health? Is it your health? Is it the environment? Is it nutrition? What resonates with you, and helps you make a shift you feel good about?“ The Dietary Guidelines for Americans shape how a nation eats, but the science, politics, and industry forces behind them are rarely discussed. In this can’t-miss episode, renowned nutrition scientist Dr. Christopher Gardner, Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and lead researcher of the Netflix Twin Experiment, pulls back the...

344 - Chemical Engineer: The Shocking Place Microplastics Are Entering Your Body Every Day

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Microplastics are everywhere. They’re in our oceans, our soil, and even inside the human body. For years, the narrative has been bleak. This is unavoidable. But what if that isn’t the whole story? In this episode, we sit down with Max Pennington, a chemical engineer, entrepreneur, and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree who decided to take on one of the most overlooked sources of microplastic pollution: our laundry. What started as an experiment in a fraternity basement grew into a patented filtration technology that captures more than 90% of microplastics from washing machine wastewater. Max...

343 - The Science of Toxic Load: How Everyday Exposures Disrupt Hormones, Sleep & Immunity

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“ The sun is not our enemy. It never has been. Most popular sunscreens, they will compromise your skin and actually lead to skin cancer. If we're lathering on or ingesting toxic chemicals, we're going to be compromised.” Today, we’re joined by Cheryl Mothes, a Certified Holistic Nutritionist with nearly 30 years dedicated to studying healing with whole foods, helping people of all ages improve well-being and reduce disease risk through diet and lifestyle changes. She’s a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, holds a certification from Penn Foster, and was the co-founder...

342 - Food Addiction Expert: Why Processed Food Works Like Cigarettes

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”I would rather have a shorter life with cigarettes than a longer life without. Well, that's addictive thinking. You see the dominance of the addictive brain cells in that line of reasoning. That's not frontal lobe dominance. That's the addicted brain cells. And that's why addictions are lethal.” No matter what your relationship to food is, we all live in a world manipulated by an addiction business model. We’re constantly confronted with ads for foods that have been designed to make us want more, and it began when the tobacco industry started buying up brands like Nabisco and...

341 - How She Lost 125 Pounds Without Medication | A Supermom's Story

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Our guest today is living proof that anyone can change their life. Alishea Basson was a mom of four and creeping into dangerous territory in regards to her health by the time she was 30 years old. Severely overweight and plagued with seizures and high blood pressure, Alishea decided she couldn’t live with her emotional eating self any longer. She educated herself on how to eat healthfully and exercise, eventually adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet. While her family didn’t support this choice, Alishea stuck with it. Now 125 pounds lighter and full of energy, Alishea is an inspiration...

340 - Keto vs Carbs: What Actually Fixes Insulin Resistance with Drew Harrisberg

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"When I was doing keto, a salad would spike my blood glucose. And this is because of the fat. There was so much saturated fat that my glucose tolerance was diminished. I went from keto to the opposite, the most opposite diet you could ever have: a plant-based diet. My insulin requirements started to come down very fast. I got down to an all-time low." Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death. It causes kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and blindness in severe cases. As a person with diabetes, keeping your blood sugar levels within the range recommended by your doctor can be...

339 - Eat Food, Mostly Plants: Cutting Through Nutrition Nonsense with Dr. David Katz

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When the loudest voices in health are selling confusion, fear, and the next quick fix, it’s hard to know what — or who — to trust. That’s exactly why conversations like this one matter. Dr. David Katz has spent decades cutting through the chaos with uncommon clarity. A renowned physician, bestselling author, and one of the most influential thinkers in nutrition and preventive medicine, his work has helped millions rethink the very basics of how we eat and how we live. In this very special episode, he unpacks what determines human health, what real nourishment looks like, and why...

338 - The Real Science Behind Cholesterol, Oil & Eggs | Dr. Matthew Nagra Busts Nutrition Myths

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“Organic produce isn't necessarily not sprayed with pesticides. There's different types of pesticides. They just aren't allowed to use synthetic pesticides. Sometimes they can be even more toxic. Sometimes they have to use larger amounts because they're less effective especially given the cost difference between organic and non-organic, I don't see that it's really warranted for something” - Dr. Matthew Nagra Many people still believe that what they eat, how they live, their experiences, and even who they share their life with has no impact on their physical health. Today's guest is out to...

337 - The Coffee Watchdog: “Your Latte Might Fund Slavery & Deforestation” | Etelle Higonnet

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“Their cup of coffee, that delightful delicious cup that's helping them start their day and fuel these wonderful moments with their friends and family, almost certainly has either slavery, child labor, and deforestation in it. How has this industry gotten away with the plastic, with the cups, the milk, the human rights abuses, the deforestation? Scientists tell us this is the 11th hour. We are running out of time.” What would drive someone to take on some of the most powerful industries on Earth? This episode dives deep with Etelle Higonnet, a lawyer turned fearless activist who has...

336 - You Don’t Need Meat to Build Muscle - Here’s Proof

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"That is one of my core values—to try to live a life of non-violence and not contribute to anyone’s suffering in any way, because we’re all suffering in our own way, and we’re all fighting a battle that everybody knows nothing about. Something as simple as eating can be an act of compassion or an act of violence, and you get to decide" It’s not often you come across a person who has graced the front cover of Men's Fitness magazine, and it’s even rarer when that exceptionally chiseled person happens to be vegan. In fact, today’s guest, Nimai Delgado, is the only one. Nimai...

More Episodes

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans shape how a nation eats, but the science, politics, and industry forces behind them are rarely discussed.

In this can’t-miss episode, renowned nutrition scientist Dr. Christopher Gardner, Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and lead researcher of the Netflix Twin Experiment, pulls back the curtain on the latest update: how it was crafted, what’s shifted, and where it diverges from the evidence. Dr. Gardner helps us separate fact from manipulation and noise, and offers practical, realistic takeaways for building a balanced, sustainable way of eating.

What we discuss in this episode:

Dr. Gardner’s experience working on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
What the dietary guidelines would look like if they strictly reflected current scientific evidence.
The influence of the dairy and meat industries on the DGA.
Ingredients and additives in processed foods that are designed to drive consumption.
Tips for improving your diet.
Research comparing Beyond Meat to pasture-raised organic red meat.
How much vitamin B12 you actually need.
Saturated fats in plant foods compared with saturated fats in animal products.
The potential of diet to reverse harmful health patterns.