In today’s episode we will be challenging the long-standing “eat less, exercise more” narrative by introducing The Toxic Food Hypothesis, a framework that shifts the focus from calorie counting and body weight to food quality and metabolic health. Inspired by Derek Thompson’s Plain English episode, “A Grand Unified Theory of Why Americans Are So Unhealthy,” we’ll explore how a food system dominated by highly processed products may be the true driver of chronic disease, affecting not only those with excess weight but also millions of lean individuals. We’ll examine why calorie-centric approaches fall short, the evidence behind improving diet quality without cutting calories, and why rethinking public health messaging may be the key to reversing America’s health crisis.
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