The closing argument of our two-part Oprahsode starts in a Texas courtroom, wanders through some British slaughterhouses and ends with an emu. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Buy Aubrey's book Listen to Mike's other podcast Links! "How the Cows Turned Mad" by Maxime Schwartz “Deadly Feasts” by Richard Rhodes "Mad Cow USA" UK Parliamentary inquiry How The West Was Won Over Texas Cattle Feeders v. Oprah Winfrey: The First Major Test of the “Veggie Libel Law” Having a Cow: Reactions To "Veggie Libel" Laws and the Oprah Trials The Unconstitutionality Of Iowa's Proposed Agricultural Food Products Act And Similar Veggie Libel Laws Appeal Original Lawsuit Food Safety Vs. Promotion Of Industry: Can The USDA Protect Americans From Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy? Apocalypse Cow Harvard Risk Assessment of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Mad Cow congressional hearing GAO report The Harvard Risk Assessment Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

On April 16, 1996, Oprah Winfrey did a show about mad cow disease. Six weeks later, a couple of Texas cattlemen had a cow (sorry). Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Buy Aubrey's book Listen to Mike's other podcast Links! Original Lawsuit Appeal How Oprah Got Sued for Dissing a Burger Two Degrees of Speech Protection Texas Cattle Feeders v. Oprah Winfrey: The First Major Test of the “Veggie Libel Law” Having a Cow: Reactions To "Veggie Libel" Laws and the Oprah Trials Howard Lyman talk The Unconstitutionality Of Iowa's Proposed Agricultural Food Products Act And Similar Veggie Libel Laws How the Cows Turned Mad Food Safety Vs. Promotion Of Industry: Can The USDA Protect Americans From Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy? Apocalypse Cow GAO report A is for Apple, Alar, and ... Alarmist? Alar Five Years Later Auvil v. CBS 60 Minutes Alar and Apples: Newspaper Coverage of a Major Risk Issue. Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

This week we're digging into the weird history of an omnipresent fitness goal. Episode comes free with a happy meal. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Buy Aubrey's book Listen to Mike's other podcast Links! 10,000 Steps: A Brief History Do We Really Need to Take 10,000 Steps a Day for Our Health? A Japanese first-mover in the fitness wearables race Counting Every Step You Take When does wearing a fitness tracker do more harm than good? McDonald's Enlists Trainer To Help Sell Its New Meal Get happy with McDonald's Go Active Happy Meal for adults McDonald's Stepometer McDonald's pushing salads and pedometers The fight for healthier McDonald's Happy Meals Step-It Canadian TV ad McDonald's serves up Happy Meals for grow-ups McDonald's removes fitness tracker from Happy Meals A Very Serious Review of McDonald’s Flesh-Burning Fitness Tracker McDonald’s quietly ended controversial program that was making parents and teachers uncomfortable Watch your step: why the 10,000 daily goal is built on bad science When does wearing a fitness tracker do more harm than good? Why Counting Your Steps Could Make You Unhappier How many steps are enough? Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

This week we're tackling three big ideas about sugar: It causes hyperactivity in kids, it's as addictive as cocaine and it raises blood sugar in universal, predictably spiky ways. Thanks to David Johnston for helping us with sources for this week’s episode! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Buy Aubrey's book Listen to Mike's other podcast Links! Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole Smith Sugar Rush: Science, Politics and the Demonisation of Fatness by Karen Throsby Is sugar really as addictive as cocaine? Scientists row over effect on body and brain Sugar Is Not the Enemy Dr. Benjamin F. Feingold, Controversial Pediatrician Is There Such a Thing as a ‘Sugar High’? Effects of Diets High in Sucrose or Aspartame on The Behavior and Cognitive Performance of Children Sugar and the Hyperactive Child Some popular diets are based on this carb-rating scale. Here’s why it could be misleading. Glycemic Index: History and Clinical Application Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Low glycaemic index or low glycaemic load diets for overweight and obesity What is the glycaemic index Don't Play a Numbers Game, Experts Say, Just Eat Your Vegetables Sugar addiction: the state of the science Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

A viral documentary says a "whole foods plant-based diet" will prevent heart disease and cure cancer. But once we look into the MEAT of the matter will we find factual CREAM of the crop or will we cry FOWL? (we're so sorry) Thanks to Katherine Flegal for helping Mike with this episode! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Buy Aubrey's book Listen to Mike's other podcast Links! Health effects associated with consumption of unprocessed red meat: a Burden of Proof study Unprocessed Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption: Dietary Guideline Recommendations From the Nutritional Recommendations (NutriRECS) Consortium Present status of the aflatoxin situation in the Philippines The role of natural consequences in the changing death patterns Dietary Protein and Amino Acids in Vegetarian Diets—A Review Quality of Plant-Based Diet and Risk of Total, Ischemic, and Hemorrhagic Stroke Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma when jumping from aircraft: randomized controlled trial Do We Really Know What Makes Us Healthy? Observational evidence does not necessarily imply causation The Problem with Observational Studies (Epidemiology) Vegetarian Diet Patterns and Chronic Disease Risk: What We Know and What We Don’t The rise, the fall and the renaissance of vitamin E Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

Aubrey tells Mike about the diet that took over New York City (and its bathrooms). Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Buy Aubrey's book Listen to Mike's other podcast Links! F-Factor drama timeline What Is the F-Factor Diet, and Is it Safe? Tanya Zuckerbrot Sets a Weight-Loss Example What Is the F-Factor Diet? Here’s What You Need to Know F-Factor Under Fire After TONS Of Women Come Forward Tanya Zuckerbrot and an Instagram Crusade Against the F-Factor Diet Dietary fiber and health outcomes: an umbrella review Closing America’s Fiber Intake Gap F-Factor has sent legal threats and deleted Instagram comments F-Factor Diet Allegations: What Dietitians Want You To Know Correcting the Record Unpacking the F-Factor Diet Drama Insider rundown of symptoms Tanya Zuckerbrot addresses health concerns Insider rundown of workplace issues Tanya Zuckerbrot Files Lawsuit Over F-Factor Diet Criticism on Instagram Tanya Zuckerbrot sues Emily Gellis in new defamation suit In a Lawsuit, Eight Women Claim the F-Factor Diet Made Them Sick Submit concerns to F-Factor Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

Last month the American Academy of Pediatrics released a new set of guidelines for "childhood obesity." We have some comments. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Buy Aubrey's new book Listen to Mike's new podcast Links! The 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines The 2007 guidelines Pros and cons of bariatric surgery in adolescents Serious Issues With the American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines For Higher-Weight Children and Adolescents Semaglutide treatment for obesity in teenagers: a plain language summary of the STEP TEENS research study Patients’ views of long-term results of bariatric surgery for super-obesity: sustained effects, but continuing struggles Long-Term Outcomes After Bariatric Surgery Suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescents who underwent bariatric surgery Support the show

History should make you feel weird and so, apparently, should diet books. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Buy Aubrey's new book Listen to Mike's new podcast Links! Elizabeth Takes Off Elizabeth: The Life of Elizabeth Taylor Elizabeth Taylor: Diet Tips on How to Become a Size 6 Just Look at Her Now Elizabeth Taylor: Born to the Purple Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Interview Elizabeth Taylor’s Glorious Excess Elizabeth Taylor’s Astonishing Health History Elizabeth Taylor’s Cook Not To Blame Support the show

This week, we're talking about Aubrey's new book, "'You Just Need To Lose Weight' and 19 Other Myths About Fat People." And we're yelling about Piers Morgan as a little treat. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Buy Aubrey's new book Listen to Mike's new podcast Preorder Aubrey's book at your favorite bookstore or here: Bookshop.org Powell's Books Blackstone Books Black Pearl Books Amazon Barnes & Noble Book Depository Audible (audiobook) Libro.fm (audiobook) Support the show

Charging disabled people more for health care is illegal. But what about ... charging non-disabled people less? Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Buy Aubrey's new book Listen to Mike's new podcast Links! A Review of the U.S. Workplace Wellness Market "Wellness" Based Healthcare is a Scam 2013 Rand Report Workplace Wellness Produces No Savings\ Workplace Wellbeing Is a Scam Employers should disband employee weight control programs Using Incentives in Workplace Wellness Programs Coerced into Health Current Trends in Reducing Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the US The effectiveness of worksite nutrition and physical activity interventions for controlling employee overweight Managing Manifest Diseases, But Not Health Risks, Saved PepsiCo Money Over Seven Years The Dubious Empirical and Legal Foundations of Workplace Wellness Programs Toward A Critical Theory of Corporate Wellness The development and growth of employer-provided health insurance The Ideological Construction Of Risk Wellness Incentives In The Workplace A Fatter Butt Equals a Skinnier Wallet The Outcomes, Economics, and Ethics of the Workplace Wellness Industry What’s Bad about Wellness? Support the show

In the 1990s, the Food Pyramid was one of the most recognizable symbols in nutrition education. But where did it come from? Why was it created by the agriculture department? And why did it tell us to eat a whole loaf of bread every day? Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Buy Aubrey's new book Listen to Mike's new podcast Links! Anna-Britt Agnsäter Rounding Out the Food Pyramid Food Lobbies, The Food Pyramid, and US Nutrition Policy The Fattening: Reassessing The Food Pyramid Catering to Cows and Consumers US Drops New Food Chart Are Cattlemen Now Guarding the Hen House? Testing of the Food Pyramid Comes Full Circle Topping the Food Pyramid Food Pyramid Replaced By 'MyPlate' Is The Food Pyramid Obsolete? Coca-Cola Funds Scientists to Shift Blame Experts Say Lobbying Skewed the US Dietary Guidelines Food Politics Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

Mike and Aubrey introduce Mike's new show, If Books Could Kill! Find it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Google and wherever else you get your podcasts. Also, don't forget to pre-order Aubrey's new book! Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Support the show

“Herpes is basically living the dream” — Aubrey Gordon. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Check out Mike's other podcast, If Books Could Kill Pre-order Aubrey's book! Links! Marion Nestle's "Safe Food" The vomiting, diarrhea, and gallbladder surgeries were bad enough. Daily Harvest’s alleged food poisoning victims say the startup’s response made things worse For Now, Skip Eating Products That Contain Tara Flour, CR's Food Experts Say Bill Marler’s Daily Harvest posts The original Reddit post The History, Politics & Perils Of The Current Food Safety Controversy Food poisoning and unsafe temperatures: Many meal kit companies aren’t FDA regulated Public Health and Food Safety: a Historical Association Investigating Food Safety Implications Of Meal-Kit Delivery Subscription Services In Toronto Vitamin retention in eight fruits and vegetables: a comparison of refrigerated and frozen storage Ten years post-GAO assessment, FDA remains uninformed of potentially harmful GRAS substances in foods Daily Harvest updates Rachel Drori interview Antioxidants in Fresh and Frozen Fruit and Vegetables: Impact Study of Varying Storage Conditions Generally recognized as safe (GRAS): history and description Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

Pennsylvania listeners check your registration here! Mike and Aubrey break down the policies and promises of Dr. Oz's Senate campaign in Pennsylvania. Plus! A re-run of our complete Dr. Oz episode from last year. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Links: Transcript of the infamous Congressional hearing The Making of Dr. Oz Columbia and the Problem of Dr. Oz The FTC lawsuit against green coffee bean extract sellers The Oz craze: The effect of pop culture media on health care The BMJ content analysis of the Dr. Oz show Ageing, fitness and neurocognitive function Real-world doctors fact-check Dr. Oz, and the results aren't pretty Dr. Oz may be America's most influential — and controversial — physician Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

Health claims about apple cider vinegar are everywhere. But are they true? This week, we hop into the wayback machine for the story of America's first health influencer. (That's not true, but neither is anything else in this episode.) Thanks to David Johnston for providing sources for this week’s episode! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links: A Longstanding Legacy of Promoting Healthy Living About Paul (Internet Archive) 100 Years of Health with Patricia Bragg Patricia Bragg: Born to do her father's work In the Name of the ‘Father’ (part 2, part 3) FDA report on enforcement & compliance FTC decisions, 1941 How Americans Became Obsessed With Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar Debunking the health benefits of apple cider vinegar Orlando Bloom Bonded with Katy Perry over Apple Cider Vinegar Investor group acquires Bragg Live Food Products Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

How an early-'90s newsmagazine show convinced a generation of Americans to start drinking red wine. For the antioxidants! Special thanks to Susanne Stolpe and Alexander H. Sandtorv for helping us fact-check this episode! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Diet and alcohol in heart disease risk: the French Paradox Absorption of three wine-related polyphenols in three different matrices by healthy subjects From red wine to polyphenols and back: A journey through the history of the French Paradox Wine as a Biological Fluid: History, Production, and Role in Disease Prevention Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Confounders Among Nondrinking and Moderate-Drinking U.S. Adults Alcohol, Drinking Pattern, and Chronic Disease The French paradox: lessons for other countries Myocardial Infarction and Coronary Deaths in the World Health Organization MONICA Project Coronary heart disease in France and in Europe: Where are the facts? Wine And Juice Management And Marketing Decisions: The Case Of The French Paradox Decline of coronary heart disease mortality is strongly effected by changing patterns of underlying causes of death The Medical Autopsy: Past, Present, and Dubious Future New dimensions in cause of death statistics Should socioeconomic factors be considered as traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease, as confounders, or as risk modifiers? Wine, alcohol, platelets, and the French paradox for coronary heart disease Alcohol, Ischemic Heart Disease, and the French Paradox Death certificates are not reliable: revivification of the autopsy Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

Do we even need to write a description? It's the Goopisode! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! How Goop’s Haters Made Gwyneth Paltrow’s Company Worth $250 Million How Gwyneth Paltrow took Goop from a homebrewed newsletter to a controversial $250 million wellness powerhouse Gwyneth Paltrow Feels Good — and So Can You Is Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP $1.6M In Debt? Goop and Condé Nast Team Up on a Magazine - The New York Times Gwyneth Paltrow didn't want Condé Nast to fact-check Goop articles A hungry Gwyneth Paltrow fails the food-stamp challenge four days in Dear Gwyneth, this is what living on food stamps really looks like My $29 Food Stamp Challenge & The Recipes Gwyneth Paltrow's Having the Chicest Yard Sale Ever Gwyneth Paltrow says children of celebrities 'almost have to work twice as hard' once they 'unfairly' get their start in Hollywood Gwyneth Paltrow brings aerial yoga, trans talks and cryofacials to Goop health conference We Attended Gwyneth Paltrow's $500-a-Ticket Health Summit Anti-Medication Goop Summit Expert Claims AIDS Treatment Kills and GMOs Cause Depression Inside Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's Growing Empire The history of self-care Still Processing: We Care for Ourselves and Others in Trump’s America Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

This week's episode is running late so here's something to tide you over! Last year, we did an episode on Gwyneth-adjacent influencer Amanda Chantal Bacon and her wellness company, Moon Juice. This year we decided to TASTE THE DUST. This episode was originally for our Patreon supporters. Click here if you'd like to sign up! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

In 1982 a murder captured America's imagination. Forty years later, two podcasts joined forces to talk about it. Hear more from Sarah at You're Wrong About and You Are Good! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Diana Trilling’s “Mrs. Harris” Shana Alexander’s “Very Much a Lady” "The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet" Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

A dieting book or a how-to guide for an eating disorder? Pourquoi pas les deux ? Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! The By The Book episode The NYT interview with Mireille Guiliano Gabrielle Deydier: what it’s like to be fat in France Inhaling Their Food Publishers sell snobbery by the page Champagne and Pizza 'French Women Don't Get Fat': Like Champagne for Chocolate Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show