Fed Up: The Food-Fad Science Marketing Dance

Welcome to another episode of Health Raisers, Wise Women!Ladies, I am tired. Tired of going to the grocery store and listening to the news about what to eat and what to avoid. I am tired of feeling confused. Are you? So I did some research, and here's what I found!What We Learn🍬 Fat-free hype: Real science shaped by marketing.🥛 Got Milk?: No science. Just pure marketing.🥣 Oat bran: Real science started it and ended it.⚖️ Superfoods: Real science wildly overmarketed.💊 Collagen & gluten-free: science for the few, marketed for the many.🥩 Protein: Real science, lots of marketing.💚 And much more…References📎 UCSF News — "Sugar Papers Reveal Industry Role in Shifting National Heart Disease Focus": https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2016/09/404081/sugar-papers-reveal-industry-role-shifting-national-heart-disease-focus📎 STAT News — "How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat": https://www.statnews.com/2016/09/12/sugar-industry-harvard-research/📎 PubMed — "How the Ideology of Low Fat Conquered America" (free abstract): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18296750/📎 USDA Agricultural Marketing Service — overview of dairy check-off programs: https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/research-promotion/dairy📎 Wikipedia — "Got Milk?" campaign history (California Milk Processor Board, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, 1993): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Milk%3F📎 PubMed — Swain JF, et al., "Comparison of the Effects of Oat Bran and Low-Fiber Wheat on Serum Lipoprotein Levels and Blood Pressure," NEJM, 1990 (free abstract): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2152973/📎 Gold KV, Davidson DM. "Oat Bran as a Cholesterol-Reducing Dietary Adjunct in a Young, Healthy Population." Western Journal of Medicine, 1988 (free full text via PMC): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1026094/📎 FTC press release — "FTC Commissioners Uphold Trial Judge Decision in POM Wonderful, LLC Case" (2013): https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2013/01/ftc-commissioners-uphold-trial-judge-decision-pom-wonderful-llc-stewart-lynda-resnick-others📎 POM Wonderful, LLC v. FTC, D.C. Circuit opinion (2015), via Justia: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/cadc/13-1060/13-1060-2015-01-30.html📎 Crowell & Moring — legal analysis of the D.C. Circuit's POM Wonderful decision: https://www.crowell.com/en/insights/client-alerts/the-d-c-circuit-s-pom-wonderful-decision-new-precedent-for-advertisers-making-disease-and-health-claims📎 Auburn University Harbert College of Business — POM Wonderful case study: https://harbert.auburn.edu/binaries/documents/center-for-ethical-organizational-cultures/debate_issues/pom-wonderful.pdf📎 Beyond Celiac (NHANES data summary) — celiac disease and gluten sensitivity prevalence in the U.S.: https://www.beyondceliac.org/prevalence-of-celiac-disease/📎 American Council on Science and Health — "Collagen for Skin Health: Science or Marketing?": https://www.acsh.org/news/2026/03/12/collagen-skin-health-science-or-marketing-50009📎 PubMed — Proksch E, et al., "Oral Supplementation of Specific Collagen Peptides Has Beneficial Effects on Human Skin Physiology," Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2014 (free abstract, the original Verisol study): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23949208/📎 FormBlends — funding disclosure for the Verisol/Gelita clinical trials: https://formblends.com/articles/peptide-hub/compare-verisol-collagen-vs-collagen-peptides📎 MakersNutrition — collagen supplement market size ($11B+ industry): https://www.makersnutrition.com/news/why-health-brands-are-investing-in-the-collagen-supplement-boom📎 FoodNavigator — "The Single Biggest Food Trend for 2026 Revealed" (protein-labeled products, ~40% of yogurt stat): https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2025/12/11/biggest-food-trend-for-2026-revealed/📎 CNBC — "Protein Craze: How General Mills, PepsiCo and Others Are Capitalizing on the Trend": https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/22/protein-craze-general-mills-pepsico-kraft-heinz.html📎 Consumer Reports — "How Much Protein Do You Really Need?" (NHANES average intake figures): https://www.consumerreports.org/health/nutrition-healthy-eating/how-much-protein-do-you-really-need-a2065027197/📎 Stanford Medicine — "How Much Protein Should We Really Be Eating?" (source of the "SnackWell's phenomenon" quote): https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2026/03/how-much-protein.html📎 American Kidney Fund — "Protein Supplements: Take Note of Their Impact on Your Kidney Health": https://www.kidneyfund.org/article/protein-supplements-trendier-ever-take-note-their-impact-your-kidney-health🎙️ Original Podcast Music by Nadine Kelly (drums and vocals) and Tim Buell; Produced by Tim Buell❤️ Sponsored by Infusco Coffee Roasters and Mak Salon and Spa