The Problem With "Eat Real Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants" with Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N. Rosenberg

Send us Fan MailFor years, I've loved Michael Pollan's famous advice: Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants.It felt grounded. Sensible. Refreshingly free from diet culture nonsense.But what if one of the most trusted pieces of nutrition advice of the last two decades isn't quite as simple as it sounds?In this episode, I sit down with food systems researchers Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N. Rosenberg, co-authors of Feed the People. Their book challenges a lot of the assumptions many of us have about food, health, and what it means to be a "good eater."We dig into the controversy around ultra-processed foods and why that label may not tell us nearly as much as we've been led to believe. We talk about protein powders, plant-based meats, frozen vegetables, sliced bread, and why some foods that get demonized online might actually be perfectly healthy additions to a balanced diet.We also explore a much bigger question: what happens when we put all the responsibility for fixing our food system on individual consumers?Jan and Gabriel make a compelling case that nutrition isn't just about personal choices. It's also about policy, affordability, accessibility, labor, agriculture, and the systems that determine what ends up on our plates in the first place.Some of their arguments challenged my own beliefs. A few made my jaw hit the floor. Like the idea that a Walmart can improve community nutrition more effectively than a farmers' market. Or that obsessing over every ingredient label may be doing more harm than good.Whether you agree with everything in this conversation or not, I think you'll walk away questioning some of the nutrition "truths" we've all absorbed over the years. And honestly, that's what makes this episode so interesting.What’s Inside:Why "ultra-processed food" may be far too broad a category to be usefulThe difference between food processing and actual nutritional qualityWhy affordability and access matter more than food purity narrativesHow policy, not individual perfection, shapes healthier communitiesThis conversation reminded me that nutrition is rarely as black and white as social media makes it seem. Sometimes the most useful thing we can do is trade certainty for curiosity. Tell me: what's one food belief you've changed your mind about recently? DM me on Instagram and let me know!Mentioned in This Episode:Feed the People: Why Industrial Food Is Good And How To Make It Even BetterGet Healthy AF Book FreeOonagh Duncan on InstagramFit Feels GoodLeave me a voice note on Speak Pipe!