About this episode:

Renowned nutritionist Marion Nestle likes the federal recommendation to reduce ultra-processed foods and its emphasis on healthy school meals. But there are other things she finds muddled, contradictory, and incomplete about the nation's new dietary guidelines. In this episode: Nestle talks protein, whole grains, and expanding access to healthy foods.

Guests:

Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, is emeritus faculty at New York University. She is the author of the Food Politics blog and the book "What To Eat Now: The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters".

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

• RealFood.gov—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• The MAHA 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines have arrived: Cheerful, Muddled, Contradictory, Ideological, Retro—Food Politics

• Canada's Low-Risk Alcohol Guidelines—Public Health On Call (January 2026)

• The Misinformation Around Seed Oils—Public Health On Call (March 2025)

• Marion Nestle and Food Politics—Public Health On Call (February 2025)

• What to Eat Now: The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters—Food Politics

Transcript information:

Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.

Contact us:

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.

Follow us:

• @‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky

• @‌PublicHealthPod on Instagram

• @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook

• @‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube

• Here's our RSS feed

Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.