Our last episode of season 1 features what may be the two most evenly matched foods we've compared yet, and we also take a little time to look back on what we've done so far. 

Historic Mucilage

As we wind down "season 1" we decided to bring in our two silent co-hosts, Marc's wife Rachel and Shawn's fiancee Katie to weigh in on Thanksgiving, snacks, and the many, many things we get wrong. 

Leafy green vs. leafy...other colors battle as we pick through the differences between these two similar and super-nutritious foods, at least one of which may be very good for your brain (but we won't be sure for a while). 

• Sulforaphane as a Potential Protective Phytochemical against Neurodegenerative Diseases https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3745957/#B94
• Sulforaphane activates heat shock response and enhances proteasome activity through up-regulation of Hsp27  PubMed
• Protection against amyloid beta cytotoxicity by sulforaphane: role of the proteasome. PubMed
• Broccoli - New World Encyclopedia

What exactly is a nut anyway? We tackle that age-old question, as well as exploring the magical world of allergists, in this chock full episode.

• Type 1 Hypersensitivity
• History of Peanuts - National Peanut Board
• History of Cashews - Spruce Eats

All dressed up and nowhere to go! These dressings may be more famous for their non-salad applications, and rest assured: we'll talk about them all. 

• Ranch Nation - The New York Times
• Ranch Dressing is What's Wrong with America - Washington Post
• Thousand Islands, Two Tales: Who Really Invented That Dressing? - NPR

Our sweetest episode yet is packed full of ambiguity over whether or not any alternatives to sugar will kill us!

• Stevia, Nature's Zero-Calorie Sustainable Sweetener - Nutrition Today
• How did stevia get mainstream? - BBC
• Straight talk about high-fructose corn syrup: what it is and what it ain't - The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Plants are good for us, right? Why yes, yes they are, and we find out exactly how good they can be, along with the usual exploration of whether they're actually worth getting past our tongues and some dubious claims about their effects. 

These two popular breakfast foods turn out to be surprisingly similar, as we rehash one of our favorite radiation-related anecdotes and talk about everyone's favorite topic: fiber.

Let's try some flaky desserts as we dig into the backstories of these two pastries and make a ruling on how much a garnish can do to save a dish. 

• Danish Pastry: A Mistake That Conquered the World - L.A. Times
• The effect of tree nut, peanut, and soy nut consumption on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials.

We're digging in to some Italian (American) classics this week, including how these dishes came to be so tomato-filled and the man who documented it in Europe and used his position of power to crush his enemies. 

• Is Spaghetti and Meatballs Italian? - Smithsonian Magazine
• Lasagna Through the Ages - Food52