Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode

Julia Belluz, co-author of "Food Intelligence: The Science of How Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us," joins Ken to dismantle everything you think you know about nutrition, metabolism and weight loss. Julia is an award-winning health journalist, contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, and former senior health correspondent at Vox. She's a Knight Science Journalism Fellow from MIT and currently lives in Paris, France.

Julia explains why our struggles with food aren't personal failures. They are the predictable result of living in toxic food environments designed to make us overeat. Drawing on decades of nutrition science research conducted with co-author Kevin Hall at the National Institutes of Health, she reveals what people get wrong with food despite thinking they’re doing it right.

Julia compares France's deliberate cultivation of healthy food environments to America's chronic disease crisis. She discusses California's groundbreaking legislation defining ultra-processed foods, the promise and failures of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, and why we need systemic change to how we approach food.

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

Food Intelligence: The Science of How Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us

EWG's food policy work 

California's ultra-processed food law

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup

Something unprecedented just happened at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A newly reconstituted advisory committee voted to recommend delaying hepatitis B vaccination for most babies. The vote overturns a 30-year policy that led to a massive decline in infant infections.

In today’s episode, Ken talks with former CDC Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Dr. Demetre Daskalakis. Daskalakis spent decades fighting on the front lines of America's toughest public health battles. He brought HIV testing to the communities that needed it most. He stopped a meningitis outbreak in its tracks and he led the national Mpox response. He left the CDC in August.

Demetre breaks down the recent shake-up at the CDC and why the best sign that federal public health efforts are working are that they’re not in the news – unlike today.

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

Dr. Demetre’s Instagram

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup

 

Are you susceptible to cult-like thinking? According to author Jane Borden, everyone might be, especially Americans.

In today’s episode, Jane talks with Ken about how the Pilgrims and Puritans essentially founded America as a "high-control doomsday group" and that those patterns never went away.

In her book, "Cults Like Us: Why Doomsday Thinking Drives America," Jane identifies the warning signs: worship of a charismatic leader who can't be criticized, apocalyptic crisis narratives, conspiratorial thinking that explains away inconvenient facts, and promises to return to a "pure" past. Sound familiar?

The “Make America Great Again” and “Make America Healthy Again” movements check many of these boxes even while acknowledging that the health threats many Americans face are very real. Are we addressing those threats through evidence and accountability, or through cult-like devotion to leaders who promise easy answers?

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

Jane Borden’s Website

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup

The longest U.S. government shutdown in history just ended and millions of Americans are about to pay for it. Health insurance premiums are set to double, SNAP food benefits were frozen for 42 million people and Democrats caved without securing protections for either.

In today’s episode, Ken sits down with Liz Hamel, vice president and director of public opinion and survey research at health policy research organization KFF, about her groundbreaking research on the Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, movement.

A Washington Post/KFF poll reveals surprising contradictions: Most MAHA parents vaccinate their kids but trust Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccine information. These parents want more government regulation of food but support deregulating raw milk and they're more worried about fluoride than gun violence.

As the government shutdown fallout continues and with basic health protections at risk, this conversation explores how divided Americans are over what they want for their children's health.

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

Washington Post - Who Supports RFK Jr’s MAHA

KFF/The Washington Post Survey of Parents: Polling Insights on the MAHA Movement

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup

In today’s episode Ken and Lindsay Dahl talk about how we regulate chemicals, protect public health and decide product safety.

Lindsay has more than two decades of environmental health work in the private and public sector. She’s the author of "Cleaning House: The Fight to Rid Our Homes of Toxic Chemicals,” that discusses why environmental health has always been a bipartisan issue, despite today's polarized politics. She emphasizes the importance of holding all elected officials accountable, regardless of party, on their environmental health records.

Lindsay addresses the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, noting that Republican women joining the fight against toxic chemicals represent a continuation of decades-long grassroots organizing, not something new. She warns that voters who supported President Donald Trump based on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's promises need to hold the administration accountable as it rolls back air quality regulations, protections from the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS  and other environmental safeguards.

Lindsay is an incredible science communicator and encourages people to cut through social media disinformation to engage meaningfully with environmental health issues through their votes and advocacy.

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

Cleaning House: The fight to rid our homes of toxic chemicals

Lindsay Dahl’s Substack

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup

Matt Randolph, aka Mr. Global, has more than 33 years of experience in the oil and gas sector, including his work as Shell expert and as co-founder of Sentinel Energy. As Mr. Global, he’s an internet educator using TikTok and YouTube to combat political lies about energy policy. While Matt is an oil industry veteran, he actively promotes renewable energy and believes in climate change, while warning about the consequences of moving too fast on clean energy without proper planning.

Ken and Matt explore why Americans’ electric bills are skyrocketing, what environmentalists get right and wrong about energy transitions and why California's rollback of rooftop solar incentives was such a devastating mistake.

This conversation proves that an environmentalist and an oilman can actually learn from each other through curiosity and facts. Whether you care about climate change, energy policy or just want to understand why your electric bill keeps climbing, this one is for you.

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

Mr. Global on TikTok

Mr. Global on Youtube

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup

The Trump administration’s recent claim that acetaminophen [Tylenol] use during pregnancy may increase the risk of autism is yet another chapter in its campaign of misinformation and assault on science.

At the center of modern anti-vaccine mythology is Andrew Wakefield, the disgraced former physician who lost his medical license after his infamous 1998 Lancet study fraudulently linked the MMR – measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism.

It was investigative journalist Brian Deer - author of, “The Doctor Who Fooled the World” - who exposed Wakefield’s deception and dismantled the fraudulent study.  Ken and Brian discuss how the Trump administration led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to spread Wakefield’s falsehoods, exploit people’s fears and undermine public health.

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

Brian Deer's Website

The BMJ "How the vaccine crisis was meant to make money"

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup

Has your grocery bill gone up? Ken’s guest today, Errol Schweizer, knows why.

Errol has 25 years of experience in the food and grocery industry. He is the former grocery vice president of Whole Foods and has worked with Patagonia, Annie’s, General Mills, Fairway, Good Eggs and National Co+op Grocers. He is a self-professed “grocery nerd” and frequently writes for Forbes covering food retail, consumer packaged goods, and the food industry at large.

Ken and Errol discuss food inflation, how federal immigration raids are impacting the food industry, and the disappointing lack of positive change coming from RFK Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” regime.

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

Errol's Substack - The Check Out Grocery Update

Errol's articles for Forbes

Errol Schweizer LLC

Michelle Obama Was Vilified by the Right. Then Came MAHA (Politico)

Isabella M. Weber Articles

United Farm Workers

Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy Report

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup

Women’s healthcare and medical research have major funding shortfalls. In today’s episode, Ken is joined by Lo Bosworth, TV star turned founder and CEO of Love Wellness. Lo knows all too well the journey many women need to take to self-advocate for their  health and wellness.

Love Wellness’ mission is supporting women on their health and wellness journeys, investing in much-needed research for women’s health conditions.

Lo shares her own personal health struggles, which led to her launching Love Wellness. She also talks about her IVF success story. By advocating for her own healthcare, Lo has created a movement that other people can follow.

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

Lo Bosworth

Love Yourself Well: An Empowering Wellness Guide to Supporting Your Gut, Brain, and Vagina

Endometriosis Foundation of America

My Story: Diagnosis Endometriosis

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup

If you’ve walked down a personal care products aisle in your local store, you probably recognize Dr. Bronner’s soaps. They come in big bottles with minimal graphics but plenty of words, are affordable, and many of their products are EWG Verified®. In today’s episode, Ken is joined by Lisa Bronner, the granddaughter of Dr. Emanuel Bronner, who founded the company in 1948.

Since its launch, Dr. Bronner’s has been committed to being ethical, thoughtful and forward-thinking, operating with stewardship. The company is also an industry leader on the front lines of the “regenerative” agriculture movement and reducing its carbon footprint through constant innovation. Ken and Lisa also discuss her book Soap & Soul: A Practical Guide to Minding Your Body, Your Home, and Your Spirit with Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps and what inspired her to write it.

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

Dr. Bronner’s: The original all-one soap

EWG Verified: Dr. Bronner’s

Dr. Bronner’s Certifications

Going Green with Lisa Bronner

Campaign For Safe Cosmetics

“Soap and Soul: A Practical Guide to Minding Your Home, Your Body, and Your Spirit with Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps”

“Honor Thy Label: Dr. Bronner’s Unconventional Journey to a Clean, Green, and Ethical Supply Chain”

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup