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This week, Kylee and Zoë take a deep dive into ultra-processed foods: what they are, where they came from, how they’re designed to light up your brain’s reward systems, and what role they play in athletic nutrition. We talk about everything from cereal meant to prevent sinning to the low-fat diet craze, the war-time origins of shelf-stable food, and the engineering behind the foods that are hyper-palatable.

We also get into the landmark NIH study that showed just how much processing—not just calories or macros—can influence how much we eat, how full we feel, and how our bodies respond to food. This episode is about helping you understand the systems at play, so you can make choices that support your health and performance without getting caught in fear or shame about the food you eat. Because when it comes to ultra-processed foods, context matters—especially for athletes.

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🧪 Skratch Labs Whether you’re training, racing, or just trying to stay upright during a long day—real ingredients matter. We love Skratch because they focus on performance fuel that actually tastes good and doesn’t destroy your gut. 💥 Use code YDS20 for 20% off your first purchase!

🏃‍♀️ Microcosm Coaching If you’re an athlete who wants nuanced, compassionate, performance-minded support that isn’t based on shame or diet dogma, Microcosm Coaching is where it’s at. Individualized training, expert coaching, and the emotional support you didn’t know you needed.

SOURCES:

Hall, K. D., Ayuketah, A., Brychta, R., Cai, H., Cassimatis, T., Chen, K. Y., ... & Zhou, M. (2019). Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: An inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake. Cell Metabolism, 30(1), 67–77.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008

Monteiro, C. A., Levy, R. B., Claro, R. M., de Castro, I. R. R., & Cannon, G. (2009). A new classification of foods based on the extent and purpose of their processing. Public Health Nutrition, 12(7), 1031–1036. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980008003762

Sinclair, U. (1906). The jungle. New York, NY: Doubleday, Page & Company.

United States Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs. (1977). Dietary goals for the United States (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Moss, M. (2013). Salt sugar fat: How the food giants hooked us. New York, NY: Random House.

Specter, M. (2025, January 13). Why is the American diet so deadly? The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/01/13/why-is-the-american-diet-so-deadly

Snackwell effect. (n.d.). In The Decision Lab. Retrieved March 2025, from https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/snackwell-effect

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This week on Your Diet Sucks, Kylee and Zoë take a hard look at health documentaries, specifically the cult classic Game Changers—aka, the boner experiment film—and other nutrition flicks that have people rethinking their entire diet for about a week. They break down why these documentaries always go full fear-mongering mode, how they cherry-pick studies to push an agenda, why they obsess over masculinity and strength, the biggest nutrition myths they keep pushing, and how to actually fact-check food and health claims so you don’t get duped.

Plus, Zoë does what she does best: fact-check their questionable science in real-time, rage-Google studies, and ask the real questions—like, who decided we needed a documentary about penis blood flow?

Hit play, grab your popcorn (or, I don’t know, a block of cheese like we did), and let’s get into it.

SponsorsJanji – The only running shorts we trust, period. These have been with us through countless long runs, big training days, and even 100-mile races. Five years later, they’re still a go-to for comfort, performance, and pockets that actually hold stuff. Snag a pair and use code YDS10 for 10% off your next purchase at janji.com.

Tailwind Nutrition – Because your recovery shake should actually work. My go-to flavors are Coffee (because duh) and Birthday Cake (because recovery should taste like a party). Get 20% off your first order with code YDS20 at tailwindnutrition.com.

If you love the podcast, please leave us a review on Apple or Spotify. Five-star reviews are our favorite macronutrient.

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What happens when the pressure to perform collides with the pressure to look a certain way? This week, we’re tackling body image in sports and fitness—breaking down the differences between body dysmorphia, body dissatisfaction, and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and why athletes are especially vulnerable.

From social media-fueled comparison traps (looking at you, Facetune) to toxic fitness culture and outdated coaching methods, we explore why so many athletes struggle with body image—and what actually helps.

Plus, a deep dive into why traditional body positivity isn’t the answer and why frameworks like body neutrality, fat liberation, and radical body acceptance are changing the conversation.

💥 Spoiler: It’s not your body that’s broken—it’s the system.

Resources & Further Reading:
📖 The link between social media and body dysmorphia
📖 Athletes, disordered eating, and performance pressures
📖 How fitness culture reinforces body dissatisfaction

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🎉 Big thanks to Tailwind Nutrition and Janji for making this episode possible. Their support helps us keep the conversations real, evidence-based, and (mostly) free of diet culture BS.

🚀 Support the show! Shop Tailwind’s performance fuel at ⁠tailwindnutrition.com⁠ and gear up with Janji’s adventure-ready apparel at ⁠janji.com⁠.

Stay Connected:
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📩 Questions or topic requests? Email us at [email protected]

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 Your Diet Sucks is back, and today Zoë and Kylee are diving into the Wild Wild West of sports nutrition marketing—where sugar is the enemy, ketones are tactical, and somehow, gels need to be “guilt-free.”

In this episode, we break down how sports nutrition marketing plays on fear, misinformation, and diet culture to sell you products that may or may not actually help you perform. We unpack why terms like “guilt-free” are designed to manipulate you (as if your fuel choices require moral absolution), how brands sneak in buzzwords like “clean” or “sugar-free” to stoke carb paranoia, and why influencer culture has turned sports nutrition into a race to see who can make the most dramatic, pseudoscientific claims.

We also dig into the science—or lack thereof—behind metabolism-boosting formulas, carb-phobic electrolyte mixes, and products that promise you won’t experience GI distress (bold claim, considering we’ve all been betrayed by a burrito at some point).

Hold onto your ketones—we’re debunking, demystifying, and dunking on pseudoscience.

So what should you actually look for in a sports nutrition product? We got you. We break down how to separate marketing BS from real science, so you don’t end up under-fueled, overcharged, or spending $5 on a single gram of carbs.

Thanks to our sponsors, Janji and Microcosm Coaching!

You came here for nutrition tips and maybe some good-natured dunking on diet fads—not a deep dive into politics. But here’s the thing: food and health are political. And with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushing his "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) agenda, it's impossible to ignore how his take on fitness, food, and public health is pulling people into his camp.

On the surface, MAHA taps into real concerns—ultra-processed foods, chronic disease, corporate influence on health policy. But beneath the slogans, the movement leans hard on personal responsibility while offering little in the way of actual solutions.

We’re not here to dunk on anyone for questioning the status quo—critical thinking is good! But when it comes to making America healthy, actually, we need solutions that go beyond slogans.

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Is sugar the enemy? Or is it just misunderstood? In this episode of Your Diet Sucks Zoë and Kylee dive deep into the science and misconceptions behind sugar addiction, breaking down the science behind dopamine, deprivation, and diet culture.

Join us as we cut through the BS, debunk inflammatory headlines, and reclaim the middle ground between demonizing sugar and downing 591 Sour Patch Kids (Zoë!!). If you’ve ever felt guilty about a cupcake or been told to fear fruit, this one’s for you.

Thanks to our sponsors!

Janji: Gear for runners, made for adventure. Shop now with code YDS for 10% off.

Microcosm Coaching: Personalized coaching for athletes of all levels. Start your journey at microcosm-coaching.com.

Food isn’t the enemy, but dipsh*ts on TikTok might be. Find balance, embrace nuance, and eat the damn banana. 🍌

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New Year, same unrealistic resolutions? Zoë and Kylee dive into the science, myths, and psychology behind habit formation—and why your January goals are destined to flop without a game plan. From ancient Babylonian promises to modern-day Quitters Day, we unpack the history of resolutions, the cognitive biases that sabotage them, and why you can’t willpower your way into a better life. Spoiler: It’s not about losing 20 pounds in 4 weeks or cutting out sugar forever.

Learn why SMART goals aren’t just a corporate buzzword and how to make resolutions that actually work (hint: be specific, not perfect). Whether you’re stuck in the cult of optimization or just trying to make it to February with your sanity intact, this episode will teach you how to build habits that last longer than a TikTok trend.

References:

https://www.driveresearch.com/market-research-company-blog/new-years-resolutions-statistics/

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/new-years#ancient-new-year-s-celebrations

https://www.forbes.com/sites/prudygourguechon/2019/01/01/why-you-should-ditch-depressing-new-years-resolutions-and-do-this-instead/

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Happy New Year! It’s the season of crash diets and bad advice, so we’re here to cut through the noise with evidence-based answers to your nutrition questions.

In this episode, we’re covering:

Start your year off with smarter fueling and real talk—no BS, no quick fixes, just sustainable solutions that work.

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Kylee and Zoë wade into the murky waters of "racing weight"—a concept that’s been messing with athletes’ heads since the early days of endurance sports. From ancient Greek wrestlers sweating it out in bathhouses to modern-day endurance athletes chewing gum to spit out extra grams (yes, that’s a thing), the obsession with weight and performance has a long, bizarre history.

We unpack the origins of this idea, critique the pseudoscience and harmful messaging it often comes with, and dig into why lighter doesn’t always mean faster. Along the way, we examine why weight has become such a fixation in endurance sports and how that obsession can derail not just your performance, but your overall health.

Whether you’ve been told you need to hit an “ideal weight” to perform your best, or you’re just curious about why athletes fixate on the scale, this episode is a deep dive into why chasing racing weight can do more harm than good. Spoiler alert: You’re more than your power-to-weight ratio.

Tune in for the history, the science, and the many reasons you don’t need a scale to measure your worth—or your speed. Plus, a surprising history lesson involving figs, bloodletting, and why we don’t recommend using Horny Goat Weed to prep for your next race.

Ask Kylee and Zoë Anything! We're looking for listener questions for an "Ask Us Anything" episode in the New Year!

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In this episode, Kylee and Zoë dive unpack the history of superfoods and why the term might have more to do with marketing than science (spoiler alert, I guess?). We debunk some popular superfood myths and examine the downsides of being hyper-reliant on any one food or ingredient when it comes to maximizing health and performance. Then, we walk through the foods with a strong base of evidence for improving athlete performance and adaptations.

Plus, some spicy takes about bananas. Checkmate, atheists!