Does a slow metabolism really lead to weight gain, and can you speed it up, to make it easier to shed pounds. Join us this episode for the science behind metabolism myths.

The authors of a new book about how food both nourishes and harms us break down how much protein we really need in our diets — and debunk the myths we’ve been sold by social media

Ian Sample talks to Kevin Hall, a pioneering researcher on ultra-processed foods, about what he wants us all to understand about diet, exercise and weight loss, and why he left the National Institutes...

“Food Intelligence dispels many popular myths we have about weight loss and breaks down the real drivers of the obesity crisis based on decades of research. I really hope everyone gets a chance to...

“Food Intelligence dispels many popular myths we have about weight loss and breaks down the real drivers of the obesity crisis based on decades of research. I really hope everyone gets a chance to...

Few scientists have shaped the way we understand nutrition and metabolism as much as Dr.

“Food Intelligence dispels many popular myths we have about weight loss and breaks down the real drivers of the obesity crisis based on decades of research. I really hope everyone gets a chance to...

If you really want to understand why Americans are so unhealthy, you have to see that the problem is not just our willpower, and it’s not just our food itself. It’s our food policies.

Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall.  Food Intelligence: The Science of how Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us.  Avery, 2025. ~340 pages This is the long-awaited manifesto from the journalist Julia Belluz and scientist Kevin Hall. As the press release puts it,  the book digs deep into the fundamental, often overlooked, and always enthralling science of nutrition (the chemicals and energy we get from food) and metabolism (how our bodies use food)—covering what we know and the history of how we came to know it, up to the frontiers of research into the invisible forces that really shape our eating habits.

If you really want to understand why Americans are so unhealthy, you have to see that the problem is not just our willpower, and it’s not just our food itself. It’s our food policies.

Comments on Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall.  Food Intelligence: The Science of how Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us.  Avery, 2025.

“Food Intelligence dispels many popular myths we have about weight loss and breaks down the real drivers of the obesity crisis based on decades of research. I really hope everyone gets a chance to...