Episode 65: Gut Check (w/ Tim Spector, on food science)

We all eat, but we don't all eat well. How can we do so? In particular, what dietary choices are best for an individual's physical wellness? And how much do individuals' unique characteristics determine what choices are best for them? And what choices are best for the environment? Why are calories and "food miles" overrated as metrics? How can governments help consumers make good food choices, especially if they live in food deserts? I discuss such questions with genetic epidemiologist Tim Spector.

LINKS

--Tim Spector's King's College web profile

--Spoon-Fed: Why Almost Everything We've Been Told About Food is Wrong (2020), by Tim Spector

--The Guardian review of Spoon-Fed (by Bee Wilson)

--Information on Zoe (program through which individuals learn more about how their bodies process food)

--"The human microbiome: Our second genome," by Elizabeth Grice & Julia Sege (2012), Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics

--"Attempts to lose weight among adults in the United States, 2013-2016," report from the CDC: National Center for Health Statistics

--"Chile battles obesity with stop signs on packaged foods," by Eileen Smith (2016) for National Public Radio

Special Guest: Tim Spector.