Dietary Guidelines: History and Misconceptions

Dr Jessica Knurick joins me to examine the systems influencing America’s health. We discuss the gap between individual choices and public health realities, the rise of MAHA, and why many proposed solutions fail to address the real drivers of chronic disease.

Jessica breaks down regulation, subsidies and the role of corporations, the truth about food dyes and additives, and why SNAP remains essential for reducing food insecurity and improving health outcomes.

What We Cover

• Jessica’s path into public health communication
• Individual behaviour versus systemic influence
• The MAHA movement and its limitations
• How regulation and subsidies shape our food environment
• What the evidence really shows about additives and food dyes
• Why SNAP matters and the consequences of defunding
• Policies that could genuinely improve child and adult health

A timely and important conversation that brings clarity to a confusing and polarised nutrition landscape.

You can connect with Dr Jessica Knurick on Instagram and TikTok, or visit her website and Substack to explore her work and evidence based insights on public health, nutrition and the systems shaping our wellbeing.

• Intro (00:00:00)
• The Unexpected Moment That Changed Everything (00:01:26)
• The Hidden Systems Behind Your Health (00:09:14)
• Agencies That Protect (or Fail) Public Health (00:18:11)
• The Dietary Guidelines You Thought You Knew (00:20:32)
• “Toxins,” Food Dyes, and the Real Story Behind Processed Foods (00:38:13)
• The Corporate Playbook Shaping America’s Health (00:47:56)
• A Program Millions Rely On… Yet Few Understand (00:57:38)
• The Hidden Battles Over Food Regulation (GRAS, Additives & More) (01:12:16)
• Science Funding, Misinformation, and Who Gets to Shape the Narrative (01:19:25)
• If You Want Better Health in America, Start Here (01:30:24)

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Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons)

• Creator of theproof.com
• Host of The Proof with Simon Hill
• Author of The Proof is in the Plants

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