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 UsEWG's food policy work California's ultra-processed food lawKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.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 InstagramKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.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 WebsiteKen 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 MovementKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

Join Lindsay Dahl, a passionate author and environmental health advocate with 20 years of experience, as she dives into the pressing issues of toxic chemicals and consumer safety. Lindsay emphasizes the importance of bipartisan support in environmental health, highlighting how grassroots movements, especially among women, are reshaping the conversation. She shares insights on holding elected officials accountable, navigating disinformation, and the role of informed civic engagement. Discover practical steps for voters to make impactful choices in a complex regulatory landscape.

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 TikTokMr. Global on YoutubeKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

In this engaging discussion, investigative journalist Brian Deer, known for exposing Andrew Wakefield's fraudulent claims linking vaccines to autism, sheds light on the troubling persistence of vaccine misinformation. He recounts the red flags that led him to investigate Wakefield’s deceptive study and reveals how legal and financial motives fueled the anti-vaccine movement. Brian also critiques the ongoing influence of figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and explores how charisma can propagate dangerous myths, emphasizing the urgent need for transparency in medical reporting.

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 UpdateErrol's articles for ForbesErrol Schweizer LLCMichelle Obama Was Vilified by the Right. Then Came MAHA (Politico)Isabella M. Weber ArticlesUnited Farm WorkersMake Our Children Healthy Again Strategy ReportKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.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.@kencookspodcastwww.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 soapEWG Verified: Dr. Bronner’sDr. Bronner’s CertificationsGoing Green with Lisa BronnerCampaign 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.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup