Fat Isn't Bad, Stupid is Bad

I agree with other comments that this is a valuable conversation to have and I appreciate that it's on your website. However, Ruhlman makes a few contradictory claims- such as that most of us make poor decisions, but also that we shouldn't trust anyone? As a nutrition professional, I am also offended by Ruhlman's dismissal of health care professionals. Unlike Dr. Oz, most nutrition professionals understand the complex interactions between genetic inheritance, education, socioeconomic, and culture that combine to influence how people eat. Singular phrasing (anything you make at home is nutritious) is akin to those claims that are sensationalist in the media that lead people to confusion in the first place.
Most of what was said is great, but maybe Ruhlman needs to embrace a more "we're all in this together" feeling of solving the country's health and obesity problems, rather than shaming the very professionals who work to increase prevention or deal with treatment on a daily basis.

Kenzi I really appreciate your interviewing style, you're thoughtful and insightful. Much of what you consider is accessible to a broad range of people who are eating and cooking. While I appreciate a bunch of the things Michael Ruhlman had to say, I really thought he was dismissive of barriers people face and what the reality of navigating those is like. I really object to the way it seemed like people were being labelled as willfully 'stupid' (which seemed code for lazy here), or ignorant - it really came across as being accusatory.

I thought you tried to lead the interview into examining some of this with more thoughtfulness but I don't think that eventuated from Ruhlman unfortunately. In any case, I thought that was worth noting and I appreciate your efforts around this. There is so much more to this conversation than simply people are lazy, stupid, and/or ignorant - those concepts completely overwhelm any ability for people to talk about the barriers they're dealing with.

Having just listened to the interview with David from Epicurious - there's a profound difference in the interview because David made such a concerted effort to understand that there were barriers, and that he didn't/couldn't understand them very well. Also, those barriers have an impact on people's ability and willingness to cook and what the end result looks like, plus judgement involved therein. I can tell that Ruhlman means well but maybe needs to re-examine the accessibility with which he approaches these topics.

Thank you for this episode which was an important reminder to look more closely at what we buy and consume, especially processed foods. This recent article gives hope that those with lower incomes and fewer resources might be able to adopt the fresh, home-cooked approach: http://www.fastcoexist.com/3055157/a-food-bank-proves-a-healthy-mediterranean-diet-is-cheaper-than-a-junky-american-one

Listening to podcasts is difficult for me. It would be wonderful if you could include transcripts to your podcasts.

Thanks for this podcast. I talk to friends about the "fat" issue all the time. The problem is that people, really smart people, are so indoctrinated by years of "the experts" telling them that fat is bad. Even now when the evidence is the opposite, you'll see and hear people on TV talking about low fat diets. It's going to take a generation to change.

I can't see how anyone spending time thinking about our food system can in any way justify animal agriculture on the scale it is today. It is a public health, moral, and environmental crisis unlike anything we've ever encountered. Your grocery cart should be full of produce like he says, just not eggs, meat, and dairy. Also, the animals are never treated well, even at artisanal "humane" dairies and slaughterers. To suggest otherwise is abject ignorance. I do appreciate food publications having these kinds of conversations and food 52's role in expanding the dialogue about food.