What's going on with health and food policy right now? Each week dietitian and author Jessica Wilson shares her conversations with experts in their field or on their farm and figures out how we got here and why. Jessica has followed the ultra-processed food hysteria to trad wife pipeline and the direct path from COVID conspiracies to RFK Jr to the current administration. From her conversation with the Make America Healthy Again spokesperson to the Oregon beef farmer this podcast connects it all. Listen each week as she brings something new to the conversation and at times makes it awkward.
What's going on with health and food policy right now? Each week dietitian and author Jessica Wilson shares her conversations with experts in their field or on their farm and figures out how we got here and why. Jessica has followed the ultra-processed food hysteria to trad wife pipeline and the direct path from COVID conspiracies to RFK Jr to the current administration. From her conversation with the Make America Healthy Again spokesperson to the Oregon beef farmer this podcast connects it all. Listen each week as she brings something new to the conversation and at times makes it awkward.
Jessica Wilson, MS RD is joined by Malak (whose last name and appearance we're not sharing to protect her safety) to discuss the intersections of ICE, Palestine and Black liberation. Malak was recently a part of a mental health delegation that traveled to Palestine and shares the stories of those she met. The two talk settler colonialism, surveillance and over policing. They also talk about a shared humanity, and how people and these fights are not about here vs there. She provides language and context for the wars and battles raging around us and the importance of being seen. Black scholars, including Angela Davis , Ta-Nehesi Coats and James Baldwin have long made connections between Palestine and Black people in America, both living under Imperialism, and fighting for justice and freedom and never giving up. Malak shares multiple ways for people to stay engaged and keep learning. This episode was 1st published on Juneteenth 2025. Innocent Until Proven Muslim Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch ! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies…
Paul Saladino is LOUD and literally banks on fear. He thinks we live in a zoo. He used to be a carnivore and sold the idea, and then started eating plants. He’s said many deeply ridiculous and dangerous things. He is the reason Erewhon has a raw meat smoothie and the primary reason we overthink seed oils. He knows how much meat Jessica should eat in a day. He’s a Lot. Clips of his claims are sprinkled throughout this podcast. Trampus Harmon of Harmon and Son Beef returns to the show to talk about Paul and his customers’ needs on a carnivore diet. The two of them talk about Paul’s carnivore creep, his multiple iterations and influencer culture. Trampus isn’t sure that Paul’s tallow product is all that he claims it to be. Paul reminds us that we’re all going to die. It was polyester slings not underwear Paul One example of Paul being incredibly annoying Raw milk to kids Paul and seed oils Physician nutrition specialists Heart and Soil Lineage beef tallow –or is it? Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch ! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies…
The first MAHA report, the “ Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment ” came out on 5/22/25, and Selena Salfen, MPH RDN , and Meghan Cichy MPH RDN join Jessica to discuss it. The report came out at least two additional times, due to “ formatting errors ” which was a fancy label for AI errors . NOTUS was the first news outlet to report the citations that don’t exist. The three discuss what RFK gets wrong in the report and spend time talking about the Dietary Guidelines for Americans . They bring up which industry funded research MAHA seems to endorse, and the opportunities MAHA has to demolish current policies and programs just to bring them back, claim them and make them weaker. The episode has a bonus voice note from Selena’s kiddo about why she created her own food list after learning about Dr. Casey Means’s ultimate food list . Exciting addition! Selena’s kiddo’s food list . Meghan’s version of the report LA Times article with Dr. Robert Lustig about Dr. Casey Means The WIC program Vaping psychedelics EPA rollback of Biden’s PFAS limit Selena and Meghan’s first episode MAHA Commission and the fact sheet Hurdles for SNAP use School Nutrition Association position paper Food Resource and Action Center Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch ! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson…
This podcast’s origin story! Originally airing 10/26/23 Jessica is joined by nurse practitioner Calvin Gilbert to recount their presentation about weight stigma in trans care at UCSF’s 2023 Trans Health Summit and what led to a medical doctor being escorted out of the room. Jessica talks with Calvin about what happened the previous day and why it motivated her to start Making it Awkward and make a name tag for herself that says “Arts and Crafts Manager.” Jessica is returning to the same conference this week! She will be wearing her name tag and looking for the same people she met the first time around and if anything has changed. She will be making it awkward and reporting back if anything else entertaining happens! There are two more episodes about BMI and trans care following this one: The Research on BMI and Gender Affirming Care Is Non-binary Identity a 3rd Gender Category?; USPATH Conference Reflections You can find out more about Lyon Martin Community Health Services You can contact the show at makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com Follow Jessica on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson You can watch this episode on Spotify and at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod You can buy awkward merch ! You can become a Patreon member! How to support this podcast? Follow/subscribe, rate and review! Buy Jessica's book It's Always Been Ours .…
The Trump administration has talked about using awards , scholarships and cash as incentives to have more children. People see Elon as a leader in pronatalism conversations. Dr. Eoin Flaherty is back on the show to connect the dots between population control, pronatalism, and the environment. Eoin talks with Jessica about the Better Baby fairs of the 1900s and the two talk about how race is the underpinning of pronatalism even if no one speaks about it directly. The two talk about fertility hysteria, and the difference between fertility rates and birth rates. Eoin shares what research is next for him, and Jessica thinks that he might get the attention of Make America Healthy Again evangelists. Eoin on YouTube Some mentions from the episode: Alison Pill’s episode Dr Paul Saladino AKA Captain Cotton Underpants Adriana Smith Timeline of Ireland abortion laws Maternal death rates in the US Dr. Harvey Kellogg RELATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH TO RACE DEGENERACY Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch ! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson…
Selena Selfan, MPH, RD is back for the next installment in the re-grifting series! She is the resident Means Siblings Scholar and talks to host Jessica Wilson, MS RD about her deep dive! Dr. Casey Means is currently the presumptive nominee for Surgeon General. Her brother Calley Means is a special advisor to RFK Jr and cofounder of Truemed . The two are fervent MAHA supporters and foot soldiers in RFK’s fight. Listeners will learn about the Means siblings’s upbringing and the love and support for their parents. And then plot twist: their father, Grady Means wrote a gender expansive children's bo ok. Selena shares how Cassie has evolved in her career, and spits Calley’s facts like a pro. The two talk about the grift of the Means siblings and Selena’s prediction for Calley’s future. The Means siblings have direct connections to Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Andrew Huberman , our first and second grifters. Stay tuned for the next one about Dr. Paul Saladino. See Selena’s bibliography below! Calley’s Politico interview Tucker Carlson interview Deadly Lightbulbs Surgeon shortage Oregon Medical Board Casey’s Instagram posts about Jessica: August 28, 2024 - https://www.instagram.com/p/C_QjRljJ1mr/?hl=en August 29, 2024 - https://www.instagram.com/p/C_N6qSPPcT2/?hl=en Instagram - Never. Buy. Ultraprocessed. Food. Ever. Again. Casey's sponsors with conflicted research: Pendulum, newsletter , study funded by Pendulum Mitopure, Newsletter , study funded by Mitopure Life expectancy data health insurance stat FSA/HSAs: https://www.numerator.com/resources/blog/fsa-hsa-consumer-spending/ https://www.ebri.org/content/new-analysis-of-3.2-million-flexible-spending-accounts-finds-average-contributions-increasing-while-half-forfeiting-funds-to-their-employers Forbes list of growing industries Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch ! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson…
Jessica Wilson, MS. RD. is joined by Blake Flaugher, MPH , to give Jessica a full breakdown of poppers and RFK Jr.’s AIDS denialism. Jessica is very curious about butt stuff and Blake expertly answers her questions. He also answers a listener question about the spectrum of asexuality. The two have this conversation at a brewery and got the opportunity to make things awkward! Blake updates Jessica on the state of sex education in 2025 and shares what he’s found grounding and motivating as he continues to do this work. Blake's first Making it Awkward ep AIDS denialism FDA crackdown on poppers Legality of poppers Go Ask Alice Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch ! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson How to support this podcast? Follow/subscribe, rate and review and share with a friend! Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies…
It’s been 100 days of Hellth in America and boy do we need a vacation. This week Jessica is joined by dietitians Meghan Cichy and Selena Salfen to discuss what has happened in public health this year, and break down the MAHA Commission . They talk through what RFK Jr. and MAHA have been up to and how it will impact childhood nutrition. Jessica asks Selena and Meghan what happened to “childhood obesity.” Jessica starts the episode with some brief nutrition policy updates. Dad is back to read a couple of reviews. Dr. Kevin Hall’s resignation on X and in NYT The end of milk safety Food dyes The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) announced Healthy Dairy in Schools Commitment $660M lost for school lunches MAHA Commission and the fact sheet Hurdles for SNAP use School Nutrition Association position paper Food Resource and Action Center Let’s Eat; Be Real Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch ! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson How to support this podcast? Follow/subscribe, rate and review and share with a friend! Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies…
How do we get beef tallow and is it actually less processed than seed oils? And if companies are using colostrum for their supplements, are they taking it away from baby cows? Dr. Sarah Dougherty and Beef farmer Trampus Harmon return to the show for a spirited conversation about the renaissance of cow byproducts. Trampus explains how he makes tallow at home and discusses market trends for cow byproducts. Jessica shares the claims made by Bloom and Armra about how they source their colostrum and Sarah explains all that would need to go into a colostrum supplement if we were going to be sure it was ethical. They end their conversation by discussing collagen and whether it’s worth the hype. Collagen claims , and research Birkocorp tallow processing Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch ! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson How to support this podcast? Follow/subscribe, rate and review and share with a friend! Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies…
Have you wondered how 5G conspiracies developed or what makes some people more vulnerable to conspiracy theories? Today Jessica talks with Dr. Eoin Flaherty, assistant professor at Maynooth University to find the answers to these questions and many others. The two talk about conspiracism and the post-truth era in which we’re living. Dr. Flaherty explains 5G and why some people believe it’s dangerous. The two talk about Wi-Fi and 5G-free chicken, RFK Jr., how conspiracies generate and spread and Jessica asks him if she could be the next one to spread a theory of her own. Jessica came to his work via the article “ The conspiracy of Covid-19 and 5G: Spatial analysis fallacies in the age of data democratization ”, which he co-authored. NBC : Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claims measles vaccine protection 'wanes very quickly' Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch ! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson How to support this podcast? Follow/subscribe, rate and review and share with a friend! Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies…
Great British Bake-Off alum Mike Wilkins joins the show to talk about farming and queerness in the UK! He is a fourth -generation farmer, working alongside his family on their farm, Nolands . He has a weekly Instagram series about what he’s been up to on the farm and it’s an absolute joy to watch. In this episode Jessica and Mike chat about the intersections among farming, queerness and mental health . A note that this episode talks about farmers’ contemplating ending their own lives to save their farms. Mike is an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community within farming, and was an ambassador for the National Farmers Union in 2022. Mike and Jessica also talk about the farm inheritance tax in the UK. Mike competed in the 15th season of The Great British Bake-Off , and having done so will now be making his own wedding cake. Mike’s baking style is both homely and wholesome. He likes making big, hearty bakes using high-quality local ingredients that can satisfy lots of people at parties and gatherings. He especially loves using seasonal fruits and edible flowers from his garden and farm. Mike also answers Jessica’s burning question: Is Alison Hammond as delightful as she seems? Nolands livestock Nolands arable Shop Nolands Alison Hammond’s book You can buy Making it Awkward merch ! You can become a Patreon member! You can contact the show at makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson How to support this podcast? Follow/subscribe, rate and review and share with a friend!You can buy Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies…
Soda taxes take 2. Jesica is joined by Raeann Bowlds, MPH and Blake Flaugher, MPH to discuss Dr. Kelly Brownell’s claims that crack, soda, Cheetos, and baby formula do the same things in our brains and our bodies. The three talk about tobacco and soda taxes to see if the two are the same, and what Berkeley CA has done (or hasn’t done) with its soda tax revenue. Jessica asked Blake and Raeann to teach her about public health because she couldn’t understand it if the steps to make healthy food a human right were addressing predatory marketing and adding labels to food. The three enjoy a conversation over adult beverages, with which they can live in harmony. Berkeley Commission $929,000 spent by Berkeley for it’s soda tax campaign Dr. Kelly Brownell Philadelphia soda taxe s Seattle soda taxes Places with soda taxes Sugar taxes reduce consumption You can buy awkward merch ! You can become a Patreon member! You can contact the show at makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson How to support this podcast? Follow/subscribe, rate and review and share with a friend! Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jessica-wilson-ms-rd/its-always-been-ours/9780306827693/…
Jessica Wilson is joined by medical historian Dr. Bethany Johnson of University of South Carolina* to talk everything measles: their history, what we should know, what won’t treat them, and what happens after someone has them. Bethany gets deep into the medical history of measles and mumps outbreaks and the two talk about RFK’s claim that everyone got measles when he was a kid and it all worked out fine. Bethany also deconstructs RFK’s cocktail for treating the Texas outbreak. She invites RFK to put his immunity where his mouth is and will definitely be back on the show to talk more about medical history. *Jessica said University of Southern California even though she read Bethany's bio word for word and listened to the intro like 5 times. Sorry Bethany! Dr. Robert Lustig episode about eugenics Bethany’s book! Links from Bethany: Building the Worlds that Kill Us, by David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz Marketplace of the Marvelous, Erika Janik Pale Rider by Laura Spinney Good follows: @sciencewhizliz [Who she mentioned] @laurel_bristow @raventhesciencemaven [A scientist who also had long COVID] @epidemiologistkat @unbiascedsciencepod A quick look at the history of measles vaccine policy Also, here's a great infographic series from @unbiascedsciencepod about how contracting measles i s not, in fact, a good thing You can buy awkward merch ! You can join the Patreon! You can contact the show at makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod How to support this podcast? Follow/subscribe, rate and review! Jessica’s dad will read reviews and comments on the air! Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies…
Jessica Wilson , MS RD is joined by Dr. Kelly Brownell, Director Emeritus of the World Food Policy Center at Duke University. The two talk about soda taxes, food systems, policy, and marketing. Jessica asks Dr. Brownell about the Duke World Food Policy Center’s Identifying and Countering White Supremacy Culture in Food Systems report . And to wrap up, Dr. Brownell shares how he thinks we achieve healthy food as a human right. The show wants your feedback on this episode for Part 2! You can contact the show at makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com ShopRite in Philadelphia Berkeley soda taxes Taxes in other countries World Food Policy Center’s info on soda taxes You can buy awkward merch ! Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod How to support this podcast? Follow/subscribe, rate and review! Jessica’s dad will read reviews and comments on the show! Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies…
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