1116: Fake Foods | Skeptical Sunday

From food deserts to ultra-processed flavor deception, Jessica Wynn maps out America's nutritional divide and corporate food games on Skeptical Sunday!

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by Jessica Wynn!

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:

• Imagine your body as an ancient supercomputer, humming along with software that's been fine-tuned over millions of years. Then suddenly, ultra-processed foods show up like a sketchy software update • , introducing code your system never evolved to handle. The result? Your internal operating system goes haywire, consuming 500 extra calories daily even when the nutritional "specs" look identical on paper.

• Remember that Italian restaurant scene in Goodfellas? Well, the real food mafia (yes, the actual "Agromafia") is less about fancy dinners and more about fancy fraud. • They're orchestrating a culinary shell game where your exotic $35 "Chilean Sea Bass" is actually $7 Costco tilapia in disguise, and your "extra virgin" olive oil might have a considerably less virtuous past.

• That plant-based burger patty might be wearing a hemp necklace and preaching about sustainability, but underneath its eco-friendly costume lurks an ultra-processed food wolf in sheep's clothing. • It's the dietary equivalent of greenwashing — solving one problem while potentially creating a lab full of new ones.

• Picture 40 million Americans living in food deserts — urban landscapes where fresh produce is as rare as a unicorn sighting. • These nutritional wastelands force folks to survive on a diet of convenience store cuisine, creating a tragic cycle where the most affordable food options are often the ones most likely to compromise health. It's a modern-day dietary dystopia.

• Here's the silver lining, food adventurers! Think of your grocery store as a game board: The real treasures are hidden along the perimeter • — that's where the fresh produce, meats, and dairy hang out like nutritional VIPs. Stick to the edges, and you'll dodge the ultra-processed center like a dietary ninja. Want to level up? Grind your own coffee beans, befriend your local farmers market vendors, and remember: every whole food purchase is a vote for a healthier food system. •

• Connect with Jordan • on Twitter • , Instagram • , and YouTube • . If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com • and let him know!

• Connect with Jessica Wynn • at Instagram • and Threads • , and subscribe to her newsletter: Between the Lines! •

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