Ultra-Processed Food Is the New Tobacco—How Big Food Manipulates Science, Policy, & Your Cravings | Michael Pollan

The Dr. Hyman Show

Dr. Mark Hyman

Health & Fitness, Nutrition, Medicine

4.6 • 8.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 March 2025

⏱️ 78 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The modern food industry is built for profit, not health. Ultra-processed foods dominate grocery shelves, fueling the epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and chronic disease. But how did we get here? And what can we do to fix it? In this episode of The Dr. Hyman Show, I sit down with Michael Pollan, award-winning journalist and food activist, to break down the hidden forces shaping our food system and the urgent need for change. In this powerful conversation, you’ll discover: How a handful of corporations control our entire food supply—and why that’s a problem. The shocking truth about ultra-processed foods and how they’re engineered to keep you hooked. Why our food system collapsed during the pandemic and what it revealed about its fragility. How food companies quietly buy up health brands and use misleading labels to keep consumers in the dark. The role of policy and lobbying in keeping unhealthy food cheap and widely available. Make sure to tune in—this is a conversation every American needs to hear. View Show Notes From This Episode Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journal This episode is brought to you by Seed, Sunlighten, Big Bold Health, PerfectAmino, and AirDoctor. Seed is offering my community 25% off to try DS-01® for themselves. Visit seed.com/hyman and use code 25HYMAN for 25% off your first month of Seed's DS-01® Daily Synbiotic. Visit sunlighten.com and save up to $1400 on your purchase with code HYMAN. Try Big Bold Health's HTB Rejuvenate and get 25% off by going to bigboldhealth.com and use code DRMARK25 at checkout. Get pure essential amino acids today. Go to bodyhealth.com and use HYMAN20 to get 20% off your first order. Get cleaner air. Right now, you can get up to $300 off at airdoctorpro.com/drhyman.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Coming up on this episode of the Dr. Hyman Show.
0:02.8	Ultra-processed food, I think, is, yeah, it's a scourge.
0:06.5	If you go to Latin America or South America, where these food companies don't exert as much
0:12.1	domestic power, you will find some powerful labels.
0:15.4	I mean, skulls and crossbones and stop signs.
0:18.4	Other countries are starting to deal with it. Unfortunately, we haven't yet.
0:23.1	If you're a regular listener, you know that I often talk about the gut being central to whole
0:27.3	body health and key to living those 100 healthy years, and this includes your skin. Thanks to a fascinating
0:32.5	connection known as the gut skin axis, the state of your gut can influence your skin's health
0:36.9	and appearance, reflecting what's happening inside can influence your skin's health and appearance,
0:42.6	reflecting what's happening inside your body. This is where Seeds DSO-1 daily symbiotic can be so effective. DSO-1 is more than just a probiotic for digestive health. With 24 clinically and
0:47.7	scientifically studied probiotic strains and a plant-based prebiotic, it's designed for benefits in and beyond
0:52.9	the gut, including healthy regularity, gut immune function, gut barrier integrity, heart health, and, yes, even clear,
0:58.9	healthy skin. DSO-1 is formulated with specific probiotic strains and a plant-based prebiotic
1:03.5	clinically validated to support clear skin and to reinforce the gut-skin axis, supporting
1:07.8	healthy aging and nourishing the skin from the inside out. My belief in seeded's science and their mission to set a new standard in probiotics is so
1:14.9	strong that I've even joined their clinical board.
1:17.6	Seed is offering my community 25% off to try DSO1 for themselves.
1:22.0	Visit Seed.com slash Heimann and use Code 25 Hyman to redeem 25% off your first month of
1:27.4	Seeds DSO-1 daily symbiotic.
1:29.4	That's Seed.com slash Hyman Code 25 Hyman.
1:32.5	A few years ago, I faced one of the toughest challenges in my health journey.
	...

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