Hot Dogs, Jello, Waffle House: Time to Rethink ‘Bad’ Foods?

Right before many of us get ready for a long weekend of hot dogs and potato chips, two health public policy experts are shaking up what we think we know about food. Study after study has found that ultra-processed foods are linked to “heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety, and early death, even when nutrient content appears similar to less-processed foods.”

But Gabriel Rosenberg, Ph.D., and Jan Dutkiewicz, Ph.D., make a different argument in their book “Feed the People! Why Industrial Food Is Good and How to Make It Even Better.” They say the problems are due to too much sodium, excess sugar, fat and red meat. They say ultra-processed food is not inherently bad and they say almost all the food we eat qualifies as “industrial food.”  

The authors join hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to also talk about:

• Why we need to turn down the rhetoric on the food wars
• Why we don’t need to radically change industrial food — just improve the average diet and meal
• The problems with community gardens 

Agree or disagree, our guests provide food for thought.