Weight-Loss Drugs, Sugar Addiction and More

It’s been a while since I shared a round-up of some of the content I’ve been consuming lately.

I hope you find the following pieces illuminating and helpful. Once you check out the ones you're interested in, I think you'll be as grateful as I am for these incredibly smart and gifted content creators.

Ozempic
There’s been a lot of buzz regarding the new weight-loss drugs in the past year. In this episode of Maintenance Phase, Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes do a deep dive into the research and discuss the (often problematic) discourse surrounding these medications. 

It’s an informative, balanced and thoughtful review—one you’re unlikely to get from mainstream media.

What’s the Deal With GLP-1s?
On her Find Your Food Voice podcast, registered dietitian Julie Duffy Dillion explains how GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, work, explores some of the research and unknowns, and discusses their potential side effects and contraindications. 

Why Sugar Isn’t As Bad As You’ve Been Told
In this Rethinking Wellness podcast episode, registered dietitian Christy Harrison talks with sociologist and Sugar Rush author Karen Throsby about the demonization of sugar despite scientific uncertainty, the connection between anti-sugar sentiment and anti-fat bias, the research behind sugar addiction, and more.

Similar to Christy, I was also trained years ago by my health coaching school to teach people to be hyper-vigilant about sugar. Thankfully, I also changed my ways as I gained a better understanding of the research, diet culture, disordered eating, the harms of binary thinking and food moralism, social determinants of health, and more.

The Burnt Toast Guide to Kids and Sugar
Speaking of sugar, Virginia Sole-Smith recently published this comprehensive guide to kids and sugar, which covers topics like sugar highs and sugar addiction and provides guidance and resources on how to navigate your own and your kids’ relationship with sugar. 

Even if you don’t have kiddos in your life, I think you’ll find much of the information to be helpful.

Eugenicists Shaped the Pathologized Way Many Americans Think About Nutrition Today
In this fascinating and infuriating article, writer and public health dietitian Anjali Prasertong examines the connection between early dietetics and eugenics. 

“The science of modern nutrition was born deeply entwined with the ersatz science of eugenics, a tangle that mixed up morality with food choices, blending ‘eating white’ and ‘eating right.’ And as much as today’s nutrition community would like to distance ourselves from the harmful teachings and practices of [the Progressive Era], many of the ideas about dietary choices and health born during this time are still alive and well.”

What’s the Cultural Significance of a Calorie?
I’ve shared before how counting calories really messed with my head. On this Getting Curious podcast episode, Jonathan Van Ness discusses the history and politics of the calorie with Dr. Athia Choudhury, including how this metric represents so much more than a number on the back of a chip bag.

Last but not least, in case you missed it, in June I shared my summer reading list. I was fortunate to have the time to read every book and highly recommend them all.

To empowering yourself with knowledge!