Episode 273: Dr. Jacob May | 🧠 How Ultra-Processed Foods Destroy Your Kids' Metabolism

About this episode

Dr. Jacob May discusses the impact of ultra-processed foods on children's metabolism and health.

What's really happening inside your child's body when they eat ultra-processed food? In this episode, Dr. Vera Tarman sits down with Dr. Jacob May — mitochondrial researcher, registered dietitian, and Associate Professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center — to explore the cellular and metabolic consequences of a diet dominated by ultra-processed foods, particularly in children. Dr. May leads the Mitochondrial Energetics and Nutrient Utilization Laboratory, where his team investigates how dietary patterns shape metabolism at the cellular level. He's a keynote speaker, precision nutrition researcher, and practicing clinician — and his insights here are both science-forward and refreshingly practical. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why mitochondria can't tell the difference between a McDonald's burger and organic beef — and why that still matters What phytonutrients and zoonutrients are, and why ultra-processing strips them out How ultra-processed foods drive insulin resistance through a damaging feedback loop Whether children are more resilient or more vulnerable to the effects of UPFs — and why the answer is complicated What the research actually says about saturated fat…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Vera Tarman

Guest: Dr. Jacob May

Topics covered

• ultra-processed foods
• children's metabolism
• mitochondrial research
• insulin resistance
• nutrition science

Keywords

• ultra-processed foods
• metabolism
• children
• insulin resistance
• mitochondria
• nutrition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pennington Biomedical Research Center

More episodes of Food Junkies Podcast

• Episode 279: Clinician's Corner | Why Motivation Isn't the Problem — Building Competence in Food Addiction Recovery · April 30, 2026 · 41 min
• Food Junkies Recovery Stories Episode 33: Heather Miller · April 28, 2026 · 48 min
• Episode 278: Dr. John Kelly | The Science of Recovery – What the Research Really Says · April 23, 2026 · 46 min
• Episode 277: Dr. Rachel Herz | The Science of Disgust, Smell, and Why You Eat What You Eat · April 16, 2026 · 56 min
• Episode 276: Esther Kane, MSW | Highly Sensitive People · April 9, 2026 · 47 min
• Episode 275: Clinician's Corner | Recovery in Unsettled Times · April 2, 2026 · 53 min