Your Diet Sucks

Join our Patreon!This is the most requested episode in two years, and the one strangers corner Zoë about the second they find out she hosts a nutrition podcast. Seed oils. Did they secretly poison the country, or did the internet just find a new villain with a great backstory?We go claim by claim through the anti-seed-oil case. The omega-6 inflammation pathway. The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, which turns out to matter more for some people than the internet's loudest voices would ever admit. Oxidation when you heat polyunsaturated fat. And the chart that maps seed oil consumption onto every chronic disease in America.Zoë and Kylee dive into how a cooking fat became a one-word loyalty test that Mobile, Alabama and Marin County somehow agree on. RFK Jr. is out there RFK-ing the fries. Sweetgreen ran a seed-oil-free menu. And every influencer swearing canola oil is killing you has a thirty-dollar meat stick to sell you. rabbit: Our title sponsor, and the kit we actually run in. Shop the latest at runinrabbit.com with code JUNEFOOD10 for 10% off.Osmia: Skincare that survives the same scrutiny we apply to everything else. Code YDS20 at osmiaskincare.com.Tailwind Nutrition: Fuel and electrolytes for long days out. Code YOURDIET20 at tailwindnutrition.com.Microcosm Coaching: Coaching that meets you where you are, at microcosm-coaching.com.

In 1879, a chemist named Constantin Fahlberg sat down to dinner without washing his hands after a day spent handling coal tar. His bread tasted strangely sweet. So he went back to the lab and started tasting everything on his bench until he found the source. That was saccharin, the first artificial sweetener, discovered because a man would not wash his hands before dinner. Nearly 150 years later, we are still arguing about whether the stuff is going to kill us.This week, Zoë and Kylee dig into the question every diet-soda lover has had to defend at a gas station: are artificial sweeteners actually bad for you? They trace how a coal-tar accident became a billion-dollar industry, why the WHO's "possibly carcinogenic" label on aspartame puts it in the same risk tier as pickled vegetables and working as a carpenter, and how Donald Rumsfeld personally muscled aspartame through the FDA. The saccharin cancer scare that haunted a generation came from male rats dosed with the equivalent of hundreds of sodas a day, through a mechanism human bodies do not even have.Along the way: the wartime rationing that built the sweetener industry, the cyclamate the US banned and never reinstated while the rest of the world kept drinking it, the every-fifteen-years villain cycle that has run through fat, high-fructose corn syrup, gluten, and seed oils, the genuinely fascinating Suez microbiome research where scientists grew human gut bacteria in mice, the stevia-in-a-petri-dish problem, and the erythritol heart-attack headline that fell apart the moment anyone read the study.Plus: why these things were always sold to women as a permission structure, the one category athletes actually need to watch (sugar alcohols, and the osmotic chaos they bring to a long run), the client drinking ten Liquid IVs a day, and a hot-takes round that settles Diet Coke versus Coke Zero once and for all.Listen for the full story.This episode is brought to you by:rabbit: Built by runners, for runners. Shop the women's collection at runinrabbit.com. Use code YDSMAY10 for 10% off, new code each month, check most recent show notes for updates. Tailwind Nutrition: Real fuel that actually works for endurance athletes. Shop at tailwindnutrition.com and use code YOURDIET20 for 20% off.Osmia: Simple, evidence-based skincare from a real doctor (and one of the few wellness brands we actually trust). Shop at osmiaskincare.com and use code YDS20 for 20% off.Microcosm Coaching: Human-first coaching for athletes of every level and every sport. Come to our virtual open house on June 11 at 5:30 MT. Register with this link or at microcosm-coaching.com.Want more? Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/YourDietSucks for weekly nutrition Q&As with Kylee, bonus deep dives, and community discussions on the topics that are too niche or too spicy for the main feed.Grab merch at teepublic.com/user/your-diet-sucks.Resources, citations, and studies discussed in this episode are available at yourdietsuckspodcast.com.

This week, Zoë mailed a chunk of her hair to a stranger in Florida. For science. For journalism. For your benefit, really. The $60 hair sample test came back flagging her as "highly reactive" to 210 foods, including emu, ostrich egg, hot dog, and ground horse meat. Reader, she has not eaten ground horse meat in over a decade.The food sensitivity industry is a multi-billion-dollar grift built on real symptoms and fake frameworks. We trace it from 1906, when allergy was first defined as a real clinical thing, through the 1950s clinical ecology movement, through cytotoxic testing, IgG panels, electrodermal screening, and bio-resonance, and finally to the at-home hair test in your DMs. It's the same idea in different packaging every decade. Like a body-snatcher, but for grift. (We use a lot of John Carpenter references in this one.)Then Kylee walks through what the science actually says: the difference between IgE allergies, IgG sensitivities, and intolerances. What real diagnostic testing looks like (skin prick tests, blood panels, hydrogen breath tests, structured elimination diets with a professional). Why hair testing, IgG panels, and bio-resonance devices have no validated diagnostic mechanism. And why these tests disproportionately target women, who are statistically more likely to feel dismissed by their doctors and more likely to seek answers in the wellness market.We also get into why endurance athletes are uniquely vulnerable to this stuff. When your gut acts up during training, the wellness industry hands you a list of 210 foods to eliminate. Your sports dietitian hands you a fueling plan. Guess which one tends to lead to a stress fracture.The bottom line: your symptoms deserve a real answer. Don't let a hair test substitute for actual care.This episode is supported by:rabbit — Use code YOURDIETSUCKS10 for 10% off at runinrabbit.com Their trail line is genuinely the only running gear we actively look forward to wearing.Tailwind Nutrition — Use code YOURDIET20 for 20% off at tailwindnutrition.com. Endurance fuel that doesn't taste like a chemistry set. Try the Mandarin Orange or the Daily Hydration Strawberry Lemonade.Osmia Skincare — Use code YDS20 for 20% off at osmiaskincare.com. Clean, science-forward skincare from a real-deal physician-founder. The Himalayan Salt Scrub and Lavender Body Mousse are the post-long-run reset.Microcosm Coaching — Endurance coaching from people who know what they're doing. Free consultations at microcosm-coaching.com.Website: yourdietsuckspodcast.com — full episode pages, references, transcripts, and the blog.Patreon: patreon.com/YourDietSucks — bonus episodes, monthly Q&As with Kylee, and the community thread. $3/month keeps us independent and ad-manager-free.Merch: teepublic.com/user/your-diet-sucks — TeePublic shop. (Heads up: free Patreon members can win a YDS shirt by joining a paid tier between now and May 31. Drawing June 1.)If this episode helped, send it to a friend who's been thinking about mailing their hair somewhere. Word of mouth is how this show grows.SPONSORSMORE YDS

Find full episode transcripts, show notes, and research at yourdietsuckspodcast.com. Grab merch at teepublic.com/user/your-diet-sucks. And if you want bonus episodes, early access, and our eternal gratitude, support us on Patreon at patreon.com/YourDietSucks.Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance on earth — and somehow it's still got two extremely loud camps screaming past each other. On one side: the wellness-bro "caffeine destroys your adrenals, drink my mushroom latte" crowd. On the other: the guy on TikTok who takes 800 milligrams a day and wants you to up your dose. Both of them are wrong. Both of them are extremely entertaining.In this episode, Zoë and Kylee dig into how caffeine actually works, the adenosine receptor science, the performance research, the optimal dosing for endurance athletes, and what it's actually doing to your sleep, hormones, and anxiety levels (spoiler: more than you think, less than the fear-mongers claim). They trace the history of human caffeine consumption from ancient China to Sufi monks using coffee as a pre-workout for night prayer, through the Enlightenment coffee houses that accidentally invented capitalism, all the way to a 300-milligram neon energy drink with a skull on it. There's also a full breakdown of the pre-workout industry's stimulant escalation problem, why adrenal fatigue isn't a real diagnosis, how your menstrual cycle affects caffeine metabolism, and whether the caffeine taper before a race is actually worth the two weeks of misery. Plus: the 1904 Olympic Marathon featured rat poison, brandy, and a man who hitched a ride in a car for 11 miles. Dry scooping sent multiple people to the hospital. And "energy is a choice" is not a peer-reviewed finding.We cover it all.This episode is supported by rabbit — use code YOURDIETSUCKS10 at runinrabbit.com/collections/womens-new for a discount on their trail line. By Osmia Skincare — use code YDS20 at osmiaskincare.com for 20% off. By Tailwind Nutrition at tailwindnutrition.com. And by Microcosm Coaching at microcosm-coaching.com.

Get "Carb Slut" and "Petty and Scientifically Literate" merch here!Whole30 has sold millions of books, built a coaching empire, and partnered with Chipotle and Walmart — all without a single peer-reviewed clinical trial. In this episode, Zoë traces the program from its origin on a CrossFit blog in 2009 to its multi-million dollar licensing ecosystem, digs into the loaded vocabulary (sugar dragons, tiger blood, sex with your pants on), and examines what happened when a nutrition science student fact-checked all 450 citations in It Starts With Food. Kylee breaks down how real elimination diets work, why this one poses specific risks for athletes, and what the plant-based Whole30 contradiction reveals about whether the rules were ever based on science at all.Support Your Diet Sucks on Patreon for bonus episodes, weekly threads, recipes, and AMA access: patreon.com/yourdietsucks.This episode is brought to you by rabbit — use code YDSMARCH10 for 10% off at rabbit.com. Osmia Skincare — code YDS20 for 20% off at osmiaskincare.com. Tailwind Nutrition — code YOURDIET20 for 20% off at tailwindnutrition.com. And Microcosm Coaching — book a free consultation at microcosm-coaching.com.

Connect With Us: ⁠Patreon⁠ | ⁠@yourdietsuckspod on instagramThe wellness industry wants you to believe your body is on fire. Tired? Inflamed. Bloated? Inflamed. Sad? Believe it or not, inflamed. But what does inflammation actually mean, and should athletes be worried about it?In this episode, we trace how inflammation went from a specific biological process to a wellness Rorschach test that can sell you anything from turmeric lattes to $200 supplement stacks. Zoë covers the history, from 1970s eicosanoid research to the glucose goddess's empire of banana fear, while Kylee breaks down what the research actually shows about anti-inflammatory diets.We cover the Mediterranean diet, elimination protocols like AIP, why sugar isn't the devil, why most inflammation claims come from rodent studies using absurd doses, and why under-fueling might be more inflammatory than anything in your pantry. Plus: why nightshades sound like a goth stripper.This Episode's Sponsors:rabbit — Code YDSFEB for 10% offOsmia — Code YDS20 for 20% offTailwind — Code YOURDIET20 for 20% offMicrocosm Coaching — Book a free consultationFull references, episode archive, and our advertising ethics policy at yourdietsuckspodcast.comHosted by: Zoë Rom & Kylee Van Horn, RDN

We brought the husbands on for this one. Sean Van Horn and TJ David join us to talk about eating disorders in men, disordered eating in male athletes, and how the wellness industry preys on masculine insecurity with different packaging but the same playbook.First up: a game called Influencer or Dictator, where the guys guess whether quotes about discipline and suffering came from David Goggins or Joseph Stalin. It was harder than it should have been.Ten million American men will experience an eating disorder. Men make up 25 percent of cases, but only 10 percent of treatment, and the shame is double because you're told you have a "women's disease." Meanwhile, gym culture sells restriction as optimization and calls it biohacking. If you put it in a spreadsheet, it's not mental illness, right? It's astrology for boys.We trace the history from Charles Atlas selling masculinity during the Great Depression to G.I. Joe's impossible biceps to today's Ginfluencer explosion. Every masculinity crisis spawns a fitness boom. Sean shares his own eating disorder recovery, and we break down the red flags hiding in plain sight: cutting, clean eating, cheat days, earning food, no rest days. When The Rock does it, he's a brand. When your friend does it, check in.Sponsors:Osmia Skincare — Code YDS20 at osmiaskincare.com for 20% offTailwind Nutrition — Code YOURDIET20 at tailwindnutrition.com for 20% offMicrocosm Coaching — Free consult at microcosm-coaching.com

Do detoxes work? Do you need a juice cleanse to "reset" your body? Is your liver full of toxins? Short answer: no, no, and absolutely not.This week we debunk the $6.3 trillion wellness industry's claims,juice cleanses, detox teas, foot pads, coffee enemas, the Master Cleanse, and everything in between. We cover how your liver actually detoxifies, why your kidneys filter 200 quarts of blood daily without any help from celery juice, and what a 2015 systematic review concluded about the science of detoxes.We also dig into the history, from ancient Greek bloodletting to George Washington's death to John Harvey Kellogg's yogurt enemas (ew?) and the psychology of why we fall for purity narratives. Plus: why athletes are prime targets, the connection between "clean eating" and orthorexia, documented harms (kidney failure, electrolyte imbalances, rectal perforations (again, EW!)), and 8 red flags for spotting detox scams.95+ facts checked, 17 sources cited. Full references at https://www.yourdietsuckspodcast.comSponsors:Tailwind Nutrition – Sports nutrition without the BS. Code YOURDIET20 for 20% off at tailwindnutrition.comOsmia – Small-batch skincare made by a doctor who reads the research. Code YDS20 at osmiaorganics.comJanji – Running gear with purpose. Code YDS at janji.comMicrocosm Coaching – Work with coaches like Zoë and Kylee who get endurance athletes, no shame, no pseudoscience, just evidence-based training. Get connected with a coach at microcosmcoaching.com

Join our Patreon!Get YDS Merch for the holidays!Can you supplement your way to a glow? The $70 billion beauty supplement industry certainly wants you to think so.This week we dig into collagen, biotin, hyaluronic acid, and those $90 greens powders everyone's suddenly drinking, tracing the history from Lydia Pinkham's 19th-century vegetable compound to today's $60 Moon Juice dusts. We break down what the research actually says about "ingestible beauty" (and, crucially, who funded it), why high-dose biotin might give your doctor an unwelcome surprise, and the psychology of why we keep buying products that promise to fix us from the inside out.Also on the docket: the rise of "preventative Botox" among people under 30, the gut-skin axis (real science, grifty applications), and what actually supports skin, hair, and nail health, spoiler, it's boring. If you've ever wondered whether that greens powder is doing anything besides lightening your wallet, this one's for you.This episode is brought to you by:Tailwind Nutrition – Sports nutrition without the BS. Code YOURDIET20 for 20% off at tailwindnutrition.comOsmia – Small-batch skincare made by a doctor who reads the research. Code YDS20 at osmiaorganics.comJanji – Running gear with purpose. Code YDS at janji.comMicrocosm Coaching – Coaches who get endurance athletes. Free consultation at microcosmcoaching.com

Support the show and get bonus content! Join the N of One Club on Patreon for bonus episodes, monthly blogs, and a community of people who also think the wellness industry is full of shit. Starting at just $3/month.Do you really need that $5 mojito-flavored electrolyte packet to survive your morning Zoom meeting? Spoiler: probably not.This week we're talking salt. From ancient Romans literally getting paid in it to the absolute shitshow that was the 1904 Olympic marathon (two water stations for 26 miles—Google it). Kylee breaks down what electrolytes actually are and who actually needs supplemental sodium (endurance athletes sweating buckets) versus who doesn't (everyone sitting at a desk).We cover sweat tests, sodium replacement strategies, and the deeply annoying fact that the symptoms of too much sodium and too little sodium are basically identical. Plus: the explosion of boutique electrolyte brands, IV drip bars, and why everyone has an emotional support Stanley cup. The wellness industry wants to sell you a crisis and then the cure, and electrolytes are having a serious moment.This episode is brought to you by:Osmia – Science-backed skincare. Use code YDS20 at osmiaskincare.comTailwind Nutrition – Endurance fuel that won't wreck your stomach. Code YOURDIET20 at tailwindnutrition.comMicrocosm Coaching – Sports dietitians who understand endurance athletes. microcosmcoaching.comJanji – Running gear with purpose. Code YDS at janji.com

Support us on Patreon!⁠⁠Want to help with a book project? Share Your Story⁠⁠Get YDS tees, mugs, hats and more on Tee Public!This week, Zoë and Kylee dig into one of the most misunderstood topics in endurance sports: RED-S, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. We break down what it actually is (spoiler: it’s not just “overtraining”), how to recognize early warning signs, and what the latest science says about recovery.From the old-school concept of the female athlete triad to the 2024 “Does RED-S Exist?” paper, we trace how the conversation around under-fueling has evolved, and why so many athletes are still falling through the cracks. We’ll unpack how RED-S affects everything from hormones and metabolism to bone density, mood, and performance, and why it doesn’t just happen to women or elite runners.This episode separates evidence from internet rumor and offers real talk on what it takes to recover: eating enough, resting enough, and understanding that being tired, cold, and cranky isn’t “just part of training.” Whether you’re an endurance athlete chasing PRs or someone just trying to feel good in your body again, this one’s for you.​Tailwind → tailwindnutrition.com, code YOURDIET20 = 20% off first order.​Janji → janji.com, code YDS = 10% off first order.​Microcosm Coaching → ⁠microcosm-coaching.com⁠, book a free consultation call.

⁠Support YDS on Patreon!⁠⁠Check out our new T-shirts!Your mom probably didn’t sit you down to explain hot flashes, vaginal atrophy, or why your metabolism doesn’t suddenly tank the second you hit menopause. That’s where we come in. In this episode of Your Diet Sucks, Zoë and Kylee dig into the messy, complicated, and very normal reality of perimenopause and menopause—because more than half the population will experience it, and yet nobody talks about it. We trace the wild history of “treatments” like leeches and arsenic, unpack the real science around carbs, protein, strength training, sleep, and HRT, and roast the diet-culture nonsense that convinces athletes to fear their own bodies. From “menopause belly” panic to the myth that performance ends at 50, we’re breaking down what actually matters for athletes, what doesn’t, and how to navigate this transition without falling for the gimmicks. Consider this the talk your mom never gave you—and the one your Instagram feed definitely won’t.Support the Show⁠⁠Eternal – To check out Foundations, use the promo code YDS for 10% a one year membership.⁠⁠⁠⁠Tailwind Nutrition offers science–backed endurance fuel that actually works. Try our favorite, Blueberry Lemonade Endurance Fuel - Get 20% off your first order with code YOURDIET20⁠⁠⁠⁠Janji – Adventure-ready running gear with pockets that actually work. Use code YDS for 10% off your order.⁠⁠⁠⁠Microcosm Coaching – Human-first, athlete-centered coaching for every runner, from 5K to 100 miles and beyond.⁠

Support YDS on Patreon!This week, Zoë and Kylee tackle the carnivore diet, the internet’s most extreme eating trend. From raw liver smoothies at Erewhon to shirtless influencers promising that “meat heals everything,” the carnivore diet has exploded in popularity. But what really happens when you cut out all plants and live on ribeye steaks, bacon, and bone broth?We explore the strange history of meat-only diets, from 1920s Bellevue experiments to modern influencers like Shawn Baker and Paul Saladino. We unpack the claims about plant “toxins,” the allure of ketosis, and why athletes, especially women, need carbs for performance, recovery, and hormone health. And we dig into the environmental cost of ribeye-heavy eating, why beef is one of the most resource-intensive foods on the planet, and how climate denial often gets wrapped into carnivore culture.So should you go full T-Rex? Probably not. But understanding the hype—and the risks—shows why restrictive food fads keep spreading, and why carbs are still essential for endurance athletes and long-term health.Support the ShowEternal – To check out Foundations, use the promo code YDS for 10% a one year membership.Tailwind Nutrition offers science–backed endurance fuel that actually works. Try our favorite, Blueberry Lemonade Endurance Fuel - Get 20% off your first order with code YOURDIET20Janji – Adventure-ready running gear with pockets that actually work. Use code YDS for 10% off your order.Microcosm Coaching – Human-first, athlete-centered coaching for every runner, from 5K to 100 miles and beyond.REFERENCESBurke, L. M., Ross, M. L., Garvican-Lewis, L. A., Welvaert, M., Heikura, I. A., Forbes, S. G., ... & Hawley, J. A. (2017). Low carbohydrate, high fat diet impairs exercise economy and negates the performance benefit from intensified training in elite race walkers. The Journal of Physiology, 595(9), 2785–2807. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP273230Cordain, L., Eaton, S. B., Sebastian, A., Mann, N., Lindeberg, S., Watkins, B. A., ... & Brand-Miller, J. (2005). Origins and evolution of the Western diet: Health implications for the 21st century. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 81(2), 341–354. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn.81.2.341Hall, K. D., & Guo, J. (2017). Obesity energetics: Body weight regulation and the effects of diet composition. Gastroenterology, 152(7), 1718–1727. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2017.01.052Jönsson, T., Granfeldt, Y., Lindeberg, S., & Hallberg, A. C. (2009). Subjective satiety and other experiences of a Paleolithic diet compared to a diabetes diet in patients with type 2 diabetes. Nutrition Journal, 8(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-8-35Lerner, R. (1930). Adventures in diet. Harper’s Monthly Magazine, 161(962), 509–518.Micha, R., Michas, G., & Mozaffarian, D. (2012). Unprocessed red and processed meats and risk of coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes: An updated review of the evidence. Current Atherosclerosis Reports, 14(6), 515–524. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-012-0282-8O’Hearn, A., Tro, K., & Naiman, D. (2021). Clinical experience of medical doctors with a carnivore diet. Current Developments in Nutrition, 5(Supplement_2), 393. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab044_067Stefansson, V. (1946). Not by bread alone. New York, NY: Macmillan.UN Food and Agriculture Organization. (2013). Tackling climate change through livestock: A global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities. Rome: FAO.Zhang, Y., Pan, X. F., Chen, J., Xia, L., Cao, A., Zhang, Y., ... & Pan, A. (2021). Associations of red meat, processed meat, and poultry consumption with risk of colorectal cancer: A prospective cohort study of 0.5 million Chinese adults. International Journal of Cancer, 149(5), 979–989. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.33694