The Dr. Hyman Show

Nutrition advice often reduces food to calories, nutrients, and a list of rules to follow. But the more we learn about how the body responds to different foods, the clearer it becomes that this way of thinking tells only part of the story.

Today, I’m joined by cardiologist and public health expert Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University and author of the new book Food Is Medicine. We explore what we still get wrong about food and what changes when we begin treating it more like medicine.

Here’s what we discuss:

Why eating less and exercising more may not lead to lasting weight loss, and what to focus on instead

How to choose foods that work with your appetite, metabolism, and microbiome rather than relying on calorie counting

What GLP-1 medications can teach all of us about hunger, cravings, and why weight isn’t simply about willpower

How much protein you actually need and why the source matters

What the science says about seed oils and which processed foods are worth avoiding

Over the years, I’ve learned to focus less on counting calories or chasing a single nutrient and more on the quality of the food itself. When you eat real, whole foods, the signals that regulate hunger and energy can begin to work with you instead of against you. Eating well should be less about following rules and more about understanding what helps your body function at its best.

View Show Notes From This Episode

Sign up for Dr. Hyman’s Brainshaping Academy to learn how to nourish the biological systems that support your mental, emotional, and cognitive health https://drhyman.com/products/brainshaping?utm_source=dr_hyman_show&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=may_27&utm_content=link

Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hymanhttps://drhyman.com/pages/picks?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast

Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journalhttps://drhyman.com/pages/longevity?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast

Join the 10-Day Detox to Reset Your Healthhttps://drhyman.com/pages/10-day-detox

Join the Hyman Hive for Expert Support and Real Resultshttps://drhyman.com/pages/hyman-hive

This episode is brought to you by Cozy Earth, Made In, Fatty15, Pique, Paleovalley, and BIOptimizers.

Upgrade your sleep setup with cozyearth.com and enjoy 20% off with code HYMAN.

Explore kitchen essentials at madeincookware.com and save 10% off your first order with code HYMAN-HIVE.

Head to fatty15.com/HYMAN today and use code HYMAN for 15% off your 90-day subscription Starter Kit.

Elevate your daily wellness ritual at piquelife.com/hyman and enjoy 20% off plus free gifts.

Shop nutrient-rich foods and supplements at paleovalley.com/hyman and save 15% off your first order.

Shop Magnesium Breakthrough at bioptimizers.com/hyman and save 15% with code HYMAN.

0:00 The paradox of rising obesity, calorie intake, and the importance of food quality over willpower

2:00 Introduction to Food is Medicine and Dr. Hyman’s mission

4:25 How medical training ignored nutrition and early challenges to low-fat dogma

7:48 Cardiac diets, processed carbs, and failures in nutrition science translation

10:54 The food system’s role in chronic disease and its national impact

12:15 Food as a health, economic, environmental, and equity issue

15:05 How science, policy, and business shaped the modern food system

18:14 Fixing the food system using the same forces that created it

19:04 The birth of modern nutrition science and discovery of vitamins

20:15 Deficiency diseases, vitamin fortification, and enriched grains

23:16 The green revolution, famine fears, and calorie-focused agriculture

27:04 Low-fat advice, tobacco-era marketing, and the rise of ultra-processed food

31:29 Misapplied nutrient thinking: fat vilification and chronic disease

33:30 Why calories in, calories out fails for obesity and weight control

36:53 Thermogenesis, brown fat, and food quality’s impact on metabolism

39:25 The microbiome’s role in calorie harvesting and weight regulation

41:03 Real food vs. calorie counting for long-term weight control

43:09 GLP-1, the microbiome, and how the food system hijacks appetite

48:27 Feeding your inner garden: microbiome foods, prebiotics, and protective foods

50:47 Food as medicine: adding good foods vs. deprivation

52:36 Food as a fast, personalized therapy for chronic disease

54:11 What ultra-processed food is and why it’s harmful

59:59 Why junk food isn’t food, and the protein craze explained

1:00:44 How much protein you need and why the source matters

1:03:55 Best protein sources and the dangers of processed meats

1:05:58 Seed oils, trans fats, omega-6s, and omega-3 deficiency

1:13:57 Why food system change is needed, not just individual willpower

1:15:20 Policy levers for fixing agriculture, labeling, regulation, and nutrition science

1:17:29 How health care can drive food as medicine

1:21:58 How investing in healthy food can reshape markets and outcomes

1:22:44 Food industry lobbying, misinformation, and policy challenges

1:25:07 Business innovation to shift toward healthier food products

1:26:03 Ultra-processed foods as “coal” and replacing them with clean food

1:26:25 What listeners can do in their communities and with officials

In this episode, I break down five popular longevity myths that may be distracting you from the things that actually have the biggest impact on how long and how well you live.

Here’s what I discuss in today’s episode:

The common longevity goal that may actually work against you as you get older

Why the “perfect” supplement stack can’t replace the habits that matter most

The mistake people make when they try to keep their body in constant repair mode

What the science really says about red wine, genetics, and the factors that shape how you age

Longevity isn’t about building the world’s most complicated routine. It’s about protecting your strength, energy, brain function, and independence for decades to come. Get the fundamentals right first—then layer in the extras.

Visit ⁠functionhealth.com for 160+ lab tests at just $365 a year.

Have a question you’d love answered on Office Hours? Submit it here.

0:00 Longevity industry hype, fundamentals, and common myths1:11 Myth 1 - The Thinner You Are The Healthier YouWill Age2:40 Myth 2 - Supplements, repair mode, and other longevity myths4:11 Myth 3 - Keeping Your Body In Repair Mode7:54 Myth 4 - Wine is good for you 9:24 Myth 5 - Longevity Is Mostly Genetic10:34 The longevity reality check and what you can change11:13 The real path to healthspan, strength, and independence

You can know exactly how you want to eat and still find yourself reaching for something else when you’re stressed or exhausted. I’ve been there. Our relationship with food is influenced by far more than nutrition knowledge, and blaming ourselves for struggling doesn’t help us understand what’s actually happening.

Today, I’m joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Rachel Goldman, author of When Life Happens, to talk about the biology and psychology behind cravings, emotional eating, and food noise. We also explore how to care about nutrition without letting food rules take over your life.

Here’s what we get into:

Why you may reach for food when what you really need is rest, comfort, or a break

How to pause before an automatic food choice and figure out what’s driving it

How rigid food rules can turn one choice into a cycle of guilt and overeating

How GLP-1s can quiet food noise, and what they can’t change about your relationship with food

How to build other ways to cope when food has become your go-to response to stress

I know what it’s like to want the cookie even when I know it isn’t what I really need. Knowing better doesn’t make us immune to being human. My hope is that this conversation helps you meet those moments with more curiosity and less blame, so your relationship with food can become a source of nourishment rather than stress.

View Show Notes From This Episode

Sign up for Dr. Hyman’s Brainshaping Academy to learn how to nourish the biological systems that support your mental, emotional, and cognitive health https://drhyman.com/products/brainshaping?utm_source=dr_hyman_show&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=may_27&utm_content=link

Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hymanhttps://drhyman.com/pages/picks?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast

Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journalhttps://drhyman.com/pages/longevity?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast

Join the 10-Day Detox to Reset Your Healthhttps://drhyman.com/pages/10-day-detox

Join the Hyman Hive for Expert Support and Real Resultshttps://drhyman.com/pages/hyman-hive

This episode is brought to you by Seed, Paleovalley, Timeline, Rho, Sunlighten, and Seatopia.

Make your microbiome part of your daily routine with seed.com/hyman and save 25% with code 25HYMAN.

Shop nutrient-rich foods and supplements at paleovalley.com/hyman and save 15% off your first order.

Support healthy aging and get up to 20% off when you subscribe on top of the new starting price of $79 at timeline.com/drhyman.

Explore science-backed products at rhonutrition.com and use code HYMAN for 20% off the entire site.

Discover why so many people are using sunlighten.com. Use code HYMAN to save up to $2,100 today and free shipping.

Find a cleaner source of seafood. Check out seatopia.fish and use code HYMAN for free shipping on your first order.

0:00 Introduction: Food industry, brain/microbiome hijack, and Dr. Rachel Goldman

1:17 Challenges in our relationship with food and emotional eating

4:25 Societal messages, body image, and the problem with body comments

6:17 Cognitive behavioral therapy for eating behaviors

9:54 The power of pausing and mindful eating

16:20 Emotional vs. physical hunger and mindful eating

22:17 Stress, sleep, and their impact on hunger and food choices

25:21 The myth of willpower, cravings, and brain studies

31:39 Food addiction, biology, and focusing on controllable actions

35:15 Coping tools and stress management

38:32 Diaphragmatic breathing and managing stress

40:36 Orthorexia, restrictive eating, and seeking professional help

45:19 The restriction-binge cycle and building a healthy relationship with food

49:29 Creating and sustaining a healthy relationship with food

56:08 Critiques of psychiatric practice and the GLP-1 phenomenon

1:00:30 Psychological aspects of weight loss and GLP-1 medications

1:02:58 Fixing biology vs. addressing psychology in eating

1:03:44 Long-term strategies and resources for eating disorders

1:07:00 The psychology of eating, self-talk, and episode conclusion

Trying to eat healthy has gotten surprisingly complicated. You pick up salmon and wonder about mercury, grab strawberries and think about pesticides, or drink from a plastic bottle and start worrying about microplastics. But not every food-safety risk deserves the same level of concern. In this episode, I break down what actually matters, what’s worth paying extra for, and the simple changes that can reduce your exposure without making you afraid of everything you eat.
Here’s what I discuss in today’s episode:

Which food-safety risks actually deserve your attention—and which ones may be creating more fear than necessary

How to think about organic produce, pesticides, recalls, and foodborne outbreaks without avoiding healthy foods altogether

What labels like grass-fed, organic, pasture-raised, wild-caught, and farm-raised really tell you—and what they don’t

The hidden exposures that can come from packaged foods, plastics, cookware, and even common mistakes in your own kitchen

Food safety isn’t about eliminating every possible risk. It’s about knowing which risks matter, understanding where small changes can make a meaningful difference, and having enough good information to separate a real concern from a scary headline.

Resources Mentioned:

Check current food recalls and outbreak updates from the FDA and CDC

Explore the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen™ to help decide where buying organic may be most worthwhile: https://www.ewg.org

Learn more about lower-mercury seafood choices through the FDA and EPA guidance

Listen to my conversation with Autumn Smith of Paleovalley for a deeper dive into meat labels, sourcing, and food quality

Have a question you’d love answered on Office Hours? Submit it here.

0:00 Food safety concerns and grocery shopping tips

2:34 Organic produce, washing, and handling recalls

7:40 Frozen produce, meat, and seafood label guidance

13:17 Seafood safety: mercury, wild vs. farm raised

16:45 Processed and ultra-processed foods explained

21:10 Food packaging chemicals and plastic safety

23:08 Kitchen safety and cross contamination

25:26 Key food safety takeaways and conclusion

Chronic illness rarely fits neatly into a single diagnosis. Symptoms can span multiple systems, leaving people profoundly unwell even when standard testing appears normal. I understand this experience from the inside out because I’ve lived it myself.

Today, I sit down with Dr. Neil Nathan, a leading expert in complex chronic illness and author of Toxic, now in its second edition. We explore why these conditions are so often misunderstood and how identifying what is driving them can create a path toward recovery.

We discuss:

Why mold toxicity, Lyme disease, and long COVID can be so difficult to diagnose

How to identify the root cause instead of chasing downstream symptoms

What the Cell Danger Response is and why the body can remain stuck in survival mode

Why some people suddenly become sensitive to foods, chemicals, medications, light, and sound

Why the right treatment can make symptoms worse when introduced at the wrong time

I’ve been sick enough to know how quickly chronic illness can narrow your world—and how discouraging it is when no one can explain why. But I’m also living proof that the body can recover. The answer is not always more treatment. Often, it begins with finding the root cause, respecting what the body can tolerate, and addressing each layer in the right order.

View Show Notes From This Episode

Sign up for Dr. Hyman’s Brainshaping Academy to learn how to nourish the biological systems that support your mental, emotional, and cognitive health

https://drhyman.com/products/brainshaping?utm_source=dr_hyman_show&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=may_27&utm_content=link

Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman

https://drhyman.com/pages/picks?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast

Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journal

https://drhyman.com/pages/longevity?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast

Join the 10-Day Detox to Reset Your Health

https://drhyman.com/pages/10-day-detox

Join the Hyman Hive for Expert Support and Real Results

https://drhyman.com/pages/hyman-hive

This episode is brought to you by BIOptimizers, Cozy Earth, Perfect Amino, Seatopia, Made In, and BON CHARGE.

Shop Magnesium Breakthrough at bioptimizers.com/hyman and save 15% with code HYMAN.

Upgrade your sleep setup with cozyearth.com and enjoy 20% off with code HYMAN.

Help fill protein gaps at bodyhealth.com and use code HYMAN20 for 20% off.

Find a cleaner source of seafood. Check out seatopia.fish and use code HYMAN for free shipping on your first order.

Shop for kitchen essentials at madeincookware.com and save 10% off your first order with code HYMAN-HIVE.

Explore red light products at boncharge.com/hyman and enjoy 15% off with code HYMAN.

(0:00) Introduction and Dr. Hyman's health journey

(3:11) Challenges and limitations of conventional medicine

(5:03) Environmental toxins and chronic illness

(7:21) Identifying root causes and treatment order

(16:14) Dr. Hyman’s mold struggle, toxicity vs. sensitivity

(21:01) Dr. Nathan’s books and diagnosing chronic illnesses

(28:53) Treatment strategies: primary cause, gut health, and mold

(34:22) Addressing limbic, vagal, and mast cell issues first

(39:52) Complexities of treating tick-borne infections

(44:46) Emotional and psychological aspects of recovery

(45:04) Encouragement and hope for chronic illness sufferers

(46:36) Closing remarks and podcast info