I don’t order much online… so when I do, it better be good. 📦
This one delivered!
After more than five years of work, I got my first look at “Food Sense” as an actual book. Excited (and a little in awe!) to share this with you.
“Food Sense” comes out October 13—preorders are available now at the link in my bio.
Is there a secret society for legume lovers…and how can I join? 👀🫘
Legumes - beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, and peanuts - don’t get the attention they deserve. They’re rich in fiber, plant protein, and essential nutrients. They also support sustainable agriculture by naturally fixing nitrogen in the soil.
And yet, current messaging continues to emphasize the opposite, even though Americans already consume more red meat than any other country and fall short on fiber.
If we’re serious about improving health, legumes should be front and center. And the best part? They’re already at the heart of unapologetically delicious global traditions from hummus to lentil dahl to tofu stir-fry to beans and rice.
Leguminati…I’m ready!
Big news! I wrote a book. 📚
After more than 30 years in nutrition research, I wanted to bring together what we know from nutrition science and how to apply it in a way that is realistic, flexible, and unapologetically delicious.
Food Sense focuses on what actually matters so eating well can feel simple, sustainable, and enjoyable.
Now available for pre-order. Link in bio. 🔗
The government’s newly released federal food pyramid flips decades of nutrition guidance upside down. The guidelines are drawing sharp criticism from leading experts who say the emphasis on meat and full-fat dairy could adversely impact the health of Americans and further contribute to environmental degradation.
Dr. ChristopherGardner @cgardnerphd , a professor of medicine at Stanford University who served on the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, said the recommendations he and his team had spent more than a year developing were largely thrown out.
“One of the main points that our dietary guidelines advisory committee came up with was more legumes — beans, peas and lentils — and less red and processed meat,” Gardner said. “So it was a bit of a slap in the face to see that the pyramid has a big steak at the very top.”
Tap the link in our bio, @americancommunitymedia , for the full story.
#PublicHealth #FoodPyramid #Nutrition #MAHA #Kennedy
The US dietary guidelines shape what 330 million people eat. So who gets to decide what goes in them — and are they actually getting it right?
I sat down with two of the sharpest minds on this: @cgardnerphd and @tybealphd .
What followed was one of the most nuanced, honest, and at times surprising conversations I’ve had on the show.
This is why I podcast.
I hope you find it equal parts clarifying and entertaining.
Links in bio to watch/listen.
- Simon
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans shape how a nation eats, but the science, politics, and industry forces behind them are rarely discussed. In the newest episode of the Switch4Good podcast, renowned nutrition scientist Dr. Christopher Gardner, Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and lead researcher of the Netflix Twin Experiment, pulls back the curtain on the latest update: how it was crafted, what’s shifted, and where it diverges from the evidence. Dr. Gardner helps us separate fact from manipulation and noise, and offers practical, realistic takeaways for building a balanced, sustainable way of eating.
Listen to the full episode via Switch4good.org/podcast
Twenty years ago, @michael.pollan gave us seven simple words: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
Ultra-processed foods sound simple to define, but the science and policy around them are more complicated than you might think. As a former member of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, I saw firsthand how sparse the evidence-based literature is when it comes to ultra-processed foods - which is why our recommendations on them were limited.
Whether we call them junk food, ultra-processed foods, or highly processed foods, they tend to share common features: added sugar, sodium, refined grains, and saturated fat. And our kids eat far too much of them!
The Dietary Guidelines shape our food safety net programs, including school meals. So, while it’s important that “highly processed” foods are addressed in the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines, if we truly want healthier school meals, we need:
✅ clearer definitions
✅ more support for food service directors
✅ more funding for real, whole foods
✅ incentives for industry to do better
This is THE moment to act for our kids.
(And no, the kale shirt was not sponsored by Big Kale.)
The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 were called a historic reset of U.S. nutrition policy by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. upon their release last week.
Here, registered dietitian @janethelm breaks down the changes, with firsthand commentary from Dietary Guidelines Committee member @cgardnerphd and analysis from other registered dietitians, including @carolynoneil .
Visit the link in our bio to learn more about the changes to know about and how to practically follow these guidelines.
Slide 1 image credit: USDA/realfood.gov
#DietaryGuidelines2025 #EatRealFood #NutrientDense #WholeFoods #NutritionFacts #HealthPolicy #ProteinFirst #USNewsHealth #CleanEating
The new Dietary Guidelines are out and they send mixed messages.
✅ Yes, they reinforce important basics that have been around for years like eating more vegetables and fruits, choosing whole grains, and limiting added sugar and highly processed foods. That’s solid science.
⚠️ But they also overemphasize protein, downplay fiber, muddy guidance on processed foods, and promote red meat and full-fat dairy while still warning about saturated fat.
After two years serving on the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, it’s troubling to see rigorous, transparent science sidelined, especially when health equity was treated as a reason to dismiss evidence rather than have it be a core part of public health.
Dietary guidance should reduce confusion, not create it.
Americans deserve clear, science-based recommendations that work for everyone.
🔗 Read our full breakdown at the link in bio.
Honored to deliver this year’s Robert Levy Memorial Lecture during the @american_heart #AHA25 Scientific Sessions this past weekend in New Orleans. ❤️
This prestigious lectureship recognizes leaders advancing lifestyle and cardiometabolic health research and I’m deeply grateful and honored to have been selected.
My talk focused on the importance of science communication and how we as researchers can share evidence-based findings in ways that inspire trust, reduce polarization, and empower healthier choices.
📸 Pictured with Dr. Chiadi Ndumele, Chair of the AHA Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health, who presented me with the award.
Two weeks ago, we welcomed nearly 300 people to campus for the 2025 Stanford Food Summit, a day dedicated to food, health, and sustainability.
From an unapologetically delicious lunch to inspiring keynotes, new connections, lively panels, and action-driven discussions, the day was all about reimagining how institutions — from universities to hospitals — can lead the shift toward healthier people and a healthier planet.
Head to the link in my bio for videos from this year’s event! 🎥
“You’d have to be nuts to be a nutrition scientist!” Dr. Christopher Gardner (@cgardnerphd ) discusses how, while science does evolve, many of the fundamentals stay the same, and it’s those “boring but reliable” truths that should guide our daily nutrition choices, not clickbait-y claims 🌱
Dr. Gardner spoke with such clarity and honesty on our podcast! Hear the full conversation in ‘Your Brain On... Eating Meat’ — comment ‘PODCAST’ and we’ll send you a link to listen 🎧
