How To Fix The Food System When Policy Won’t With Dr. Robert Lustig

Dr. Robert H. Lustig joins the show to break down why today’s metabolic health crisis is not a personal failure problem, but an environment problem, and how the power structure shaping food, policy, and public health has shifted in ways most people have not tracked. From “poisonous calories” and ultra-processed food to microplastics, reactive species, and artificial sweeteners, Dr. Lustig connects the biochemical dots to the brain, explaining how the amygdala functions like an air-traffic controller for stress and decision-making, what happens when its “brakes” fail, and why our nervous system is increasingly under attack. The conversation moves from diagnosis to solutions, including what it would actually take to fix the food supply, why converting ultra-processed food into real food matters, and how initiatives like getting real food into schools can become a practical lever for change when leadership and institutions stall.