Should You Really Eat That?
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Are olive oil shots a good idea? Should we dunk butter in our coffee? Is soy really “the most dangerous food for men?” and is chocolate actually a health food? (The royal pharmacist certainly thought so when he treated Marie-Antoinette’s headaches during 18th-century France with chocolate!). If health experts tell us we’re consuming too much salt, how do we balance that with cookbooks advising we season our food generously for flavour? And are we overlooking the health and cultural impacts of Indigenous ingredients? It can be tricky trying to consume the ‘right things’, and the forces that shape our diets go far beyond what’s supposedly ‘good for us’. On Should You Really Eat That?, food writer Lee Tran Lam untangles the mixed messaging about the food and drinks we consume – with the help of chefs, dietitians and other guests.
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Top 10 Should You Really Eat That? Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Should You Really Eat That? episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Should You Really Eat That? for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Should You Really Eat That? episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Salt: Slug repellent, history shaper, chip enhancer
Should You Really Eat That?
03/12/25 • 34 min
From Persian blue salt to Murray River pink salt and every colour in between, sodium chloride has been essential for millennia. The Great Wall of China was funded by a salt tax and hunger for this mineral has led to revolutions in India and France. Salt is so versatile, it can melt ice on roads, clean wounds and repel slugs from your home. Chefs tell us to season generously with salt and our bodies also need this staple to function. But health experts say we’re eating way too much of it. How do we get that balance right? In this episode, Lee Tran Lam talks to salt-maker Alice Laing, restaurateurs Dylan Jones and Tomoya Kawasaki, and health director Peter Breadon.
Cheese: Calcium source, place marker, vegan inspiration
Should You Really Eat That?
11/08/23 • 26 min
Our love of cheese is so vast, it can be plotted across the planet. From Gorgonzola in Italy to Oaxaca in Mexico, many places are famous for their wedges and wheels. But can you go overboard with a cheese board? And what if you don’t eat dairy at all? Lee Tran Lam wheys it all up with cheesemaker Giuseppe Minoia, chef Shannon Martinez and dietitian Dr Evangeline Mantzioris.
Coffee: Caffeine hit, productivity booster, wedding custom
Should You Really Eat That?
11/01/23 • 30 min
Around the world, people drink coffee – whether it’s sweetened with condensed milk in Vietnam or spiced with cinnamon in Mexico. It powers us through our workdays, deadlines and boring office meetings. Maybe that’s why it’s the most socially acceptable drug we consume – but is there a limit to how much we should have or what it can really do?
Bread: Historic staple, riot-starter, loneliness cure
Should You Really Eat That?
10/18/23 • 28 min
The oldest bread that still exists today was baked 14,500 years ago in Jordan. We’ve eaten this staple for a long time, but rejecting bread because it’s ‘bad’ for you has become a modern trend. Should we be saying no to loaves and toast?
Rice: Dietary staple, daily greeting, and nutritional villain?
Should You Really Eat That?
10/11/23 • 24 min
When dietitian Susie Burrell named white rice as something she’d never put in her shopping trolley, food writer Lee Tran Lam was intrigued... and a little confused. Rice is the star of so many national dishes and it feeds half the planet! "Have you eaten rice yet?” is even a greeting in many parts of Asia. So should we really be avoiding these grains? In this episode Lee Tran chats with nutritionist Dr Evangeline Mantzioris, and restaurateurs Palisa Anderson from Chat Thai and Little Lagos’ Adetokunboh Adeniyi.
Introducing Should You Really Eat That? A new podcast that makes sense of food confusion
Should You Really Eat That?
09/27/23 • 3 min
It can be extraordinarily confusing keeping up with what foods are ‘good’ for you. Should you actually put olive oil or salt in your coffee as recent food trends suggest? Is white rice a no go? And which seafoods are actually sustainable? In Should You Really Eat That? host Lee Tran Lam explores the cultural, social, and nutritional confusion over the staples in our diet.
Season two trailer: Should You Really Eat That?
Should You Really Eat That?
02/06/25 • 3 min
It can be tricky trying to consume the ‘right things’, and the forces that shape our diets go far beyond what’s supposedly ‘good for us’. On the second season of Should You Really Eat That?, Lee Tran Lam continues to untangle the cultural, social and nutritional confusion around the staples in our diet – with the help of chefs, dietitians and other guests. On the menu this season are chocolate, soy, butter, olive oil, salt and Indigenous ingredients.
Chocolate: Food of the gods, romantic gesture, dog poison
Should You Really Eat That?
02/12/25 • 23 min
In 18th-century France, the royal pharmacist treated Marie-Antoinette’s headaches with chocolate. This sweet even appeared in European hospital prescriptions! Medicinal use of chocolate goes back thousands of years: its main ingredient, cacao, was used to treat snake bites by ancient Mesoamerican societies, for instance. Today, we see headlines about chocolate supposedly being a health food – but is it really? And can blocks and bars be a platform for good in other ways? In this episode, Lee Tran Lam talks to nutrition expert Saman Khalesi, chef Juan Carlos Negrete Lopez and proud Wiradjuri woman and chocolatier Fiona Harrison.
Butter: Bakery essential, insult inspiration, wedding gift
Should You Really Eat That?
02/26/25 • 36 min
Not that long ago, butter had its health-villain era. Margarine reigned and fridges were stocked with ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter’ and alternative dairy spreads. But in recent times, we’ve seen tech-bros ‘biohack’ their coffee with butter, and butter boards and butter sculptures leave a sunny glow on social media. Is there a scientific basis for this change in dietary trends? And what about the cultural role of butter, beyond health fads and online virality? In this episode, Lee Tran Lam talks to baker Anu Haran, butter-maker Pierre Issa and food and nutrition scientist Dr Emma Beckett.
Tea: Scandal water, life saver, yum cha essential
Should You Really Eat That?
10/25/23 • 25 min
Tea is the most-consumed drink on the planet, second only to water. Originally consumed for medicinal reasons, a well-brewed pot also helps with break-ups and bad news. But are there certain instances where we should put our teacups away?
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FAQ
How many episodes does Should You Really Eat That? have?
Should You Really Eat That? currently has 14 episodes available.
What topics does Should You Really Eat That? cover?
The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Food Science, Sbs, Podcasts and Arts.
What is the most popular episode on Should You Really Eat That??
The episode title 'Seafood: Cooking inspiration, mercury magnet, cultural storyteller' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Should You Really Eat That??
The average episode length on Should You Really Eat That? is 26 minutes.
How often are episodes of Should You Really Eat That? released?
Episodes of Should You Really Eat That? are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Should You Really Eat That??
The first episode of Should You Really Eat That? was released on Sep 27, 2023.
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