Full script:
We are at it again with another episode of Bite Sized, a podcast for paid subscribers of Forkful where we have bite-sized discussions about the latest nutrition news. This week we’re finally talking about it—the weight loss drug everyone is buzzing about. I have some thoughts, and I’m interested to hear yours…so comment on this podcast thread on Substack and let’s chat about it.
There was an article swirling around online this week from The Cut about the drug Ozempic. If you are not familiar, Ozempic is an anti-diabetic medication known for lowering blood sugar levels. But it has also gained popularity recently due to its weight loss effects. Ozempic mimics a hormone in the body that manages hunger and slows stomach emptying, making a person feel less hungry. And, in turn, causing a person to lose a lot of weight during a small period of time.
I feel like the term “there’s no magic pill” seems laughable here because, evidently, Ozempic is quite literally marketed as such (although it’s an injection someone has to take, not a pill). This drug has helped many lose weight rather quickly, some even saying that they only eat one or so meals a day and feel content, which is inordinately unhealthy for the body’s natural functioning.
Because body image is so openly talked about and valued for notable celebrities, it seems that this drug has become quite popular in entertainment circles, according to this article. A lot of people online were frustrated by it this week, but I can’t help but sit here and just not be surprised by it at all. Yes, we can be mad at the article…but it’s just revealing a very sad reality of what’s going on right now. We may praise celebrities for how great they look and want to follow all of their healthy “routines” to look that way ourselves (especially if it means selling us a product, right?) But how do we really know that this notable person isn’t using something else to help them look that way? Botox? Lip fillers? Implants—or taking out implants? Ozempic?
I think there’s a lot more for us to discuss here, and I will likely tackle it for a Saturday essay at some point. But I think our bite-sized discussion on this topic today is don’t believe everything you see online. We, of course, know this. But I think it can be difficult to actually believe it…especially when we see these gorgeous celebrities on Instagram. It’s so easy to compare ourselves and feel less than compared to these “beautiful” people. But just remember…one meal a day is in no way healthy for your body for proper functioning. Here, we’re all about living a long, happy life. And to do so, we need to feed our bodies and take care of it. And one meal a day really, really won’t get us there.
Y’all know how I feel about processed foods — I love them. Very different than ultra-proccessed foods, of course. Ultra-processed foods are the kinds of foods made from substances that have been extracted from foods like fats, starches, added sugars, and hydrogenated oils. They are highly processed, given lots of chemicals to make them shelf stables, and are packed and put on the shelf.
Again, I’m a believer that no food is good or bad, it’s just food. But we also know that a diet that includes a high amount of ultra-processed foods and no whole foods does cause severe long-term damage on our health, and so they are foods that we should consider eating in moderation. That’s just a good nutrition practice that I think we can all agree on here.
However, processed foods are a bit different. They are whole foods that have been processed to be able to last on a shelf but not to the same extent as an ultra-processed food. Think canned or frozen vegetables and fruits, packaged or canned fish, dry or canned beans and legumes, and more. Some would try to argue that these foods don’t have the same amount of nutritional value compared to the fresh stuff, but science begs to differ; frozen foods are even considered more nutritious compared to fresh given that they are frozen at peak ripeness, locking in that nutritional value and flavor.
And apparently, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, the same goes for chocolate.
While chocolate does undergo some processing to become the powder and bars that we buy, this process doesn’t take away from the nutritional value of the cocoa beans. Cocoa beans are rich in polyphenols, an antioxidant found in plant foods that reduces oxidative stress in the body, having a positive effect on the body’s inflammation, gut health, cardiovascular health, and more.
The eight-week animal study concluded that the mice saw positive effects on their weight and gut permeability when given a cocoa powder supplement (that had been processed). Gut permeability means that the barrier surrounding the gut was strengthened, reducing the risk of “leaky gut” and fatty liver disease.
While the researchers conclude that there is still a lot more to be learned from future research regarding processed cocoa, this is a promising addition to this idea that not all processed foods are bad, and that chocolate can indeed fit into a healthy diet—despite what the diet culture pushers want you to believe.
We’ve done a lot of debunking over here at Forkful, and in one of my earlier essays, I talked about eggs. Specifically about how consuming dietary cholesterol doesn’t actually cause high blood cholesterol, but instead, it’s a high intake of saturated fat that is causing the problem.
And a recent study backs up this fact yet again.
Published in the journal Nutrients, this study concluded that eating eggs is actually beneficial for cardiovascular health, despite what you’ve likely previously believed. After evaluating the diets of over 3,000 participants, the study concluded that participants who ate one to three eggs a week reduced their heart disease risk by 60%, and participants who ate four to seven eggs a week reduced their risk by 75%.
Eggs are full of incredible nutrients that are great for your body. Not just protein, but choline, folate, iron, vitamin D, vitamin E, and many B vitamins. The majority of these nutrients coming, of course, from the egg yolk. So don’t take it out, even though diet culture pushers would tell you otherwise.
The key for getting cholesterol numbers low is keeping saturated fat content low, hence why the American Heart Association recommends only 5% to 6% of your diet coming from saturated fatty acids, which is around 13 grams for a 2,000-calorie diet. One large egg has 1.6 grams of saturated fat, so just over 3 if you are consuming two with breakfast. It’s some, but not a ton, meaning that you shouldn’t worry so much about eggs causing heart health problems.
Bite Sized: Episode 4