On this episode of Eating Matters, host Jenna Liut digs into the merits of eating a plant based diet, a concept that has gained popularity in the past decade, even giving way to the development of plant based "meats." More recently, Netflix released a very pro-vegan documentary, "What the Health," which equates eating processed meats and eggs to smoking cigarettes in terms of negative health outcomes. Americans have a long history of diet obsessions, and Jenna discusses whether a plant based diet is a passing fad like the low fat craze of the 1990s, or if we should be abstaining from all animal products. Joining the show to unpack these issues is Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, emerita, at New York University, in the department she chaired from 1988-2003 and from which she retired in September 2017. She is also Visiting Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell and the author of six prize-winning books including: Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health; What to Eat; and, Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and Winning).

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