Is the backlash against ultra-processed foods really about health… or is it about control? In this episode of Shoulders Down, Leah and Laura Thomas, PhD, explore the growing moral panic around ultra-processed foods — and what’s really driving the conversation.

Laura explains why much of the research linking ultra-processed foods (UPFs) to poor health outcomes is observational, and how these headlines often oversimplify complex public health data. The conversation goes beyond nutrition science to examine how food narratives are shaped by gender roles, class privilege, and today’s political climate.

Together, Leah and Laura explore the connection between trad wife culture, GLP-1 use, beauty standards, and what Laura calls “body fascism” — unpacking the bigger cultural forces driving today’s conversations about food and bodies.

You’ll hear about:

• What ultra-processed foods (UPFs) actually are — and why the definition is murky
• Social determinants of health and the invisible labor of “food work”
• How the push to “cook from scratch” can reinforce gender roles and class privilege
• Trad wife culture, the rise of GLP-1s, and the body politics of it all
• Why this cultural moment is bigger than diet culture

Mentioned in this episode:

• Lessons from the Fatosphere by Kate Harding & Marianne Kirby
• Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings

More From Laura Thomas:

• Newsletter: https://canihaveanothersnack.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurathomasphd
• Laura Thomas’ books:
  • Just Eat It
  • How to Just Eat It

More From Leah:

• 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter Pack
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• Join my self-paced course, The Return
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🍽️ Are you overwhelmed by figuring out what to eat without the structure of diet rules? Enroll in our upcoming live workshop, WHAT TO EAT, on August 10th @ 3pm PT. Use code PODCAST at checkout to get $7 off.