Something You Should Know

Processed food has gotten a pretty terrible reputation. We’re warned to avoid foods with long ingredient lists, mysterious additives and chemical names we can’t pronounce. “Ultra-processed” has practically become another way of saying “bad for you.” But is that a useful way to judge what we eat? After all, almost everything we eat has been processed in some way, and everything we eat — including perfectly natural food — is made of chemicals.

So how can you tell which ingredients are worth worrying about and which ones just sound scary? Why do manufacturers put preservatives, emulsifiers, artificial flavors, stabilizers and other additives into food in the first place? And does a complicated-looking ingredient label actually tell you much about whether a food is healthy?

Here to sort through the chemistry is George Zaidan, an MIT-trained chemist who created National Geographic’s web series Ingredients: The Stuff Inside Your Stuff. He is also author of Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put in Us and on Us (https://amzn.to/2Zykgij).

Listen as George explains what some of those strange-sounding ingredients actually are, what they do, what the science says about their safety and why our instincts about “natural” versus “chemical” can sometimes lead us astray. If you have ever stood in a grocery store reading a label and wondered, “What IS all this stuff?” this conversation may change the way you look at what’s in your food.

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Ever notice that the trip home often seems shorter than the trip there—even when the distance and travel time are exactly the same? It happens so often that researchers have given it a name: the “return trip effect.” And the explanation reveals something fascinating about how your brain experiences time. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3179583

You’re told to “take charge of your healthcare.” But how exactly are you supposed to do that when the doctor is the expert, appointments are short, and navigating the healthcare system can be frustrating and confusing? It turns out there is a lot you can do to get better care. Dr. Lucy McBride explains how to make better use of your doctor, ask the right questions, know when to push for answers, and become a more effective partner in your own healthcare. She is a primary care physician and author of Beyond the Prescription: A Doctor’s Guide to Taking Charge of Your Health (https://amzn.to/4hAEoc3).

Weather is doing things to you that you probably never realize. Sunshine, rain, heat, cold, wind and even changes in atmospheric pressure can affect how you think, feel, sleep and behave. Why are some people far more sensitive to weather than others? Can certain weather actually make us more aggressive or anxious? And why can a particular kind of day trigger such powerful memories and emotions? Dr. Trevor Harley has spent years studying the surprisingly intimate relationship between weather and the human mind. He is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Dundee and author of Head in the Clouds: How the Weather Affects Our Minds and Mental Health (https://amzn.to/4xN5L7v).

Could you tell whether water is hot or cold just by listening to someone pour it? You probably can—even if you’ve never realized it. Hot and cold water actually sound different, and there is a fascinating reason why. https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/questions/why-does-hot-water-sound-different-cold-water-when-poured

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You probably know that light, noise, temperature and stress can all interfere with your sleep. But what about the moon? Strange as it sounds, some research suggests people really do sleep differently around the time of a full moon — even when they aren’t outside looking at it. So what could possibly explain that? Listen as I reveal what researchers have discovered. https://www.self.com/story/full-moon-sleep

Most of us know instinctively that music can change how we feel. The right song can calm you down, lift your mood or bring back a memory in an instant. But scientists are discovering that music may do considerably more than that. There is now fascinating research into how music can affect the brain and body and even be used to help treat certain medical conditions. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin has been following this research for years, and he joins me to explain what we now know about the remarkable connection between music and our health. Dan is author of the book I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine (https://amzn.to/46QoQcE).

Technology does so many things for us that we no longer have to do for ourselves. GPS finds our way, search engines remember things for us, and our phones make sure we never have to sit quietly with nothing to do. Convenient? Absolutely. But what happens to the human abilities we stop using? Some surprisingly important skills are beginning to fade from our lives, and losing them may have consequences we haven’t considered. Graham Lee joins me to explain which skills are disappearing, why they still matter and what we can do to get them back. He is author of the book Human Being: Reclaim 12 Vital Skills We’re Losing to Technology (https://amzn.to/46MP53A).

Your brain is not equally good at everything all day long. There are times when you may be better at concentrating, solving problems or doing mentally demanding work — and other times when trying to force it may be an uphill battle. So how do you know when your brain is at its best? Listen as I explain how understanding your brain’s natural rhythms can help you decide what to do — and when to do it. David Rock is author of Your Brain at Work (https://amzn.to/4g3Fk5F).

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If you have a goal you really want to accomplish, when you start may matter more than you think. January 1st gets all the attention, but there are other dates and occasions that can give you a surprisingly powerful motivational boost. https://behavioralscientist.org/new-years-resolutions-failed-be-prepared-to-leverage-other-fresh-starts

How often do you strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know very well? Probably not as often as you could. It is usually easier to look at your phone, avoid eye contact and keep to yourself. Yet those little interactions you have with a cashier, a neighbor, a coworker or even a stranger in line can have a surprisingly big impact on your life. And chances are, you are seriously underestimating how much you and the other person will enjoy them. Nicholas Epley joins me to explain the fascinating research showing what happens when we become just a little more social and why the payoff can extend well beyond simply having a pleasant conversation. Nicholas is a professor of behavioral science and director of the Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His new book is A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection (https://amzn.to/4g5vYHf).

Spend enough time watching the news and it can seem as if the end of the world is always just around the corner. Nuclear war, artificial intelligence, asteroids, pandemics, climate change — there appears to be no shortage of things that could wipe us out. But which threats should genuinely worry us, which ones are wildly exaggerated. Ben Bradford has been investigating the things that supposedly threaten our existence and what he has discovered may change how you think about all those dire warnings. Ben is a journalist and host of the NPR podcast Are We Doomed? (https://doompod.com/), which examines the threats facing humanity — both real and imagined.

Every time you fill your car with gas, you trust a surprisingly simple piece of technology to do something very important: stop the pump at exactly the right moment. So how does it know? Listen as I reveal the clever bit of engineering hiding inside every gas pump. https://www.southernliving.com/should-you-keep-pumping-gas-after-the-nozzle-clicks-off-12027088

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QUINCE: Elevate your everyday. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Quince.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!

DELL: Built for those who want better. The Dell XPS, built for you!

HEALTH MATTERS: If you enjoy learning new ways to live a healthier life, check out NewYork-Presbyterian's Health Matters. Listen now and follow NewYork-Presbyterian's Health Matters wherever you get podcasts.

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It seems like paying attention should be easy. Yet for many of us, it has become one of the hardest things to do. We start reading an article and suddenly we're checking email. We pick up our phone to do one thing and, twenty minutes later, we've forgotten why we picked it up in the first place. We often blame ourselves for lacking discipline, but what if that's only part of the story? Is our ability to focus actually being stolen—and if so, by whom?

Journalist and bestselling author Johann Hari set out to answer those questions by traveling the world and interviewing many of the leading scientists and experts studying attention, distraction, and the brain. What he discovered challenges many of the assumptions we have about why it's become so difficult to concentrate and why simply trying harder isn't enough.

In this fascinating conversation, Johann explains what's really happening to our attention, why deep focus matters so much for creativity, productivity, happiness, and relationships, and what all of us can do to reclaim it. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by distractions or wondered why staying focused seems harder than it used to, you'll find this discussion both eye-opening and surprisingly hopeful.

Johann Hari is the author of Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—And How to Think Deeply Again (https://amzn.to/3Mfsp12).

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AIR DOCTOR: Head to ⁠⁠https://AirDoctorPro.com⁠⁠ and use promo code SYSK to get $250 off select AirDoctor air purifiers, including the 3500, 4000, and 5500 models. Plus, you’ll receive a free 3year warranty, an $84 value, and AirDoctor’s 30-day money back guarantee

WAYFAIR: Ready to upgrade your home for way less? Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Wayfair.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ right now to shop all things home and get your space ready for less.

QUINCE: Elevate your everyday. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Quince.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!

DELL: Built for those who want better. The Dell XPS, built for you!

HEALTH MATTERS: If you enjoy learning new ways to live a healthier life, check out NewYork-Presbyterian's Health Matters. Listen now and follow NewYork-Presbyterian's Health Matters wherever you get podcasts.

SHOPIFY: It's time to turn those "what ifs" into CHA CHING with Shopify Today! Sign up for your $1 per month trail and start selling today at ⁠⁠https://Shopify.com/realm⁠⁠

INDEED: Get a $75 Sponsored Job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Indeed.com/PODCAST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices