Gastropod

Move over protein, it's time to fibermaxx! Fiber has always been the neglected stepchild of nutrients: it's never been seen as essential, and some of its earliest enthusiasts were poop-obsessed oddballs. Take the inventor of cornflakes, John Harvey Kellogg. Inspired by the gorillas he saw at the zoo, he was fiber's first popular champion—but he also went around making people sniff his own perfect poops, and he believed that eating a plant-based, fiber-heavy, and condiment-free diet would help achieve his goal of reducing masturbation. It wasn't until surprisingly recently that scientists realized that fiber doesn't just prevent constipation—eating enough of it cuts your overall risk of death by about a quarter by lowering your cholesterol, helping keep your blood sugar and your weight stable, and preventing cancer. So it's a huge problem that nearly 95 percent of Americans aren’t getting enough of the stuff: on average, we eat about half what we should to hit government recommendations. This episode, we've got the story of fiber's embarrassing origins, the scoop on what all the different kinds of fiber actually are and do, and the emerging science behind its most magical powers—plus, the top tips you need to get more of it, deliciously and without digestive discomfort. Listen in—and, if you don't end up fiber-obsessed, too, we'll eat our whole-grain hats!
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For tens of thousands of years, North America was bison country. Millions of these giant, shaggy animals—also known as buffalo—roamed from the far north to the Gulf and from the east coast to the west. They defined the land and its people: the animals provided food, clothing, and spiritual connection to the continent's Indigenous peoples—while their hooves, wallows, and dung patties shaped the prairie, providing essential habitat for plants, birds, amphibians, and more. But by the late 1800s, the bison had nearly been driven extinct. Today, cattle have largely taken their place, with huge human and ecological repercussions. But could we swap bison for beef in our burgers, and what would happen if we did? This week, we’ve got the story of how a bison-hunting taxidermist helped save the bison and kickstart their recovery, as well as current Indigenous efforts to bring bison back to tribal lands and tables—plus, the scoop on how you can join the movement, and eat bison to save bison! Join us on the range this episode, as we explore the tragic history and inspiring future of America's national mammal.
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Cow milk is out, and plant milk reigns supreme. At least, that's how it feels in the supermarket these days, where the refrigerated section is full of "milk" made from oats, almonds, peanuts, coconuts, soy, macadamia nuts, pistachios, and even peas, with new plants being milked seemingly every day. But this proliferation had us wondering: who invented all these plant milks, and are they better for us and the planet than the OG cow-based beverage? To find out, we're exploring the surprisingly long history of plant-based milks—including why most civilizations preferred them over any animal's, why Henry Ford thought plant milk would replace dairy the way cars replaced horses, and how Vince Lombardi and some catchy ads made drinking cow's milk de rigeur, even for grown-ups. Plus: we've got the inside story of how Swedish underdog Oatly took the third wave coffee world by storm, plus a science-based breakdown of which of these new alt-milks you should be drinking for the maximum health and environmental benefits.
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Perhaps no other plant is as entwined with pain and pleasure as the chile pepper. But why does it burn—and why on earth do we crave that uncomfortable sensation? How did capsaicin's fungus-fighting, digestion-enhancing, and adrenaline-triggering powers convince early hunter gatherers in South America to fall in love with the chile's tiny berry ancestors, and then European colonists to spread chiles around the world? Plus, new insights into the rise of the “superhots,” chilehead competitions, and a murder-by-Carolina-Reaper attempt right here on team Gastropod. Who survived to tell the tale? Listen in to find out! (encore)
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If leafy greens and a little vinaigrette is salad, and chicken with mayo is salad, and vegetables in Jello-O are ALSO salad… What exactly is salad?! That's the big question we're tackling this episode—and it takes us down some unexpected rabbit holes. Listen in now to hear how ‘scientific housekeeping’ and good-old-fashioned sexism made salad into women’s food, and how this led to boiled cucumbers, lettuce-cup prisons, and the emergence of the Jell-O salad. Plus: the rise and fall of the great American salad bar (RIP), and why that plastic bag of mixed salad greens is the most high-tech item in your refrigerator. Lettuce might be in the news for all the wrong reasons right now, but that doesn't mean it can't be salad days for your ears!
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