Should You Really Eat That?

Should You Really Eat That?

Are olive oil shots a good idea? Should we dunk butter in our coffee? Is soy really “the most dangerous food for men?” and is chocolate actually a health food? (The royal pharmacist certainly thought so when he treated Marie-Antoinette’s headaches during 18th-century France with chocolate!). If health experts tell us we’re consuming too much salt, how do we balance that with cookbooks advising we season our food generously for flavour? And are we overlooking the health and cultural impacts of Indigenous ingredients? It can be tricky trying to consume the ‘right things’, and the forces that shape our diets go far beyond what’s supposedly ‘good for us’. On Should You Really Eat That?, food writer Lee Tran Lam untangles the mixed messaging about the food and drinks we consume – with the help of chefs, dietitians and other guests.

Episodes

Introducing Should You Really Eat That? A new podcast that makes sense of food confusion

September 26, 2023 • 3 mins
It can be extraordinarily confusing keeping up with what foods are ‘good’ for you. Should you actually put olive oil or salt in your coffee as recent food trends suggest? Is white rice a no go? And which seafoods are actually sustainable? In Should You Really Eat That? host Lee Tran Lam explores the cultural, social, and nutritional confusion over the staples in our diet.
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Rice: Dietary staple, daily greeting, and nutritional villain?

October 11, 2023 • 24 mins
When dietitian Susie Burrell named white rice as something she’d never put in her shopping trolley, food writer Lee Tran Lam was intrigued... and a little confused. Rice is the star of so many national dishes and it feeds half the planet! "Have you eaten rice yet?” is even a greeting in many parts of Asia. So should we really be avoiding these grains? In this episode Lee Tran chats with nutritionist Dr Evangeline Mantzioris, and re...
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Bread: Historic staple, riot-starter, loneliness cure

October 18, 2023 • 28 mins
The oldest bread that still exists today was baked 14,500 years ago in Jordan. We’ve eaten this staple for a long time, but rejecting bread because it’s ‘bad’ for you has become a modern trend. Should we be saying no to loaves and toast?
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Tea: Scandal water, life saver, yum cha essential

October 25, 2023 • 25 mins
Tea is the most-consumed drink on the planet, second only to water. Originally consumed for medicinal reasons, a well-brewed pot also helps with break-ups and bad news. But are there certain instances where we should put our teacups away?
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Coffee: Caffeine hit, productivity booster, wedding custom

November 1, 2023 • 30 mins
Around the world, people drink coffee – whether it’s sweetened with condensed milk in Vietnam or spiced with cinnamon in Mexico. It powers us through our workdays, deadlines and boring office meetings. Maybe that’s why it’s the most socially acceptable drug we consume – but is there a limit to how much we should have or what it can really do?
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Cheese: Calcium source, place marker, vegan inspiration

November 8, 2023 • 26 mins
Our love of cheese is so vast, it can be plotted across the planet. From Gorgonzola in Italy to Oaxaca in Mexico, many places are famous for their wedges and wheels. But can you go overboard with a cheese board? And what if you don’t eat dairy at all? Lee Tran Lam wheys it all up with cheesemaker Giuseppe Minoia, chef Shannon Martinez and dietitian Dr Evangeline Mantzioris.
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Seafood: Cooking inspiration, mercury magnet, cultural storyteller

November 15, 2023 • 33 mins
Our taste for seafood goes back a long time. We’ve been snacking on shellfish for more than 100,000 years. And the foods we gather from the ocean (whether it’s mussels or seaweed) are typically loaded with nutrients. But today, people might reconsider these staples because of environmental, ethical or health concerns – so should you limit your consumption of ingredients that are hauled from the sea? In this episode Lee Tran Lam spe...
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Season two trailer: Should You Really Eat That?

February 5, 2025 • 3 mins
It can be tricky trying to consume the ‘right things’, and the forces that shape our diets go far beyond what’s supposedly ‘good for us’. On the second season of Should You Really Eat That?, Lee Tran Lam continues to untangle the cultural, social and nutritional confusion around the staples in our diet – with the help of chefs, dietitians and other guests. On the menu this season are chocolate, soy, butter, olive oil, salt and Indi...
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Chocolate: Food of the gods, romantic gesture, dog poison

February 12, 2025 • 23 mins
In 18th-century France, the royal pharmacist treated Marie-Antoinette’s headaches with chocolate. This sweet even appeared in European hospital prescriptions! Medicinal use of chocolate goes back thousands of years: its main ingredient, cacao, was used to treat snake bites by ancient Mesoamerican societies, for instance. Today, we see headlines about chocolate supposedly being a health food – but is it really? And can blocks and ba...
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Soy: Traditional craft, miracle crop, male threat?

February 19, 2025 • 31 mins
Is soy “the most dangerous food for men?” This question was posed by a viral Men’s Health article and, like the #soyboy insult, it plays into modern fears that soybeans emasculate bodies. But is there any scientific validity to this online panic? And does it tell the full story about this crop known as ‘green gold’ – and how it’s shaped cuisines across the world? In this episode, Lee Tran Lam talks to restaurateur Yoora Yoon, chef ...
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Butter: Bakery essential, insult inspiration, wedding gift

February 26, 2025 • 36 mins
Not that long ago, butter had its health-villain era. Margarine reigned and fridges were stocked with ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter’ and alternative dairy spreads. But in recent times, we’ve seen tech-bros ‘biohack’ their coffee with butter, and butter boards and butter sculptures leave a sunny glow on social media. Is there a scientific basis for this change in dietary trends? And what about the cultural role of butter, beyond ...
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Olive Oil: Lamp fuel, criminal swag, pharmacy staple

March 5, 2025 • 29 mins
For thousands of years, we’ve used olive oil for everything: from lighting lamps to chasing bugs out of our ears. In Australia, the oldest olive trees – planted 200 years ago – are still alive today. Olive oil was pressed by monks in Western Australia and inmates in Adelaide in the 1800s – but until recently, you could only find this fuel in pharmacies. It was considered an earache treatment, not a cooking essential. Migrants from ...
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Salt: Slug repellent, history shaper, chip enhancer

March 12, 2025 • 34 mins
From Persian blue salt to Murray River pink salt and every colour in between, sodium chloride has been essential for millennia. The Great Wall of China was funded by a salt tax and hunger for this mineral has led to revolutions in India and France. Salt is so versatile, it can melt ice on roads, clean wounds and repel slugs from your home. Chefs tell us to season generously with salt and our bodies also need this staple to function...
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Native foods: Bush lollies, medicinal source, climate-change tool

March 19, 2025 • 37 mins
Whether you call them traditional foods, native ingredients, bush tucker or something else, what’s harvested here is unique. Australia’s a “megadiverse” country, home to around 700,000 species. 65,000-year-old grindstones found in a Kakadu rock shelter reflect the long, rich history of First Nations foods here and many plants are nutritional wonders – Kakadu plum has the highest vitamin C level in the world and even Captain Cook us...
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