I Listened to RFK Jr.’s New Podcast So You Don’t Have To

I listened to RFK Jr.'s new podcast so you don't have to.

From chatting with Mike Tyson about raising pigeons,

to bringing on an ex-Food Network star,

RFK Jr.'s new HHS podcast

seems to be missing one big thing:

any actual health advice.

On the first episode of The Secretary Kennedy Podcast,

he interviews reality TV chef Robert Irvine

about his makeover of military food at Fort Hood in Texas.

You might remember that Irvine was the host

of the popular Food Network show Dinner Impossible,

when a Tampa Bay Times investigation

found that he had, well, embellished parts of his resume

and had not, in fact,

created Princess Diana's wedding cake, for instance.

Irvine tells Kennedy he's been working with the Army

to bring in healthier dining options

with a focus on fresh and whole foods.

That's all great, but Irvine never really addresses

the kinds of foods Fort Hood was serving

before he stepped in.

Nor does he elaborate on the meals it offers now.

He says he's been able to reduce food costs

and suggest that individuals can too

if they're just smarter with their money.

This, of course, ignores the fact

that food costs in the US are increasing,

and that a diet rich in animal protein,

which is featured prominently

in the administration's new inverted food pyramid,

is getting even more expensive.

The USDA estimates that beef prices

were more than 12% higher in March

compared to March of last year,

while poultry prices were up 1.5%,

fresh vegetable prices, meanwhile,

we're 7.5% higher this March.

The second, shorter episode,

a 15 minute conversation with Mike Tyson,

is also short on health advice.

They discuss raising pigeons

and how Tyson grew up with ultra-processed foods.

This term ultra-processed

is mentioned several times in both episodes,

but Kennedy never stops to define

what it is he means by ultra-processed

or recommend healthier swaps.

The launch of the podcast

coincides with a rocky time for the MAHA movement.

Kennedy has reportedly been told by the White House

to tone down his anti-vaccine rhetoric

ahead of the midterms,

President Donald Trump

dropped health influencer and Kennedy ally Casey Means

as his nominee for Surgeon General,

and Kennedy's panel of handpicked vaccine advisors

has been disbanded after a federal judge

ruled them unqualified.

So, expect a continued focus on celebrity over policy

and little discussion of vaccines

for episode three and beyond.