09-22-25 - Listeners Emailing In Their Interactions w/The Yuka App - Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Arizona

Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness – 09-22-25

Episode Theme:
The crew discusses listeners’ feedback and stories about using the Yuka app—a popular product-scanning health app—and dives into quirky emails about app usage, social behaviors, and local happenings. The tone is a blend of skepticism, humor, and candid commentary on health culture in America and current local buzz.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Yuka App – Data, Health, and Skepticism

[00:17–04:17]

The team reacts to listener emails about the Yuka app, notably from J. Todd, who is wary of the app’s true motives.
- J. Todd’s Complaint: He scanned "David" brand sunflower seeds (only containing "sunflower seeds and salt") and received a score of 35/100, with the app recommending Trader Joe's alternatives—prompting suspicion it’s a thinly veiled marketing tool.
  - Quote (J. Todd, read by Host):
  "The Yucca app is not about your health. It's a data harvest and marketing app." [00:22]
- Hosts debate whether Trader Joe's products truly are "healthier" or just favored by the app.
The discussion shifts to users’ obsessive relationships with food tracking and how it reflects an unhealthy societal dynamic.
- Notable Commentary (John Holmberg):
  
  "We have a wildly unhealthy relationship with food. And especially in this country, where it becomes your identity, like what you eat, who you are. It's part of your personality… We’ve made food personality. It’s weird." [03:14]
- Host’s Advice:
  
  "Y-U-K-A and don't do it. I'm telling you, don't. It'll wreck everything." [04:02]
- The hosts note that health apps, while helpful for some, can become compulsive for others.

2. Listener Emails – Grindr and Local App Chaos

[04:18–07:40]

Emails claim Grindr crashed in Phoenix post-memorial event, leading to jokes about post-event gay hookups.
Discussion turns into ribbing about “gay last day of summer flings” and internet rumors; skeptical banter from the hosts as they poke fun at the supposed overload in gay dating apps tied to local happenings.
- John Holmberg:
  
  "They're blaming the memorial. But it's just like the gays were excited about the Earth, Wind & Fire's '21st Night of September.' ...That'll get you into some gay sex if you listen to that song too often." [06:05]
- The hosts riff about whether the “big gay sex, last day of summer fling” story holds water, landing in classic HMS irreverence.

3. Holmberg’s Anecdote and Local Humor

[07:41–09:00]

Holmberg shares a story about playing basketball, losing the ball in his gay neighbors’ yard (“Michael and Troy”), and unintentionally appearing shirtless—a “gift from heaven” until they saw his face.
- Holmberg:
  
  "That's the only time I've ever been in just a pair of shorts standing in a gay guy's front yard. Will it be the last? I don't know...Then I turned around and showed my face. And they were like, 'Oh, Huxley, get in the house. Lock the doors.'" [08:20]
The hosts riff on the encounter, with playful banter that keeps tone self-aware and light.

Notable Quotes and Timestamps

J. Todd (Listener Email), read by Host, on Yuka App Bias:

"I scanned David sunflower seeds... came up 35 out of 100. And it had substantial recommendations for the Trader Joe's brands. He thinks it's an advertising tool." [00:25]
John Holmberg, on Food Culture:

"We’ve made food personality. It's weird." [03:16]
John Holmberg, on Yuka App Addiction:

"Y-U-K-A and don't do it. I'm telling you, don't. It'll wreck everything." [04:02]
On Grindr Rumors Post-Memorial:

"They're blaming the memorial. But it's just like the gays were excited about the Earth, Wind & Fire's '21st Night of September.' Yeah. Awesome show. That'll get you into some gay sex if you listen to that song too often." [06:01]
Holmberg, on Shirtless Encounter:

"I was a glistening, sweaty man with no shirt on, standing in their front yard. They thought it was a gift from heaven. Until they got close and saw my face... 'Get in the house. Lock the doors.'" [08:20]

Segment Timestamps

[00:00–04:17] — Yuka App: Listener skepticism, data harvesting, food culture insights
[04:18–07:40] — Listener emails about Grindr, local Phoenix rumors, and humorous reactions
[07:41–09:00] — Holmberg's shirtless neighbor story

Summary and Takeaways

This episode leaned heavily into audience interaction, using listener emails as a jumping-off point for discussions about the Yuka app, the way technology intersects with marketing and health, and our collective fixation on food “identities.” The second half of the segment shifted to lighter fare, poking fun at Phoenix social rumors about Grindr crashes and playfully exchanging stories from everyday life—all layered with the show’s signature irreverence and self-aware banter.

For listeners:
Expect a blend of skepticism toward health-tech fads, sharp humor, and candid takes on everyday absurdities with plenty of punchy one-liners. The conversation, while fast and loose, serves up both social commentary and local flavor in typical HMS style.

Loading summary

Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
You're listening to the HMS Podcast, brought to you by MMP Guns.com, your most trusted online marketplace for firearms, ammunition and accessories. Holmberg's morning sickness. The old method of treatment for a person in this condition was to throw him in jail. All you people are being conspiratorial about the Yucca app. J. Todd has emailed in and he says the Yucca app is not about your health. It's a data harvest and marketing app. I scanned David sunflower seeds, which the ingredients are sunflower seeds and salt, and it came up 35 out of 100. And it had substantial recommendations for the Trader Joe's brands. He thinks it's an advertising tool. I did. It does recommend like I did notice a lot of Trader Joe stuff has good. Isn't that what Trader Joe's is known for? Yeah. Yeah. So wouldn't it make sense that most of the stuff at Trader Joe's is better than the David's one? I bet you they dip those sunflowers in like an oil or something, too. That's not. Are you kidding me? Say again? Preservatives or something like that, you know, I don't know. But not all. I mean, I did you go around. It's not like, oh, Trader Joe's stuff's 100% across the board. It's not. Well, look, by the way, anything direct. The Yucca app, I'm fine with. I got that one guy that emailed me and he's had, you know, his kidneys, he had renal failure. He's been going through this thing, as I learned a long time ago, that basically all I can do is he's having a honey crisp apple and very low, low sodium peanut butter dip today. That's his whole. That's breakfast. And we, you know, we have a Yucca app invented because we have a wildly unhealthy relationship with food. And especially in this country, where it becomes your identity, like what you eat, who you are. It's part of your personality. We've made food personality. It's weird. So, yeah, this Yucca app, I told you guys earlier this morning, and that's all my emails are doing. Everybody's down. It's Y U K A and don't do it. I'm telling you, don't. It'll wreck everything. Also saw I've gotten a few emails from people that said Grindr reported a problem here in Phoenix yesterday. It was overloading. And so, like I said that on September 11, 2025, the day after the Charlie Kirk mess We'll eventually start fighting over the dumbest things again soon. We just felt like it was like, oh, geez, let's have a moment of kind of like, let's. Let's reconcile all this emotionally for a day or two and then try to figure out how to be better. Well, we don't ever do that. We don't learn a thing. So I've gotten a lot of emails, a lot, saying that Grindr went nuts yesterday and they've got a map that said the biggest problem was this big orange glowing spot and it's in Phoenix. And they're like, well, it's because after the memorial, they all went and each other. Gay style is what they're trying to push. And that's the propaganda we're getting now. It's very funny because they're. That's their. That's their swing at the other side is to say, oh, it was a big gay sex party afterwards. I don't think it was the protesting. Maybe. Oh, maybe enough of them were also like, I'm sweaty and worn out. I really need to get by a same sex fella. But yeah, some people, for whatever reason, two or three people have sent me. I don't know if this one of them looks like it might be a joke. The other two were basically saying that Grindr was struggling yesterday because of overactivity in the Phoenix area. So they're blaming the memorial. But it's just like the gays were excited about the Earth, wind and fires. Big 21st night of September. Yeah. Awesome show. That'll get you into some gay sex if you listen to that song too often. I don't know. I got no idea. But yeah, I don't think that that was a big gay sex. Last day of summer fling May. I don't know. But does that mean. Did you ever have a gay last day of summer? Like, are you that big on the fall? No, that you have to have gay sex, but I'm willing to start. Okay, well, it's the first day of fall if you'd like to have anal sex with a man, we'll. We'll pay for it if you're interested. No, we're not homosexuals, but we are willing to learn. Yeah. You want to try that out? I don't necessarily believe that that's an accurate statement, but. Well, my streaming services all around were struggling yesterday. Were they? Oh, I didn't have any trouble. Football. No kidding. The only thing that happened to me yesterday that was gay was I was playing basketball and the ball went over the fence, and it went into the front yard of Michael and Troy's. And I had my shirt off, and I went around, and I was walking around, and Huxley, their dog, came running over, started barking at me. I'm like, hey, Hux, what's going on? And I just heard, what are you doing? And I'm like, huh? Then I realized I was a glistening, sweaty man with no shirt on, standing in their front yard. They thought it was a gift from heaven. Until they got close and saw my face. Yeah, it was a joke. That's the only time I've ever been in just a pair of shorts standing in a gay guy's front yard. Will it be the last? I don't know. The clouds parted. Then I turned around and showed my face. And they were like, oh, Huxley. Get in the house. Lock the doors. I lock the doors. It's free. It's time for your Guadalupe replay. On Friday, we had half of the man show because Jimmy Kimmel's not allowed to be on, broadcast anything right now. So Adam Carolla was with us. It was Fallon's birthday over the weekend. He's next. And Patrick Mahomes was here, thinking he was going to. He had a terrible, boring game last night. That's a rough team to watch this year. Let's get right to it. It's your Guadalupe replay. It's 98. It's not weird. It's pretty cool, actually. No membership fee. I have heard enough of this.