Podcast Summary
Podcast: No One Is Coming to Save Us
Host: Gloria Riviera (not present in this drop-in)
Episode: Listen Now: That Can’t Be True with Chelsea Clinton
Featured Host: Chelsea Clinton
Guest: Dr. Jessica Nurik, PhD, Registered Dietitian, Nutrition Science
Producer: Lemonada Media
Date: October 2, 2025
Theme: Unpacking Misinformation in Maternal & Child Health—Focus on the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Movement
Episode Overview
In this special cross-promo episode, Chelsea Clinton previews her new podcast “That Can’t Be True,” which interrogates health misinformation. This excerpt features her conversation with Dr. Jessica Nurik, known for her vocal opposition to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. Together, they discuss the increasing flood of misinformation in maternal and child health—especially as experienced by expecting and new mothers—and challenge some of the most persistent nutrition myths gaining ground on social media.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Rise of Health Misinformation on Social Media
[01:54 – 04:03]
- Dr. Nurik shares her personal experience with the dramatic increase in misinformation regarding pregnancy and nutrition between her two pregnancies (2019 and 2022).
- Quote:
"I just noticed ... a huge change in terms of the amount of misinformation that I was being fed in my algorithms towards ... pregnancy, nutrition and things like that." – Dr. Nurik [01:54] - She credits either COVID-19 or the explosion of TikTok for much of this shift.
- Quote:
- Misinformation was particularly harmful to women experiencing perinatal anxiety, exacerbating fears and uncertainty.
- Quote:
"It really opened my mind to how much anxiety women in this life stage are going through. And then, you know, they're online and it's just making it even worse." – Dr. Nurik [02:40]
- Quote:
- Dr. Nurik felt compelled to join social media to correct falsehoods, building a supporting community of pregnant and postpartum women.
Target: The MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) Movement
[03:10 – 04:03]
- Dr. Nurik first learned of MAHA through audience questions on Instagram.
- As a nutrition scientist, she recognized manipulative narratives around food policy and “health.”
- Quote:
"It was very easy for me to see how manipulative the narrative was, whereas maybe other areas of politics, it wouldn't be as easy for me to spot." – Dr. Nurik [04:01]
- Quote:
Mythbusting: Seed Oils Are Not Toxic
[04:52 – 07:50]
- One of the most frequent and unfounded questions: Are seed oils bad for you?
- Dr. Nurik clarifies this is a classic case where social media distorts scientific mechanisms into sweeping, inaccurate statements about health risks.
- Quote:
"There's just no data, there's no evidence to suggest that seed oils are inflaming us or harming our health. And in fact, quite the opposite when we look at epidemiological data." – Dr. Nurik [05:32] - Seed oils are present in diets globally with no supporting evidence for U.S.-centric panic.
- The actual concern is the overconsumption of ultra-processed foods—often made with seed oils—but the focus on seed oils misplaces blame.
- Demonizing seed oils can harm lower-income families by adding unnecessary anxiety about affordable cooking options.
- Quote:
"You're causing unnecessary anxiety and shame in a person that, like, there's no reason for it." – Dr. Nurik [07:39] - Chelsea quips about possible “big olive oil” conspiracies, underscoring the absurdity.
- Quote:
"It's like the big olive oil conspiracy." – Chelsea Clinton [07:09]
- Quote:
Infant Formula: Science vs. Shame
[07:54 – 10:42]
- Chelsea and Dr. Nurik both recognize the privilege and luck that allowed them to breastfeed. Chelsea notes increasing pressure and shaming of parents who rely on formula.
- Quote:
"Breast is best, but if you're not breastfeeding your children, somehow you're failing... And alongside... kind of the denigration [of] formula broadly." – Chelsea Clinton [08:38]
- Quote:
- Dr. Nurik affirms formula as a major scientific advancement that enables babies to survive and thrive when breastfeeding isn’t possible for any number of reasons.
- Quote:
"Infant formula is [an] incredible scientific advancement... infants who would have otherwise died without a reliable source of nutrition now get to live and thrive." – Dr. Nurik [09:15]
- Quote:
- The MAHA movement and conspiratorial anti-formula messages are critiqued:
- Claims that U.S. formulas are toxic or inferior to European products are largely unfounded—ingredient differences are minimal.
- Seed oils are maligned in formulas despite scientific justification for their use: they mimic the polyunsaturated fatty acid profile of breast milk.
- Quote:
"There's a scientific basis for it and a reason. It's not this conspiratorial idea that they're trying to hurt the children. It's quite the opposite." – Dr. Nurik [10:26]
- Dr. Nurik stresses trusting experts who dedicate their careers to studying infant nutrition, not social media rumors.
- Quote:
"Everybody has these ideas, and they all should be, like, on the same playing field. When there’s people who have been studying this field forever and ever ... we should be listening to them about what an infant needs." – Dr. Nurik [10:37]
- Quote:
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Misinformation & Anxiety:
“It really opened my mind to how much anxiety women in this life stage are going through. And then, you know, they're online and it's just making it even worse.” – Dr. Nurik [02:40] - Seed Oil Hysteria:
"There's just no data, there's no evidence to suggest that seed oils are inflaming us or harming our health." – Dr. Nurik [05:32] "It's like the big olive oil conspiracy." – Chelsea Clinton [07:09] - Formula as Scientific Progress:
"Infant formula is [an] incredible scientific advancement... infants who would have otherwise died without a reliable source of nutrition now get to live and thrive." – Dr. Nurik [09:15] - Expertise vs. Social Media:
“We should be listening to [experts] about what an infant needs.” – Dr. Nurik [10:37]
Timestamps of Key Segments
- 01:54 — Dr. Nurik describes witnessing the boom in online misinformation during her pregnancies
- 04:52 — Public concern and scientific facts about seed oils
- 07:54 — Chelsea Clinton raises the intensifying shame around formula feeding; Dr. Nurik responds
- 09:15 — Formula feeding as a scientific breakthrough; debunking formula “toxicity” myths
- 10:37 — The case for expertise and evidence in infant nutrition
Episode Tone & Language
The conversation is empathetic, practical, and evidence-based. Both Chelsea Clinton and Dr. Nurik emphasize parental anxieties, misinformation’s real-world consequences, and a deep respect for scientific rigor. The tone combines expert authority with approachable candor, occasionally interspersed with humor (e.g., “big olive oil conspiracy”) to highlight the absurdity of viral myths.
Conclusion
This episode delivers an honest, clear-eyed critique of the MAHA movement’s messaging and the wider tide of health misinformation targeting mothers and families. Dr. Nurik provides calm, scientifically grounded answers on controversial nutrition topics, while Chelsea Clinton advocates for centering lived experiences and expert knowledge in the pursuit of sound public health.
For the full conversation and more fact-based health content, listeners are encouraged to find “That Can’t Be True” wherever they get their podcasts.
