Podcast Summary

The Tudor Dixon Podcast: Breaking Big Food, MAHA Movement & America’s Health Crisis

Date: February 16, 2026
Host: Tudor Dixon
Guests: Patrick and Ashley Sullivan (Filmmakers, “Breaking Big Food”)
Duration of core content: 02:01–39:59

Overview of Episode Theme

This episode delves into America’s health crisis—rising rates of chronic illness, obesity, and the role of “Big Food”—through the lens of Patrick and Ashley Sullivan, creators of the documentary “Breaking Big Food.” The conversation moves from personal health struggles and cancer journeys, to systemic issues in the food industry, regulatory failures, the emergence of grassroots food markets, and practical advice on reclaiming health and community resilience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Journeys & Motivations

• Cancer as a Catalyst (03:01–05:00)
  • Both Tudor Dixon and Patrick Sullivan are cancer survivors. Patrick shares how his cancer diagnosis (“I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 38, maybe 39. It was the worst feeling...” – C, 03:37) eventually led him and Ashley to rethink their diet and pursue clean, organic eating.
  • Both describe the “fog” and emotional turbulence after diagnosis and a shared frustration at not knowing how they developed cancer.

2. Chronic Disease—A Growing Epidemic

• Widespread Health Issues (05:00–06:16)
  • Tudor points to statistics: “50% of teens are overweight; 38% have pre-diabetes... It used to be called adult-onset diabetes. Now we just call it type 2 because so many young people are getting it.” (A, 05:20)
  • The documentary ties these trends to ultra-processed foods and misleading health advice.

3. What’s Wrong With Our Food?

• Seed Oils & Label Confusion (06:16–07:24)

  • Ashley explains the misinformation around seed oils: “80% of the store has a seed oil in it… I had no idea how inflammatory and toxic our food really was. Nobody taught us how to read nutrition labels.” (D, 06:16)
  • Tudor further voices consumer confusion: “If something called a seed oil, which sounds healthy, is bad, how do I know what’s bad?” (A, 07:03)

• The Corruption of Nutrition Guidelines (07:24–08:41)

  • Patrick recounts the manipulation of the food pyramid due to industry lobbying: “The original food pyramid created in 1992 really had a lot of industry. Like here’s what we need to sell.” (C, 08:38)
  • Tudor asks pointedly, “You mean lobbyists were involved?” (A, 08:39) leading to an affirming, almost humorous “Ding, ding, ding.” (D, 08:41)

4. The Entrenchment of “Big” Systems

• Systemic Challenges (08:41–11:00)

  • Tudor critiques the dominance of “Big Food, Big Pharma, Big Health” and the loss of personal agency in massive systems: “You as a person are no longer seen… When do you see the individual person and how do we break this cycle?” (A, 09:23)

• Family Farms vs. Big Ag (10:20–11:29)

  • Family farms struggle: “Family farms can’t compete with big food farms… government is protecting them… the family doctor is dying off… my farmer is just selling to the other big industries.” (A, 10:30)

5. Local Revival & Grassroots Solutions

• Community Markets as a Solution (11:29–13:21)
  • Patrick describes a local “revival” in Phoenix: “People are wanting to scratch their own itch and realizing the eggs, ground beef, milk they’re getting weren’t healthy… Now communities support each other, local markets source from regenerative farms, Amazon’s not involved.” (C, 11:29)
  • Example: “Good Living Greens” started by neighbors for neighbors.

6. Affordability and Access

• The Challenge of Healthy Food Costs (15:54–17:04)

  • Tudor and the Sullivans acknowledge affordability issues: “I know my customers are wealthy… I can’t do it on a massive scale… What happens to those who can’t afford this?” (A, 15:54)
  • Patrick: “Real food is generally less expensive because you’re eating less of it… longer-term organic is going to become less expensive simply because that’s how markets work.” (C, 17:04)

• Addictive Processed Foods (17:04–18:50)

  • Link between Big Tobacco and Big Food in making processed foods more addictive: “Big Tobacco took over Big Food in the 1980s… make them eat more of it.” (C, 17:29)

7. Overwhelm & Actionable Advice

• Making Small Swaps (20:20–21:06)

  • Ashley: “The conversation of overwhelm is so real… I would recommend start slow. Any improvement is a good improvement.” (D, 20:20)
  • Tudor: “Make small swaps.” (A, 20:45)

• Awareness of Systemic Manipulation (21:06–22:39)

  • Tudor recounts her trip to Europe, noting the contrast in health: “In France, there was no one… that looks like an American.” (A, 22:03)
  • Patrick explains: “Glyphosate is banned in most other European countries… likely contributing to inflammation and chronic diseases.” (C, 22:39)

8. Government Failure & Betrayal

• FDA & Regulatory Capture (25:18–27:13)

  • Tudor: “How did we get so betrayed?… Who betrayed us?” (A, 25:18)
  • Patrick responds: “Is there any institution in the federal government that we feel like we can trust? Sadly, we as Americans have been betrayed… I think that is the right word.” (C, 25:46 & 27:13)

• Hope for Policy Change

  • Patrick expresses hope with RFK Jr. as head of HHS, mentioning new moves to ban food dyes and the food industry’s willingness to be regulated so companies are on an even playing field (C, 22:39–25:18).

9. Reversing Chronic Disease

• Food as Medicine (27:44–30:28)
  • Tudor: “Are we so used to chronic disease we don’t know we’ve gotten sick?” (A, 27:44)
  • Patrick: “Maybe we are the boiled frogs.” (C, 27:46)
  • Ashley: “Biggest message… you are in charge of your health… educate yourself… We have to take ownership.” (D, 29:55)
  • Patrick: “It starts with the food, not the pills.” (C, 30:28)

10. Building Markets & Community Support

• Practicalities of Starting a Local Market (34:43–38:59)

  • Patrick shares that their market, Firefly Organic Coffee and Market, took eight months to reach profitability: “Profit motive is sustainability… If you want some, come and get it.” (C, 34:45)
  • Communities bloom around local markets: “It’s spreading by word of mouth… if you can support with your Dollar, that is the best thing you can do.” (D, 35:41)
  • Advice for starting out: “Start looking at what farmers you can source from… The convenience of having it all in one place deserves a markup.” (C, 36:32)

• Curating and Managing Perishables

  • Discussed demand growth for raw milk and farm eggs, inventory management, and word-of-mouth expansion (D, 38:01).

11. Resources & Connection

• Getting Started Guides

  • Patrick offers to share advice via email for those interested in starting such markets (C, 38:59): “Just send me an email… I will type up the details… Patrick at jigsawhealth.com.”

• Where to Watch the Documentary

  • “Breaking Big Food” is available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video (C, 39:45).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Personal Change:

  • “I wish I could say that after I got the thyroidectomy… I woke up the next day and changed my life. But that’s not really the story… We really do need to start cleaning up our diet.” – Patrick Sullivan, 04:09

• On the Food System’s Corruption:

  • “The original food pyramid created in 1992 really had a lot of industry. Like here’s what we need to sell.” – Patrick, 08:38
  • “You mean lobbyists were involved?” – Tudor Dixon, 08:39
  • “Ding, ding, ding.” – Ashley, 08:41

• On Chronic Disease:

  • “Being in that category of broken with cancer is just really broken with chronic disease now for so many of us.” – Tudor, 06:04

• On Overwhelm:

  • “That’s the natural reaction… But I would recommend start slow. Any improvement is a good improvement.” – Ashley, 20:20

• On Betrayal:

  • “Sadly enough, we as Americans have been betrayed, Tudor. I think that is the right word.” – Patrick, 27:13

• On Ownership of Health:

  • “The biggest message… you are in charge of your health. You have to make better choices for yourself and educate yourself for you and your family so that then your kids know what to do.” – Ashley, 29:55

• On Building Local Movements:

  • “Being a purveyor is like essentially being a curator. That’s step one. Can you curate these items?” – Patrick, 36:32

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Personal Cancer Stories & Motivation for Change: 03:01–05:00
• Chronic Disease Statistics & Food Misinformation: 05:00–07:24
• Lobbying, Food Pyramid, and Industry Corruption: 07:24–09:44
• Big Food, Big Pharma, and Loss of Agency: 09:44–11:29
• Local Food Revival and Market Creation: 11:29–13:21
• Cost, Access, and Processed Food Addictiveness: 15:54–18:50
• Overwhelm & Incremental Change Advice: 20:20–21:06
• American vs. European Food Issues (Glyphosate): 22:39–25:18
• FDA Betrayal & Regulation Failures: 25:18–27:13
• Chronic Disease & Food as Medicine: 27:44–30:28
• How to Start a Community Market: 34:43–38:59
• Documentary Details & Contact Info: 38:59–39:51

Tone & Language

The discussion is candid, passionate, and solutions-focused, balancing personal storytelling with calls to community action. The hosts and guests maintain a conversational, accessible tone, with moments of humor (“ding, ding, ding”), frankness about institutional failure, and optimism about local change.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode combines heartfelt personal health journeys with practical critique of America’s food system, illuminating how “Big Food” and regulatory inertia have fostered a national health crisis. While outlining the scope of the problem—escalating chronic disease, systemic misinformation, industry lobbying, barriers to healthy food—the guests champion grassroots revival, offering stories and advice from successful local market initiatives. Listeners walk away with both a sense of urgency and practical, incremental steps for reclaiming their health and building stronger food communities.