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Synopsis

For the 10th episode of Unchecked, Rachel and Dan talk to Dr. Amelia B. Finaret, food economist and clinical dietitian about the state of nutrition misinformation. With the release of the latest dietary guidelines – some of which are not founded on sound nutrition science – we take a look at both the classic and newer myths around food. Dan uses the discussion to arrive at the lens of Making Hot Dogs and Rachel applies Diet Culture to our work as UX designers.

Stories

Robert Caro on Robert Moses

Northern State Parkway (see section on 1929 compromise)

AI-Generated Disinformation in Europe

Report for October 2025

Interview with Amelia Finaret

Amelia Finaret
Dr. Finaret’s book, Food Economics
MyPlate.gov (today)
MyPlate.gov (from Archive.org, at the time of recording)
Dietary Guidelines published by US Government
Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act
What to Eat Now, by Marion Nestle
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
American Diabetes Association recipes

Lenses

Diet Culture

How does the system send signals about the user's "goodness" based on what they are consuming or acting on?
How does the system reward “good” behavior and penalize “bad” behavior?
How does the system decide what is good or bad? Who gets to make that decision, whose world view is reflected in that framework?

Making Hot Dogs

How does the system process original source material?
What role does it play in the "supply chain" of information?
How recognizable is the original source material in the system’s content?

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Personnel

Dan Brown, Host
Rachel Price, Host
Emily Duncan, Editor

Music

Turtle Up Fool, by Elliot

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Unchecked is a production of Curious Squid

Curious Squid is a digital design consulting firm specializing in information architecture, user experience, and product design

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