What We Learned from Podcasts This Week: About Vitamins From Gastropod

 

This edition of "What We Learned From Podcasts This Week" focuses on a health topic that we think we know a lot about. In reality, our knowledge about vitamins is about as thin as the health claims supplement companies make about their product.

In this edition, we bring you our podcast experts from the Gastropod podcast.

Gastropod defines itself as a podcast about the science and history of food. It has aired since 2014 and is hosted by journalists Nicola Twilley and Cynthia Graber.

 With the incessant drumbeat of consolidation in the podcast industry, it is refreshing that Gastropod is an independent podcast produced and hosted by Twilley and Graber, who interview chefs, scientists, and historians to collect stories about the science and history of food.

Graber and Twilley are terrific hosts who play off each other so effortlessly and have the timing of a well-oiled team.

 They infuse a passion for discovery, a constant search for insight from facts, and a strong desire to inform into every episode. 

 
This week, the staff of Ear Worthy learned about vitamins. Our first learning? We know almost nothing of substance about vitamins except that they're good for us.

Without spoiling the episode for you, here are some questions from the episode. If you know the answers, congratulations. You are indeed a vitamin expert. But if you cannot, check out this episode at: https://pca.st/8a6qkggk

Why do rabbits eat their own poop? (Hint: Vitamin B12)

Where does the word VITAMIN come from? (HINT: somebody made it up.)

How are processed foods fortified with vitamins? (No help on this one!)

Why are vitamins named in such a way?) HINT: what happened to vitamins F,G,H,I?)

Do we need to take a daily dose of a multi-vitamin?

 What can megadoses of vitamins do to us? (HINT: Usually nothing good.)

Check out the Gastropod podcast. Each episode, which is about fifty minutes long and is released every two weeks, delves deeply into details about the historical, cultural, and scientific background of food.