The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee

Are Impossible Burgers and fake meats worse for you than a steak or hamburger?
Dr. Neal Barnard joins Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room Podcast to examine one of today's biggest nutrition debates. A veggie burger and a beef burger may both be classified as processed, but does that make them nutritionally equal? What about plant milk versus dairy milk, packaged cereal versus bacon and eggs, or a protein bar versus a cheeseburger?
Dr. Barnard explains what "ultra-processed" actually means, why certain foods can encourage overeating, and whether the widely used NOVA classification system paints with too broad a brush. He also explores why saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber, calorie density, and a food's source may matter just as much as—or more than—the number of ingredients on its label.
🧠 You'll learn:
Whether all ultra-processed foods are equally unhealthy
How a veggie burger compares with a beef burger
Whether plant-based meat and dairy alternatives are healthy
Why ultra-processed foods may interfere with fullness
Which additives and ingredients deserve a closer look
The packaged plant-based foods Dr. Barnard considers reasonable choices
What to look for first on a nutrition label
How to make healthier choices when time and money are limited
 
The conversation also previews the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine, happening Aug. 13–15, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Dr. Barnard will be joined by more than 30 leading experts for presentations on ultra-processed foods, GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, diabetes, heart disease, the gut microbiome, pain, cancer prevention, kidney health, the new Dietary Guidelines, and much more.
Exam Roomies of the Week
Atchareeya Archatawan
William Klein
Sali Ortiz
Make a gift to support The Exam Room Podcast and the life-changing work of the Physicians Committee.
🙏 Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM
👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom
 
🎉 ICNM - Washington DC - 8/13-15
👉 https://www.pcrm.org/icnm
 
This episode is sponsored by The Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund, which supports organizations like the Physicians Committee that carry on Greg's passion and love for animals through rescue efforts, veganism, and wildlife conservation.
🌱 Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund
👉 https://gregoryreiterfund.org
 
This episode is not medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about any changes to your diet or lifestyle.
- About Us -
The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.

Junk food was harder for Susan Peirce Thompson to quit than crack cocaine.
 
The founder and CEO of Bright Line Eating joins Chuck Carroll for a deeply personal conversation about food addiction, compulsive eating, cravings, and long-term weight loss.
 
Susan shares her remarkable journey from crystal meth and crack addiction to becoming a PhD and internationally recognized expert in the psychology of eating. She explains why food addiction can be uniquely difficult to overcome when triggers are everywhere and eating remains necessary for survival.
 
Chuck also revisits his own addiction-driven 10,000-calorie days, including a daily Taco Bell meal containing more than 4,000 calories.
 
Together, they explore the foods that may be most addictive, dopamine downregulation, ultra-processed foods, the return of cravings years into recovery, and the personal guardrails that can help someone finally break free.
 
Susan also shares lessons from her book Maintain and explains why lasting weight loss is not simply about completing a diet. It requires a fundamental shift in identity and becoming devoted to the habits that support your health.
 
Susan also explains why a person's recovery plan must be individualized and why occasionally experiencing a craving does not mean that years of progress have been lost.
 
Chuck and Susan will be speaking at the Plant Powered Party in Las Vegas with Chef AJ, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz and many others. Tickets are available now for the Labor Day weekend bash.
 
Exam Roomies of the Week
Peggy Fuchs
Monna Throop
Kathleen Adamson
 
Make a gift to support The Exam Room Podcast and the life-changing work of the Physicians Committee.
 
🙏 Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM
👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom
 
📕 Maintain Book
👉 https://amzn.to/4wjv4Oa
 
❓Food Addiction Quiz
👉 https://www.foodaddictionquiz.com
 
🍽️ Bright Line Eating
👉 https://www.brightlineeating.com
 
🎉 Plant-Powered Party Las Vegas
👉 https://bit.ly/ChefAJParty
 
This episode is not medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about any changes to your diet or lifestyle.
 
- About Us -
The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.

Why do chronic diseases remain so common when we have more medicine and medical technology than ever before?
Chuck Carroll is joined by two leading physicians for a powerful live conversation about what truly creates health.
Dr. Columbus Batiste is a board-certified interventional cardiologist and passionate advocate for protecting the heart through lifestyle. Dr. Joel Fuhrman is a board-certified family physician, nutritional researcher, and seven-time New York Times bestselling author. Learn about Dr. Batiste and Dr. Fuhrman.
Recorded at the National Health Association Conference, this conversation explores:
Why medicine alone may not be enough to create lasting health
How food and daily habits influence chronic disease
The effects of stress on the heart and body
Why people sabotage their health despite knowing what to do
How movement, sleep, gratitude, and community support longevity
What doctors can do to better connect with and motivate patients
How to turn health information into sustainable change
Exam Roomies of the Week
Chuck's mom, Ann Carroll
Daria Dreher
Sheral Lee Schowe
Make a gift to support The Exam Room Podcast and the life-changing work of the Physicians Committee.
🙏 Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM
👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom
 
🍽️ Food For Life Instructor Applications
👉 https://bit.ly/food-for-life-instructor
 
🩺 Dr. Joel Fuhrman
👉 https://www.drfuhrman.com
 
🩺 Dr. Columbus Batiste
👉 https://drbatiste.com
 
🎉 ICNM - Washington DC - 8/13-15
👉 https://www.pcrm.org/icnm
 
This episode is not medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about any changes to your diet or lifestyle.
 
- About Us -
The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.

Erling Haaland eats six meals and roughly 6,000 calories every day to fuel his extraordinary performance on the soccer field. But should anyone else be eating like him?
 
Haaland's highly publicized routine includes raw milk, beef liver, cow heart, steak, eggs, fish, pasta, vegetables, and honey. In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, Dr. Neal Barnard joins "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll to examine whether the foods powering one of the world's greatest athletes could create serious health risks for the average person.
 
Dr. Barnard explores the immediate food-safety concerns surrounding raw milk and the potential problems associated with regularly consuming organ meats. Could highly concentrated amounts of dietary cholesterol, heme iron, vitamin A, and copper become too much of a good thing?
 
🧠 You will also learn:
Why an elite athlete may require thousands more calories than the average person
Whether eating six meals a day provides a metabolic advantage
The difference between short-term athletic performance and long-term health
Why looking lean and powerful does not necessarily reveal what is happening inside the body
Healthier ways to fuel exercise, recovery, strength, and endurance
 
This is not about criticizing Haaland's talent or discipline. It is about understanding why a diet created for an extraordinary athlete should not automatically become a nutrition plan for everyone else.
 
Exam Roomies of the Week
Roy Wessbecher
LuAnne Siwiec
Isabel Fernandes, PhD
 
Make a gift to support The Exam Room Podcast and the life-changing work of the Physicians Committee.
 
🙏 Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM
👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom
 
This episode is sponsored by The Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund, which supports organizations like the Physicians Committee that carry on Greg's passion and love for animals through rescue efforts, veganism, and wildlife conservation.
 
🌱 Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund
👉 https://gregoryreiterfund.org
 
🎉 ICNM - Washington DC - 8/13-15
👉 https://www.pcrm.org/icnm
EXAMROOM100 to save $100 on tickets!
 
This episode is not medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about any changes to your diet or lifestyle.
 
- About Us -
The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.

Krista Ryan survived the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas. Years later, she faced another life-altering challenge when she was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer.
 
Four surgeries, chemotherapy, an ileostomy, and a difficult recovery followed.
 
But Krista kept going.
 
She joins Chuck Carroll to share the resilience philosophy she calls KFG: Know, Focus, Go. The initials also carry another, considerably more forceful meaning that captures the determination required to move forward when life becomes unimaginably difficult.
 
Krista explains why true resilience does not mean hiding fear or pretending that everything is fine. She shares how allowing herself to feel anger, grief, and vulnerability ultimately gave her more strength.
 
You will also hear how a brief conversation with another cancer survivor prompted Krista to seek testing, what it was like to tell her children about the diagnosis, how humor helped her through treatment, and why even the smallest action can be a meaningful act of perseverance.
 
This episode is for anyone living with illness, recovering from trauma, supporting someone they love, or searching for the courage to write the next chapter of their story.
 
Exam Roomies of the Week
Jennifer Rogers
Danica Brooks
X-tine Goodreau
Make a gift to support The Exam Room Podcast and the life-changing work of the Physicians Committee.
 
🙏 Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM

👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom
 
📕 KFG Book

👉 https://amzn.to/4f0RiOL
 
💪 Krista Ryan 

👉 https://www.kristaryan.com
 
PCRM Cancer Resources
👉 https://www.pcrm.org/health-topics/cancer
 
This episode is not medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about any changes to your diet or lifestyle.
 
- About Us -

The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.