When Influencers Replace Scientists, Everyone Loses

Every few years, nutrition gets a makeover.

First comes a new graphic.

Then comes a new slogan.

Soon after, we hear claims that this time, someone finally figured it all out.

Recently, that makeover arrived in the form of a “reverse food pyramid” and the cheerful phrase “Eat Real Food.” On the surface, that message sounds reasonable. In fact, many doctors have said the same thing for decades.

However, the real problem isn’t the slogan.

Instead, the problem lies in who is now shaping nutrition advice—and who is not.

Yes, Some of the Advice Is Right

To be clear, let’s start with agreement.

Eating real food helps health.

Limiting added sugar makes sense.

Reducing ultra-processed foods improves outcomes.

Importantly, none of this is new.

Doctors, dietitians, and public-health researchers have said these things for years. Because of that, when influencers now say, “See, we were right,” a serious issue appears.

They didn’t discover this information.

They copied it.

The Real Risk Isn’t Agreement

At first glance, agreement sounds harmless.

Nevertheless, agreement becomes dangerous when it turns into ownership.

Once someone believes they have discovered basic nutrition truths, they often assume they can rewrite everything else. As a result, bad ideas slip in quietly, wrapped in confidence instead of evidence.

That shift matters.

Scientists and Influencers Are Not Interchangeable

At this point, we need to say something clearly.

We cannot afford to replace scientists with influencers.

Nutrition science didn’t come from podcasts or social media. Instead, it came from metabolic ward studies, long-term population research, and randomized trials. Moreover, real scientists accept uncertainty. They change their minds when the data changes.

By contrast, influencer culture rewards certainty.

Even worse, confidence often replaces humility.

There is no “Mediterranean diet influencer community.”

Likewise, there is no “DASH diet movement.”

Those dietary patterns exist because scientists studied them, tested them, and measured outcomes over time.

On the other hand, a loud low-carb and carnivore influencer ecosystem does exist. That ecosystem includes brands, supplements, coaching programs, and a strong contrarian identity. Because of that structure, influence—not evidence—often drives the message.

Fiber Versus Saturated Fat: A Telltale Sign

If you want to know whether someone understands nutrition science, ask a simple question:

Which matters more—fiber or saturated fat?

Influencers often say, “Fiber isn’t an essential nutrient.”

Technically, that statement is true in the narrowest sense.

However, context matters.

Fiber supports a healthy gut microbiome.

Additionally, fiber improves insulin sensitivity.

Furthermore, fiber lowers cardiovascular risk.

Finally, fiber supports colon health.

Because fiber feeds beneficial gut bacteria, entire fields of microbiome research depend on it.

Now compare that with saturated fat.

Saturated fat is truly non-essential.

Your body can make all it needs.

No deficiency disease exists from avoiding it.

Even more importantly, excess saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol and worsens artery health. Over time, that increases cardiovascular risk.

So ask yourself this:

Why dismiss fiber as optional while quietly promoting saturated fat?

That choice reflects ideology, not biology.

The Brain Doesn’t Care About Trends

Here’s another reality check.

Your brain—the most important organ you own—relies heavily on polyunsaturated fats. These fats support cell membranes, nerve signaling, and blood flow.

Ironically, these same fats often get labeled “seed oils” and dismissed.

Meanwhile, saturated fat does not belong in high amounts in brain tissue. Worse still, saturated fat can clog the arteries that supply the brain.

Biology does not respond to marketing.

Physiology does not care about popularity.

The “You’re On Your Own” Problem

Another issue deserves attention.

After influencers step into the spotlight and claim credit for old science, they often step away from responsibility. Then they tell the public to “figure it out.”

That approach ignores reality.

Many Americans live in food deserts.

Even more rely on school meals.

Lots of Americans work multiple jobs.

Many lack time, money, or kitchens.

Public health exists because willpower alone does not scale. Without system-level support, advice turns into abandonment.

Agreement Does Not Equal Expertise

Recently, debates around nutrition have highlighted this pattern clearly.

Some influencers argue that because they agree with basic nutrition advice, they deserve authority over the rest of the science. Unfortunately, agreement does not grant expertise.

Copying conclusions does not mean you earned them.

Science rewards method, not confidence.

The Bottom Line

Yes, eat real food.

And clearly, limit added sugar.

Most definitely, reduce ultra-processed foods.

Doctors have said this for years.

However, flipping a pyramid does not change biology.

Likewise, sidelining scientists does not improve health.

Finally, promoting saturated fat while dismissing fiber misleads the public.

People do not fail diets.

Systems fail people.

When we trade evidence for influence, health suffers.

A Final Note

This article provides general education, not personal medical advice. Always talk with your healthcare professional about individual nutrition needs.

At Your Doctor’s Orders, we believe data matter more than dogma, and evidence matters more than trends.

Because when it comes to health, confidence without science is not bold.

It’s risky.

>> Dr. Terry Simpson: Let me start with something we all can agree on.

Eat real food, limit added sugar, avoid ultra

processed junk. Good solid. Correct. Now, here's

the problem. That advice wasn't discovered last

week, and pretending it was, while quietly

sneaking in. Worse advice is how people get hurt

and how policies don't get made. It's lazy.

Science and public policy. Today on 4Q, we're

going to talk about what happens when nutrition

stops being science and starts being branding. I,

um, am your Chief Medical Explanationist, Dr.

Terri Simpson, and this is Fork U Fork University,

where we make sense of the madness of the Maha

public policy and teach you a little bit about

food and medicine. Let's set the table. Literally.

Okay, maybe not literally. The New Dietary

Guidelines and the Upside Down Pyramid have been

sold as a breakthrough, a reset, a, uh, moment of

truth. And to be fair, some of what they're saying

is right. Ultra processed food has some problems.

Added sugar should be limited and most people

should eat more whole foods. I've said that for

years. So is almost everybody in the world of

nutrition. But when influencers say, see, we were

right all along, my response is simple. You didn't

discover it, you copied it. Here's the danger.

It's not that they agree with the obvious stuff,

it's that they think they discovered it. Because

once you convince yourself you're the discoverer,

you also convince yourself you're qualified to

rewrite the rest of the science. And that's where

things go off the rail. You cannot replace

scientists with influencers. Let me say that

again. We can't afford to replace scientists with

influencers. Nutrition science didn't come from

podcasts. It came from metabolic wards, from

cohort studies, from randomized trials, from

people being willing to have boring, cautious, and

sometimes wrong experiments. And just to be clear,

there isn't a Mediterranean diet influencer

community. There's no dash diet movement. But

there are scientists and there are physicians and

there are registered dietitians that understand

nutrition. By contrast, there is a loud, low carb

and carnivore influencer ecosystem, complete with

brands, supplements, coaching programs, and

contrarian identity. The difference matters

because influence is not evidence. If you want to

know if someone understands nutrition science or

is just cosplaying it, ask them which matters

more, fiber or saturated fat? And here's what the

influencer crowd loves to say. Fiber isn't an

essential nutrient. Now, technically, that's true

in the narrowest biochemical sense, but it's

misleading because fiber is essential. If you like

a healthy gut microbiome, better. Insulin

sensitivity, lower Cardiovascular risk and normal

colonic function. Fiber feeds the bacteria that

regulate inflammation and the metabolism. The

entire field of research exists because of this.

Uh, contrast that with saturated fat. Saturated

fat is truly non essential. There is no deficiency

disease from not eating it. Your body makes all it

needs, and excess saturated fat raises LDL

cholesterol, worsens arterial health, and

increases cardiovascular risk. So ask why is fiber

dismissed as optional while saturated fat non

essential and harmful in excess is quietly

rehabilitated? That's not science. That is

ideology. And here's another simple brain. The

most important organ you own is largely made of

polyunsaturated fats. Yep, the same fats that are

called seed oils. Now, you don't want saturated

fat replacing the fats in those cell, uh,

membranes. But if you eat enough saturated fat, it

will. And you definitely don't want saturated fat

clogging the arteries supplying the brain. Unless

stroke and cognitive decline are part of your

plan. Biology doesn't care about your podcast

downloads. It doesn't care how good looking you

are without a shirt. It cares about what you put

into your body. And if you put enough saturated

fat going to replace cell membranes with saturated

fat instead of polyunsaturated fat, they will

become stiffer and harder and much more difficult

for you to negotiate life. I had an exchange

recently with Kali Means that illustrates the

problem perfectly. His argument, in essence, was

the government is finally calling out sugar and

processed food and you should get behind that. And

my answer is simple. We already did years ago.

But. But when you act like you discovered it, you

also act like you're qualified to rewrite

everything else. And that's when bad ideas sneak

in. Agreeing with the basics doesn't earn you the

keys to the lab. Now, here's the part that really

bothers me. After influencers took the place of

scientists, after they reframed the message and

claimed credit, they effectively said, okay,

America, you're on your own now. Eat real food.

Figure it out. Take responsibility. Now that's

easy if you're wealthy, mobile and online. It's

not so easy if you live in a food desert, rely on

school lunches, or work two jobs. Public health

exists because the willpower doesn't scale. And

here's the bottom line. Let me make it really

clear. Yes, eat real food. Yes, limit sugar. Yes,

minimize ultra processed food. We agree. But don't

pretend you discovered it. Don't replace science

with influencers. And don't sneak saturated fat

back while dismissing fiber. Because when

confidence replace evidence, people don't get

healthier. They just get misled on 4Q. We believe

food should be delicious, practical and grounded

in evidence. And evidence doesn't care who said it

first, only whether it works. Data beats dogma,

science beats slogans, and health doesn't improve

when we trade researchers like Dr. Hall for

influencers like Cali Memes. This has been

researched and and written by me, Dr. Terry

Simpson. And while I am a board certified

physician and certified in culinary medicine, I am

not your doctor. When you seek to make changes to

your diet, please see a registered dietitian and a

board certified physician. Not some eastern

trained person and certainly not a chiropractor.

All things audio have been done by our friends at

Simpler media and the pod God himself, Mr. Evotera

and you can find blog and further information on

my substack@drsimpson.com and

yourdoctorsorders.com and for Q.com did you get

enough.coms there? Because we like dot coms

apparently. Anyway, have a good week everybody and

remember illegitimi non carborundum. All right,

Ebo, what do you think? I think that instead of

going to a doctor now we should just go to

influencers, health coaches and gym bros.

>> Speaker B: Well you're the one with the giant TikTok

following influencer. Also, what the hell was that

Harry Potter sounding stuff at the end there? Oh,

and then there's this.

>> Dr. Terry Simpson: And increases cardiovascular risk. Risk. And

increases cardiovascular risk. I wonder if Ivo's

gonna leave that in.

>> Speaker B: Oh you do, do you? No you don't. And he's not.