Ultra-processed foods are everywhere, but most people don’t fully know what the term means. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we start from the beginning: how the modern ultra-processed food concept emerged, why it was created, and how the NOVA classification system defines ultra-processed foods today.

In this episode

• The history behind processed foods
• What “ultra-processed” means
• The modern origin of the term and why researchers introduced it
• NOVA 101: the four groups and what makes a food ultra-processed

Connect with Noha:

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow the podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned in the episode

• Monteiro, CA. (2009). Nutrition and health. The issue is not food, nor nutrients, so much as processing. Public Health Nutrition.

• Monteiro, CA., et al. (2010). Increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods and likely impact on human health: evidence from Brazil. Public Health Nutrition.

• Monteiro, CA., et al. (2019). Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition.
• Braesco, V et al. (2022). Ultra-processed foods: how functional is the NOVA system? European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
• Sadler, CR., et al. (2022). Processed food classification: conceptualisation and challenges in practice. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
• da Silva, JT., et al. (2025). Defining ultra-processed foods: a systematic review of classification systems and operational definitions.
• United States Department of Health and Human Services, United States Department of Agriculture. (2025). Ultra-Processed Foods: Request for Information. Federal Register.
• Health Canada. (2022). Limit highly processed foods. Canada’s Food Guide.

Coriander is either fresh, citrusy, and full of bursts of happiness or it tastes like soap and ruins your entire meal. There seems to be no in-between.

In this episode, we unpack what coriander is, why it has different names, where it comes from, how it shows up in so many cuisines and what the peer-reviewed science says about the soap tasting situation. We also break down coriander leaves vs coriander seeds, compare it to other herbs and get practical with recipes, storage, and substitutions.

In this episode

• Coriander, cilantro, dhania, coriandre, and كزبرة
• Where coriander likely originated
• The genetics: the 2012 genome-wide association study and OR6A2
• The chemistry behind the soap issue
• Leaves vs seeds
• Coriander compared to other herbs
• Practical and common uses
• How to cook around cilantro if it tastes like soap

Connect with Noha:

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow the podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned in the episode

• Eriksson, N. et al. (2012). A genetic variant near olfactory receptor genes influences cilantro preference. Flavour.
• Robino, A. et al. (2019). A Brief Review of Genetic Approaches to the Study of Food Preferences. (Mentions OR6A2 as a candidate receptor activated by aldehydes linked to cilantro odor.
• Spence, C. (2023). Coriander (cilantro): A most divisive herb.
• Kumar, S. et al. (2022). Chemical composition of fresh coriander leaves headspace aroma and essential oils.
• Shahwar, M.K. et al. (2012). Characterization of coriander seeds and leaves volatile extracts.
• Serious Eats (2019). What is culantro, and how to use it.

One of my listeners, Emily, shared a question that sent me down a nerdy rabbit hole. She grew up in Canada eating potatoes as a staple and can eat a lot of them with no problem but rice makes her full really fast. Her Indonesian friends are the opposite: they can eat a lot of rice, but potatoes shut them down fast.

In this episode, we explore whether there’s any scientific reason behind this so come join me and find out what the data really says!

In this episode:

• Where potatoes and rice originated, how they spread globally and how many varieties exist
• How we define fullness
• Expected satiety
• Gastric emptying explained and what it implies for rice vs potatoes
• Why rice and potatoes aren’t single foods
• The genetics angle
• The answer to the question

Connect with Noha:

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow the podcast on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned in the episode:

• Spooner, D.M., & colleagues (overview chapters / syntheses on potato domestication and diversity). Cambridge / academic syntheses on potato biodiversity and domestication.
• Zheng, Y. et al. (2016). Rice Domestication Revealed by Reduced Shattering of Archaeological rice from the Lower Yangtze Valley. Scientific Reports.
• Irvine, M.A. et al. (2013). Increased familiarity with eating a food to fullness underlies increased expected satiety. Appetite.
• Amr, A.M. et al. (2024). Potatoes Compared with Rice in Meals with either Animal or Plant Protein Reduce Postprandial Glycemia and Increase Satiety in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Crossover Study. Journal of Nutrition.
• Debry, G. et al. (1988). Relationship between rate of gastric emptying and glucose and insulin responses to starchy foods. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
• Holt, S.H.A. et al. (1995). A satiety index of common foods. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
• Perry, G.H. et al. (2007). Diet and the evolution of human amylase gene copy number variation. Nature Genetics.

Today, we're exploring everything chocolate which wasn't something that ever started out with an intention to be used in sweet concoctions!

In this episode:

• Where chocolate originated and what it looked like
• How chocolate made its way to Europe
• Cacao vs cocoa vs chocolate
• Where cacao grows, harvesting, and the supply chain situation
• How chocolate is made
• The different types of chocolate out there
• Why people crave chocolate
• Health benefits vs risks
• How to temper chocolate at home

Connect with Noha

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow the podcast on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

References mentioned in the episode:

• History.com. History of Chocolate
• NOAA Climate.gov. Climate and Chocolate
• International Cocoa Organization (ICCO). Fine or Flavour Cocoa
• Encyclopaedia Britannica. How Is Chocolate Made?
• FDA. Standard of Identity for White Chocolate
• Barry Callebaut. Ruby chocolate launch/overview
• Hormes, J.M. (2017). Does culture create craving? Evidence from the case of menstrual chocolate craving. PLOS ONE.
• Arisi, T.O.P. et al. (2024). Effects of Cocoa Consumption on Cardiometabolic Risk Markers.
• Valrhona (L’École Valrhona). Tempering chocolate

If you think sushi started in the same format you know and love today, you’re not alone but, its origins are totally different. Tune in to learn more!

In this episode:

• Sushi’s origin story
• What counts as sushi
• The main types of sushi:
• Kimbap is not “Korean sushi”
• How sushi became popular outside Japan
• What it takes to be a sushi chef and what omakase means
• The health side: benefits & risks
• Making sushi at home safely, what tools you need, and what imitation crab actually is

Connect with Noha

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow the podcast on Instagram
• Follow Noha on: Instagram and TikTok
• Learn more about working with Noha here

References mentioned in the episode:

• PBS. The History of Sushi
• Michelin Guide. A Brief History of Sushi in America
• Japan Experience. The job of sushi chef in Japan
• Michelin Guide. What is omakase?
• Healthline. Imitation Crab: Is It Real Crab and Should You Eat It?

Dumplings are everywhere, and people love arguing about what counts, what doesn’t, and what the “best” dumpling is.

So, today we’re covering these delicious bites, but with one rule: this is not a competition and there will be no winner, because I have never met a dumpling I didn’t enjoy.

In this episode, we’re taking a historical and cultural trip around the dumpling world. We’re covering what counts as a dumpling, how so many cultures have their own versions, wrapper and filling differences, cooking methods, dipping sauce options, a quick health check, and a few meal-prep friendly dumplings that are worth freezing.

In this episode:

• What counts as a dumpling
• How dumplings exist everywhere
• A world tour of dumplings
• Wrappers vs fillings vs cooking methods
• Dipping sauces
• Are dumplings healthy?
  

Connect with Noha:

• If you have a topic you want covered next, send an email to ⁠itsneverjustfood@gmail.com⁠
• Follow the It’s Never JUST Food podcast on Instagram
• Follow Noha on Instagram and TikTok
• Learn more about working with Noha here

References mentioned in the episode:

• Britannica Dictionary. “Dumpling” definition
• Monash University. About FODMAPs and IBS (what FODMAPs are and why they can trigger IBS symptoms).

Every time you bite into bread, you’re taking part in something ANCIENT.

In this episode, we go deep on bread as the ultimate “never just food” food.

We’re talking what early bread looked like, how bread evolved through civilizations, and the science behind why yeast bread and sourdough taste and behave differently. Then we zoom out to the cultural side of bread, including why it shows up everywhere, and how it’s often tied to hospitality.

In this episode:

• The oldest evidence of bread making (before agriculture was even a thing)

• What early bread likely looked like

• Bread in Ancient Egypt and what we’ve learned from scientific analysis of preserved loaves

• Pompeii’s carbonized loaves

• Fermentation 101

• Yeast vs sourdough, and why sourdough can taste so different

• Bread as culture and hospitality

Connect with Noha:

• If you have a topic you want covered next, send an email to itsneverjustfood@gmail.com

• Follow the It's Never Just Food Podcast on Instagram
• Follow Noha on Instagram and TikTok
• Learn more about working with Noha here

References mentioned in the episode:

• Arranz-Otaegui, A. et al. (2018). Archaeobotanical evidence reveals the origins of bread 14,400 years ago in northeastern Jordan. PNAS.

• Samuel, D. (1996). Investigation of Ancient Egyptian baking and brewing methods by correlative microscopy.Science.

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Cereals and other starch-based staples: are consumption patterns changing? FAO.

• Engström, N. et al. (2015). Sourdough fermentation of wheat flour does not prevent the interaction of transglutaminase 2 with α2-gliadin or gluten.

• Mesta-Corral, M. et al. (2024). Technological and nutritional aspects of bread production. Nutrients.