Author Michael Pollan on his "food rules" to live by
Food writer Michael Pollan, who has written about the health risks of highly processed foods for decades, shared his advice for eating healthier and avoiding ultraprocessed foods with 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker.
Updated on: August 9, 2026 / 7:00 PM EDT / CBS News
This week, correspondent Bill Whitaker reported on ultraprocessed foods , the plastic-wrapped, ready-to-eat items that line our grocery store shelves.
Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler told 60 Minutes that these products, made with highly processed ingredients like corn syrup and maltodextrin, have been making people sick for decades.
Kessler told 60 Minutes that they've "altered our metabolism and have resulted in the greatest increase in chronic disease in our history: Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, hypertension, abnormal lipids, fatty liver, heart attacks, stroke, heart failure."
He also said these ultraprocessed products can make us want to eat more.
"They target the brain reward circuits that keep us coming back for more. They trigger overeating. They deprive us… of any sense of fullness," he told Whitaker.