Maintenance Phase
Debunking the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams and nonsensical nutrition advice.
April 16, 2026
Tim Ferriss’s "The 4-Hour Body" (feat. Peter Shamshiri)
We're joined by Mike's If Books Could Kill co-host to revisit a biohacking diet book for the boys. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on our membershipWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! The 4-Hour BodyDoes Glycemic Index Matter for Weight Loss? An Examination of the Evidence New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life! The 4-Hour Body: The Real App You Are Working On Is An App Called YourselfThanks to Doctor ...
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Russell Brand Part 2
What do you do when you've flamed out as a Hollywood actor, a political commentator and a wellness guru? You make a YouTube channel. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on our membershipWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuseExposing Russell BrandRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand on revolutionCelebrity Capital in the Political Field: Russell ...
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Russell Brand Part 1
Tracing the left-to-right political trajectory of the unfunniest man in British comedy. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on our membershipWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuseExposing Russell BrandRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand on revolutionCelebrity Capital in the Political Field: Russell Brand’s migration from stand-up comedy to New...
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The Diet Crimes of Metabolife
The rags-to-riches tale of how an illegal methamphetamine manufacturer became a legal methamphetamine manufacturer. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on our membershipWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! How the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 Weakened the FDAMad About MetabolifeStimulant Propels Diet EmpireThe dangers of the herb ephedra - Harvard Health An Historical Review of Steps a...
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Raw Milk
Once widely banned, raw milk consumption is on the rise and states are repealing their bans. No one’s happier about that than the far right. How did we get here? NOTE: In the retelling of Pasteur’s early pasteurization, Aubrey misspoke! The culprit wasn’t lactic yeast, it was lactic acid bacteria. Sorry for the slip up! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on our membershipWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! Milk...
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The Food Babe
One blogger bravely pushes back against Starbucks, Subway and basic scientific facts. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on our membershipWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Taking On the Food Industry, One Blog Post at a TimeHow the ‘Food Babe’ Went From Obama Ally to Trump CrusaderActivist or Capitalist? How the 'Food Babe' Makes MoneyLatest Food Scare: What Is The 'Yoga Mat' Chemical - And Why Is It In Yo...
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Seed Oils
Why are you, as a man, afraid of sunflowers. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on our membershipWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! The O6-O3 ratio: A critical appraisalSeed Oils: Are They Actually Toxic?No need to avoid healthy omega-6 fatsOmega-6 Fatty Acids and Risk for Cardiovascular DiseaseDo Seed Oils Make You Sick?Seed oils: Are they healthy or harmful?ToxGuide: HexaneDietary linoleic acid intake and bl...
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Herbalife
We’re talking about our first diet MLM and IT’S A REAL DOOZY! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on our membershipWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Herbalife: Weighty Profits and Government Probes Herbalife Exec's Death Prompts Bizarre FalloutAutopsy on Herbalife founder finds death caused by accidental overdose The Uncertain Start of a Remarkable LifeNobel Prize Winner Didn't Disclose Herbalife Co...
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Ultra-Processed Foods
Everyone agrees that processed foods are bad for you. When it comes to defining what they actually are, however, there is considerably less agreement. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on our membershipWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Nutrition and health. The issue is not food, nor nutrients, so much as processingUltra-Processed Foods: Definitions and Policy IssuesExamining the Nova Food Classifi...
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Keep the fact-checking going.
Maintenance Phase exists because two people decided to read the studies the wellness industry hoped you'd skim. Membership is what keeps the receipts coming — and it gets you bonus episodes, deep dives into the diet books we couldn't fit in the main feed, and the occasional taste-test of something we shouldn't be putting in our bodies.
Every dollar funds research time, archival book hunts, and the long, weird hours it takes to debunk a claim that took twenty seconds to invent. You join, we keep digging.
- Bonus episodes every month, plus the full back catalog.
- The Grifties — our annual roundup of the year's most outrageous wellness scams.
- Audio-only deep dives on the diet books that made it past the editor.