The cigarettes you smoke and the food you eat will kill you sooner than the alcohol you drink. But make no mistake: in the USA, alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of death. And yet, alcohol also brings people together, which has its own health benefits. So is...

Mezcal is good for the soul. But what about the brain? And especially the developing brain? Dr. Ryan Aycock, the Cocktail MD, joins us for the scariest episode that Chava never wanted to record. Grab a glass of water for this sobering episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos...

For years, I’ve heard that a glass of wine each day is good for you — makes you healthier, helps avoid heart problems. So will a bottle a day make you even healthier? We call in Dr. Ryan Aycock, Cocktail MD, to answer this question. Get set for the best...

Chava got a bug. After consulting the Ebers Papyrus and an appointment with Pliny the Elder, he chose a mezcal shot over a flu shot. Cocktail MD Dr. Ryan Aycock joins us to get Chava back on the mend and to answer the burning question: can mezcal actually be medicinal...

How sweet it is! Mexican regulations allow up to 1% of your tequila to be additives, the four most common being sugar-based syrup, glycerin, oak extract, and caramel coloring. Purists get outraged by this — it’s cheating! But we’re far more interested in what this means from a health standpoint...

Do you wash that fruit before you cut it? Add salt after juicing? Freeze it? And before you drink it, maybe give that juice a second sniff...? We're joined in this episode by Dr. Ryan Aycock, Cocktail MD, for the lowdown on bacteria and how it can sneak up on...

Ryan Aycock is an emergency-room physician who attended bartending school at the same time he attended medical school — because, you know, it’s always good to have a Plan B. The result is that Ryan is acutely aware of all the things that can go wrong in a bar. The...

Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Tapiwa Guzha. Founder of Tapi Tapi, producing handcrafted ice cream, inspired by the unique flavors of African ingredients. Based in Cape Town, Tapiwa's work is focused on rehabilitation of the collective African esteem around cultural identity, within and beyond food. “In part, Tapi...

This week’s guest is Zimbabwean-born Dr. Tapiwa Guzha. Founder of Tapi Tapi, producing handcrafted ice cream, inspired by the unique flavors of African ingredients. Based in Cape Town, Tapiwa's work is focused on rehabilitation of the collective African esteem around cultural identity, within and beyond food. “In part, Tapi Tapi...

This week, on Inside Julia’s Kitchen, host Todd Schulkin speaks with Dr. Ashley Rose Young, the Historian of the American Food History Project at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. They discuss how migration has transformed the modern American table and how she cooks up history. As always, Ashley...