MakeSense

What's Really In Your Food: The Chemistry They Never Taught You

The same loaf of bread molds in a week in London and lasts two months in LA. Same brand, different ingredients. This course breaks down the actual chemistry behind what's in your food — no panic, no politics, just science you can use at the grocery store.

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Read all 39 lessons free100% free — no credit card39 lessons · ~7 hours

What you'll learn

Concrete skills and knowledge you'll walk away with.

Identify the specific claim being made

Understand why this comparison went viral

Explain how each preservative works at the molecular level

Understand why mold can't survive in treated bread

Compare regulatory approaches

Understand risk assessment differences

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Lesson 1Free

The 2-Month Bread Phenomenon

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Work through all 39 lessons at your own pace.

Course Curriculum

The Viral Claim: Bread That Never Dies

The 2-Month Bread PhenomenonFree preview
🔒Why This Freaks People Out

The Preservative Trio

🔒Calcium Propionate: The Mold Killer
🔒DATEM: The Dough Conditioner
🔒Azodicarbonamide: The Bleaching Agent

Regulation Reality Check

🔒FDA vs EU: Different Risk Tolerance
🔒Reading Between the Regulatory Lines

Ingredient List Breakdown

🔒The Basic Three: Potato, Oil, Salt
🔒The Flavor Enhancers
🔒The Preservatives and Anti-Caking Agents

Why So Many Additives?

🔒Scale and Shelf Life
🔒The Color Consistency Problem

Why 'Processed' Means Nothing

🔒The Processing Spectrum Problem
🔒Enter NOVA: A Better System

The Four NOVA Categories

🔒Group 1: Minimally Processed
🔒Group 2: Processed Culinary Ingredients
🔒Group 3: Processed Foods
🔒Group 4: Ultra-Processed Foods

The Farm Bill Effect

🔒Corn: The Foundation of Cheap Calories
🔒Soybean Oil Everywhere
🔒Wheat: More Than Just Bread

Food Desert Mathematics

🔒The Fresh Food Supply Chain Problem
🔒Shelf-Stable = Cost-Stable

The Testosterone Trend

🔒The Numbers: What's Really Happening
🔒Possible Causes Beyond Food

Endocrine Disruptors 101

🔒BPA: The Plastics Chemical
🔒Phthalates: The Flexibility Additives
🔒PFAS: The Forever Chemicals

Microbiome Basics

🔒Your Bacterial Ecosystem
🔒Fiber vs Additives
🔒The Gut-Brain Highway

The Cancer Connection

🔒Colorectal Cancer: The Rising Trend
🔒Correlation, Causation, and Confounding Factors

Label Reading Fundamentals

🔒Ingredient Order Matters
🔒The 5-Ingredient Rule
🔒Serving Size Tricks

Decoding Marketing Speak

🔒'Natural Flavors' Decoded
🔒Red Flag Ingredients
🔒Marketing Terms That Mean Nothing

What is MakeSense?

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What's Really In Your Food: The Chemistry They Never Taught You

39 lessons · ~7 hours · completely free

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