One Small Bite

Welcome back to Part 2 of our sugar series! In this episode, Dietitian Dude David Orozco, that's me, goes deep on the system behind America’s sugar problem. I'll discuss... Why the federal government subsidizes cheap sweeteners while food industry giants capitalize on it What controlled trial research says about non-nutritive sweeteners Whether sugar addiction is real and explains how th...

After every meal I want something sweet. Why is that? Does this happen to you? And if so, what do you do? In Part 1 of our two-part sugar series, Dietitian Dude David Orozco breaks down everything men need to know about added sugar: what it is, where it hides, how much you should have, whether your sweet tooth is genetic, and what 12 studies say about the health associations with your heart, liver...

You can eat less, eat well, and still enjoy food, and it looks like the science actually supports it. Dietitian Dude David Orozco breaks down... The CALERIE Trial (why a 12-15% calorie deficit produces real health results over 2 years) What happens when men go extreme (the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, RED-S, muscle loss) Why counting food groups beats counting calories.  David shares his own j...

Welcome to the One Small Bite podcast. Today, David talks to about a guy who didn't know he was stuck.  He’d follow every food and fitness program like keto, paleo, Atkins, macros, and intermittent fasting, and every time it worked at first, then stopped. Weight came back. Blood sugar crept up. Energy crashed. And then he'd try a new restrictive approach with diminished returns. Sound fa...

You just finished a delicious meal. You’re completely full. Then the dessert menu arrives, and suddenly you’re eating a flourless chocolate cake with salted caramel ice cream. How did that happen?  Hey it's Dietitian Dude David Orozco here. Tune to listen to how I break down the science of hedonic overeating:  The difference between “liking” and “wanting” food (Dr. Graham Finlayson, Universit...

How does a registered dietitian handle restaurants, fast food, and travel? In the finale of “What Does David Do?”, Dietitian Dude David Orozco reveals his “Add Healthy to Joy” framework, ordering what you want and adding one thing that serves your body. He covers... Why eating out once a week makes meals better (dopamine science from Dr. Anna Lembke) How to maintain the Eating Rhythm while traveli...

How snacking can be helpful, and what this registered dietitian snacks on? In Part 4 of “What Does David Do?”, David admits he barely snacks, and explains why that’s not a flex, a recommendation, or a restriction.  He walks through his kitchen environment strategy using Wendy Wood’s friction research,  Introduces his Pause To Eat exercise with the 7 Points of Hunger Explains why “good snacks” vs “...

Hey folks, in today's episode I explain why dinner is the most important meal in my family, not for nutrition perfection, but for connection. I share some important stats on how Americans spend more on eating out than groceries and how my approach keeps costs and stress down. I walk through my Sunday grocery routine (mostly at Lidl) built around staples, a consistent rhythm, and flexible ingr...

What does a registered dietitian actually eat for lunch? In Episode 2 of “What Does David Do?”, Dietitian Dude David Orozco opens with a privilege acknowledgment and then walks through his five real weekday lunches.  Dinner leftovers Loaded sandwiches with jalapeño chips,  Elevated Maruchan ramen with spinach and egg Charcuterie-style plates — most for under $5.  Frozen Meals He explains why his 1...

What does a registered dietitian actually do every morning? In this first episode of the “What Does David Do?” series, Dietitian Dude David Orozco pulls back the curtain on his real morning routine. He'll give you the 2-minute breathing buffer before his feet hit the floor, his 6-day rotating workout schedule (including the neighborhood dad group that’s been meeting for 5 years), his two go-t...

No meal plan fixes loneliness. In this capstone deep dive on CONNECT — the fifth and final Basic Daily Function — Dietitian Dude David Orozco shares how losing his close male friendships nearly destroyed his health, his marriage, and his eating habits.  He introduces Dr. Vivek Murthy’s loneliness-as-public-health-crisis framework Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad’s 15-cigarettes-a-day mortality data Dan B...

Willpower won’t break your worst habits. Structure will. In this deep dive on PURGE, the fourth Basic Daily Function, Dietitian Dude David Orozco shares his personal story of breaking a late-night loop that destroyed his eating rhythm, sleep, and health.  He introduces Dr. Wendy Wood’s context cues and friction, Dr. Katy Milkman’s Fresh Start Effect, Dr. Jud Brewer’s curiosity-based approach to cr...

Sleep isn’t earned — it’s a biological function. In this deep dive on SLEEP, the third Basic Daily Function, Dietitian Dude David Orozco shares his 15-year journey with migraines and sleep, introduces Dr. Rachel Zoffness’s biopsychosocial “pain recipe” framework, and reviews the research on testosterone, insulin resistance, cardiovascular damage, cortisol, BDNF, and the gut-sleep connection. Inclu...

The gym isn’t failing you. The definition of movement is. In this deep dive on MOVE, the second Basic Daily Function of the One Small Bite Root System, and Dietitian Dude David Orozco breaks down why sitting is an independent cardiovascular risk factor, why a 10-minute post-meal walk outperforms most supplement protocols for glucose management, how movement produces BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophi...

The diet industry says eat less. The research says eat better. In this deep dive on EAT — the first Basic Daily Function — Dietitian Dude David Orozco breaks down the science of Eating Rhythm (chrononutrition), why fiber is the most underrated nutrient in men’s health, how protein distribution matters more than total protein, and why caloric restriction is a metabolic trap. Includes a full sample...

Every man needs a root system. In this episode, Dietitian Dude David Orozco introduces the 5 Basic Daily Functions — Eat, Move, Sleep, Purge, and Connect — the foundational framework behind the Alimentar Men’s Program. Learn why these five daily acts hold everything together, what the research says about each one, and how the next Alimentar cohort (August 20th) uses them to help men build lasting...

Who feeds the man who feeds everyone? In this episode, Dietitian Dude David Orozco, MS, RDN, CIEC, CEP, uses the Alimentar persona Carlos: A 52-year-old first-generation Mexican-American business owner and father, to explore how cultural identity, machismo, and the Provider role shape a man’s relationship with self-care and nourishment.  Drawing on 85 years of Harvard longevity data, Blue Zones re...

What happens when a man’s brain runs so fast that his body gets left behind? In this episode, Dietitian Dude David Orozco, MS, RDN, CIEC, CEP, uses the Alimentar persona Noah, a 37-year-old software engineer with ADHD and anxiety, to explore how neurodivergent men experience disordered eating not through obsession, but through disconnection. Drawing on research from neuroscience, chrononutrition,...

What happens when a man who knows everything about nutrition still can’t change? In this episode, David Orozco, MS, RDN, uses the Alimentar persona Raj — a 43-year-old PhD and self-proclaimed Food Philosopher, to explore the hidden connection between high-saturated-fat diets, HPA axis dysregulation, chronic cortisol elevation, sedentary behavior, and cardiovascular disease risk. Drawing on eight p...

How much protein does a man actually need at 30, at 50, at 70? And what happens when a driven, data-obsessed man turns every meal into a math problem? In this episode, David Orozco, MS, RDN, uses the Alimentar persona Mark, a 49-year-old VP and chronic optimizer, to walk through evidence-based protein recommendations by life stage, the red meat and colon cancer connection, leaner and plant-based a...

What actually predicts how long you’ll live? It’s not your body fat percentage or your gym routine. In this episode, David shares a personal story about his 85-year-old friend, Richard. He's a gardener, grandfather, and great-grandfather who’s never set foot in a gym, and Richard connects it to the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the Blue Zones, and the Japanese concepts of Ikigai and Moa...

This episode challenges the widespread assumption that being lean, ripped, or muscular automatically means being metabolically healthy. Using eight peer-reviewed studies, David walks through the hidden cardiovascular risks behind the “shredded” aesthetic like elevated LDL cholesterol, saturated fat–driven atherogenesis, the metabolically unhealthy normal-weight (MUNO) phenotype, and why heart dise...

You’ve seen the headlines. You’ve heard the success stories. Maybe you’ve been prescribed a GLP-1 yourself, or you’re thinking about it. But between the hype and the fear, the full picture is hard to find. In this episode, Dietitian Dude, David Orozco, registered dietitian nutritionist, certified intuitive eating counselor, exercise physiologist, breaks down the GLP-1 conversation in three parts....

Do you really burn more fat while you sleep? The internet says yes — but the science tells a more nuanced (and more empowering) story. In this episode, Dietitian Dude, David Orozco, breaks down the research on circadian metabolism, substrate oxidation, and the real relationship between sleep and fat loss. Drawing on seven peer-reviewed studies, David explains why sleep quality may matter more than...

Embracing Movement for Wellness: Beyond the Myths This episode of the 'One Small Bite' podcast, hosted by David Orozco, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, delves into the misconceptions surrounding exercise, movement, and their impact on health and weight loss. David revisits the conversation with intern Dianna Thomas, an expert in movement and weight loss,...