Jessica Knurick | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 23, 1987 |
| Education | Florida Atlantic University (Bachelor's) East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (Master's) Arizona State University (PhD) |
| Website | jessicaknurick |
Jessica Knurick (born July 23, 1987) [1] is an American nutrition scientist, science communicator, and social media personality. She is most well known for her content debunking claims associated with the Make America Healthy Again movement.
Knurick began creating content to combat misinformation from the Make America Healthy Again Movement (MAHA). She said that the concerns of the MAHA movement are based on well-founded concerns about health and chronic illnesses, but their explanations for these issues and their proposed solutions are not scientific. She criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for making exaggerated claims about the rate of childhood diabetes and making other similarly exaggerated claims. She also commented on his misunderstandings of dietary guidelines. [2]
She said she tries to be respectful to people who believe in the MAHA movement who may not have thought of the issues outside of the MAHA rhetoric they have heard. She said that she had no sympathy for the leaders of the movement, because they "are spreading this misinformation and are making tons of money off of it". [2] She also added that easier access to healthcare and nutrition improved health outcomes, but that programs expanding their access had been cut. She said that MAHA influencers misdirected people on health issues "while enacting policies that are actually making the problem even worse". [3]
She supports the practice of water fluoridation. [4] She said that the MAHA movement ignores health disparities, and that water fluoridation helps low-income people who can not afford fluoride treatments or fluoride toothpastes. [5] She said that changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations would leave many without insurance coverage for the vaccination, and said that the policy change was "removing access from people". [6] She has said that artificial food dyes are safe, but that they were used in foods she recommends consuming less of, like candies and junk food. She said they are a marketing tool aimed at children, and that using less of them could result in less consumption of junk foods by children. She said that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s announcement that food companies would voluntarily end the use of artificial food dyes was performative and not attached to any regulatory action. [7]
Knurick is a first-generation college student. [4] She attended Arizona State University in 2012 for her PhD. [4] She began teaching nutrition science in 2015 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. [4] She has children, [2] and some of her earlier content was focused on advice for pregnant women and mothers. [4] She works as a consultant. [8]