Burn it Nutrition Podcast · Joseph Navarro Fitness, Nutrition, Ketogenic, Paleo, Keto, Diet Coach

Ep178: Snack Smarter, Live Bolder: The Story of Masa Chips & the MAHA Movement

·43 min·3 clips

Stephen Raffrano shares how a gluten intolerance discovered in infancy forced him to rethink food from childhood.

This episode features host Joseph Navarro interviewing Stephen Raffrano, co-founder of Masa Chips. They discuss Raffrano's personal health journey and his mission to create a genuinely healthy snack option. Raffrano developed gluten intolerance as an infant, which shaped his early relationship with food. His health declined in college when he ate freely, leading to a personal "health awakening" while studying abroad in Belgium. He later started a popular TikTok account discussing ancestral health, seed oils, and the work of Weston Price. Raffrano realized that practical, convenient healthy options were missing for most people, which inspired him to create Masa Chips. The chips are made from only three ingredients: organic corn, grass-fed beef tallow, and sea salt. A key insight is that food nutrition labels in the U.S. are not verified by any authority for accuracy. Raffrano explains that companies self-report data from USDA ingredient databases to create their labels. He argues that European food regulation is stricter, requiring companies to prove an additive is safe before use, unlike the U.S. system. Raffrano chose beef tallow over avocado oil due to studies showing widespread fraud and rancidity in the avocado oil market. He states that tallow is a historically authentic frying fat, noting McDonald's used it for fries until the 1990s. Raffrano claims many "healthy" snacks fail because they sacrifice taste, while Masa Chips aims to match the enjoyment of conventional junk food. He suggests a major problem is that foods have been reformulated with inferior ingredients like seed oils over decades, even while keeping the same brand names. The conversation turns to policy, with Raffrano proposing that the FDA could mandate accurate labeling and full ingredient disclosure, even on restaurant menus. The tone is conversational and educational, blending personal narrative with critiques of food industry practices. Listeners interested in ancestral health, real food ingredients, and food system transparency will find this episode compelling. Those seeking strictly apolitical nutritional science or who are satisfied with conventional snacks may find the critiques less engaging.

As heard by us

A food-labeling and MAHA conversation that turns nutrition skepticism into a practical, policy-minded listen.

The episode starts with a plain worry and keeps it grounded: food labels are treated as dependable, then the discussion points out how often they can be wrong or unchecked.

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Why you'd press play

You want a sharper read on what really sits behind a snack label.

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