‘Landman’ takes on ultra-processed foods, smoking and stress. How Taylor Sheridan’s latest show tackles health-related plotlines.

'Landman' takes on ultra-processed foods, smoking and stress. How Taylor Sheridan's latest show tackles health-related plotlines.

Set in Midland, Texas, it’s fitting that Taylor Sheridan’s hit show Landman does a lot of things Texas-big: oil rigs, explosions, egos and drama, to name a few. But there are also several sizable health topics woven throughout the show, whose characters have strong and at times controversial takes. Some health themes echo cultural shifts in how we think about the foods we eat, while others reflect potentially harmful misconceptions.

Here’s what’s going on with health and wellness in the latest hit in the Sheridan universe.

Nutrition: Pop-Tarts and Doritos vs. Angela and Ainsley

In Episode 1, Landman’s leads go after ultra-processed foods. Tommy Norris (played by Billy Bob Thornton), scolds his very much grown-up roommate Nathan (Colm Feore) for eating a Pop-Tart for breakfast, telling him the packaged pastry is “gonna kill” him.

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But the real whole-food crusaders are Norris’s ex-wife Angela (Ali Larter) and daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph). The two are all about perfecting their bodies, and that means no ultra-processed foods and plenty of protein.

Research suggests they’re onto something. Diets high in ultra-processed foods — such as the Doritos Angela berates Tommy for having and the Vienna sausages Ainsley refuses — have been linked to higher risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. These types of foods are thought to contribute to obesity and inflammation and, in turn, scientists suspect they may raise risks for colorectal and other cancers, too.

Eating adequate amounts of protein is important, but recently there’s been a borderline obsession with the nutrient, at least among the very online. A super high-protein ketogenic diet — as Ainsley says she wants to eat in one episode of Landman — for example, is probably not ideal for most people, especially not long-term, according to nutritionists.

Smoking: A problem, but maybe not the problem, according to Tommy Norris

Sheridan’s show isn’t afraid to wade into some controversial territory, and theories about what causes disease are apparently no exception.

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