Dietitian Melinda Hemmelgarn helps listeners “think beyond their plates,” connect the dots between food, health and agriculture, and find food truth.
Did you know that consuming ultra-processed foods harms both our physical and mental health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Eric Hecht, MD, MPH, PhD, Founder and Executive Director of the Institute of Etiological Research, and author of the paper, “Cross-sectional examination of ultra-processed food consumption and adverse mental health symptoms,” published in the Journal of Public Health Nutrition. Hecht explains epidemiology, defines “ultra-processed foods,” and discusses the challenges of behavior change, as well as the multiple negative health effects of consuming ultra-processed foods.
Related website: Institute of Etiological Research:https://www.etioinstitute.org; NOVA Classification of Ultra-Processed Foods:https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/un-decade-of-nutrition-the-nova-food-classification-and-the-trouble-with-ultraprocessing/2A9776922A28F8F757BDA32C3266AC2A
Did you know that incarcerated individuals who participate in Chef Jimmy Hill’s culinary training program have a 6% recidivism rate? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Chef Jimmy Hill, award-winning Executive Chef and instructor of the Food Tech training program at the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, MI. Hill, who is featured in the James Beard Award – winning film, Coldwater Kitchen, describes his culinary program, garden, and compassionate leadership.
Related website: https://www.chefjimmyleehill.com
Did you know that a film about a remarkable prison-based culinary training program won the James Beard Foundation’s Media award in 2023? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brian Kaufman, Executive Video Producer at the Detroit Free Press and co-director of Coldwater Kitchen, the James Beard award-winning documentary featuring Chef Jimmy Hill, who runs a highly regarded culinary training program at the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, MI. Kaufman describes his experience making a documentary film in the confines of a state prison.
Related website: https://coldwaterkitchen.film/
Did you know that the number of farmers markets has grown from 1,755 in 1994 to almost 9,000 markets in 2019? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Ben Feldman, Policy Director for the Farmers Market Coalition, a national non-profit with a mission to strengthen farmers markets for the benefit of farmers, consumers, and communities. Feldman discusses the benefits of farmers’ markets, how the Farm Bill can support farmers’ markets, and why SNAP benefits present a challenge to markets. Note: August 6th-12th is National Farmers’ Market Week.
Related website: https://farmersmarketcoalition.org/
Did you know that only seven to nine percent of global cancer funding goes towards prevention? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kristina Marusic, MFA, journalist with Environmental Health News (www.ehn.org), and author of A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention (Island Press). Marusic connects human health with our environment, discusses our woefully under-funded efforts in cancer prevention, harmful anti-regulation rhetoric, cultural narratives and the phenomenon of “blind loyalty” to corporations that make us sick. Marusic finds hope in collective, systemic-level solutions and provides resources for action.
Related website: www.kristinamarusic.com/https://islandpress.org/books/new-war-cancer
Did you know that 70 percent of the land in the state of IA is planted in a corn/soy rotation, and that almost none of the decisions driving this current production system were made with the nutritional or caloric needs of human beings in mind? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Chris Jones, Ph.D., retired research engineer at the U. of IA and author of The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth about Agriculture and Water Quality. Jones discusses the water quality sensor network he managed at the U of IA, and the devastating environmental impacts of IA agriculture, which is dominated by corn and soy, corn-based ethanol and 25 million hogs. He explains the benefits of biodiversity, farming to scale, and stopping federal support of corn-based ethanol. Jones says local politics are key to changing policies affecting our environment and health. His book features a collection of blog posts about agriculture, water quality and the forces behind our food, fuel and farming policies.
Related website: Ice Cube Press, https://icecubepress.com/2023/04/10/the-swine-republic-2/
Presentation in Fairfield, IA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QShuYfzxntk&t=464s
Article: Ethanol: “Environmental Outcomes of the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard:” https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2101084119
Water Quality Monitoring Network: http://www2.iihr.uiowa.edu/research/the-iowa-nutrient-research-center/?doing_wp_cron=1688300810.4253079891204833984375
Did you know that the U.S. Geological Survey plans to reduce their tracking and reporting of nationwide pesticide-use? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Alan Kolok, Ph.D., Professor of Ecotoxicology at the U. of Idaho; Director Emeritus, of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute and author of Modern Poisons: A Brief Introduction to Contemporary Toxicology. Kolok is one of more than 200 scientists opposed to proposed changes in how the USGS will track and report pesticide use. Kolok used USGS maps to find a relationship between pesticide use and pediatric cancers.
See: “Investigation of Relationships Between the Geospatial Distribution of Cancer Incidence and Estimated Pesticide Use in the U.S. West”https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021GH000544
Related website: https://islandpress.org/books/modern-poisons
Did you know that pesticide manufacturers deliberately discredit reputable scientists and employ a host of other corrupt practices to protect sales of their products? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Stacy Malkan, co-founder and managing editor at US Right to Know, a non-profit investigative research group working globally to expose corporate wrongdoing and government failures that threaten our health, environment, and food system. Malkan investigates and reports on pesticide and food industry PR and lobbying operations, and is the lead author of a new report, “MERCHANTS OF POISON: How Monsanto Sold the World on a Toxic Pesticide - A case study in disinformation, corrupted science, and manufactured doubt about glyphosate.”
Malkan reveals the tactics used by pesticide manufacturers (and the food industry) to protect their profits, including efforts to discredit reputable scientists. The report includes a case study of Monsanto’s efforts to suppress the findings of an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) panel on cancer concerns associated with the herbicide glyphosate. US Right to Know also shares the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) new report investigating how industry influences health research: https://usrtk.org/industry-pr/how-sponsor-bias-impacts-health-research/
Related website: www.usrtk.org
Did you know that it’s easier than you might think to meet protein needs on vegetarian diets? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brenda Davis, RD, plant-based diet expert and author of Plant Powered Protein: Nutrition Essentials and Dietary Guidelines for All Ages. Davis discusses the multiple health benefits of plant-based diets and describes how to easily meet protein and other nutrient needs. She also discusses the new (and unique) Canadian Food Guide: https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/
Related website: www.plant-poweredprotein.com
Did you know that intermittent fasting can improve non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and other metabolic disorders related to obesity? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Krista Varady, Ph.D., award-winning researcher and Professor of Nutrition at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Varady discusses the most effective methods of intermittent fasting.
Related website: https://www.instagram.com/drkristavarady/
Did you know that POTS - postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome – is increasingly seen as a component of Long Covid? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Cheryl Harris, MS, RD, who discusses her article on diet and exercise therapy to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Related website: https://www.jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(22)00342-2/fulltext
Did you know that children’s literature can teach important lessons about our shared environment and the food system? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Katherine Pryor, award-winning children’s book author and “good” food advocate discusses her latest title: Spring is for Strawberries, which helps children understand the value of seasonal eating.
Related website: https://katherinepryor.com/
Did you know that pesticide drift is a widespread, largely invisible problem that disproportionately harms racially marginalized, Indigenous, and working-class communities? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jill Lindsey Harrison, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Colorado – Boulder, and author of Pesticide Drift and the Pursuit of Environmental Justice (MIT Press). Harrison discusses the plight of poor agricultural workers, and the pesticide industries’ marketing strategies, and influence on educational institutions and regulatory agencies.
Related website: https://www.colorado.edu/geography/jill-lindsey-harrison
Did you know that all the feeding assistance programs in the world won’t solve the root cause of hunger, which is poverty? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview withMark Winne, community food activist, writer, and Senior Advisor to the Food Policy Networks Project at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, for his discussion of the recent White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, and his recent blog post on the conference: https://www.markwinne.com/the-white-house-hunger-conference-dispatch-from-a-man-who-wasnt-there/ Winne shares his expertise in hunger and food insecurity, describes food systems, and explains what was missing from the recent White House Conference. He addresses the benefits and pitfalls of SNAP – the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program, and steps we can take to improve our food system, food security and health. His most recent book, Food Town USA (Island Press, 2019), explores communities in which food has been at the heart of healthy economic growth.
Related website: www.markwinne.com
Did you know that home gardeners have a critical role in helping to conserve the biodiversity of crops, which is crucial in combatting climate change? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Adam Alexander, award-winning film and television producer, and author of The Seed Detective: Uncovering the Secret Histories of Remarkable Vegetables (Chelsea Green 2022). Alexander discusses his true passion: collecting rare, endangered, but above all, delicious vegetables from around the world. He explores the social and cultural relationships we have with what we grow, and explains why and how vegetables have become lost or extinct. You can watch Alexander’s entertaining videos here: The adventures of a seed detective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHbaJ80X_Jk
Related website: https://theseeddetective.co.uk/
Did you know that large-scale off-shore marine finfish aquaculture operations pose a risk to our ocean commons?Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andrianna Natsoulas, Campaign Director, Don’t Cage Our Oceans, a national coalition working to protect our ocean commons from the risks of off-shore marine finfish aquaculture operations. Natsoulas describes industrial off-shore aquaculture operations, who profits from them, and the feed and medications that impact both fish quality and our natural ocean environment. Natsoulas also provides tips on choosing sustainable, wild-caught (vs. farmed) fish.
Related website: https://dontcageouroceans.org/
Did you know that most poultry sold in supermarkets is produced by an unjust “tournament system” that pits farmer against farmer? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Aaron Johnson, Program Manager for Challenging Corporate Power at Rural Advancement Foundational International – USA (RAFI-USA), a non-profit organization based in North Carolina that challenges the root causes of unjust food systems, and supports and advocates for economically, racially, and ecologically just farm communities. Johnson describes vertical integration within the poultry industry, how “tournament systems” exploit poultry farmers, and how banks and taxpayers support this unjust system. Importantly, Johnson helps us rethink cultural narratives on regulation. The film, “Under Contract,” takes us behind the scenes to understand the lives of contract poultry farmers: https://rafiusa.org/undercontractfilm/
Related website: https://www.rafiusa.org/programs/challenging-corporate-power/
Did you know that most food labels are tightly regulated by FDA? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Lauren Swann, Registered Dietitian and food label regulation expert. The two will discuss areas of confusion, trends, and the finer points of evolving food labels and their role in consumer education, marketing, and protecting public health. For FDA labeling information see: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition.
Related website: Food & Nutrition Label; Dietary Supplement & Menu Labeling & Advertising: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/158141/
Did you know that fracking, and other methods of fossil fuel extraction and production puts farm land, water quality and public health at risk? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Taylor Brorby, author, poet, essayist, environmentalist and author of Boys and Oil: Growing up Gay in a Fractured Land. Brorby discusses the impact of the expansion of the fossil fuel industry into his home state of North Dakota, the calculated pitting of pipeline supporters against environmentalists, and his essay in Orion Magazine https://orionmagazine.org/article/diabetes-disability-fossil-fuels/ which brings into focus the relationship between personal and planetary health.
Related website: www.taylorbrorby.com
Did you know that bottled water purchases can predict political involvement? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Manny Teodoro, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and lead author of The Profits of Distrust: Citizen-Consumers, Drinking Water, and the Crisis of Confidence in American Government. Teodoro discusses the connections between the rise of the commercial drinking water industry, distrust in and failure of government, and broader withdrawal from civic life. Teodoro has served on expert advisory panels to state governments, UNICEF/World Health Organization, the American Water Works Association, and dozens of local governments. He works directly with government, community, and industry leaders to improve water affordability, equity, and regulatory implementation. He is a member of the Water and Health Advisory Council: https://wateradvisory.org/ and addressed the Third Coast Water Conference (3/31/21), speaking on “Confidence in American institutions and the Rise of Bottled Water”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OL8R0082Os
Related website: www.mannyteodoro.com
Did you know that the herbicide glyphosate can cross the blood-brain barrier, resulting in an increase of neuro-inflammation?Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Ramon Velazquez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the School of Life Sciences, and Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University. Velaquez discusses his new published research on the effects of glyphosate on the brains of mice, showing that it may increase the risk of neurodegenerative disorders. “Glyphosate infiltrates the brain and increases pro-inflammatory cytokine TNFα: implications for neurodegenerative disorders.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35897073/
He also discusses the role of choline in cognitive health and how it may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Related website: https://velazquezlab-asu.github.io/index.html
Did you know that Monsanto knew PCBs were harmful to public health, but continued to profit from their sale? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Bart Elmore, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Environmental History, core faculty member of the Sustainability Institute at the Ohio State University, andaward-winning author of Citizen Coke: The Making of Coca-Cola Capitalism (W. W. Norton, 2015) and Seed Money: Monsanto’s Past and Our Food Future(W. W. Norton, 2021). Elmore describes how he gained access to archival documents showing how Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) profited by exploiting labor and natural resources, and continues to do so today with GMO crops designed to sell an increasing number of damaging herbicides.
Related website: https://www.bartelmore.com/
Did you know that pasture-based animal agriculture differs vastly from industrial feedlots? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jenn Wheeling, holistic rancher and regenerative farmer. Wheeling is one of several siblings who live and operate agricultural enterprises on James Ranch in Durango, CO. She describes a resilient regional food system that feeds her community and contributes to the region’s environmental and economic well-being.
Related website: https://jamesranch.net/
Did you know that insulin resistance increases risk for chronic diseases? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Barry Boyd, MD, MS, integrative oncologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Yale Cancer Center. Boyd discusses his focus on nutritional support in cancer prevention and treatment, insulin resistance and glyphosate-related cancers.
Related website: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1534735403259152
Did you know that children who bring non-traditional foods in their lunch boxes can face bullying at school? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Joshua David Stein, food writer, restaurant critic, and children’s book author. Stein describes his work writing and performing children’s books. Lunch From Home, his most recent title, describes “lunch box moments” as faced by the lead characters (real professional chefs) when they were children. Stein explores the sensitive topics of cultural foods and how children react to “strange” food. A perfect back-to-school read to help children navigate their school cafeterias, embrace cultural differences and explore ethnic foods.
Related website: https://www.thebandbooks.com/; www.joshuadavidstein.com
Did you know that over 600 U.S. prisons include agricultural activities of some kind? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Joshua Sbicca, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Prison Agriculture Lab at Colorado State University. He is also co-author with Ashante Reese of “Food and carcerality: From confinement to abolition.” (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358186429_Food_and_carcerality_From_confinement_to_abolition) Sbicca explains that plantation labor has never really gone away, and dives into the forms of unseen agriculture as it exists today in the “criminal punishment” system, and discusses who stands to profit from the agri-carceral industrial complex. He also describes his unique and collaborative Prison Agriculture Lab project which includes maps, stories and more.
Related website: https://prisonagriculture.com/
Did you know that the United Nations has declared plastic pollution a global crisis? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview withSarah King, M.S.,Head of Greenpeace Canada's Oceans and Plastics campaign. King exposes the fossil fuel industry’s dependence on plastic for profit, its connection to our global climate crisis, and the myth of plastic recycling. She also discusses the potential impact of Canada’s commitment to ban single-use plastics (See: https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/press-release/52311/global-plastics-treaty-mandate-pivotal-step-to-end-plastic-pollution/ ) and how we can grow the reuse – refill, zero-waste movement.
Related website: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/what-you-need-know-about-plastic-pollution-resolution
Did you know that early home economists were advocates for justice and revolutionary scientists? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Danielle Dreilinger, award winning journalist and author of The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live (W. W. Norton). Dreilinger discusses the origins of home economics, the broad scope of the profession, its name changes, and why this area of study and work remains critically important in benefiting society today.
Related website: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324004493
Did you know that harvested rainwater can be used in arid regions of the world to support food-bearing shade trees, abundant gardens, and a thriving landscape that provides wildlife habitat, beauty, medicinal plants, and more? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brad Lancaster, rainwater harvester, permaculturist, regenerative design consultant and award-winning author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond. Lancaster describes how he captures rain and grey water, and thereby transformed his community, reduced temperatures, and improved health.
Related website: https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/
Did you know that our food and agricultural practices can have either a beneficial or detrimental impact on the global climate crisis? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kari Hamerschlag, Deputy Director of Friends of the Earth’s Food and Agriculture Program and the Climate-Friendly Food Program. Hamerschlag discusses findings from the “Farming for the Future” Report which explains the connections between food, agriculture and climate change, and agroecological solutions.
(See: https://1bps6437gg8c169i0y1drtgz-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/legacy/FOE_Farming_for_the_Future_Final.pdf ). She also describes the multiple benefits of climate-friendly schools meals, including cost-savings to school districts.
(Part 2 of 2)
Related website: “Shrinking the Carbon and Water Foot Print of School Food: A Recipe for Combating Climate Change:” https://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/webiva_fs_2/FOE_FoodPrintExecSumm_7.pdf
Did you know that The UN Secretary-General has called the climate crisis a “code red” warning for humanity, yet multinational development banks (MDBs) continue to pump public money into climate-unfriendly industrial animal agriculture? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kari Hamerschlag, Deputy Director of Friends of the Earth’s Food and Agriculture Program and the Climate-Friendly Food Program. Hamerschlag discusses her research on multinational development banks, and their role in funding industrial livestock operations (CAFOs), thereby ignoring warnings from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification. Both the IPCC and the U.N. advise transforming and scaling back greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from CAFOs in order to build resiliency and reach Paris climate goals. (Part 1)
Related website: https://foodtank.com/news/2022/06/public-banks-are-breaking-their-climate-pledges/
Did you know that mental health is influenced by what and how we eat? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with David Wiss, Ph.D., Registered Dietitian, and founder of Nutrition in Recovery and Wise Mind Nutrition.
Wiss discusses his career path and practice.He developed Wise Mind Nutrition to provide information on adverse childhood experiences, disordered eating, food addiction, depression, trauma-informed care, resilience in recovery, and more. As Wiss explains, whole, fiber-rich foods help nourish gut bacteria, which influence both physical and mental health.
Related website: https://wisemindnutrition.com/
Did you know that media literacy is essential for a healthy democracy and planet? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Faith Rogow, Ph.D., media literacy educator, founder of Insighters Education, and author of Media Literacy for Young Children: Teaching Beyond the Screen Time Debates. Rogow is an expert in helping us navigate media images and messages, tease out mis- and dis-information, and understand media’s power to influence how we think and feel. In an uncertain world, Rogow helps us respond with imagination rather than fear.
Related website: https://insighterseducation.com/
Did you know that the Environmental Protection Agency, our government agency that reviews and licenses pesticides relies almost exclusively on manufacturers’ safety data, which is rife with self-interest? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with John P. Wargo, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Health and Politics at Yale University’s School of the Environment and author of the award winning book, Our Children’s Toxic Legacy: How Science and Law Fail to Protect us from Pesticides. Wargo discusses his latest report, “Pesticide Risks: From Our Farms to Our Homes,” (Environment & Human Health, Inc.), and asks: “Why in the world would you want to expose your family to a mixture of chemicals?” Wargo describes how we’ve been sold a lawn “narrative,” but that common lawn chemicals put our water supply and health at risk.
Related website: https://www.ehhi.org/Pesticide_Risks_web_new.pdf
Did you know that there’s a 51-acre planned development in northeast Austin, TX, that provides affordable, permanent housing, an organic garden, microenterprise opportunities, and a supportive community for people coming out of chronic homelessness? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Alan Graham, founder, President and CEO of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, and “lead visionary” behind MLF’s Community First! Village. Graham discusses his perspective on the cause of homelessness, and the solutions, starting with food and family. Community First! Village offers a national model for preventing homelessness with dignity.
Related website: https://mlf.org/
Did you know that just because a pesticide is registered with the EPA doesn’t mean it’s safe? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Alexis Temkin, Ph.D. toxicologist and lead author of the Environmental Working Group’s “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce,” including the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen.” Temkin describes the process of pesticide testing and regulation, and how the EWG’s guide was developed to help consumers enjoy a variety of fruits and vegetables while protecting their family’s health, as well as farm worker health and our environment. The Environmental Working Group, as well as Beyond Pesticides: www.beyondpesticides.org provides information on produce safety and the benefits of organic food and farming.
Related website: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/about.php
Did you know that Abbott’s infant formula contamination resulted in the death of two children? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Bill Marler, personal injury lawyer and internationally recognized expert in foodborne illness litigation. Marler discusses the Abbott infant formula contamination fiasco, formula shortage, inadequate regulation and unintended consequences of industry consolidation. Marler’s Food Safety News has covered this issue extensively, as well as food recalls, foodborne illness outbreaks and investigations.
Related website: www.foodsafetynews.com
Did you know that the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that one third of all food in the U.S. goes uneaten and in 2018, about 81 percent, or 20.3 tons of households' wasted food ended up in landfills or combustion facilities? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Rhonda Sherman, M.S, Extension Specialist on composting, recycling and solid waste reduction at North Carolina State University, Raleigh. Affectionately known as “the worm queen,” Sherman explains that preventing food from going to waste is one of the easiest and most powerful actions we can take to save money and lower our climate change footprint by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and conserving natural resources.
Related website: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/show_ep3_pdf/1649787791/22094/
Did you know that the American food supply is increasingly contaminated with the herbicide glyphosate? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Henry Rowlands, journalist and Founder/Director of Sustainable Pulse and the Detox Project. Rowland dives into his latest report: “Glyphosate Contamination: The Poison in Our Daily Bread,” which reveals the glyphosate levels found in commonly purchased grocery store foods, and explains why such foods as bread, oats, barley, beans, peas and lentils are contaminated. See the report here: https://detoxproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Glyphosate_Contamination_Report_Final1.pdf
Related website: www.detoxproject.org
Did you know that almost four decades after the Clean Water Act’s deadline for all waters across the U.S. to be “fishable and swimmable,” 50 percent of assessed river and stream miles in the U.S. are so polluted they are classified as “impaired”? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tom Pelton, Communications Director for the Environmental Integrity Project and lead author of EIP’s report, “The Clean Water Act at 50: Promises Half Kept at the Half Century Mark.” Learn if your elected officials vote in favor of environmental protection here: League of Conservation Voters: https://lcv.org/mission/ and listen to Pelton’s “Environment in Focus” interviews here: https://www.wypr.org/people/tom-pelton
Related website: https://environmentalintegrity.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/CWA-report-3.23.22-FINAL.pdf
Did you know that many “plant-based” foods are highly processed and not necessarily good for our health or the planet? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Alan Lewis, Vice President for Government Affairs, Stakeholder Relations and Organic Compliance for Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage. Lewis discusses the impact of industrial agriculture on our environment and health, pulls back the curtain on plant-based, yet highly processed foods, and helps us understand often confusing food labels, including: “bioengineered,” “natural,” and “non-GMO.” Follow Lewis’ astute observations of the food system on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanplewis/
Related website: TED Talk: “Food Betrayal – Don’t swallow the lies:”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y81rCiw1LPY
Did you know that herbicide drift challenges the wine industry, especially in states largely dominated by chemical intensive industrial agriculture? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mick McDowell, award-winning wine producer based in St. Paul, Nebraska. McDowell describes the land he loves, corn and livestock economics, and the challenges of growing grapes in a state dominated by crops that are routinely sprayed with a growing number of herbicides. Each year, McDowell explains, a significant percentage of his grapes are lost due to herbicide drift, with no significant means of compensation.
Related website: www.milettavistawinery.com
Did you know that regenerative farming methods are not “new,” but have been practiced by indigenous farmers for centuries? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Liz Carlisle, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and author of Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming. Carlisle discusses the powerful movement that’s happening in farming today, that reconnects farmers with their roots to fight climate change. Carlisle amplifies the voices of Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Asian American farmers who are reviving their ancestors’ methods of growing food—techniques long suppressed by the industrial food system. Listen to Dr. Carlisle’s Island Press webinar here: Island Press webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV7FFn3-IiA
Related website: https://www.lizcarlisle.com/
Did you know that images are powerful influencers on how we think about food, people and national policies? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Shana Klein, Ph.D., art historian, assistant professor of art history at Kent State U. and author of The Fruits of Empire: Art, Food, and the Politics of Race in the Age of American Expansion. Kleindiscusses the role of visual imagery in the acceptance and promotion of fruit, national expansion, and racism focusing on five key fruits: grapes, oranges, bananas, watermelon and pineapple. Sales of her book are generously contributed to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. To see more of Klein’s deconstructed images of food: @thefruitsofempire
Related website: https://sites.bu.edu/gastronomyblog/2022/01/25/spring-2022-pepin-lecture-series-in-food-studies-gastronomy/
Did you know that pesticide drift interferes with the ability of rural farmers to feed their communities? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Michael O’Donnell, mechanical engineer, Indiana farmer, and sustainable agriculture educator. O’Donnell discusses the myth of biofuels, and describes his experience living in the path of pesticide drift, resulting in crop damage, reduced quality of life, and the inability to feed his community farm fresh, nourishing food. To learn more about biofuels, see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35165202/
For research on herbicide drift, see: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337288375_Investigations_of_the_Sensitivity_of_Ornamental_Fruit_and_Nut_Plant_Species_to_Driftable_Rates_of_24-D_and_Dicamba
Related website: “Options for Dealing with a Pesticide Drift Incident:” https://edustore.purdue.edu/item.asp?Item_Number=PPP-110
Did you know that smell and taste loss can affect our personal safety, mental and physical health, and overall quality of life? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Danielle Reed, Ph.D. Associate Director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, based in Philadelphia, PA. Reed shares insights from her research investigating differences in the loss of taste and smell as a result of COVID-19 infections and other conditions. Reed is a member of the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research.
Related website: https://monell.org/smell-taste-loss/
Did you know that the diet industry depends on a “media illiterate” audience? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Frank Baker, journalist and media education consultant. Baker has been recognized by UNESCO’s Global Alliance partnership for Media & Information Literacy. Baker pulls back the curtain on diet industry ads, discusses media literacy education in K-12 schools, and shares critical questions we can pose to navigate all media messages. https://namle.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Key-Questions.pdf Baker explains that propaganda is widely used in our society https://www.frankwbaker.com/mlc/propaganda/ and https://propaganda.mediaeducationlab.com/, but students are not taught to recognize persuasive techniques. He provides examples of carefully constructed media messages in the diet industry, and the power of testimonials and celebrity in selling products.
Related website: www.frankwbaker.com
Did you know that phytochemicals in plants deserve more of our attention for their role in protecting our healthspan? https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.81
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jed Fahey, Ph.D., nutritional biochemist and former Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School where he directed the Cullman Chemoprotection Center. Fahey shares his expertise of plant physiology and human nutrition, discusses the many benefits of “phytochemicals” in general and specifically sulforaphane found in broccoli and broccoli sprouts. He also explains how and why we get a greater phytochemical load from organically grown fruits and vegetables, and laments the loss of biodiversity in vegetable seeds, as depicted by National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/infographic-design/
Related website: www.jedfahey.com
Did you know that intermittent fasting can reduce breast cancer recurrence and improve overall metabolic health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dorothy Sears, Ph.D., professor of Nutrition at Arizona State U.’s College of Health Solutions, and adjunct professor of medicine at the U. of CA – San Diego. Sears discusses her research on meal timing (intermittent fasting and circadian rhythm) and the benefits of standing during bouts of sitting to improve overall health.
Related website: https://chs.asu.edu/dorothy-sears
Did you know that pesticides are not necessary to “feed the world,” and that American taxpayers pay for pesticide-related harm to our environment and health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kristin Schafer, Former Executive Director of the Pesticide Action Network of North America. Schafer discusses highlights of her 25-year career with PAN, summarizes the best farming methods for resilient agriculture; and, explains how policy must help protect children from pesticide harm. Read more about Schafer’s work experiences in her reflection series: https://www.panna.org/blogs/kristin-schafer, and learn about how the pesticide industry influences EPA in this Catalyst article: https://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/PANnews2021n03.pdf
Learn about SB 3283 Protect America’s children from toxic pesticides act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/3283
Related website: www.panna.org
Did you know that if pesticides are used anywhere in a community, those pesticides can end up in ground water shared by that community? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nancy Alderman, Founder and President of Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of human health from environmental harms through research, education and the promotion of sound public policy. Alderman describes how well-meaning individuals can be fooled by pesticide and lawn care marketing. Tune in to find out how to best protect your family from a number of harmful environmental chemicals, and ask to receive EHHI’s daily education updates at: info@ehhi.org
Related website: http://www.ehhi.org
Did you know that U.S. consumers spend more on health care than they do on food? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jeff Tkach, Chief Impact Officer at the non-profit Rodale Institute. Tkach describes the Rodale Institute’s new free, on-demand consumer course on regenerative organic food and farming. He defines “regenerative organic agriculture,” and explains the multiple health benefits of organic food and farming for our environment and health. He also discusses hurdles or barriers to the adoption of organic practices, and the power of consumers in the marketplace.
Related website: https://courses.rodaleinstitute.org/p/being-a-regenerative-consumer
Did you know that plastic breaks down in our environment and enters our water, air, food chain and bodies? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gaboury Benoit, Ph.D., Environmental Chemist at Yale University, and author of “Plastics and Microplastics: A Threat to the Environment and Health.” Benoit discusses the fate of microplastics, potential adverse effects on soil and human health, and why it is critical to choose anything but plastic whenever possible.
Related website: https://www.ehhi.org/plastics.php
Did you know that industrial agriculture and factory farms negatively impact rural communities’ water, air and quality of life? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sherri Dugger, Executive Director of the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project. Dugger defines “socially responsible agriculture,” discusses industrial farming myths, and describes how SRAP works in partnership with rural communities to oppose concentrated animal feeding operations. To watch SRAP’s 2021 conference, “Building a Socially Responsible Food Future,” See: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ1v-GDXiO6jmll0RNj7MkrbsE_EJKnFZ
For community assistance in opposing CAFOs, call: 844-367-7727.
Related website: https://sraproject.org/
Did you know that what we eat can not only affect our own personal health, but that of our planet as well? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dana Ellis Hunnes, R.D., MPH, Ph.D., dietitian and faculty member at UCLA https://ph.ucla.edu/faculty/hunneswho discusses her book: Recipe for Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life.(Cambridge U. Press). Hunnes reflects on her dietetics profession, discusses the lack of “sustainability” guidance in our National Dietary Guidelines, and the relationship of food and farming to climate change.
Related website: http://danaellishunnes.com
Did you know that 50 years have passed since the first edition of Diet for a Small Planet was published? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Frances Moore Lappé, activist and author of Diet for a Small Planet. Lappe discusses her life’s work; the connections between democracy, world hunger, and our environment, and shares insights gained during the fifty years since the first edition of her book reached more than 3 million readers and changed many lives. Lappe also discusses highlights from her 50th edition of Diet for a Small Planet.
Related website: https://www.dietforasmallplanet.org/
Did you know that less than 10% of all the plastic ever made has been recycled? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Erica Cirino, science writer,artist, and author of Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis (Island Press, 2021). Cirino describes her 24 day ocean voyage during which she witnessed extensive plastic pollution, the plastic crisis facing our planet, and the environmental and public health costs associated with its production and use. She encourages consumers to engage in policy (See: https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/policy), and consider two questions: What do we need to live; and, what can we live without?
Related website: http://www.ericacirino.com/
Did you know that January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and in all likelihood, we consume the products of slavery every day? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Anne Ross, attorney with Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services, Charleston, S.C. Ross discusses human trafficking and forced labor in food and agriculture industries. Today’s globalized supply chains make it is almost impossible to avoid goods or services free of the fingerprints of slavery, including electronic gadgets, clothing, fish, cocoa and cane sugar. Ross describes how trafficking happens, and how we can help report and avoid such tainted products. For more information from the state department, see: https://www.state.gov/national-human-trafficking-prevention-month/ , and a toll-free number to report suspected trafficking or seek help: 888-373-7888.
Related website: PBS/ Frontline investigation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp9E5nkr-wQ
Did you know that food labels can mislead us into thinking processed and packaged foods and beverages are healthier than they might appear? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Eva Greenthal, MS, MPH, Senior Science Policy Associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Greenthal discusses the Food Labeling Modernization Act and the food labeling confusion and loopholes it attempts to correct. Greenthal and Hemmelgarn expose misleading “natural” labels, and discuss potentially harmful ingredients, including phosphorus, caffeine, gluten, food dyes, sugar and more.
Related website: CSPI food labeling webinar: https://cspinet.org/resource/2021-flma-webinar-recording
Did you know that industries use a variety of tactics to manipulate public opinion about products that can harm our health and environment? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview withLaura Vandenberg, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs within the School of Public Health & Health Sciences, and Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. Vandenberg’s research has largely focused on endocrine disruptors – https://www.umass.edu/family/people/laura-vandenberg - chemicals found in plastics, pesticides and flame retardants, which at very low doses can lead to diseases such as cancer, obesity and infertility. However, her latest paper, titled: “The Science of Spin: Targeted Strategies to manufacture doubt with detrimental effects on environmental and public health,” identifies and explains a multitude of manipulative strategies used by industries to convince us that their products are safe.
Related website: https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12940-021-00723-0.pdf
Did you know that many physicians are joining with dietitians to help their patients eat well? Join Food Sleuth Radiohost and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dr. Reshma Shah, M.D., MPH, board-certified pediatrician, and co-author of the award-winning book, Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families, co-authored with Registered Dietitian, Brenda Davis.
Shah has over two decades of experience caring for children and recognizes the many challenges busy working parents face when trying to feed their families well. In addition to her medical and public health degrees, Shah has additional training in plant-based nutrition and cooking. She believes cooking for our families is a powerful way to not only nourish our bodies but also to nourish our spirits and our connections to one another. Through her training and research, Shah has discovered that a plant-based diet is the foundation for good health, not only for ourselves and our families, but for the world at large. You can try some of her recipes here: https://reshmashahmd.com/recipes/
Related website: https://nourishthebook.com/
Did you know that less than 10% of plastic is recycled? Join Food Sleuth Radiohost and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Alexis Goldsmith, National Organizing Director at Beyond Plastics. Goldsmith discusses the myths of plastic “recycling,” plastic’s connection to climate change and how plastic creates global environmental and public health disasters.
Related website: https://www.beyondplastics.org/plastics-and-climate
Did you know that the majority of farmers struggle to make a living? Join Food Sleuth Radiohost and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Beth Hoffman, journalist and author of Bet the Farm: Dollars and Sense of Growing Food in America (Island Press, 2021). Hoffman describes the little known hard economic realities of farming and exposes myths we’ve been fed about American agriculture. Her book offers potential solutions to achieve truly resilient and sustainable farming.
Related website: https://www.iowa-farm.com/
Did you know that Danone North America, owner of Horizon Organic, dropped its contracts with 89 organic dairies in New England and Upstate New York? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Edward Maltby, Executive Director of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance. Maltby discusses the benefits of organic food and farming, the plight of dairy farmers, and the impact of lost contracts on farm families and regional economies.
Related website: https://www.nodpa.com/
Did you know that our perceptions of how and what we eat are influenced by our culture? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Melanie Joy, PhD, psychologist and author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows. Joy specializes in the psychology of eating animals, social transformation, and relationships. She discusses her theory of carnism, and works to raise awareness of the brutality of factory farms.
Related website: www.carnism.org ; www.melaniejoy.org/relational-literacy
Did you know that child-targeted marketing and excessive screen time undermines kids’ health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Josh Golin, Executive Director of the non-profit, Fairplay: Childhood Beyond Brands (formerly the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood). Golin describes the mission and recent activities and concerns of Fairplay, and strategies to help children thrive despite our increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture. He discusses the impact of social media, branded food and toys and AI on children’s health.
Related website: www.fairplayforkids.org
Did you know that human, animal, plant, environment and ecosystem health are all connected? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Laura Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP, co-founder of the global One Health Initiative.Kahn is a physician and research scholar with experience in medicine, public health, and public policy. She fosters systems thinking, taking into account connections between agricultural practices, pandemics and climate change and impacts on civilization. She teaches a free course on One Health titled “Bats, Ducks, and Pandemics: An Introduction to One Health Policy." https://www.coursera.org/learn/onehealth?action=enroll
Related website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352771421000793?via%3Dihub
Did you know that the stories behind our favorite distilled spirits are largely hidden, and rarely presented on bar menus? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Shanna Farrell, expert in “cocktail culture,” and author of A Good Drink, In Pursuit of Sustainable Spirits. Farrell delves into labeling, ingredients, production, and why and how eco-conscious consumers should include attention to both their food and drink. Her website also includes much needed resources for the service industry during COVID-19.
Related website: https://shanna-farrell.com/a-good-drink-in-pursuit-of-sustainable-spirits
Did you know that the benefits of probiotics are strain specific?Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her part 2 interview with Anthony Thomas, Ph.D., nutrition researcher, scientific consultant in the dietary supplement industry, and director of Scientific Affairs at Natreon Inc., a nutraceutical ingredient innovator. Thomas was formerly the Director of Scientific Affairs at Jarrow Formulas, Inc. Thomas continues his explanation of the development of the microbiome during infancy, and its importance throughout the lifecycle. He also explains how to choose effective probiotics in a confusing marketplace.
Related website: http://usprobioticguide.com/?utm_source=intro_pg&utm_medium=civ&utm_campaign=USA_CHART
Did you know that the microbes in and on our body significantly contribute to our health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Anthony Thomas, Ph.D., nutrition researcher, scientific consultant in the dietary supplement industry, and director of Scientific Affairs at Natreon Inc., a nutraceutical ingredient innovator. He was formerly the Director of Scientific Affairs at Jarrow Formulas, Inc. Thomas discusses the influence of diet and antibiotics on gut health, the development of the gut microbiome in infancy, and choosing probiotics.
Related website: https://isappscience.org/
Did you know that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 98 percent of Americans have trace amounts of PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in their bodies? And that PFAS reduce vaccine effectiveness? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sydney Evans, MPH Science Analyst, Environmental Working Group. Evans discusses PFAS, a toxic “forever chemical” and tap water contaminant that has been linked to cancer, thyroid disease, immune suppression (reduced vaccine effectiveness), low birth weight, decreased fertility and more. Tune in and learn more about tap water quality and how to protect your health. As Evans explains, there’s a big difference between what is “legal” and what is “safe.” There are hundreds of contaminants in water but only some are regulated. And bottled water is not necessarily safer. Where to find PFAS chemicals? Teflon, non-stick, food packaging, Scotchguard, fire-fighting foams and more. For a PFAS timeline see: PFAS timeline of 3M and DuPont deception: https://www.ewg.org/pfastimeline/
Related website: https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/pfas_contamination/
Did you know that black currants were once illegal to grow in the U.S.? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Greg Quinn, owner of Walnut Grove Farm in Clinton, NY where he grows and produces a variety of black currant products. Once a “forbidden fruit,” Quinn describes the steps he took to make it legal to produce currants in NY State, and explains why their production was forbidden and still restricted in some states. The small dark berries are loaded with health protecting anthocyanins and they are one of the most popular fruits in Europe. If you live in the right garden climate zone, black currants could be a nutritious addition to your landscape..
Related website: www.currantC.com
Did you know that global palm oil production is decimating rainforests, polluting water and harming farmworker health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jocelyn C. Zuckerman, former deputy editor of Gourmet magazine, and James Beard award winning feature writer, who discusses her book, Planet Palm: How Palm Oil Ended Up In Everything – and Endangered the World.(The New Press) Palm oil has become ubiquitous in highly processed diets, with hidden abuses to land, indigenous populations, and wildlife, while further fueling climate disasters. After hearing Zuckerman’s story, and diving into her well-researched book, you'll start reading food labels with determination to avoid this earth-crippling ingredient..
Related website: http://jocelynczuckerman.com/
Did you know that food and food production are central to our discussion about climate change? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tom Philpott, food and agriculture correspondent for Mother Jones, and author of Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It. Philpott focuses on two key areas of U.S. food production: California and the Midwest, and these regions’ water scarcity and soil degradation, respectively. He explains how industrial agriculture creates social injustices and environmental wreckage, and how agricultural reform is critical to climate resilience.
Related website: https://www.motherjones.com/author/tom-philpott/
Did you know that young people worldwide are working to mitigate climate change, clean up their environment and create a more sustainable, livable world for future generations? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Marianne Larned, Founding Director of the Stone Soup Leadership Institute and author of Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life Changing Stories of Young Heroes. Larned shares stories of stand-out youth leaders and describes the Institute’s work, which inspires people from all walks of life to work together to build a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.
The Institute also features a virtual toolkit for educators and lesson plans. http://stonesoupleadership.org/virtual-education-toolkit-intro/
Related website: https://soup4worldinstitute.com/
www.stonesoupleadership.org
Did you know that poppy seeds used in baking come from the same plant that produces opiates, including morphine and codeine? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sarah Sorscher, J.D., MPH, Deputy Director of Regulatory Affairs, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Sorscher explains that the poppy plant cannot be legally grown in the United States, so all poppy seeds sold in this country are imported. While the seeds themselves contain negligible amounts of opiates, they can be contaminated with plant debris and require washing and processing to reduce opiate contamination to safe levels. Not all importers adequately process their seeds, and some sellers even market poppy seeds as “unwashed” or “unprocessed,” to convey that they have high levels of opiates to consumers who may purchase the seeds to brew poppy seed tea, which can be fatal.
Related website: https://cspinet.org/sites/default/files/attachment/Contaminated_Poppy_Fact_Sheet_1-13-2021.pdf
Did you know that chronic wounds (those that have not healed in 12 weeks) affect approximately 6.5 million patients in the U.S. annually? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nancy Collins, Ph.D., R.D., a registered dietitian who is certified in wound care, and is known nationally for her expertise in the complex relationship between malnutrition, body composition, and tissue regeneration. From surgical scars to gunshot wounds, diabetic ulcers and bedsores, Collins discusses nutrition’s vital rolepre- and post-surgery and for general wound healing.
Related website: https://drnancycollins.com/
Did you know that most cropland in the U.S. is characterized by large monocultures, whose productivity is maintained with costly inputs, such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and that this over-simplification of our of our food system contributes to climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jonathan Lundgren, Ph.D., Director and Founder of Blue Dasher Farm and the Ecdysis Foundation. Lundgren defines and discusses regenerative agriculturethrough the lens of research entomologist, agroecologist, farmer, rancher and beekeeper. He shares key polnts from a recent article, “Regenerative agriculture: merging farming and natural resource conservation profitably:”https://peerj.com/articles/4428/. Lundgren explains why pests were 10-fold more abundant in insecticide-treated corn fields than on insecticide-free regenerative farms, and how regenerative farming is at the heart of food system reform. Lundgren delivered a keynote presentation at the 2021 Beyond Pesticides Forum: www.beyondpesticides.org
Related website: https://www.ecdysis.bio/
Did you know that August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month and August 25th-31st is Black Breastfeeding Week?https://www.facebook.com/BlackBreastfeedingWeek/Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kimberly Seals Allers, journalist, author and advocate for equity in maternal and infant health. Seals Allers discusses the economics, politics and culture of breastfeeding in America and the specific challenges faced by women of color. Seals Allers has developed an app to help women of color find maternal health care free of bias. https://irthapp.com/
Related website: www.kimberlysealsallers.com
Did you know that industrial agriculture is economically flawed, and survives by externalizing its costs to taxpayers, while spending billions of dollars on myth-based marketing campaigns? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Emily Miller, Research and Policy Manager at the Family Farm Action Alliance, and lead author of the report: “The Truth About Industrial Agriculture: A Fragile System Propped up by Myths and Hidden Costs.” Miller describes the “feed-meat complex,” and how and why farmers lose choice in the way they grow and produce food, while consumers lose choice in the marketplace. Miller also describes regenerative, resilient agriculture - keys to robust rural communities.
Related website: https://farmactionalliance.org/truthreport/
Did you know that Lee Johnson is the first person in the world to go to trial against Monsanto to prove that the company’s popular weed killer, “Roundup,” causes a type of cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Carey Gillam, investigative journalist, Research Director at U.S. Right to Know https://usrtk.org/, and author of “The Monsanto Papers: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man’s Search for Justice” (Island Press, 2021). Gillam describes her research into Monsanto, and discusses the links between pesticide exposure and cancer, and failure of regulatory agencies to protect public health. Gillam also gave a presentation on these issues at the 2021 Beyond Pesticides Forum: www.beyondpesticides.org. Her first book about Monsanto, “Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science,” won the Rachel Carson Book Award from the Society of Environmental Journalists in 2018.
Related website: www.careygillam.com
Did you know that now is the critical time to facilitate a just transition of land to the next generation of farmers? But the next generation of farmers who want to grow nutritious “table food” cannot afford land that is constantly under pressure from housing development or commodity crops. Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Suzan Erem, co-founder and Executive Director of the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT), a statewide non-profit organization that permanently preserves farmland to grow healthy food. Erem describes how SILT is creating a whole new way to permanently preserve farmland and truly “feed the world” nutritious, health-supporting food, while supporting economic development in rural communities. For more information on the principles of a healthy, sustainable food system, see: https://www.planning.org/nationalcenters/health/foodprinciples.htm
Related website: https://silt.org/silt-launches-circle-our-cities-campaign/
Did you know that the commonly used fungicide, fludioxonil may cause oxidative damage to human cells? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tristan Brandhorst, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, University of WI – Madison who discusses his investigation into the toxicity of the commonly used fungicide fludioxonil. Brandhorst has researched the fungicide’s mechanism of toxicity and its effects on off-target organisms – from earth worms to humans. Brandhorst has been studying the physiology of pathogenic fungi for 20 years with research into fungal metabolites, toxicity factors, and mechanisms of virulence.
His research group stumbled upon evidence that the fungicide fludioxonil did not work by its widely accepted “safe” mechanism, and has published his findings that fludioxonil acts on a sugar-metabolizing enzyme common to all cells. His research indicates that the complexity of pesticide effects on cells and enzymes in the body, and organisms generally, are not understood to the extent that they should be. To find out where you might find residues of this fungicide in your food, see The Pesticide Action Network’s What’s On My Food? https://www.whatsonmyfood.org/pesticide.jsp?pesticide=B23. And to hear Brandhorst’s presentation at the 2021 Beyond Pesticide Forum, see: www.beyondpesticides.org
Related website: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GICBdP8bQGQ&list=PLkjxw2sUkRMOtImBlXkgW1pgw1ZZOQTWS
Did you know that fast food is heavily marketed to young children? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jennifer Emond, Ph.D., MS, Assistant Professor in the departments of biomedical data science and pediatrics with the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. Dr. Emond discusses her research on fast food marketing targeted to children, and the potential negative health impacts on children’s food preferences, dietary intake, and weight gain. She also provides example of how the fast food industry does not comply with current voluntary advertising regulations.
Related website: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/147/6/e2020042994
Did you know that food dyes in popular drinks and children’s foods can increase risk of hyperactivity and ADHD? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Aurora Meadows, M.S., R.D., Staff Nutritionist with the Environmental Working Group, who will discuss recent research on the detrimental effects of food dyes and additives on children’s behavior and health. Meadows also introduces us to the Environmental Working Group’s new “Food Scores,” and helps us navigate food labels, ingredients, and explains how organic food can be affordable and beneficial to our health. See: https://www.ewg.org/research/organic-within-reach
Related website: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/california-agency-acknowledges-synthetic-food-dyes-link-hyperactivity-and
Did you know that health insurance and child care are intricately related to community access to nourishing, fresh food? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Shoshana Inwood, Ph.D., Rural Sociologist and Associate Professor at the Ohio State University. Inwood discusses her decade-long research on family farmers’ struggles with access to health insurance, health care and child care – critical social needs for those we depend on for food and nutrition security.
Related website: https://theconversation.com/family-farms-are-struggling-with-two-hidden-challenges-health-insurance-and-child-care-159542
Did you know that prison labor may be used in producing some of the food products you purchase at the supermarket? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with H. Claire Brown, award-winning journalist and senior staff writer for The Counter. Brown dives into her three-part investigative report on the prison labor that is used in our food system.
Related website: https://thecounter.org/essential-and-exploitable-prison-factories-stayed-open-during-pandemic/
Did you know that excess sodium in the American diet is estimated to cause as many as 100,000 deaths and many billions of dollars in avoidable health-care costs each year? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Michael Jacobson, Ph.D, co-founder and long-time Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (www.cspinet.org) and author of Salt Wars: The Battle Over the Biggest Killer in the American Diet. Jacobson explains that an abundance of research going back more than half a century shows high-sodium diets lead to hypertension and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. He calls out food industry lobbyists who have downplayed sodium’s role in a variety of ills. Jacobson says salt is everywhere in our diets—in packaged foods, fast foods, and especially meals at table-service restaurants, and he shares tips to reduce our intake.
Related website: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/salt-wars
Did you know that climate change impacts water quality and foodwebs?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sarah Nelson, Ph.D., Director of Research at the Appalachian Mountain Club. Nelson discusses climate change impacts on environment and public health https://hubbardbrook.org/sites/default/files/pictures/HBRF/Why%20It%20Matters.jpg, and weather whiplash:https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019EF001224.
Did you know that food is our most intimate, powerful connection to each other, to our cultures and the earth? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Navina Khanna, co-founder and the Executive Director of HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, and Labor) Food Alliance, a national alliance of organizations building collective power for transformed food systems across race, sector, and geography. Ms. Khanna discusses racial injustices in our food system and larger society, key messaging strategies (see: ASO Communications - https://asocommunications.com/) and creating a food system where land and workers are valued and respected.
Related website: https://healfoodalliance.org/
Did you know that organic methods of livestock production offer widespread benefits to animals, people and planet? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview withGuy Jodarski, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, who compares conventional vs. organic and sustainable livestock practices. Jodarski’s work has focused on dairy cattle health, benefits of grazing, and disease prevention. He also speaks to the wider impact of agriculture on community health. Jodarski holds an MS in Physiology and DVM from the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison and has been in practice for over 30 years. He also serves on the One Health Committee https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/index.html of the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association (WVMA).
Related website: https://grassworks.org/
Did you know that organic farming in the rural Midwest is becoming increasingly difficult due to chemical and genetic drift from “conventional” farms? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Angela Jackson Pulse, organic farmer, inspector and auditor based in Vermilion, South Dakota. Jackson Pulse describes her on-farm experiences, loss of organic status, crops, adverse health effects from pesticide exposure, and how we can protect public health through pesticide policy reform (FIFRA – The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act ). Pulse will be speaking at the Beyond Pesticides annual Forum on June 1st. For more information on the Forum, see: www.beyondpesticides.org
Related website: https://prairiesunorganicfarm.com/
Did you know that time spent in nature has therapeutic value? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gabrielle Mack, Registered Physical Therapist and Licensed Occupational Therapist. Mack describes the physiological benefits derived from time spent in nature, and gardening. She explains how “green time” benefits both our central nervous system and mental health. Gardening is especially therapeutic for those who have survived trauma. As Mack explains, there is a physiological explanation for why we feel better after spending time outside or having our hands in the soil.
Related website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjkDnqZYSiA
Did you know that ”alternative” meat products are a $1 billion (and growing) market in the US? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Bryon Wiegand, Ph.D., Professor of Animal Science at the University of Missouri, State Meats Extension Specialist, and Associate Division Director in Animal Science. Wiegand defines and explains the science and technology behind alternative meat products, including lab-based, cultured, and plant-based, as well as how these products are labeled.
Related website: https://alt-meat.net/
Did you know that trade associations exert political power on behalf of multiple corporations and help funnel hundreds of millions each year into our political system? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Lucy Martinez Sullivan, M.B.A., Executive Director of Feed the Truth, a new nonprofit organization which seeks to advance truth, trust and transparency in the food system. Sullivan describes highlights from Feed the Truth’s new report, "Draining the Big Food Swamp" https://feedthetruth.org/drain-the-big-food-swamp/, which looks at the size and correlating political clout of Big Food (and Agriculture). Sullivan explains how “Big Food” influences federal policy, sponsors University research, and controls the narrative on food and agriculture.
Related website: www.feedthetruth.org
Did you know that food insecurity is a chronic societal problem, made worse during the Covid pandemic? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Katie Martin PhD, Executive Director of the Foodshare Institute for Hunger Research & Solutions, and author of Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries: New Tools to End Hunger (Island Press). Martin shares stories of those who face hunger, explains the difference between food banks and pantries, and speaks to the root causes of hunger, and solutions. As Martin explains, it will take more than food to solve food insecurity: https://www.ittakesmorethanfood.org/
Related website: https://www.katiesmartin.com/
Did you know that fertility has dropped more than 50% over the past 50 years worldwide? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Shanna H. Swan, Ph.D., environmental and reproductive epidemiologist and professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. Swan discusses her new book, Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race.Note: April 18-24th is National Infertility Awareness week. https://infertilityawareness.org/
Related website: https://www.shannaswan.com/
Did you know that herbicides account for the highest usage of pesticides in the home and garden sector with over 90 million pounds applied on lawns and gardens per year? This “cosmetic” use of chemicals presents significant environmental and health dangers, especially for children and pets. Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Charles “Chip” Osborne, Jr., Horticulturalist, President of Osborne Organics, LLC, and Founder of the Organic Landscape Association. Osborne will discuss how beautiful, healthy grass and gardens can be grown without the use of harmful chemicals and synthetic fertilizers. Osborne is a Board member of Beyond Pesticides. www.beyondpesticides.org
Related website: https://osborneorganics.com/
Did you know that tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of childhood and that Maine was the first state to eliminate soft drinks from schools? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jonathan Shenkin, DDS, pediatric dentist based in Augusta, Maine, former Vice President of the American Dental Association, and Clinical Associate Professor of Health Policy, Health Services Research and Pediatric Dentistry at Boston University. Shenkin discusses the impact of Covid-related lifestyle changes on oral health, how sugar causes tooth decay, and the historical role the sugar industry has played in manipulating messaging and policies related to sugar consumption. To learn more about sugar industry impact on National Institute of Dental Research, see: https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001798
Related website: https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/nutrition/food-tips
Did you know that art has always been a driving force for activism? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Chris Jordan, award winning photographer and artist whose work helps us see the impact of consumer culture and our unconscious behaviors. Jordan’s work is a call to action to repair our broken relationship with planet Earth. He is best known for his images of the decaying carcasses of albatross chicks on Midway Island, showing the plastic fragments that filled the birds’ stomachs before they died. His iconic images helped catalyze the growing public awareness of the problem of plastic pollution. Jordan’s film describing the birds’ story is available for free: albatrossthefilm.com. Read about his images showing consumer culture here:
https://orionmagazine.org/article/intolerable-beauty/
Did you know that cannabis is comprised of over one hundred different cannabinoids which have a myriad of health benefits?Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview withJanice Newell Bissex MS, RD, Registered Dietitian, Holistic Cannabis Practitioner, and author of the Simple Guide to CBD: Fact, Fiction, and a Path Forward. Bissex discusses the history, biochemical components and medical benefits of cannabis, plus how to choose products in a dizzying unregulated marketplace. For policy updates, see: https://norml.org/
Related website: www.jannabiswellness.com/
Did you know that farming in community creates a social contract between people, and can help lift depression and loneliness? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Molly Rockamann, founding director of Earth Dance Certified Organic Farm School based in Ferguson Missouri. Rockamann discusses her global farming experiences, food sovereignty, agriculture as community catalyst, and the healing nature of agriculture. Rockamann was a featured panelist at the University of MO’s 12th Annual Agroforestry Symposium. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUOh8LRAf21gW2dt3uPf_UA
Related website: https://earthdancefarms.org/
Did you know that a growing number of students across the country are working to eliminate synthetic herbicide use on their campuses? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mackenzie Feldman, Founder and Executive Director of Herbicide-Free Campus, and Food Research Fellow for Data for Progress where she writes food and agriculture policy for the Green New Deal. At just 24 years old, Feldman is a strong young leader, and both an inspiration and catalyst for a safer, more sustainable world. Feldman describes how she began her work to ban harmful herbicides, and her related efforts to promote regenerative agriculture and jobs through the Green New Deal. Learn more here: https://inthesetimes.com/.../soil-loss-climate-green-new... and here: https://www.filesforprogress.org/memos/regenerative-farming-and-the-green-new-deal.pdf
Related website: https://www.herbicidefreecampus.org/our-mission
Did you know that grasslands are essential for sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, and ranchers are critical in preserving America’s grassland ecosystem? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Marshall Johnson, Vice-President of the Conservation Ranching Initiative at National Audubon Society. Johnson discusses details of the Conservation Ranching Program, and the connection between grasslands, herds and birds. He discusses how replacing grasslands with row crops has significantly reduced biodiversity, bird populations, and ecosystem services. Re-establishing grassland grazing and honoring indigenous agricultural practices can help us mitigate climate change and restore our ecosystem. You can hear Johnson present at the Rodale-hosted panel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfrOSyYm26s&t=2497s.
Related website: www.audubon.org/birdfriendly
Did you know that what and when we eat can affect our mood? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Holly DeLong, MS, RDN. DeLong discusses how food affects mood, sleep, immunity and stress with specific dietary recommendations.
Related website: www.yourfoodandmood.com
Did you know that with few exceptions, the food served in prison does not support mental and physical health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mark McBrine, organic farmer and Food Service Manager at Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston, Maine. McBrine describes his unique transformational food and farming operation at a state prison that provides healing food for the incarcerated, reduces behavioral problems, and saves taxpayer dollars. In addition, his extensive farm and scratch-cooking program gives job training skills to inmates, better preparing them for work in their communities.
Related website: https://www.farmtoinstitution.org/blog/feeding-incarcerated-people-pandemic-how-one-maine-prison-adapting
Did you know that food is more than sustenance? It defines who we are, Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview withAlison Alkon, Ph.D.,professor of sociology at the University of the Pacific (https://liberalarts.pacific.edu/campus-directory/alkon-alison), who discusses her TED talk titled: “Food as Radical Empathy.” Alkon defines food justice, and introduces her newly published book, A Recipe for Gentrification: Food, Power, and Resistance in the City (co-edited with Yuki Kato and Joshua Sbicca).
Related website: https://www.ted.com/talks/alison_alkon_food_as_racial_empathy
Did you know that food is an integral part of the human experience, yet that which is served in prison most often fails to contribute to the rehabilitation of those who are incarcerated? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Leslie Soble, M.A., Impact Justice research fellow for the Food in Prison Project and lead author of the report, “Eating Behind Bars: Ending the Hidden Punishment of Food in Prison.” Soble reviews and discusses the first of its kind comprehensive review of food served in state prisons. In the 6-part report, Soble reveals that some food served in prison is labeled “not for human consumption,” and describes unique and model facilities where food is part of rehabilitation. A webinar featuring Soble and a former inmate can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY39ejRc2zQ
Related website: https://impactjustice.org/impact/food-in-prison/#report
Did you know that the herbicide, dicamba, threatens organic farmers’ economic viability as well as consumer access to local fresh organic fruits and vegetables? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Rob Faux, Ph.D., organic farmer and Pesticide Action Network’s Communications Associate for Iowa. Faux owns and operates the Genuine Faux Farm near Tripoli, Iowa, where he produces a wide variety of health-promoting produce for his community. There's just one problem: drift from the herbicide dicamba, used on GMO soy and corn, threatens his ability to farm, and his community’s access to health promoting food. Follow Faux’s farm updates here: https://genfaux.blogspot.com/
Related website: https://www.panna.org/blog/im-living-dicamba-nightmare
Did you know that Native Hawaiians lost much of their connection to cultural foodways due to colonization?Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview withLani Eckart-Dodd, Native Hawaiian farmer, educator, and water rights advocate from Maui. Eckart-Dodd defines “Aloha Aina,” and discusses native foods, and the impact of sugar plantations and Christian missionaries on indigenous culture, environment and food sovereignty.
Related website: https://www.huionawaieha.org/nawaiehainformation
Did you know that chronic inflammation is a risk for a host of diseases?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jean La Mantia, Registered Dietitian, author, speaker & cancer survivor, based in Toronto, Canada. La Mantia discusses the risks of chronic inflammation, and describes the benefits of both an anti-inflammatory diet and intermittent fasting. Her webinar on the topic can be viewed here: https://healthcare.orgain.com/webinar/course/view/id/anti-inflammatory-diet
Related website: https://jeanlamantia.com/
Did you know that Hawaii imports the majority of its food, leaving its citizens vulnerable to food shortages during disasters? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Autumn Ness, Director of Hawai'i Organic Land Management a Program of Beyond Pesticides based in Maui. Ness discusses her efforts to regulate widespread pesticide spraying, and implement a local food hub (see: https://mauihub.org/)in the wake of pandemic food system disruption. The food hub supports local organic farmers, strengthens the local economy and feeds people well.
Related website: https://www.beyondpesticides.org/programs/hawaii
Did you know that “One Health” is a valid, interdisciplinary approach to public health that connects human, animal, and environmental health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brian Ronholm, Director of Food Policy for Consumer Reports, and former Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at USDA. Ronholm compares the credible “One Health,” (www.cdc.gov/onehealth/who-we-are/one-health-office-fact-sheet.html) to the misleading “One Health Certified” food label.
Related website: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2020/07/consumer-reports-one-health-certified-label-is-meaningless-misleading/#
Did you know that breast milk is a complex system that is both responsive and dynamic? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jennifer Smilowitz, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Human Studies Research Program for the Foods for Health Institute at UC Davis, and Director of Scientific and Strategic Development for the International Milk Genomics Consortium. Smilowitz discusses highlights from the Annual International Symposium on Milk Science and Health,including research showing that Covid-19 antibodies (but not virus) are passed through breastmilk. She also discusses common breastfeeding problems, and the need for both paid parental leave and affordable, easy access to well-trained lactation consultants to help support optimal infant health. (Part 2 of 2). For part 1, see: https://beta.prx.org/stories/349235
Related website: https://milkgenomics.org/17th-annual-international-symposium-on-milk-genomics-and-human-health/
Did you know that breastmilk is uniquely suited to support infant growth, and the infant gut microbiome? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jennifer Smilowitz, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Human Studies Research Program for the Foods for Health Institute at UC Davis. Smilowitz describes the unique nutritional characteristics of breast milk, and discusses her research on breast milk and infant health, with emphasis on supporting the infant gut microbiome.
(Part 1 of 2)
Related website: https://www.the-scientist.com/features/the-infant-gut-microbiome-and-probiotics-that-work-67563
Did you know that there’s a difference between soil-based and hydroponically produced berries?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Hugh Kent, owner of King Grove Organic Farm in Central Florida where he grows soil-based, certified organic blueberries. Kent compares soil-based organic agriculture to hydroponic berry production, and the critical positive impacts of organic farming methods on land and water quality, nutrition and taste. Kent will be a featured speaker at the Real Organic Project’s annual symposium in January, 2021. For details: https://www.realorganicproject.org/
Related website: http://www.kinggrove.com
Did you know that our food and farming choices impact bird populations?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dan Scheiman, Bird Conservation Director at Audubon Arkansas. He'll discuss the damaging effects of widely used agricultural and lawn-based pesticides (dicamba, neonicotinoids) on trees, insects and birds, as well as the benefits of citizen science and policy advocacy. For parents with children at home Audubon offers educational resources: https://www.audubon.org/conservation/audubon-adventures
Related website: https://ar.audubon.org/conservation/dicamba-danger
Did you know that the new “GMO” food labels required in January 2022 will not say “GMO,” but instead say “bioengineered”? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Anne Ross:, attorney with an advanced degree in Agriculture & Food Law from the University of Arkansas. As policy advisor for the Cornucopia Institute, Ross investigated organic import fraud. She shares her expertise in analyzing food labeling, including “natural” and “non-GMO” labels, and discusses overall organic integrity.
Related website: www.cornucopia.org
Did you know that Native Americans understand that food systems are ecological systems? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Dina Gilio-Whitaker, adjunct professor of American Indian studies at California State University at San Marcos, and Policy Director and Senior Research Associate at the Center for World Indigenous Studies. She'll discuss her informative new book, As Long As Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice from Colonizationto Standing Rock (Beacon Press, 2019). Ms. Gilio-Whitaker compares European relationship to land, vs. the holistic perspectives of Native Americans. She asks us to question our own relationship to the land, and the indigenous people who lived here before us.
Related website: https://dgwconsulting.org/ ; www.dinagwhitaker.wordpress.com
Did you know that farmers plant dicamba-resistant crops is defense of neighbors’ use of this herbicide? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Terry Fuller, farmer and chair of the Arkansas Plant Board. Fuller discusses why farmers use dicamba, the resulting crop damage, and the vandalism he’s experienced on his farm simply for speaking out about dicamba risks and calling for stronger regulation on the poison’s use.
Dicamba, is manufactured by Bayer (formerly Monsanto) and has been linked to widespread damage to trees, native plants, specialty crops and soybeans that are not genetically engineered to resist it. Widespread risks to our ecosystem have been reported by the Xerces Society, in their publication, “Drifting Toward Disaster: How Dicamba Herbicides are Harming Cultivated and Wild Landscapes.” https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/20-021.pdf. There have also been multiple reports on NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/02/14/584647903/these-citizen-regulators-in-arkansas-defied-monsanto-now-theyre-under-attack
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/10/26/559733837/monsanto-and-the-weed-scientists-not-a-love-story
Related website: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/sep/25/state-official-victim-of-vandals/
Did you know that soil health predicts plant health and nutritional quality? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gladis Zinati, Ph.D., Director of the Rodale Institute’s Vegetable Systems Trial. Zinati describes how organic farming methods influence soil microbial health, and nutrient uptakes improve the nutritional value of our food. Watch Zinati’s webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VximNfpTOoA
Related websitehttps://rodaleinstitute.org/science/vegetable-systems-trial/
Did you know that meat-packing plants have been centers for Covid-19 outbreaks? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Leah Douglas, staff writer and associate editor at the Food and Environment Reporting Network. Douglas discusses her ongoing investigations into COVID-19 outbreaks in meat packing and processing plants, as well as her story on racism within the FFA. Douglas’ Covid-19 mapping project can be found here: https://thefern.org/2020/04/mapping-covid-19-in-meat-and-food-processing-plants/
Her report on racism in FFA here: https://thefern.org/2020/09/at-the-nations-largest-student-farm-organization-a-reckoning-on-race/
Related website: https://thefern.org/ag_insider/few-states-release-data-about-covid-19-in-the-food-system/
Did you know that food manufacturing brought into question a food’s purity? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Benjamin Cohen, Ph.D., environmental historian, Chair of Engineering Studies and Associate professor at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa, and author of Pure Adulteration: Cheating on Nature in the Age of Manufactured Food. Cohen discusses the history of adulterated food, the nature of trust, and argues that food labels are less important than knowing how food is produced. Cohen’s maps of adulterated foods can be found here: https://purefood.lafayette.edu/
Related website: http://www.brcohen.net/
Did you know that children are more vulnerable to the effects of pesticides in our food supply and that switching to an organic diet can significantly reduce their exposure to these toxins? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kendra Klein, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at Friends of the Earth and co-author of new research showing the value of organic food and farming in protecting public health. More data on this research can be found here: www.organicforall.org
Related website: https://foe.org/issues/food-and-technology/
Did you know that food served in jails and prisons does not promote mental and physical health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Keri Blakinger, staff writer for the Marshall Project who was formerly incarcerated in upstate New York. Blakinger describes the food and other hidden living conditions in prison, as well as the impact of Covid lockdowns on food quality. See Blakinger’s reporting at the Marshall Project website, including this story on what some prison food looks like:
https://www.themarshallproject.org/.../ewwwww-what-is-that
Related website: https://www.themarshallproject.org
Did you know that “urban agriculture” is not new? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Monica M. White, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Environmental Justice at the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. White is the author of the award-winning book, Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement. White reflects on African American farmers’ long connection to the soil - a tool for resilience and resistance. White discusses the power of cooperatives, and heroes in African American food and agriculture, including Fannie Lou Hamer, and George Washington Carver, who said: “there is probably no subject more important than the study of food.” White also describes her critical role as “scholar activist.” White’s presentation at the University of Michigan can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzhbIeutIjI&list=PLY-HA3-cbCGdC2dqjlZAv8cfOU6B-Noqw&index=9
Related website: www.monicamariewhite.com
Did you know that organic farms provide beneficial ecological services to rural communities and the planet? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kate Mendenhall, organic farmer and Executive Director of the Organic Farmers Association. Mendenhall witnessed the negative impact of industrial agriculture in her rural IA community and chose organic farming to help feed and preserve the health of her community members. She describes the organic certification process and explains how certification helps farmers better steward their land. Unfortunately, USDA’s Farm Service Agency recently reduced the “cost share” for organic farmers, and unfairly distributed more stimulus funds to support industrial food and farming systems. Mendenhall offers a call to action.
Related website: https://organicfarmersassociation.org/
Did you know that workers in meat packing plants are at increased risk for Covid-19, and other work-related injuries due to increasing line speeds (such as 175 birds to handle per minute)? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Leone Jose Bicchieri, Founder and Executive Director of Working Family Solidarity, based in Chicago, IL. Bicchieri describes exploitative working conditions in meat packing plants, how trade policies (NAFTA) led to increased migration, and strategies for labor justice. This interview is especially important in honor of Labor Day.
Bicchieri will host a free Racial Justice Unity Teach-In Series beginning Sept. 16th. To join: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/civil-rights-past-present-future-tickets-118184237235
Related website: https://www.workingfamilysolidarity.org/
Did you know it’s possible to “feed the world” without the use of harmful chemicals?Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Carmen Fernholz, award-winning organic grain farmer based in Madison, Minnesota. Fernholz discusses his farming philosophy, an organic farmer’s audit trail and the ecosystem services/benefits associated with biodiverse organic farming systems and perennial crops. “Food production must be an egalitarian process,” says Fernholz. He was recently featured in the Real Organic Project’s Know Your Farmer Video series:
https://www.realorganicproject.org/know-your-farmer-a-frame-farm/
Related website: https://mrbdc.mnsu.edu/carmen-fernholz
Did you know a community garden and social support can help end homelessness?Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Darrie Ganzhorn, Executive Director of the Homeless Garden Project based in Santa Cruz, CA. Ganzhorn describes the therapeutic value and empowering impact of social support and holistic community gardening. The project’s success rate – over 90 percent of those completing the program find jobs and housing – promises to be a national model.
Related website: https://homelessgardenproject.org
Did you know that factory farms (CAFOs), racism and Covid-19 are connected? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Everett Murphy, M.D., retired pulmonologist from K.C., MO who has been instrumental in working to defeat the expansion of CAFOs - concentrated animal feeding operations. People who live closest to CAFOs are more likely to suffer with asthma, antibiotic resistant infections, and other illnesses. Murphy discusses exploited labor, propaganda, public health impacts, and economic declines associated with CAFOs.
The American Public Health Association called for a moratorium on CAFOs in 2019.
Related website: https://www.naturalawakenings.com/2020/06/30/317717/beyond-factory-farms-big-meat-comes-at-high-cost
Did you know that that the long-chain fatty acid, DHA, can significantly reduce preterm birth, and that African American women are more prone to preterm births? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Susan Carlson, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research at the U. of Kansas (KU) School of Health Professions, and Distinguished AJ Rice Professor of Nutrition in the KU Department of Dietetics and Nutrition at KU Medical Center. Carlson discusses her research which focuses on the protective effects of docosahexanoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, for preventing preterm birth and enhancing infant brain, visual and behavioral development. Tune in to learn how to get DHA in your diet, recommended supplement dose for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and which popular infant formula comes up short on DHA.
This interview is featured for World Breastfeeding Week: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/31-07-2020-world-breastfeeding-week-2020-message?fbclid=IwAR2CwJK1VOTfw-HhnMP90Dvaey3aS2O7h-OXNtLcd0rSIj_Is9lqviQoMnI
Related website: http://www.kumc.edu/school-of-health-professions/dietetics-and-nutrition/our-people/carlson.html
Did you know that African Americans were purposely left out of recorded history, resulting in lost wisdom and dignity? Join Food Sleuth Radio host, and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Donna Battle Pierce,former food editor and test kitchen director at the Chicago Tribune, and director of the non-profit Skillet Project which creates meaningful connections among generations through food and journalism. Pierce discusses African American food culture, her experience with recipe development, plus history, race and justice through a food lens.
Related website: www.blackamericacooks.com/, Maya Angelou, “Family Affairs” https://genius.com/Maya-angelou-family-affairs-annotated
Did you know that the stress and trauma from food insecurity puts children’s mental and physical health at risk? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Cindy Leung, ScD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Leung is a nutritional epidemiologist whose research focuses on diet and health disparities in vulnerable populations. She discusses the psychological distress associated with childhood food insecurity, which has risen exponentially due to COVID-19. (See: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/05/06/the-covid-19-crisis-has-already-left-too-many-children-hungry-in-america/ ). She is the lead author of a paper in the March 2020 issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, titled: “Understanding the Psychological Distress of Food Insecurity: A Qualitative Study of Children’s Experiences and Related Coping Strategies.”
Related website: https://jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(19)31547-3/pdf
Did you know that water is our most important nutrient, and it is often contaminated with a variety of common contaminants? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Aly Cohen, board certified rheumatologist, integrative medicine, and environmental health expert. Cohen discusses the importance of water quality, common contaminants, filters, national regulation and health.
(Part 2 of 2)
Related website: https://www.alycohenmd.com/welcome.html
Did you know that environmental chemical exposures impact our immune system, inflammatory response, and risk for COVID-19? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Aly Cohen, board certified rheumatologist, integrative medicine, and environmental health expert. Cohen discusses key points from the book she co-authored, Non-Toxic: Guide to Living Healthy in a Chemical World, and her TEDx talk titled: "How to Protect Your Kids from Toxic Chemicals".
(Part 1 of 2)
Related website: https://thesmarthuman.com/
https://www.alycohenmd.com/environmental-health.html
Did you know that food is a driver of economic and community development? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Craig Willingham, MPH, Deputy Director of the City University ofNY Urban Food Policy Institute. Willingham discusses food insecurity, food access, food justice, policy, and the multiple community benefits of urban gardens in NY City during and beyond COVID-19. He also discusses “food metrics.”
Related website: https://www.cunyurbanfoodpolicy.org/
Did you know that wild plants offer a variety of nutritional, medicinal and ecosystem benefits? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dina Falconi, clinical herbalist, wildcrafter, and author of Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook. Falconi describes her personal journey into the joys of foraging, and benefits of appreciating nature’s therapeutic and beautiful plants.
Related website: www.foragingandfeasting.com
Did you know that women were the core of the Black Panther Party? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Judy Juanita, MFA, novelist, poet, playwright and former Black Panther member. Juanita describes the Panthers’ work, including the free breakfast program for poor children, the historical struggles of Black people in the U.S., and the role of food in social justice.
Related website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuxGFNnXSbU&list=PLOyuQaVrp4qqys-SpZYfxSMD9I
Did you know that the foundation of food safety in America is primarily focused on pathogen and microbiological contaminants? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jackie Bowen, M.S., MPH, Executive Director of the Clean Label Project, a national non-profit with the mission to bring truth and transparency to food and consumer product labeling. Bowen discusses common contaminants, in foods, including heavy metals, processing and packaging chemicals.
Related website: www.cleanlabelproject.organd www.puremarket.com
Did you know that good nutrition is key to a strong immune system? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Lisa McDowell, M.S., R.D., Registered Dietitian and Director of Nutrition at St Joseph Mercy Health System, based in Ann Arbor, MI where she started a 25-acre organic farm to ensure fresh produce for patients and employees. In 2011, McDowell began working with the Detroit Red Wings professional ice hockey team, and is now their official team dietitian. McDowell tells her story of being infected with Covid-19, and provides nutritional tips for preventing and surviving the illness.
Related website: https://soundcloud.com/officialredwings/the-red-and-white-authority-episode-145-lisa-mcdowell-red-wings-team-dietitian
Did you know that litigation can help drive legislation? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kim E. Richman, Founding Partner at Richman Law Group which specializes in consumer protection and civil rights litigation with the goal of protecting public health and our environment. The Richman Law Group investigates corporations that may be engaging in deceptive marketing; they verify the accuracy of claims, and hold companies accountable if such claims turn out to be false or deceptive. For example, Richman discusses legal actions taken against food manufacturers who label their products as "natural" but contain GMOs, herbicide residues, and more. A summary of his firm’s work on food labeling and transparency can be found here: https://richmanlawgroup.com/what-we-do-3/consumer-protection/food-labeling-and-transparency/#generalmillsnaturevalley.
Related website: https://richmanlawgroup.com/
Did you know that the Smithfield pork processing plant in Milan, Missouri processes 10,500 hogs per day? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Axel Fuentes, Executive Director, Rural Community Workers Alliance, and labor organizer. Fuentes shares real life experiences of Smithfield meat processing plant workers including: line speed, repetitive injuries and lack of bathroom breaks. Now, workers face dire risk from COVID-19 infection because of unsafe working conditions.
Related website: http://foodchainworkers.org/portfolio/rural-community-workers-alliance/
Did you know that Article 14 of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights declares that
“Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution”?Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Karen Ehrens, Registered Dietitian based in Bismarck, North Dakota. Ehrens discusses her recent trip to the U.S./Mexican border where she witnessed the living conditions of sheltered immigrants and farm workers, and shares the stories of vulnerable populations, including mothers fleeing violence with their children. Ehrens shares her diary notes here: www.openingborders.com/february-2020.html
Related website: https://www.bread.org/sites/default/files/downloads/briefing-paper-undocumented-immigrants-face-higher-poverty-rates-june-2017.pdf
Did you know that there is no evidence to date that people can contract COVID-19 from food? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Don Schaffner, Ph.D., food safety specialist and Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University, and podcast host (http://foodsafetytalk.com ). Schaffner describes best practices for safe food handling during the corona virus pandemic. He outlines key steps for good handwashing, assesses risk from take-out foods, and discusses how to safely handle groceries and fresh produce.
For more information on Food Safety and Covid-19, see the JAMA Patient Page: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764560
Related website: http://riskyornot.co
Did you know that the U.S. Dietary Guidelines are updated every five years, but have thus far not taken sustainability into consideration? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sarah Reinhardt, MPH, RD, Lead Food Systems & Health Analyst, with the Food & Environment Program, at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Reinhardt discusses key findings from her recent research paper titled: “Systematic Review of Dietary Patterns and Sustainability in the United States.” https://academic.oup.com/advances/advance-article/doi/10.1093/advances/nmaa026/5804823
To submit a comment to the Dietary Guidelines Committee: https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/work-under-way/get-involved/submit-comment-advisory-committee-reviews-science
Related website: www.ucsusa.org
Did you know that 40 million fellow Americans, or at least one in nine households experience food insecurity? (These numbers are before the impact of the Corona virus on our nation’s economy. ) Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Megan Lott, MPH, RD, Deputy Director of Healthy Eating Research, based at Duke University. Lott discusses nutrition guidelines for the charitable food system, food policy, and the grave impact of proposed cuts to federal nutrition programs.
Related website: www.healthyeatingresearch.org
Did you know that okra doesn’t have to be slimy?Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Chris Smith, founder and Executive Director of theUtopian Seed Projectand author ofThe Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration. The grand champion of okra, Smithdescribes his okra seed trial research, celebrates okra’s many uses, teaches us how to remove the “slime,” and explains why okra might play a key role in food security during climate change. Smith also emphasizes the need to preserve regional, diverse and heritage seeds.
Related website: www.utopianseed.org
Did you know that microorganisms in the soil impact plant health, just as gut microorganisms impact human health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Ann Bikle, M.S., biologist, and co-author, The Hidden Half of Nature. Bikle discusses the community of soil microorganisms, and their role in plant and human health, and identifies the role home gardens could play in carbon sequestration and mitigating climate change.
Link to Bikle’s 2019 Real Organic Project lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CWQ1i7Byi0
Related website: www.dig2grow.com
Did you know that a Missouri peach farmer lost 30,000 trees and his peach business due to drift from Monsanto’s dicamba herbicide? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Paul Lesko, attorneybased in St. Louis who is a litigator representing farmers, nurseries, and individuals damaged by Monsanto’s dicamba herbicide. Lesko describes the Bader peach farm case in which the jury awarded Bader over 250 million dollars due to the loss of his peach trees from Monsanto’s highly volatile herbicide, dicamba. The story has been covered by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and U.S. Right to Know. Anyone who has suffered crop or personal loss due to Monsanto’s (now Bayer) herbicides is advised to contact a lawyer.
Related website: http://prwlegal.com
Did you know that producing more food with exported Western technologies will not “feed the world? “Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Timothy Wise, M.A., Director of the Land and Food Rights Program at the Small Planet Institute, Senior Research Fellow at Tufts University’s Global Development and Environment Institute, and the author of Eating Tomorrow: Agribusiness, Family Farmers, and the Battle for the Future of Food. Wise exposes agribusiness strategies, questions the “Green Revolution,” and describes key features of climate-resilient agriculture.
Related website: https://www.smallplanet.org/eating-tomorrow
Did you know that eating is a full sensory experience?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Rebecca Katz, M.S, chef, educator, artist and authorof The Cancer Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing Big Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Beyond. Katzdescribes her artful culinary pharmacy, and the importance of food’s texture, flavor and color in cancer healing, prevention, and more enjoyable eating. Tune in and learn what it means to feel “well-nourished.”
Related website: www.rebeccakatz.com
Did you know that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get high quality dietary supplements?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tod Cooperman, MD., President and Founder of Consumerlab.com, an independent evaluator and reviewer of dietary products and supplements. Cooperman discusses his recent research on flavanol content and heavy-metal contamination of chocolate, plus reviews the most critical nutrients for protecting bone health and cognitive function.
Related website: www.consumerlab.com
Did you know that stress and anxiety have replaced weight as the leading consumer health concern? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Melissa Abbott, Vice President of Culinary Insights for the Harman Group,a consumer culture research firm, based in Belleview, WA. Abbott discusses changes in consumer food trends, trend-tracking techniques, and shifts in consumer thinking about food value, health and sustainability.
Related website: www.hartman-group.com
Did you know that working with the water cycle can help mitigate climate change? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Judith D. Schwartz,author of Water in Plain Sight: Hope for a Thirsty World - Building Soil, Restoring Land, and Working with the Water Cycle for a cooler, Wetter Planet. Schwartz describes the importance of healthy ecosystems for climate restoration, and specifically how working with permaculture and the water cycle can affect weather, lower temperatures and bring moisture to desert landscapes around the world.
Related website: https://judithdschwartz.com/
Did you know that reducing food waste is among the leading ways to mitigate climate change? According to the Natural Resources Defense Council Up to 40 percent of food in the United States is wasted, contributing to extensive environmental, economic, and societal impacts. Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Turner Wyatt, Chief Executive Officer of the Upcycled Food Association. Wyatt describes hopeful and powerful solutions to food waste, including rescuing and repurposing surplus food and by-products of food production. Upcycled food is good business, and good for the planet. Tune in to learn more.
Related website: www.upcycledfood.org
Did you know that children are not “little adults?” Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nsedu Witherspoon, Executive Director of the Children’s Environmental Health Network, who describes why and how children are more vulnerable to environmental toxins. Witherspoon describes some of the resources, programs and actions available to parents and childcare providers to keep children safe, including the
Eco-Healthy Childcare Guide, Blueprint for Protecting Children’s Environmental Health, Children’s Environmental Health Day (October 8th, 2020), the Cancer Free Economy Network, and Project TENDR to reduce neuro-developmental risks.
Related website: https://cehn.org/
registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Robert Martin, director of the Food System Policy Program at Johns Hopkins University’ Center for a Livable Future who takes a deep dive into agriculture research, practices, and policies impacting farm communities and quality of life. Martin discusses findings from his work with the PEW Commission, investigating the negative impact of concentrated animal feeding operations on air, and water quality and antibiotic resistance "Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America." He also describes policy and funding changes, as well as personal actions to improve our food system and public health.
Related website: https://clf.jhsph.edu/about-us/staff/bob-martin
Did you know that there’s a price to pay for increasing food production without regard to planetary impact? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kevin Walker, Ph.D., author of The Grand Food Bargain and the Mindless Drive for More. Walker discusses the myths and consequences of our industrial food system, and names animal agriculture (CAFOs) as particularly detrimental to our environment and public health. Walker explains the risk of taking food for granted. We’ve equated abundance to food security, but the loss of biodiversity, and focus on selling more calories, has reduced nutritional quality and increased our risk for food scarcity. Nature ranked Walker’s book as one of their top ten books of 2019.
Related website: https://islandpress.org/books/grand-food-bargain
Did you know that photographers use special techniques to create mouth-watering food images? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andrew Scrivani, NY Times food photographer, and author of That Photo Makes Me Hungry: Photographing Food for Fun & Profit. Scrivani will discuss his career, and describe the techniques he uses to create enticing images of real food. Scrivani’s book not only reveals the photographer’s inside tips, but provides a “self-help” element to encourage other food photographers to create their best work yet.
Related website: www.andrewscrivani.com
Did you know that the American Public Health Association has called for a moratorium on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) because of risk to public health and the environment? See: https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2020/01/13/precautionary-moratorium-on-new-and-expanding-concentrated-animal-feeding-operations Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Terry Spence,livestock farmer based in northeast Missouri, and Executive Director of the Socially Responsible Agricultural Project. Spence describes how his life changed after 80,000 hogs moved in next door to his family farm. He now works nationally on policies to protect the environment, quality of life, and human health. Spence discusses environmental regulations, citizen rights, and farm practices and policy.
Spence frequently speaks on panels following screenings of the new documentary film, “Right to Harm:” https://righttoharm.film/
Related website: https://sraproject.org/
Did you know that there are at least 4,700 highly fluorinated chemicals, often called “PFAS” in many everyday consumer products, and that these chemicals pose harm to human health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Laurel Schaider, Ph.D., Research Scientist at the Silent Spring Institute. Schaider discusses water contamination from PFAS chemicals, and the consumer products that contain them, including: non-stick cookware, grease-proof food packaging, and even dental floss. For a map of the U.S. with identified PFAS contamination see: https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/2019_pfas_contamination/map/
Related website: https://silentspring.org/project/everyday-exposures-pfas-chemicals
Did you know that dieting can lead to disordered eating? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with James Greenblatt, M.D., author of “Integrative Medicine for Binge Eating.” Greenblatt discusses how dieting and food deprivation can lead to disordered eating, and the role of media, sleep, stress and exercise on appetite and binge eating disorders. He describes the benefits of mindfulness, exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy in treatment.
Related website: https://www.jamesgreenblattmd.com/
Did you know that eating well is one of the most important ways we can feel and look our best? However, navigating popular diets and food and nutrition media messages can be confusing. Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her light-hearted but practical interview with Mary Donkersloot, R.D., host of Mary’s Smart Eating Show. Donkersloot discusses some of the most popular eating trends and recommendations from the past year including red meat warnings, keto diets, gut health, and more. If you want to start the next decade on the road to better health, tune in.
Related website: http://marydonkersloot.com/smart-eating-show/
Did you know that the time of day when we exercise can help better control blood sugar levels?Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jill Kanaley, Ph.D., Exercise Physiologist and Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri. She’ll discuss her research on the effects of diet composition and exercise/physical activity on blood sugar and body fat. She recommends the American College of Sports Medicine to stay abreast of exercise research: www.acsm.org
Related website: http://nep.missouri.edu/faculty_kanaley.html
Did you know that highly processed “junk” food harms children’s health beyond obesity? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Bettina Elias Siegel, attorney, advocate, and author of Kid Food: The Challenge of Feeding Children in a Highly Processed World. Siegel discusses multiple ways highly processed foods harm children’s health, and most important: she describes how we can help protect children from exploitation by junk food marketing and promotion. Siegel’s book provides critical reading for anyone who cares about kids and wants strategies to protect their well-being.
Related website: https://www.bettinasiegel.com/
Did you know that the industrialization of wheat may be a contributing factor explaining the rise in wheat intolerance? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Bob Quinn, Ph.D., award winning organic farmer based in Montana, and co-author of Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food. Quinn discusses the evolution of industrial wheat production, its impact on rural communities, wheat nutrition, and the health benefits of khorasan ancient wheat and organic farming methods.
Related website: http://bobquinnorganicfarmer.com/grain-by-grain/
Did you know that communities across the country are using food to rise out of economic despair? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mark Winne, Senior Advisor, Center for a Livable Future and author of Food Town USA: Seven unlikely cities that are changing the way we eat. Winne takes a deeper dive into cities that have been rejuvenated by food despite ongoing struggles with climate change and racism. He also discusses the meaning of a “food system” and the power of food, art and music as drivers of unity and community cohesiveness. (Part II)
Related website: www.markwinne.com
Did you know that the food system can be a tremendous economic driver in communities facing economic hardship? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mark Winne, Senior Advisor, Center for a Livable Future and author of Food Town USA: Seven unlikely cities that are changing the way we eat. Winne explains food’s economic potential and its ability to build social capital and create jobs.
Related website: www.markwinne.com
Did you know that many modern chemicals used in the manufacture of consumer products mimic (though imperfectly) our hormonal systems? Endocrine disruptions caused by this imperfect mimicry can lead to many chronic diseases that have their roots in early exposures. Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Cheryl Watson, Ph.D., professor (emeritus) in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Dept. at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Watson discusses her research on endocrine disruptors and provides tips for avoiding these harmful compounds.
Related website: https://cehi.org/cheryl-s-watson-phd/
Did you know that organic farming methods provide nutritional benefits to the end consumer and our planet? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dr. Linley Dixon, Ph.D., farmer and associate director of the Real Organic Project. Linley describes the benefits of organic farming from a farmer and plant pathologist perspective. She describes how organic regenerative farming can increase organic matter in the soil and sequester carbon to help mitigate climate change. Linley describes her own farming methods, the challenges of, and strategies for marketing local organic foods, and how climate change has been impacting farmers nationwide. She also provides strategies for keeping integrity in the organic label, and supporting and connecting with organic farmers.
Related website: www.realorganicproject.org
Did you know thatnew estimates put the death toll from antibiotic-resistant infections in the U.S. at over 160,000 deaths a year, making it the third-leading cause of death in the U.S.? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Lena Brook, Director of Food Campaigns, Natural Resources Defense Council, where sheleads the Antibiotics Off the Menu coalition and is a key voice on the Chain Reaction Antibiotics Scorecard campaign: https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/restaurants-antibiotic-use-report-2018.pdf The two will discuss antibiotic use by the livestock industry, the development of resistant bacteria, and the compounding impact of climate change.
Related website: www.nrdc.org/save-antibiotics
Did you know that our cultural narrative of “rugged individualism” fails to recognize strength in community? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice.
Campbell, one of our nation’s most influential faith-based progressive activists, led the famous “Nuns on the Bus” tour which challenged proposed cuts to programs for the poor. She explains her “three virtues for the 21st Century,” as presented at the Bioneers conference in 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRqovAImD3A , and shares stories about food access and health care from her visits to rural communities across the United States.
Related website: https://networklobby.org
Did you know that there are many health benefits associated with intermittent fasting? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with registered dietitian, Lori Taylor, who compares and contrasts the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting, and the benefits of eating within a specific window of time every day. Taylor also identifies specific populations for whom fasting may be harmful, and shares her youtube video for Saybrook University on these topics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPVWln6ef5U&list=PLUakTEuPjbFDg-IbovVkI_dRwSCFCSZ3s&index=2&t=0s
Related website: https://www.saybrook.edu/faculty/byname/lori_taylor/
Did you know that every apple in the supermarket is hand-picked? And that out of tens of thousands of varieties of apples, only 11 make up 90 percent of the apples sold in grocery stores? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Susan Futrell, MFA, author of Good Apples: Behind Every Bite. Futrell discusses apple history, methods of agricultural production, harvesting, marketing, and the value of preserving family orchards across the United States.
Related website: https://susanfutrell.ink
Did you know that home canning errors can cause serious illness and even death? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Elizabeth Andress,Ph.D., food safety specialist with Georgia Cooperative Extension, and professor in the dept. of Foods and Nutrition at the University of GA, Athens. Andress is the Director of the National Center for Home Food Preservation. She discusses the history and importance of “home economics,” as well as how to safely preserve high quality, bountiful harvests, and identify risky food preservation practices.
Related website: https://nchfp.uga.edu/
Did you know that thousands of groundwater wells near coal ash dumps across the U.S. contain arsenic, lead, and other toxic pollutants at levels that exceed federal health-based thresholds, and threaten our drinking water? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Donna Marie Lisenby, President, Riverfox Environmental , which investigates the coal industry. Lisenby works with coalitions around the globe to end the coal industry’s illegal pollution of our water, and dispel the myth of “clean coal.” Lisenby worked extensively with the Waterkeeper Alliance, and was featured in the video, “Clean Coal: Water Pollution at the Light Switch,” https://vimeo.com/16524532.
Related website: https://ashtracker.org/
Did you know that dietary supplement manufacturers—unlike drug companies—do not need to prove that their products are safe and effective before going to market? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with John B. Atwater, Ph.D., Senior Director, Verification Programs, for U.S. Pharmacopeia. Atwater describes the process by which USP verifies the quality of dietary supplements, and why consumers should look for the USP verified mark on supplement labels.
Related website: https://www.usp.org/dietary-supplements-herbal-medicines
Did you know that omega-3 fatty acids play a critical role in the treatment of concussions and traumatic brain injuries? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Michael Lewis, M.D., MPH, President and founder of the Brain Health Education and Research Institute: www.brainhealtheducation.org. Lewis is an expert on nutritional interventions for brain health. He discusses the use of omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention, management, and rehabilitation of concussions and traumatic brain injury. Especially critical info during football season.
Related website: www.BrainCARE.center
Did you know that some plant-based and cell-cultured meat alternatives may not be better for our health and environment? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., chief science advisor for GRACE Communications Foundation, who takes a critical look at “fake meat,” vegetable-based, and lab-created meat alternatives. She discusses the health and environmental impact of meat from animals raised conventionally (feed-lot) vs. those raised with regenerative agricultural practices (grazing). She also discusses ingredients and labeling.
Related website: https://foe.org/resources/from-lab-to-fork/
Did you know that neonicotinoid pesticides are used extensively in conventional agriculture despite their harm to bees and endangered species? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Steve Ellis, Minnesota-based commercial beekeeper and national advocate for curbing the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. Ellis discusses the attack on USDA scientists who studied the effects of neonicotinoids on bees, and why he filed a lawsuit against the US EPA for sanctioning the widespread use of these chemicals in agriculture without adequate consideration of harm to bees and endangered species. In addition to choosing organic food, which prohibits the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, Ellis offers tips for consumers to protect our environment and health.
Related website: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/05/09/judge-epa-violated-law-in-approving-products-dangerous-to-bees-butterflies
Did you know that racism is deeply embedded in our food system? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Leah Penniman, Founding Co-Director of Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, New York, and author of Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land.Penniman discusses the tragedy of racism in our food system, defines “food apartheid,” and provides examples of how USDA discriminated against black farmers. She is the recipient of the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award, and was interviewed in the July 2019 Sun Magazine
Related website: https://www.soulfirefarm.org/media/farming-while-black/
Did you know that gastrointestinal bloating can be caused by a variety of reasons?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tamara Duker Freuman, M.S., R.D., registered dietitian and author of The Bloated Belly Whisperer. The two willdiscuss common gastro-intestinal (GI) symptoms, including: bloating, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease. Tune in to discover causes and strategies for managing symptoms and healing.
Related website: https://www.thebloatedbellywhisperer.com/
Did you know that soil health is connected to human health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Steven Apfelbaum, Fellow of the Ecological Society of America, Founder and Chairman of Applied Ecological Services, and author of “S” is for Soils! Apfelbaum discusses life in soil, measures of soil health, and how soil health is connected to human health. He also dispels myths and legends about soil, and discusses the environmental benefits of sustainable meat eating with multi-paddock grazing.
Related website: https://lsrwa.org/news/s-is-for-soils/
Did you know that industrial agriculture cannot “feed the world” sustainably? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with John Ikerd,Ph.D., professor emeritus of agricultural economics, University of Missouri-Columbia. Ikerd discusses the impact and unintended consequences of industrial agriculture on the environment and social fabric of rural communities. Ikerd was recently featured in the documentary film, Right to Harm, which specifically addresses “Right to Farm” bills and the negative consequences of large scale animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. How did our food and farming systems come to this? Tune in as Dr. Ikerd explains the policies and propaganda that led us down this unsustainable path.
Related website: http://johnikerd.com
Did you know that powerful photojournalism can drive public policy to protect public health and promote social and environmental justice?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gabriel Scarlett, 73rd College Photographer of the Year, recognized at the 2019Picture of the Year Awards at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism. Scarlett describes two of his investigative stories: the consequences of uranium mining, which left the Navajo nation with contaminated water; and, immigration policies that separate families. Scarlett uses his spectacular images and sensitive storytelling to examine social issues within the United States, with special interest in immigration, economic disparity, and environmental racism, including his project titled, On Poisoned Land https://gabrielstephenscarle.atavist.com/on-poisoned-land,
which explores the health consequences of uranium mining on the Navajo Nation. Scarlett describes his process of building trust, and the challenges dedicated journalists face in their efforts to capture images that reveal the truth.
Related website: https://www.gabrielscarlett.com/
Did you know that stereotypes and stigma shape public policy? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Rebecca de Souza, Associate Professor of Communication at the University of MN- Duluth, and author of Feeding the Other: Whiteness, Privilege, and Neoliberal Stigma in Food Pantries (MIT Press). De Souza describes how social narratives, stereotypes and stigma harm those living in poverty. She explains how charity sustains food injustice, and advocates for a human rights approach for policy change. Tune in to hear the stories behind those living in poverty and struggling with homelessness. De Souza explores questions citizens can ask to remove stigma and improve public policy.
Related website: https://cla.d.umn.edu/communication/faculty-staff/dr-rebecca-de-souza
Did you know that cooperative grocery stores strengthen regional economies and put money and resources back into local communities? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jon Steinman:producer and host of the internationally syndicated TV/web series, radio show and podcast “Deconstructing Dinner: Reconstructing Our Food System,” and author of Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants. Steinman compares and contrasts cooperative vs. corporate grocery store models, and describes their impact on local food systems.
Related website: https://grocerystory.coop/
Did you know that reading to children can educate, inspire and promote scientific literacy? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Katherine Pryor, Seattle-based children's book author, who holds an M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems. Pryor discusses her latest book, Bea’s Bees, about a curious little girl who explores declining bee populations and discovers how to protect these vital insects. Pryor's charming books (this is her third) promote scientific literacy, critical thinking and empathy.
Related website: http://www.katherinepryor.com/
Did you know that dietary fiber is considered “fuel for the gut?” Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Joanne Slavin, Ph.D., R.D., fiber expert and professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota-St. Paul. Slavin describes the assorted types of fiber found in various foods, fiber supplements, and fiber’s role in disease prevention.
Related website: https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2019/health-benefits-fiber.html?fbclid=IwAR1_PzxeRGFTC6EtZbtwoWbEH37oQSqI9x3VL8rCVjy8N2q6S9mducjeZzk
Did you know that Alzheimer’s disease is considered a global health threat, and that diet, exercise, sleep, and common drugs can influence our risk for dementia? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Aarti Batavia, M.S., R.D., certified practitioner of functional medicine, and expert in the role of nutrition and dementia. Batavia discusses dietary and lifestyle strategies to reduce risk for Alzheimer’s Disease and reverse cognitive decline.
Related website: http://aartibatavia.com/
Did you know that spring flooding in the Midwest led to hog manure tank spills and threats to water quality and public health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Erin Jordan, Investigative journalist at The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA). She'll describe her techniques for reporting and the threats to water quality following spring storms, extreme flooding, and hog manure spills. Manure tank leaks lead to nitrate pollution, fish kills and public health threats – news that the corporate pork industry prefers we don’t know. Jordan reveals exploitation of natural resources and rural communities, and attempts to monitor water and protect health.
Related website: https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/public-safety/overflowing-manure-tanks-western-iowa-eastern-iowa-runoff-flooding-fish-kill-degrade-water-quality-risk-spring-flooding-20190325
Did you know that concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) create polluted landscapes that harm public health and destroy home values? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Matt Wechsler, filmmaker, founder of Hourglass Films, and producer of “Right to Harm,” a film that explores the devastating impact of CAFOs on public health, the environment, and quality of life in rural communities across the United States. Those who suffer most are disadvantaged citizens – the rural poor, and children, who suffer higher rates of asthma when exposed to CAFO-related air pollution. The film also explores how citizens have banded together to demand justice from their legislators. If you eat meat or care about water and air quality, this is a must-see film.
Related website: http://righttoharm.film
Did you know that imported meat can be sold at a lower cost than that which is produced in the U.S.? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mike Callicrate, independent cattle producer, business entrepreneur and political activist. He serves as an outspoken leader in addressing the economic, social and cultural impacts of industrial agriculture. A founding member of the Organization for Competitive Markets, Callicrate advocates for regenerative agriculture and local food systems that connect consumers directly with farmers and ranchers. (An example: www.ranchfoodsdirect.com ) Callicrate is a “go-to expert” for understanding illusions of choice in the marketplace and the negative consequences of the modern meat industry, including environmental pollution, adverse health effects, and nationwide meat recalls. Callicrate explains how false economies of scale have driven and dominated industrial livestock production, leaving consumers in the marketplace little choice. He was an advisor for the films Food Inc. and FRESH, and is cited in popular books, including The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Fast Food Nation. Callicrate on livestock care: https://nobull.mikecallicrate.com/2013/01/24/pastured-animals-deserve-good-care-and-good-nutrition/
Related website: https://nobull.mikecallicrate.com/
Did you know that industrial agri-business rhetoric hides the truth about the environmental and social impacts on rural citizens living near concentrated animal feeding operations?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with 4th-generation family farmer Jeff Jones from rural Callaway County (MO) who has been embroiled in a fight to prevent a concentrated hog operation housing 10,000 sows from expanding next to his farm and home. (See local press coverage: https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/government-eases-up-on-cafos-as-residents-fight-their-expansion/article_22a3786c-9c10-11e8-978c-cf45e8085be8.html ; http://www.newstribune.com/news/local/story/2018/jun/29/ground-broken-future-callaway-farrowing-site/732520/ )
Rarely do we hear the voices of rural citizens who struggle to fight expansion of corporate livestock operations. Jones describes his family farmer values, and the impact of industrial farms on rural communities – from air and water pollution, to the destruction of friendly neighbor relationships. Despite forming a citizens’ network - Friends of Responsible Agriculture- to fight encroaching CAFOs, political support for industry has allowed them to expand, with grave consequences.
Related website: https://sraproject.org/
Did you know that “live theater” is a fun and effective way to teach children healthy habits? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Barbara Storper, Registered dietitian, Founder and Executive Director of FoodPlay Productions, a nutrition education organization that brings the power of live theater to turn kids on to healthy habits. FOODPLAY’s live theater shows have reached more than five million children across the country with evaluations showing dramatic improvements in children’s eating and physical activity habits. Storper is the recipient of numerous awards including an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Youth and Family TV Special.”
Related website: http://foodplay.com
Did you know that at least 520 million plastic straws are disposed of each day in the U.S.?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Linda Booker, film maker,director and producer of “Straws,”one of thefeatured documentaries in the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, and identified as one of the leading documentaries to help us rethink single-use plastics. Booker documents the enormous quantity of plastic waste in our environment - how it harms wildlife and people, and the heroic individuals working to reduce plastic use, save animals and protect human health.
Related website: www.strawsfilm.com
Did you know that 50,000 bees are necessary for a healthy, thriving hive? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Matt Willey, artist, who is painting 50,000 bees on murals across the world in order to raise awareness of the plight and the importance of bees in our food system. Willey describes the course of his project and his process. He explains: “Through the simple act of painting a symbolic healthy hive of 50,000, one bee at a time, we intend to inspire an unstoppable movement of necessary change toward balance between humans and the natural world.”
Related website: www.thegoodofthehive.com
Did you know that eating a high fiber diet is key to reversing Type 2 diabetes? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brenda Davis, R.D., author of “The Kick Diabetes Cookbook: An action plan and recipes for defeating diabetes.” Davis describes the critical role plant fibers play in nourishing the microbiome and protecting health, including reversing Type 2 Diabetes. She explains the “grain hierarchy” and the benefits of whole intact grains vs. processed, refined carbohydrates.
Related website: www.brendadavisrd.com
Did you know that genetically modified foods will be required to bear labels identifying them as “bioengineered” by January 1, 2022? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Patty Lovera, M.S., Assistant Director of Food & Water Watch, a non-profit advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Lovera defines and discuss biotechnology applications in food and agriculture, explore press coverage (and bias), and USDA’s new GMO food labels that use the term “bioengineered” rather than "GMO."
Related website: https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org
Did you know that food can reconnect us to our cultural roots and heritage, and create stronger communities?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gary Paul Nabhan, Ph.D., Kellogg Endowed Chair at the University of Arizona’s Southwest Center. Nabhan is an agricultural Ecologist, ethnobotanist, Ecumenical Franciscan Brother, and recipient of a MacArthur Genius Award. He is considered the “father” of the local food and heirloom seed saving movements. He will discuss his new book, “Food from the Radical Center: Healing Our Land and Communities,” and share his thoughts on how food is at the healing center of strong communities. Nabhan describes the economic disparity at the U.S. - Mexican border, the importance of healing food, and his philosophy about how restoring our environment can restore cohesiveness in our communities. Nabhan was involved in the first Earth Day in 1970.
Related website: https://www.garynabhan.com/food-from-the-radical-center/
Did you know that the herbicide Dicamba, used on genetically modified soybeans, is killing the plants bees depend on for survival? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Richard Coy, beekeeper with Coy’s Honey Farm, Inc., the largest beekeeping operation in Arkansas. Coy explains how and why he is being forced to leave Arkansas and move his hives to southern Mississippi and near the Canadian border to escape Dicamba drift. Coy emphasizes that beekeeping (and organic farming) are not compatible with “modern” farming that is dependent upon chemicals.
Related website: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2019/jan/05/honey-seller-faults-dicamba-in-closing-/
Did you know that the San Francisco County Jail’s Horticulture Project reduced recidivism rates by 75%? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Anthony Travis, formerly incarcerated in the S.F County Jail, where he participated in the Horticulture Project, a training program for inmates widely recognized as a milestone in prisoner rehabilitation founded by Catherine Sneed. Travis credits Sneed and gardening to turning his life around. Travis describes his childhood, why he turned to selling drugs, and the prison food environment. Today, Travis is fully employed by the city of San Francisco’s Public Utilities department. The United States Department of Agriculture hailed Sneed’s work as “one of the most innovative and successful community-based crime prevention programs in the country.” It has since lost funding. Related website: https://www.gardenproject.org/about_us
Did you know that human breastmilk is a complex living nourishment? And that breastfeeding offers protection from contraception? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Shelly McGuire, Ph.D. professor of nutrition at the U. of Idaho - Moscow. McGuire discusses her research into the “milk microbiome,” the role of microorganisms in breastmilk in protecting infant health, and the miraculous relationship between a lactating mother and her baby. McGuire explores how a lactating mother’s diet might impact her milk microbiome, and other factors affecting lactation and milk composition. McGuire reviews the presentation she gave at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics meeting in Washington DC in October, 2018, titled: Feeding and Seeding: Human Milk’s Composition Impact on the Infant MicrobiomeRelated
Related website: https://www.uidaho.edu/cals/family-and-consumer-sciences/our-people/shelley-mcguire
Did you know that consuming CBD oil with food containing fat, or shortly after eating a meal improves absorption? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tod Cooperman, M.D., president and founder of consumerlab.com, an independent evaluator of dietary supplements. Cooperman describes the differences between hemp oil and CBD oil, cannabidiol and cannabinoids, and discusses the difference in doses found in CBD oil prescribed as a drug to treat epilepsy, and that which is sold as a supplement. He explains how bile is necessary to absorb CBD, and discusses the safety and effectiveness of popular supplements including CBD oil, bone broth and apple cider vinegar.
Related website: www.consumerlab.com
Did you know organic farming methods not only protect our environment, and public health, but that of farm workers and their families as well? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jay Feldman, Executive Director and co-founder of Beyond Pesticides, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC that works nationally to reduce toxic chemicals in our environment. Feldman discusses consumer perception about the organic label, the National Organic Standards Board’s role in upholding the integrity of the organic label, GMO crop-related herbicide use, and the upcoming 37th National Pesticide Forum in NYC April 5-6, 2019.
Related website: www.beyondpesticides.org
Did you know that the foods we eat influence the diversity of microbes living in our gut? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Teresa Martin, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. Martin provides her top ten tips for gut health. Part two of two.
Related website: https://commonfund.nih.gov/hmp
Did you know that the microbes (microbiota) living in our gut influence our mental and physical health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Teresa Martin, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. Martin describes how to best nourish and protect beneficial gut bacteria.
Part one of two.
Related website: https://commonfund.nih.gov/hmp
Did you know that diet and lifestyle can affect male sperm count and motility, and female fertility? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Seattle-WA based dietitian, Judy Simon, MS, RDN. Simon is recognized as a national expert in nutrition counseling for reproductive health and fertility. In this second part interview, Simon discusses marijuana’s effects on sperm, the importance of diet quality, specific nutrient needs and more. (This interview is Part 2 of 2)
Related website: http://www.pcosnutrition.com/foodforfertility/
Did you know that diet, weight, exercise, stress and even marijuana can all impact fertility? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Judy Simon MS, RDN, expert in fertility and reproductive nutrition for women and men at the Food for Fertility Program at Seattle Reproductive Medicine. Simon shares key tips for maximizing fertility. We’ll talk about vitamin D, soy, plastics, pesticides, coffee, wine, marijuana and more. (This interview is Part 1 of 2)
Related website: https://seattlefertility.com/news-media-events/research-studies/food-for-fertility/
Did you know that the American agricultural system could not exist in its present lucrative form if not for migrant farmworkers? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jeannine Guttman, M.S., veteran newspaper journalist and sustainable food systems advocate. Guttman discusses the role and value of the press, as well as her investigation into the embedded racism and reliance on undocumented immigrant labor in Vermont’s iconic dairy industry. Drawing from her report: “Empty cartons, broken dairies: the unsustainability of Vermont’s iconic milk industry and its hidden reliance on undocumented abused labor,” Guttman helps us understand the effects of NAFTA, and how we depend on, yet mistreat laborers from across the border. Guttman is an opinion writer for the Vermont Standard, and is a recent graduate of Green Mountain College in Poutney, VT.
Related website: www.migrantjustice.net
Did you know that U.S. citizens largely depend on immigrant labor to harvest and process our food? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Iris Figueroa, staff attorney for Farmworker Justice, a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower migrant and seasonal farmworkers to improve their living and working conditions. Figueroa discusses farm labor statistics, working conditions, immigration policies, health and safety, and access to justice. Also mentioned: the CHAMACOS study’s evaluation of health risks to farmworker children: https://cerch.berkeley.edu/research-programs/chamacos-study and particular risk from the pesticide, chlorpyrifos.
Related website: www.farmworkerjustice.org
Did you know that most diets are doomed to fail? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Rebecca Scritchfield, Registered Dietitian, certified exercise physiologist, and author of “Body Kindness: Transform your health from the inside out – and never say diet again.” Scritchfield discusses the pain of weight stigma, and the pitfalls of our diet culture. She provides suggestions and strategies on how to make peace with food and accept our natural diversity of body sizes.
Related website: www.RebeccaScritchfield.com
Did you know that alcohol increases circulating levels of estrogen which can increase the risk of some cancers? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Karen Collins, registered dietitian and nutrition advisor for the American Institute for Cancer Research. Collins reviews the latest dietary research and recommendations for reducing cancer risk. Tune in for the latest advice on fiber, red meat, soy, sugar, and more.
Related website: http://www.aicr.org/cancer-research/dietandcancerreport/
Did you know that our daily food and beverage choices have a collective impact on global sustainability? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jennifer Jay, Ph.D., professor of environmental engineering in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA. Jay does the math, calculating the global environmental impacts and costs of the food on our plates. Jay discusses the costs of industrial food production, from greenhouse gas emissions, to loss of biodiversity, and antibiotic resistance. She describes how we can all help meet Paris Climate Accord targets and reduce our personal carbon footprints with a few simple changes in our dietary habits.
Related website: https://meals4planet.org/
Did you know that mindfulness is a powerful tool for creating healthful lifestyle changes?Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andrea Lieberstein, Registered Dietitian, and author of “Well Nourished: Mindful Practices to Heal Your Relationship with Food, Feed Your Whole Self, and End Overeating.” Lieberstein defines mindful eating, and explains how to fill common voids in our lives without food. Better than dieting, Lieberstein advises that we nourish ourselves with compassion, and feed eight core needs without food.
Related website: http://yourwellnourishedlife.com/
Did you know that nature provides a wide range of valuable and efficient services to society, including flood water management, pollination and air and water cleaning? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Steven Apfelbaum, Fellow of the Ecological Society of America, and Founder and Chairman of Applied Ecological Services. Apfelbaum defines ecology and describes how nature’s ecological services benefit society and restore our environment. Apfelbaum also discusses ways climate change can be reversed by changing current practices of agriculture and land management to emulate nature, restore biodiversity, and sequester carbon through regenerative farming, forestry, and grazing practices.
Apfelbaum is co-author of Restoring Ecological Health to Your Land (Island Press), which was written to help landowners and land stewards develop and implement land-restoration programs. He is also the author of the award-winning book, Nature’s Second Chance (Beacon Press), which was named one of the “top 10 books for understanding what we can do about climate change.” Apfelbaum also appears in “Unbroken Ground” (film/Patagonia), which connects food, agriculture and climate change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ezkp7Cteys
Did you know that use of the herbicide dicamba on genetically modified (GMO) soy and cotton crops threatens health-promoting fruit, vegetable and tree crops? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Steve Smith, Director of Agriculture for Red Gold Tomatoes, and Chairman of the Save our Crops Coalition. Smith describes the risks of using Dicamba, why farmers think they have to use it, and the tragedies of crop and tree loss, as well as divided rural communities. In 2018, EPA extended the registration for two years for over-the-top use (i.e. use on growing plants) of dicamba to control weeds in fields of cotton and soybean plants genetically engineered to resist dicamba. However, tax-payer funded state departments of agriculture cannot keep up with calls reporting herbicide drift damage. And farmers struggle to receive compensation from crop loss.
Related website: https://hygeia-analytics.com/2018/11/02/steve-smith-on-epas-decision-to-extend-extendimax-et-al/
Did you know that soil quality is at the heart of abundant, nutrient-dense food? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kris Nichols, Ph.D., soil microbiologist. She describes soil health, discusses the state of our soils, and explains her work to regenerate soils for healthy crops, people and planet. Her work connects the dots between regenerative agricultural practices to public health, resilient communities and strong global economies.
Dr. Kris Nichols is a Soil Microbiologist with over 25 years of research experience specifically studying mycorrhizal fungi. She was formerly Chief Scientist at the Rodale Institute, a Research (Soil) Microbiologist with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in North Dakota and a Biological Laboratory Technician with ARS in Beltsville, MD. She is the founder and principal scientist of KRIS Systems Education & Consultation and a sub-contractor with Soil Health Consulting, Inc. She focuses on biological methods for agricultural production tools and practices to reduce pests, soil erosion, fossil fuel use, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Related website: http://kris-systems.com/
Did you know that prisoners face dehumanizing conditions, including poor food quality and quantity? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mataka Askari, a Missouri citizen who was incarcerated for 23 years for a non-violent drug offense. Askari describes his food and life experiences during his years of incarceration.
Related website: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/07/07/what-s-in-a-prison-meal
Did you know that “cheap” food carries a high cost? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Annelise Orleck, Ph.D., professor of history at Dartmouth college and author of “We Are All Fast-Food Workers Now: The Global Uprising Against Poverty Wages.” Dr. Orleck pulls back the curtain on exploitive and otherwise invisible labor conditions in food, agriculture, restaurant and retail industries, and shares empowering stories of organized workers who strive for dignity and respect.
Related website: http://www.beacon.org/We-Are-All-Fast-Food-Workers-Now-P1334.aspx
Did you know that food-borne illness can result in much more than a simple “tummy ache” – leading to chronic illness and even death? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her discussion with Deirdre Schlunegger, Chief Executive Officer of Stop Food-borne Illness, a national nonprofit public health organization dedicated to the prevention of illness and death from food-borne pathogens. Schlunegger explains how Stop Food-borne Illness helps promote sound food safety policy, best practices, public awareness, and provides assistance to those impacted by food-borne illness.
Related website: http://www.stopfoodborneillness.org/
Did you know that an alternative to our current exploitive industrial food system is possible?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Niaz Dorry, Coordinating Director of the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, and Executive Director of the National Family Farm Coalition. Dorry shares highlights from her “America the Bountiful” national tour where she witnessed the interdependence between eaters and farming and fishing communities. She discusses common challenges facing all food producers, plus solutions and reasons for hope in rebuilding truly sustainable regional food systems, based in justice and equity.
Related website: http://www.namanet.org/america-the-bountiful
Did you know that more than 10,000 chemicals are allowed to be added to our food, but not all are tested for safety? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sheela Sathyanarayana, M.D., MPH, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, and co-author of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ new policy statement on “Food Additives and Child Health.” Dr. Sathyanarayana discusses the regulatory system that provides loopholes for manufacturers, as well as the impact of direct (colors, flavors) and indirect (through manufacturing and packaging) food additives on children’s health and behavior. She also provides tips for protecting children from harmful additives.
Related website: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2018/07/19/peds.2018-1408.full.pdf
Did you know that “pink ribbon” products may actually increase the risk of breast cancer? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Karuna Jaggar, Executive Director of Breast Cancer Action. Jaggar exposes and critiques hypocritical “pink ribbon” campaigns, and discusses social justice, plus the health and environmental policy changes needed to prevent breast cancer, and protect public health in general.
Related website: www.bcaction.org
Did you know that mutual understanding and respect are at the heart of food justice? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Joshua Sbicca, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University and author of “Food Justice Now!: Deepening the Roots of Social Struggle.” Sbicca explains the differences between food justice and food sovereignty movements, discusses the intersection of immigration, mass incarceration and labor exploitation in our food system, and offers strategies for change.
Related website: https://www.libarts.colostate.edu/people/jsbicca/
Did you know that a former Marine has aerially documented hurricane damage to confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Eastern North Carolina? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with photojournalist and Senior Advisor to the Waterkeeper Alliance, Rick Dove. Dove describes his brush with Pfiesteria Piscicida, repeated fish kills, coal ash spills, hog manure spills, the politics that protect the hog industry at the expense of citizens, and advocacy strategies for those who care about natural resources, public health, and a sustainable food system. A recent article about his observations was published in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/09/22/i-saw-florence-sending-millions-gallons-animal-poop-flooding-across-north-carolina/?utm_term=.f3998583936d
Related website: https://waterkeeper.org/
Did you know that children are strategically targeted by manufacturers of fast and processed foods and sugary beverages? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andrea Curtis, author of “Eat This! How Fast-Food Marketing Gets You to Buy Junk (and how to fight back).” Curtis discusses marketing strategies that are specifically used to trick kids (and convince their parents) to purchase unhealthy foods and beverages. Examples include product placement in video games, digital techniques, and commercialism in public schools. Curtis also gives suggestions and provides resources to protect children from powerful market forces that threaten their health and well-being.
Related website: http://andreacurtiskids.ca/books/eat-this/
Do you know the foods that are most likely to be mislabeled or incorrectly identified on menus and grocery shelves? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Larry Olmsted, author of “Real Food, Fake Food: Why You Don’t Know What You’re Eating & What You Can Do About It.” From dried grass clippings in oregano to cellulose in grated Parmesan cheese, Olmsted reviews some of the most common frauds in the food and restaurant marketplace. He reveals how consumers can avoid being tricked, and shares tips to find and enjoy “real” food. Calling all foodies, sushi lovers, and olive oil aficionados.
Related website: www.realfoodfakefood.com
Did you know the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that about one in 59 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? And that food is at the heart of treatment?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Elizabeth Strickland, R.D. author of “Eating for Autism: the 10-Step Nutrition Plan to Help Treat Your Child’s Autism, Asperger’s or ADHD.” Strickland explains the power of food and nutrition in helping children and their families cope with challenges, including behavior, mood, sleep patterns, and the ability to learn, concentrate, and focus.
Related website: https://elizabethsauls.com/book/
Did you know that Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world’s largest hog producer and slaughterhouse? (Smithfield slaughters 32,000 hogs per day; that’s 33 hogs per minute or 1 every two seconds.) Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Lynn Waltz, two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, assistant professor of journalism at The Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications at Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia, and author of “Hog Wild: The Battle for Workers’ Rights at the World’s Largest Slaughterhouse” (University of Iowa Press/2018). Waltz shares her extensive investigation into how the Smithfield slaughterhouse changed the landscape of eastern North Carolina and how and why workers fought and won the right to unionize. Waltz helps us understand the high costs of cheap meat, and offers hope and policy solutions for a more sustainable food system.
Related website: http://lynnwaltz.com/
Did you know that organic farming methods improve soil and water quality, and can help mitigate climate change? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brise Tencer, Executive Director of the California-based Organic Farming Research Foundation. Tenser explains the meaning and benefits of organic food and farming, how certification, benefits farmers and consumers, and teh challenges facing organic farmers. Tenser shares highlights from recent organic research, and provides a review of OFRF resources, including frequently asked questions and webinars for farmers and consumers who want to learn more.
Related website: www.ofrf.org
Did you know that a compound largely found in mushrooms could help prevent neuro-degenerative diseases? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Robert Beelman, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Food Science, and Director of the Center for Plant and Mushroom Foods for Health, at Pennsylvania State University. Beelman will describe the unique nutritional and medicinal properties of mushrooms, including epidemiological research their potential for reducing the risk of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons’ diseases. Beelman will describe the soil-nutrition connection, mushroom nutrition, especially ergothioneine, and it’s relationship to health.
Related website: https://theconversation.com/how-the-lowly-mushroom-is-becoming-a-nutritional-star-88527
Did you know that supermarkets hold great power and influence over the farmers, producers and workers who supply their products? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Irit Tamir, J.D., Director of Oxfam America’s Private Sector Department. Tamir will discuss Oxfam’s new report, “Ripe for Change: Ending the human suffering behind our food” https://www.oxfamamerica.org/static/media/files/Ripe-for-Change-Ending-Human-Suffering-in-Supermarket-Supply-Chains-report.pdf and Oxfam’s new “Behind the Barcodes Campaign,” which assesses supermarket supply chains and how they score on human rights. Oxfam is a global organization working to end the injustice of poverty. Tune in to learn the stories behind our global food system, including CEO salaries, supermarket consolidation, and seafood supply chain working conditions; and, learn how to increase transparency and ethical sourcing.
Related website: www.behindthebarcodes.org
Did you know that “food touches everything?” Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Laura Titzer, community food organizer based in Seattle, WA, and author of “No Table Too Small: Engaging in the Art and Attitude of Social Change.” Titzer discusses her work history, defines food “activist,” and describes barriers to, and solutions for food justice.
Related website: http://thefoodcoup.com/no-table-too-small-the-book/
Did you know that labor union contracts help protect slaughterhouse workers’ health and safety? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dennis Olson, Senior Research Associate and Policy Analyst for the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union. Olson describes how labor unions in poultry slaughterhouses help uphold safer line speeds. He also describes the Center for Good Food Purchasing (https://goodfoodpurchasing.org/) which uses collective buying power to drive market shifts towards fair labor practices, local economies, environmental sustainability, sound nutrition and animal welfare. Finally, Olson discusses the demise of Country of Origin Labeling and the loopholes of the “Product of USA” label. If you support fair meat labeling, a comment period on Product of USA labels is open until August 17, 2018.
Learn more through the Organization for Competitive Markets ( https://competitivemarkets.com) and American Grassfed Association (https://www.americangrassfed.org/news/ ); comment here: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=FSIS-2018-0024
Related website: www.ufcw.org
Did you know that water is our most important nutrient, and industrial agricultural production methods threaten water quality, public health, and quality of life in rural communities? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with William Stowe, CEO and General Manager of the Des Moines Water Works. Stowe sits on the board of directors of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, which comprises the largest drinking water utilities in North America. He describes the environmental and economic impacts of industrial agriculture on rural communities, with citizens forced to pay to clean up polluted water which threatens their health and prohibits recreational water use. Stowe exposes the “feed the world” meme, explaining how conventional Midwestern agriculture (corn, soy) feeds gas tanks, and hogs that go to China – at the expense of the local environment and all who live downstream. He provides listeners with tips for strengthening local control, and knowing and protecting our watersheds.
Related website: http://www.dmww.com
Did you know that as of May 2018, menus at fast food and chain restaurants, as well as ready-to-eat foods in supermarkets will have to provide calorie and nutrition information to customers? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Margo Wootan, Ph.D., Director of Nutrition Policy at the Washington, D.C. – based Center for Science in the Public Interest, and key in creating new menu labeling laws. Wootan explains that with one third of our calories from meals eaten away from home, the food choices we make in restaurants and supermarkets can have a lifelong impact on our health and well-being. A 2018 review of nearly 30 studies found that menu labeling helps people cut approximately 50 calories per meal – significant because our national obesity epidemic is explained by about 200 calories extra per day. A typical entree at a restaurant can easily contain over 1,000 calories.
Related website: https://cspinet.org/resource/nutrition-labeling-restaurants-supermarkets-other-food-service-establishments
Did you know that organic farming methods could help mitigate climate change, reduce pollution and improve the nutritional quality of our diets? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jessica Shade, Ph.D., Director of Science Programs at the Organic Center. Shade explores the science that supports the benefits of organic food and farming, including soil health, carbon sequestration, a reduction in nitrogen pollution, and greater resiliency in the face of climate challenges.
Related website: www.organic-center.org
Did you know that approximately 12% of the U.S. population is food insecure, and that many rely on charity to survive? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andy Fisher, community food security advocate, and author of “Big Hunger: The Unholy Alliance Between Corporate America and Anti-Hunger Groups.” Fisher explores the charity model and the “big business” of hunger relief in the United States. He offers visionary, alternative models for sustainable solutions to food insecurity which minimize food waste, and promote job creation and public health.
Related website: https://www.bighunger.org/
Did you know that the development of obesity is dependent upon more than simple caloric balance? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Bruce Blumberg, Ph.D., Professor of Developmental and Cell Biology at the University of California-Irvine, and author of “The Obesogen Effect: Why We Eat Less and Exercise More but Still Struggle to Lose Weight.” Blumberg explains how modern chemicals can influence how our bodies metabolize calories, and describes how we can reduce our exposure to those chemicals most likely to disrupt our endocrine system. Dr. Blumberg spoke about “obesogens” at the 36th annual Beyond Pesticide Forum in Irvine, CA, April 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6iMz_etAOA&index=11&list=PLHS5IfcgFy5f9bQpdlh6131kcu0IADlaW
Related website: https://theobesogeneffect.com/
Did you know that healthful foodsheds are key to democracy and a sustainable future? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Philip Ackerman-Leist, M.S., organic farmer, professor of sustainable agriculture and food systems at Green Mountain College (VT), and author of “A Precautionary Tale: How One Small Town Banned Pesticides, Preserved its Food Heritage, and Inspired a Movement.” Ackerman-Leist shares the David-and-Goliath story of Mals, Italy, the tiny town whose residents put their children’s health and future first, and by a referendum vote, banned the use of pesticides. Ackerman-Leist helps us understand how and why protecting and rebuilding our foodsheds is key to a sustainable future, and how no food and agriculture policy change is too difficult if community members join together with a positive vision and cooperative actions.
Related website: www.topplinggoliath.org
Did you know that we depend on hundreds of thousands of Latino farm workers who perform skilled and strenuous labor under harsh conditions in the state of California? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gabriel Thompson, award-winning investigative journalist, and author of Chasing the Harvest: Migrant Workers in California Agriculture, an oral history collection of California farm workers (Verso, 2017). The book is published in conjunction with the non-profit, Voice of Witness, http://voiceofwitness.org/oral-history-book-series/chasing-the-harvest/.
With immigration and farm bill policy on our radar, Thompson pulls back the curtain on farm labor, including largely hidden injustices. Thompson work has won the Studs Terkel Media Award and the Sidney Award for socially conscious journalism.
Related website: https://gabrielthompson.org/
Did you know that an increasing number of hospitals nationwide are investing in on-site farms, farmers’ markets, and “good” food prescription projects? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sue Erhardt, Executive Director of the Allegheny Mountain Institute. AMI is an educational non-profit organization with the mission to cultivate healthy communities through food and farming education. Inspired by Cesar Chavez, Erhardt describes her work to improve the food system, and AMI’s unique fellowship program which prepares individuals to become farmers, teachers and ambassadors for health-promoting food systems. Recognizing food as medicine, and access to “good” food as critical to reversing costly chronic disease, AMI’s new partnership with Augusta Health, a non-profit regional hospital, promises to boost patient, employee, and community health by increasing access to nutrient-dense, fresh, healthful food. Tune in to learn about this remarkable Institute and synergistic partnership between farms, hospitals and communities. This good food news story provides a national model for positive food system change.
Related website: https://www.alleghenymountaininstitute.org/
Did you know that food (plus laughter) can be our best medicine? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mary Purdy, M.S., R.D., Integrative and Functional Medicine Nutritionist, and former actor. Purdy’s theatrical background makes her a uniquely entertaining nutritionist. She’s the host of the web series & podcast “Mary’s Nutrition Show” and author of “Serving the Broccoli Gods.” Purdy offers “edutaining” tips for curbing sugar cravings, reducing inflammation, and feeding our microbiome. Purdy helps her clients look better, feel better, and live better through a whole food, whole person approach.
Related website: http://marypurdy.co/marys-nutrition-show/
Did you know that preserving our regional agricultural heritage and culinary traditions can promote economic development and regional pride? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Daniel Harper, Director of Policy and Communications for the American Origin Products Association. Harper discusses the multiple benefits of regional food branding, labeling, trademarks, and specialty products unique to specific geographic regions. Hint: think Kona coffee, Napa Valley wine, and Vermont maple syrup.
Related website: http://www.aop-us.org/
Did you know that 70 percent of our immune system is in the lining of our guts? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tanmeet Sethi, MD, an Integrative Medicine Physician on the faculty at the Swedish Cherry Hill Family Medicine Residency in Seattle, WA. Recognizing the power of food in mental and physical health, Sethi established a culinary medicine program. She discusses the “sacred act” of eating, the holistic practice of mind-body medicine, and the power of a “food, herb and spice pharmacy” to reduce inflammation and treat and prevent chronic diseases.
Related website: http://tanmeetsethimd.com/
Did you know that exposure to pesticides puts children and farm workers in harm’s way? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kristin Schafer, Executive Director of the Pesticide Action Network (PAN). Schafer discusses the risks of pesticide drift and harms related to exposure on children and farm workers, including neurological damage from chlorpyrifos, and increasing herbicides used on genetically engineered crops. Schafer shines a light on the politics and PR spin used by the pesticide industry, and reviews a tool kit http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/DriftReporting-InCaseofDriftToolkit-2017.pdf
designed to identify and reduce drift damage.
Schafer has been lead author on several excellent PAN reports, including Chemical Trespass: Pesticides in our Bodies and Corporate Accountability; and, Nowhere to Hide: Persistent Toxic Chemicals in the U.S. Food Supply. She also co-authored both A Generation in Jeopardy and Kids on the Frontline (2016).
Related website: www.panna.org
Did you know that the nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables has been declining over the past few decades? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andrew Smith, Ph.D., Research Director for the Rodale Institute’s new “Vegetable Systems Trial.” The new, long-running trial will compare biologically-based organic with chemically-based “conventional” vegetable production. Smith explains why and how conventional methods for increasing crop yield reduce nutritional quality, and how organic production methods can improve soil, plant, and therefore human health. Smith also explains the mission of Rodale’s new Regenerative Health Institute.
Related website: https://rodaleinstitute.org/
Did you know that “hydroponic” growing methods have been a controversial topic among organic farmers? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dave Chapman, organic farmer http://www.longwindfarm.com/about, and founding farmer behind the “Real Organic Project.” From his high-tech organic farm in Thetford, VT, Chapman discusses his decades-long career in farming, and his work to protect the integrity of the organic label. Chapman describes hydroponic methods for growing produce, why he advocates for soil-based organic farming, plus what consumers can do to help protect organic integrity in the marketplace.
Related website: www.realorganicproject.org
Do you know how to navigate food labels in the marketplace? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andrew Gunther, Executive Director of A Greener World. Gunther defines food label terms to better enable consumers to navigate the marketplace. An outspoken critic of industrial farming systems, Gunther was the senior global animal compassionate product procurement and development specialist for Whole Foods Market, leading the team that designed and launched the company’s five-step welfare program in the United Kingdom. He routinely exposes the negative impact of industrial agriculture on farm animals, the environment, and society as a regular contributor to Huffington Post. He also works closely with restaurants groups and retailers to increase the availability of Animal Welfare Approved meat, dairy and eggs in traditional retail settings.
Related website: https://agreenerworld.org/solutions-and-certificates/what-food-labels-really-mean/
Did you know that chlorpyrifos, produced by Dow chemical, is the most widely used insecticide globally? Commonly known as Durzban, this particular pesticide causes nerve damage in children. Prenatal exposure predicts ADHD, lower IQ, and creates an increase in children with “special needs,” putting a burden on schools and society. Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dana Boyd Barr, Ph.D., Research professor at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. https://www.sph.emory.edu/faculty/profile/#!DBBARR Dr. Barr describes her research on pesticide exposure and damage to the neurodevelopment of children, and the political difficulty in banning chlorpyrifos. For more information on chlorpyrifos see: http://www.panna.org/resources/chlorpyrifos-facts and beyondpesticides.org
Related website: http://leaderlaboratory.org/about.html
Did you know that the Lancet Commission has referred to climate change as both the biggest public health crisis, and biggest public health opportunity of the century? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dr. Lori Griffin Byron, M.D., Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and co-leader of the Citizen’s Climate Lobby Health Team (see: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/) Dr. Byron describes how climate change, with rising levels of CO2, more severe and unpredictable weather, flooding and drought, will impact food and agriculture, as well as mental and physical health. She offers hope and encouraging strategies for citizen action.
Related website: https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/climate-change/Pages/Climate-Change-and-Childrens-Health.aspx
Did you know that today’s children are suffering from increasing rates of auto-immune illnesses, asthma, autism, ADHD, and digestive disorders? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Michelle Perro, M.D., author of “What’s Making Our Children Sick? How Industrial Food is Causing an Epidemic of Chronic Illness, and What Parents (and Doctors) Can Do About It.” Perro describes the changes in children’s health she’s witnessed from over 35 years of practice as a pediatrician, how she became interested in integrative medicine, and the connection between genetically modified foods (and related increasing herbicide use), gut integrity and health. She also explains the importance of the Precautionary Principle when protecting children’s health: https://www.sehn.org/ppfaqs.html
Related website: https://www.gmoscience.org/whats-making-children-sick-can/
Did you know that organic food and farming have far reaching impacts on our environment and health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Margaret Scoles, Executive Director of the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA). Scoles explains the integrity, meaning, and benefits of the organic label; describes the process of organic certification, and the rules farmers must follow to earn the label. She also helps us navigate competing labels, including “natural” and “non-GMO.”
Related website: https://www.ioia.net/
Did you know that food is intimately connected with issues of justice, equity and community?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Julia Turshen, writer, recipe developer, and cookbook author. Turshen discusses her most recent book: “Feed the Resistance: Recipes and Ideas for Getting Involved,” which takes us beyond our plates with healthful, easy, plant-based recipes mixed with activism and politics. Turshen describes her latest project as “part cookbook, part activism handbook.” It includes recipes, essays, and practical lists of ideas from a diverse group of cooks, writers, activists, and entrepreneurs — a product of a dedicated community invested in equity. Turshen is donating all proceeds from the book to the ACLU, “to help protect free speech and protest in meaningful spaces.”
Related website: http://www.juliaturshen.com/feedtheresistance
Did you know that farmer suicides have become a global epidemic?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Debbie Weingarten, writer and food justice advocate. Weingarten discusses her research into the tragic but growing global trend of farmer suicides, and why her story was so difficult to place in media outlets. She addresses what young farmers need to succeed, and how we (eaters and citizens) can change farm policy through the power of our pens and voices. Farmers need us now more than ever. To read Weingarten’s article in the Guardian, see: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/06/why-are-americas-farmers-killing-themselves-in-record-numbers
Weingarten hopes listeners will share the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 with anyone going through rough times.
Related website: www.cactuswrenwriting.com
Did you know that the National Organic Standards Board helps maintain the integrity of the organic seal? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Francis Thicke, Ph.D., organic dairy farmer, soil scientist, and former member of the National Organic Standards Board. Thicke explains both the challenges and opportunities for keeping integrity and consumer trust in the organic label. He explores the harms of industrial farming, controversy over hydroponics, benefits of animal welfare standards, labeling, inspection and certification and more.
Related website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/nosb/current-members/francis-thicke
Did you know that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recently published an extensive report reviewing the research on the health effects of cannabis? http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2017/Cannabis-Health-Effects/Cannabis-conclusions.pdf Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Pharmacist, Laura Borgelt, PharmD, Associate Dean, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, and Professor in the Departments of Clinical Pharmacy and Family Medicine at the University of Colorado – Denver. Borgelt discusses the research, risks and benefits of medical and recreational marijuana, including special considerations for edible products, and medical conditions.
Dr. Borgelt recently spoke at the annual meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has extensive knowledge of cannabis with regards to its pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic effectiveness, and potential risks. Her interest began about seven years ago when she was asked clinical questions about its use in pregnant and lactating women. As more states legalize medical and recreational marijuana, consumers need a solid understanding of how the body metabolizes and utilizes cannabinoids, and the differences between various products in the marketplace.
Related website: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/categories/services-and-information/marijuana
Did you know that food and agriculture are at the nexus of critical 21st century issues of climate change, water scarcity, hunger and energy use?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mary Hendrickson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of rural sociology at the U. of MO – Columbia, for a discussion about how the ways in which we produce and consume food have changed over the past few decades. Through a sociologist’s (and farmer’s) lens, Hendrickson describes the tremendous impact consolidation has had on rural communities, food system sustainability and “resilience.” She questions whether efficiency should always be our goal, and identifies policies – Farm Bill and beyond — that can best bring life back to rural America, and put “good” food on everyone’s plates.
Did you know that most breast cancer is the result of exposures to environmental toxins in combination with genetic susceptibility, and stage of life vulnerability? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jeanne Rizzo, R.N., President and CEO of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, and Co-Founder of the Cancer Free Economy Network. Rizzo advocates for science, consumer education, and policies that protect public health, including better regulation of chemicals – from BPA in food can linings, to personal care products, and pesticides. Tune in to learn what you can do to protect your health.
Did you know that the biotech industry works to discredit and silence scientists who question the health and safety of genetically engineered crops and their associated herbicides? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Paul Thacker, investigative journalist and former Fellow at the Edmond J. Saffra Center for Ethics at Harvard. In his article, “Flacking for GMOs: How the Biotech Industry Cultivates Positive Media – and Discourages Criticism,” (The Progressive, July 21, 2017) Thacker exposes the inside workings of agribusiness giant Monsanto and their relationships and strategies with Academia, reporters, and social media.
Did you know that the American Heart Association recommends eating fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids (Salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, albacore tuna) at least two times a week? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with William Harris, Ph.D., internationally recognized expert on omega-3 fatty acids and how they can benefit patients with heart disease. Harris is President and CEO of Omega Quant, which advances the science and use of omega-3 fatty acids to improve health. Harris describes his decades-long research into the health-protecting benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, including new research showing promise in slowing Alzheimer’s disease, treating traumatic brain injury and more. Tune in to learn how to assess omega-3 status, improve nutrition and health.
Did you know that we are all inter-connected, with each other and our environment? And that healing is a process, hope an energy source, and forgiveness key to our path to freedom? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Anita Sanchez, Ph.D., organizational development consultant, storyteller, and author of “The Four Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times.” Sanchez shares her Native American heritage and the wisdom of elders; she offers ways to understand and celebrate the inter-connectedness between people, earth and spirit. In what seems to be troubled times in our history, elders’ insights and wisdom can help us create a more joyful today and a brighter future. Tune in to learn a new way of thinking about ourselves in relation to others.
Did you know that both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are “essential” for our health? Are you confused by which fats are best and how much we need? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Martha Belury, Ph.D., R.D. professor of nutrition at The Ohio State University. Belury discusses her analysis of decades of research, and helps listeners sort through the confusing and conflicting information about dietary fat , specifically: which fats can help promote health and prevent chronic disease, and what those choices look like in our kitchens.
Related website: https://fic.osu.edu/members/directory/b/belury-martha.html
Did you know that when we eat during the day (meal timing) affects the way our bodies handle calories, and can help us lose weight, control blood sugar, and even reduce breast cancer recurrence? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dorothy Sears, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Public health, and Director of the Center for Circadian Biology at the University of California, San Diego. Sears defines and discusses the impact of circadian rhythms on food metabolism, and the multiple benefits of intermittent fasting, including weight loss, reducing blood sugar and recurrence of recurrence of breast cancer.
Related website: http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064634
Did you know that more education isn’t enough to help people make better food choices? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Leslie Mikkelsen, RD, MPH, Managing Director at the Prevention Institute in Oakland, CA. Mikkelsen explains that our environment, and the public policies that affect the kinds of foods that are accessible, available and affordable, play the most critical role in supporting healthful food choices and preventing chronic disease. Mikkelsen addresses the role of marketing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab9zbqHJ_p4 ) and the penetration of processed foods in our environment, as well as the role of government policies in shaping our food environment.
Did you know that media (words and images) influence how we think about food, and ourselves? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Roy Fox, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Department of Learning, Teaching & Curriculum at the University of Missouri, and author of “Harvesting Minds: How TV Commercials Control Kids.” Fox talks about his groundbreaking study which explored how kids respond to the TV commercials they watched as part of Channel One – commercial programming in public school. After interviewing 200 kids in rural Missouri schools that receive the Channel One broadcast, Fox concludes that such commercials influence kids’ thinking, language, and behavior, shaping them into more active consumers. Fox will define media literacy, and describe his recent work using writing and imagery to handle trauma.
Related website: https://education.missouri.edu/person/royfox/
Did you know that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, is the largest expenditure in our Federal Farm Bill? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Christopher Bosso, Ph.D., professor of public policy and urban affairs at Northeastern University, and author of “Framing the Farm Bill: Interests, Ideology, and the Agricultural Act of 2014.” Bosso explains why food assistance is part of our Farm Bill; he discusses the special interests that influence the bill, how the Farm Bill shapes our food system, and how we can shape the Farm Bill.
Did you know that glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide globally, and decades of scientific research link it to a range of diseases, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Carey Gillam,former senior correspondent for Reuters’ international news service, research director of U.S. Right to Know (www.usrtk.org), and author of “White Wash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science.” Gillam describes what she uncovered, and the challenges she faced, during her years investigating the main ingredient – glyphosate –in Monsanto’s popular herbicide, Round up. Monsanto says its safe. Tune in for the truth.
Related website: http://careygillam.com/
Do you know the multiple benefits of organic food and farming systems? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Charles Benbrook, Ph.D., agricultural economist, visiting scholar at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, and member of the Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN) Science Team. With CEHN, Benbrook and colleagues research the impact of pesticide use on birth outcomes. See: http://cehn-healthykids.org/ He describes the risks of increasing herbicide use, specifically related to genetically engineered herbicide-resistant crops. Benbrook also describes the environmental and public health benefits of pasture-raised, 100% grass and forage-fed organic livestock, specifically increases in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.
Related website: http://www.asyousow.org/ays_report/roundup-revealed/
Do you know the difference between “biological” and “conventional” farming?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tom Ruggieri, M.S., engineer, farmer and fermenter. Ruggieri describes the innovative biological farming methods he uses on his Fair Share Farm and CSA outside Kansas City, MO, and the benefits to soil, climate and community health. Fair Share Farm is unique in that it is a “farm to ferment” operation.
Related website: http://fairsharefarm.com/
Did you know that our food system can help build social networks and create greater empathy?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Michael Carolan, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University and author of “No One Eats Alone: Food as a Social Enterprise.” Carolan discusses value chains, unintended consequences of “local” food, and the crucial human connections in our modern “foodscape.” Carolan explains how we have lost our visceral food and farming knowledge, and describes ways alternative food networks can promote empathy and compassion.
Related website: https://islandpress.org/books/no-one-eats-alone
Did you know that there are parallels between the microbial worlds in our gut and the soil?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with David Montgomery, Ph.D., MacArthur Fellow, professor of geomorphology at the U. of Washington, and author of “The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health.” Montgomery helps us rethink our relationship with the land and soil, connecting the root life of plants to gut health and the mechanisms by which we exchange nutrients and more. He explains the essentiality of bacteria in the human gut to a healthy life, with profound implications for both agriculture and medicine. We are witnessing a revolution in the way we see the microbial world, explains Montgomery, who presented a Keynote lecture at the 35th annual Beyond Pesticides Forum in Minneapolis in April 2017. His presentation is available for viewing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kVEGGJL4Y&t=4s
Related website: www.dig2grow.com
Did you know that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed with diet and exercise? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brenda Davis, R.D., author and international expert on plant-based diets. Davis advocates for diets that are ecologically sustainable and ethically justifiable. She reveals the pitfalls of the popular Paleo diet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUXTzbjGakg), and explains why and how shifting to a plant-based diet has the power to promote longevity and reverse diabetes. Tune in and learn how to fight disease with our forks.
Related website: www.brendadavisrd.com
Are you one of approximately 170 million Americans who take dietary supplements? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tod Cooperman, M.D., President, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ConsumerLab.com, an independent tester and evaluator of dietary supplements. He’ll discuss food and supplement safety, and validity behind claims of popular supplements, including those promoted to slow macular degeneration, boost mood, and reduce depression. Tune in for the latest on magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, chocolate safety and more.
Related website: www.consumerlab.com
Did you know that climate change is the most urgent challenge facing our food system and public health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Surili Sutaria Patel, M.S., Deputy Director of the Center for Health Policy at the American Public Health Association (APHA). Patel explains that we are the first generation to feel the impacts of climate change but likely the last generation to do something about it. Join us as we discuss the food, nutrition, and health challenges related to climate change, with messages of hope and action.
2017 is the “Year of Climate Change and Health,” a 12-month APHA-led initiative with monthly themes meant to raise awareness of and mobilize action on the health impacts of climate change. In “The Human Cost of the Food We Eat,” http://www.publichealthnewswire.org/?p=18083 Patel describes climate change impacts on farm workers.
Related website: https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/climate-change
Did you know that most meat animals in the United States are currently raised with the assistance of antibiotics? Eighty percent of the antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used in animals, not humans, and their use contributes to antibiotic resistance, which the United Nations calls “the greatest and most urgent global risk.” Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Maryn McKenna, author of “Big Chicken: The Incredible Story of How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats.” McKenna describes the extraordinary history of antibiotic use, when the drugs were added to lipstick, ice, and painted on the outside of meat cuts, and the consequences we face today from not heeding warnings about the misuse of these precious drugs. Chickens were the first animals to get growth promoter antibiotics and they may be the first to be raised without them, thanks to growing consumer awareness and pressure in the marketplace.
Related website: www.bigchickenthebook.com
Did you know that 2017 has been designated “The year of climate change and health” by the American Public Health Association? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Georges Benjamin, M.D., Executive Director of the American Public Health Association, who describes the importance of community action, social determinants of public health, and health effects of climate change, including mosquito born diseases, and loss of cultural food and farming habits. Benjamin encourages us to look at climate change not through a political lens, but one of community response. Climate change is “not just an inconvenience; it’s a societal issue.”
Related website: www.apha.org/climate
Did you know that EPA’s “approval” of a pesticide does not equate with product safety? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nathan Donley, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, and author of the report, “Toxic Concoctions: How the EPA Ignores the Dangers of Pesticide Cocktails.”
Donley works on issues surrounding the increasing exposure of both people and wildlife to toxins and raises awareness about our flawed pesticide regulatory system. He explains how the pesticide approval process is narrowly focused on individual ingredients, and doesn’t take into account complex chemical combinations. He explains how many of the “other” or “inert” chemicals in formulations sold to the public change the properties of the active pesticide ingredient.
Related website: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/pesticides_reduction/pdfs/Toxic_concoctions.pdf
Did you know that what we eat shapes who we are and vice versa? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Laura Shapiro, culinary historian, James Beard award-winning food columnist and book author who looks at the world, society, and women through food. Shapiro has written on every food topic from champagne to Jell-O in her decades-long career, and recognizes cooking as a basic survival skill. Shapiro discusses her work, including her latest book, “What She Ate, Six Remarkable Women & The Food That Tells Their Stories.” She shares highlights from her research into the peculiar eating and cooking habits of famous women, from Cosmopolitan’s Helen Gurley Brown to Hitler’s partner, Eva Braun.
Related website: https://laurashapirowriter.com/
Did you know that consumer demand for organic food continues to grow, despite the struggle of U.S. farmers to keep up with demand? Do you understand what the organic label really means, and how organic certification works? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Abby Youngblood, Executive Director of the National Organic Coalition, a national alliance of organizations working to provide a “Washington voice” for farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, consumers and industry members involved in organic agriculture. Youngblood explains the value of the organic label and the need for vigilance in ensuring organic integrity. NOC advocates for strong, enforceable, and continuously improved standards to maximize the multiple health, environmental, and economic benefits of organic agriculture. Consumers will find trustworthy label information at www.greenerchoices.org and can learn more about our national organic program rules and regulations at https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/nosb.
Related website: http://www.nationalorganiccoalition.org/
Guest Jim Riddle, MN-based certified organic farmer and internationally respected expert on organic farming systems and standards, policy and advocacy will discuss why farmers choose to farm organically and the hazards of pesticide spray drift.
Beyond Pesticides
Did you know that we already produce enough food to more than “feed the world?” -- we just don’t provide adequate access to all. Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with John Reganold, Ph.D., Professor of Soil Science and Agroecology at WA State University in Pullman. Reganold is considered one of the founding and premier scientists in the world in sustainable and organic agricultural research. He discusses his research measuring the effects of organic, integrated and conventional farming systems on productivity, financial performance, environmental quality, and social wellbeing on five continents.
His popular blog post for the Union of Concerned Scientists http://blog.ucsusa.org/science-blogger/organic-agriculture-is-key-to-helping-feed-the-world-sustainably discusses organic agriculture’s contribution to helping to feed the world sustainably. Reganold believes that we need a much broader conversation when we speak about “feeding the world,” including: population growth, and planetary boundaries, such as nutrient pollution, climate change, and land clearing. He also suggests ways the upcoming Farm Bill could support more sustainable farming practices.
Related website: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293014068_Organic_agriculture_in_the_twenty-first_century
Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., environmental health scientist, Chief Science Advisor to the Grace Communications Foundation, and former executive director of the Food Safety and Sustainability Center for Consumer Reports, identifies food safety risks, trustworthy and questionable food labels, and green noise in the marketplace.
Greener Choices
Guest Maya Shetreat, M.D., integrative pediatric neurologist and author of The Dirt Cure: Healthy Food, Healthy Gut, Happy Child, explains rising rates of childhood illness, and the critical but under-valued connection between health and our natural environment
Maya Shetreat-Klein, MD
Guest Andy Sarjahani, M.S., R.D., documentary film maker discusses his film, Downstream People about the politics and public health threats of an industrial hog facility on water quality in the National Buffalo River watershed
Downstream People
Guest Mary Otto, author of Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America. Otto describes her investigation into the death of 12 year-old Deamonte Driver due to an untreated abscessed tooth, the relationship between oral health and overall well-being, the marketing of cosmetic dentistry, and the injustice of a healthcare system that denies basic access to dental care
Teeth
Guest Andy Fisher, author of Big Hunger: The Unholy Alliance between Corporate America and Anti-Hunger Groups, discusses charity vs. policy, and the root causes (and cures) of hunger in America
Big Hunger
Guest Eve Van Cauter, Ph.D., former Director of the Sleep, Metabolism and Health Center at the University of Chicago, describes the impact of sleep disturbance/deprivation on health, including diabetes, obesity, and immunity, plus tips to improve sleep.
f.lux
Guest Vera Krischik, Ph.D., entomologist, Director of the Center for Sustainable Urban Ecosystems at the University of Minnesota describes the critical role of insects in our ecosystem, and the harmful effects of ubiquitous, sub-lethal levels of neonicotinoid pesticides on pollinators
Beyond Pesticides Forum presentation
Guest David Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D., endocrinologist, Professor of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, and Time magazines obesity warrior, discusses his book, Always Hungry? Conquer Cravings, Retrain Your Fat Cells and Lose Weight Permanently.
TAKE BACK CONTROL
Guest Fred vom Saal, Ph.D., Curators Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri and co-editor of Integrative Environmental Medicine, describes how contaminants, including pesticide residues, BPA and phthalates, enter our food supply and affect public health in our challenging political and regulatory system
Integrative Environmental Medicine
Guest Erin Silva, Ph.D., plant pathologist, University of Wisconsin-Madison, describes research in modern sustainable and organic agriculture, new technologies, farmers challenges, and the intersections between soil, plant and human biology
UW Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension
Guest Johanna Mirenda, Technical Director at OMRI, the Organic Materials Review Institute, describes her work in organic certification, explains input materials including pesticides and describes what organic certification means for farmers and consumers
Organic Materials Review Institute
Guest Stacy Malkan, co-founder and co-director of U.S. Right to Know, a non-profit organization working for transparency and accountability in our nations food system, exposes food and agriculture front groups, helps us navigate propaganda, and provides tips for truth-telling.
U.S. Right to Know
Guest Jed Fahey, Ph.D., Director of the Cullman Chemoprotection Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of medicine, describes his research on sulforaphane, a health protecting compound highest in broccoli sprouts
Green Chemoprotection
Guest Hector Valenzuela, Ph.D., crop production specialist, University of HI at Manoa, discusses sustainable vs. industrial food production on the Hawaiian islands, and threats to research freedom at public universities due to agri-chemical influence
PR Watch
Guest Martha Claire Morris, Sc.D., nutritional epidemiologist at Rush University discusses the Mind Diet, dietary approaches for reducing risk for Alzheimers Disease, cognitive decline and dementia
RUSH
Guest Paul Wotzka, Minnesota-based hydrologist, and organic farmer, discusses the water cycle, watersheds, and the impact of the herbicide Atrazine and other contaminants on water quality, health and our environment
Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service
Guest Ridge Shinn, a.k.a. the Carbon Cowboy, and founder of Big Picture Beef, explains the human health and planetary benefits of 100 percent grass-fed cattle
Ridge Shinn
Guest Judith McGeary, sustainable farmer, attorney, and Founder and Director of the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance based in Cameron, TX, discusses the soil-food-web, protecting soil, conserving water, and the political challenges facing sustainable family farmers
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance/a>
Guest Emily Jackson, Founder and Director of the Growing Minds Farm to School Program of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), discusses the benefits, joys and strategies for establishing successful school gardens.
Farm to school
Guest Will Allen, VT-based organic farmer, co-founder of Cedar Circle farm, research director for Regeneration Vermont, and author of The War on Bugs, describes his work to advance regenerative farming, and exposes Bayer historic links to Nazi Germany and Monsanto pesticide injuries.
Regeneration Vermont
Guest Peter Infante D.D.S., Dr.P.H., epidemiologist, and former Director of the Office of Carcinogen Identification and Classification at OSHA, describes the influence of industry and Congress on governmental regulatory agencies charged to protect public health. Part 2.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer
Guest Peter Infante, D.D.S., Dr.P.H., epidemiologist, and former Director of the Office of Carcinogen Identification and Classification at OSHA, describes the influence of industry on science, and in particular addresses the carcinogenicity of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsantos Roundup herbicide
IARC Monograph
Guest Cheryl Forberg, R.D., James Beard Award-Winning Chef, New York Times best-selling author, and Nutritionist for NBCs The Biggest Loser, takes us behind the scenes of this reality TV show to reveal the biggest challenges and secrets behind successful weight loss. She will also pull weight loss tips from her latest book, A Small Guide to Losing Big
Cheryl Forberg
Did you know that producing some of our own food can be an empowering, affordable way to improve our diets, take control of our food choices, and protect our health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andy Tomolonis, a.k.a the “dirt-cheap gardener.” Based in Southeastern, MA, Tomolonis, is a journalist, organic farmer, and author of “Organic Hobby Farming: A Practical Guide to Earth-Friendly Farming in Any Space. ” He'll describe how he turned his backyard garden on a 1-acre lot in suburbia into an organic farm and eight-family neighborhood CSA –all while maintaining his full-time day job.
“Organic Hobby Farming” is easy to read with beautiful photographs and step-by-step "how-to" tips for even the most novice gardeners. Whether your "garden" amounts to a pot of herbs on a sunny windowsill, a yard-full of berry bushes and vegetables, or a small farm to help feed your community, Tomolonis has information for you. If you’ve got spring fever, and are itching to get your hands in the soil, tune in. We’ll talk about seeds, tools, farming methods, alternatives to pesticides and more.
Related website: http://blogs.southcoasttoday.com/dirtcheap/
Did you know that poverty and hunger is often associated with obesity, depression, alcoholism, and childhood trauma? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mariana Chilton, Ph.D., MPH, Professor at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University, in Philadelphia, PA. Chilton directs the Center for Hunger-Free Communities, and is the founder of “Witnesses to Hunger,” a PhotoVoice project that documents the lives of low-income women living in Philadelphia.
Chilton busts common myths and misconceptions about food insecurity; she explains how the use of food assistance programs reduces hospitalizations; and, she describes the circumstances that contribute to poverty and food insecurity. “Hunger is associated with isolation, humiliation and shame,” explains Chilton. She combines hard statistical and scientific data with human stories to change policies and promote greater connectedness, community, kindness, and compassion.
Related website: www.centerforhungerfreecommunities.org
Do you know the biggest challenges family farmers face when trying to bring their livestock to market? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Joe Maxwell, Political Director for the Humane Society Legislative Fund (http://www.hslf.org/), former MO State Representative, Senator and Lt. Governor, and family farmer. Maxwell explains farmers’ and ranchers’ difficulty in locating convenient, independent meat processing facilities, the consequences of vertical integration in the livestock industry, and how and why U.S. citizens lost “country of origin labeling” on meat packages. He offers suggestions on ways citizens and farmers can work together with legislators to improve food policy, our broader food system, rural economies, family farming, and the quality of food on our plates.
Guest Daryl Ray, Ph.D., Agricultural Economist, Professor Emeritus at the University of TN Knoxville, and columnist for the Agricultural Policy and Analysis Center, explains how economic principles apply to agriculture, the power of the consumer in the marketplace, and the danger of industry-funded and influenced research at Land Grant Universities. Ray recalls Monsantos pressure to not publish poor yield data on their GMO soybeans
Guest Warren Porter, Ph.D. professor of zoology and environmental toxicology at the U. of WI-Madison, describes the health risks from ingredients (glyphosate + inerts) in Monsantos Roundup herbicide, at concentrations below what EPA says are safe.
The Detox Project
Guest Richard Oswald, 5th generation farmer, poet and columnist for the Daily Yonder, President of the MO Farmers Union and Board member of the Organization for Competitive Markets, describes how farmers have been sold on pesticides, GMO seeds, and the myth of feeding the world.
Organization for Competitive Markets
Guest Faith Rogow, Ph.D., the Media Literacy Education Maven, and co-author of The Teachers Guide to Media Literacy: Critical Thinking in a Multimedia World, helps us navigate fake news with critical thinking and observation sk
Insighters Educational Consultingills
Guest Kathleen Dean Moore, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of philosophy at Oregon State University, nature essayist and author, discusses the moral urgency of climate change, hope, and insights from her book, Great Tide Rising: Towards Clarity and Moral Courage in a Time of Planetary Change.
Kathleen Dean Moore On The Moral Urgency Of Climate Change
Guest James Greenblatt, M.D., discusses his recent webinar: Malnourished Minds: A Functional Medicine approach to Cognition, Memory and Mood, with a specific focus on minerals, including lithium
James Greenblatt
Guest Colleen Webb, M.S., R.D., Weill Cornell Medical Center, speaks about her work with gastro-intestinal disorders irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease, and how to promote gut health
Colleen Webb Nutrition
Guest Jessica Almy, M.S., J.D., Deputy Director of Nutrition Policy, Center for Science in the Public Interest, discusses Rigged: Supermarket Shelves for Sale, a behind-the-scenes expose of how food companies get their products featured in particular locations in supermarkets
Supermarket Shelves for Sale
Guest Brenda Davy, Ph.D., R.D., Nutrition Professor and researcher at Virginia Tech, talks about the under-appreciated role of water in health promotion, disease prevention, brain function, and surprising role in weight control, especially among middle-aged and older populations. Find out how much water we need and why, plus challenges to water quality
Brenda Davy
Guest Sriram Madhusoodanan, Director of Corporate Accountability Internationals Value[the]Meal Campaign, describes Corporate Accountabilitys successful efforts to expose and challenge Nestles infant formula promotion, tobacco advertising, and McDonalds fast food marketing targeted at children
Corporate Accountability International
Guest Bettina Siegel, J.D., School food activist, named one of the 20 Most Influential Moms and author of The Lunch Tray blog, describes her work to improve school lunch, and national policies affecting childrens food, including the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act
The Lunch Tray
Guest David Andrews, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at the Environmental Working Group discusses his recent reports on water contamination with the carcinogenic chemicals, Chromium-6, and PFOA. The latter is the chemical formerly used in the manufacturing of Teflon.
EWGEnviroBlog
Guest Paul Winchester, M.D., Medical Director of the Neonatal and Intensive Care Unit at St. Francis Hospital, and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Riley Childrens Hospital in Indianapolis, IN, discusses his research on pesticide-related birth defects and premature births.
PDFPaul D. Winchester, M.D.
Guest Robert Schooler, Cornell University student who questioned the Alliance for Science - pro-biotechnology rhetoric, and began a speaker series presenting an agro-ecological perspective on the impact of genetic engineering on food and farming
GMO WTF?
Guest Alan Guebert, award-winning agricultural journalist, author of the nationally syndicated weekly column, The Farm and Food File, and co-author of The Land of Milk and Uncle Honey: Memories from the Farm of My Youth, shares his insights on the impacts of U.S. farm and food policies
The Land of Milk and Uncle Honey
Guest Genna Reed, M.A., science and policy analyst in the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, discusses her new report: Hooked for Life: How Weak Policies on Added Sugars Are Putting a Generation of Children at Risk.
Union of Concerned Scientists
Guest Grace Gershuny, organic farmer and author of Organic Revolutionary: A Memoir of the Movement for Real Food, Planetary Healing and Human Liberation, describes her work with USDA developing organic policy, and explains how organic certification helps farmers, consumers and our planet
Organic Revolutionary
Guest Tyrone Hayes, Ph.D., biologist and professor of integrative biology at the University of California Berkeley, discusses his research on the hazards of Atrazine, an endocrine disrupting herbicide produced by Syngenta, and industrys resulting backlash
Beyond Pesticides
Guest Lori Taylor, M.A., M.S., R.D., nutritionist, explores the science questioning the safety of genetically engineered foods and who benefits from the technology
Lori Taylor
Guest Susan Swithers, Ph.D., professor of psychological sciences and behavioral neuroscientist at Purdue University discusses her research on the surprising effects of sweeteners on body weight and blood sugar, and financial conflict of interest in the food industry
The Center for Public Integrity
Guest Caitlin Shetterly, author of Modified: GMOs and the Threat to Our Food, Our Land, Our Future, describes her investigation into genetically engineered corn, her personal illness and recovery
Caitlin Shetterly
Guest David Vetter, award-winning organic farmer, Grain Place Foods, Marquette, NE, discusses his philosophy, practices, challenges, and future of farming sustainably.
Dreaming of a Vetter World
Guest Sheldon Krimsky, Ph.D., professor of urban and environmental policy and planning at Tufts University and co-editor of The GMO Deception: What You Need to Know about the Food, Corporations, and Government Agencies Putting Our Families and Our Environment at Risk, helps us rethink messages about the research and safety of genetically engineered foods.
GMO Deception
Guest Naomi Oreskes, Ph.D., co-author of Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming describes PR strategies for muddying scientific data
Merchants of Doubt
Guest Josh Golin, Executive Director, Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, discusses how marketers target children at home and school, and the challenges parents face raising healthy children in a screen culture.
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
Guest Zen Honeycutt, Founder and Director of Moms Across America describes her organizations mission to protect childrens health, raise awareness about GMOs and related environmental toxins, and empower moms to create healthy communities
Moms Across America
Guest Carrie Balkcom, Executive Director for the American Grassfed Association, and Certified Executive Chef, based in Denver, Colorado, defines grassfed standards, and describes how consumers can navigate meat labels in the marketplace
American Grassfed Association
Guest Will Harris, 4th generation cattleman, describes his philosophy on raising livestock humanely, in cooperation with nature, on White Oak Pastures, Bluffton, Georgia
White Oak Pastures
Guest Percy Schmeiser, canola farmer from Saskatchewan, Canada, describes his legal battle with Monsanto following the contamination of his land with genetically engineered (GMO) seeds
Percy Schmeiser vs Monsanto
Guest Keeve Nachman, Ph.D., Director of the Center for a Livable Futures Food Production and Public Health Program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, discusses his research on the effects of industrial agriculture on rural community health, with a focus on arsenic and antibiotics
Food Production and Public Health Program
Guest Peter Menzel, award-winning photojournalist and co-author with Faith DAlusio of Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects, and What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets, describes global consumption, entomophagy, and the images that put a face on food, health and agriculture.
Hungry Planet
Guest Anthony Flaccavento, organic farmer, founder of Appalachian Sustainable Development, national thought-leader on sustainability, and author of Building a Healthy Economy from the Bottom Up: Harnessing Real-World Experience for Transformative Change, describes a road map for achieving ecologically healthy economies
Bottom Up Economy
Guest George Leventhal, immediate past president of the Montgomery County Council (Maryland), describes the challenges and ultimate success in banning county-wide use of cosmetic pesticides in public and private spaces
Landmark Law: The Case for Local Action
Guest Jane Grover, DDS, Director of the Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations for the American Dental Association discusses solutions to Americas dental care crisis
Mouth Healthy
Guest Ken Roseboro, editor and publisher of The Organic and Non-GMO Report, describes the steady growth in consumer demand for organic and non-GMO foods, areas of confusion, and GMO labeling
The Organic & Non-GMO Report
Guest Kristin Schafer, co-author of Kids on the Frontline: How Pesticides are Undermining the Health of Rural Children, describes the risks rural children face in agricultural communities across the U.S.
Pesticide Action Network (PAN) North America
Guest Garrett Broad, Ph.D., author, More Than Just Food: Food Justice and Community Change, describes the power of media and storytelling in promoting food justice, and the role food programs played in the Black Panther Partys strength.
Garrett M. Broad
Guest Tao Orion, author of Beyond the War on Invasive Species: A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration helps us rethink invasive species, describes holistic land management, and explores our concept of wilderness.
Resilience Permaculture
Guest Laura Lengnick, Ph.D., soil scientist and author of Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate, discusses the Paris climate talks, and necessary shifts in agriculture and policies to set the table of tomorrow. Part II
Regeneration International
Guest Laura Lengnick, Ph.D., soil scientist and author of Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate, explains resilience and challenges of climate change relating to food and farming. Part I
Climate Listening Project
Guest Carey Gillam, research director at U.S. Right to Know, and former senior correspondent and investigative reporter for Reuters, describes her experiences covering the food and biotech industries, regulatory agencies and conflicts of interests
US-RTK
Guest Tod Cooperman, M.D. President and Founder of Consumerlab.com, describes risks and benefits of some of the most popular dietary supplements, plus cocoa powder and dark chocolate
Consumerlab
Guest Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, The Nature Principle, and most recently, Vitamin N: 500 Ways to Enrich Your Familys Health & Happiness, explains why its critical to create a nature-rich life; and describes childrens human rights to the natural world
Richard Louv
Guest Charles Benbrook, Ph.D., agricultural economist, describes the nutritional benefits of organic food. Part II
Organic vs non-organic food
Guest Charles Benbrook, Ph.D., agricultural economist and member of the USDAs AC 21 biotechnology Agricultural Committee, describes safety, environmental impacts and public health consequences of genetically engineered crops and their related herbicides
Glyphosate-based herbicides
Guest Liz Carlisle, Ph.D., author of Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America, and Fellow at the Center for Diversified Farming Systems at U.C. Berkeley, describes the power of cooperative rural communities in creating sustainable food systems
Lentil Underground
Guest Lisa McDowell, M.S., R.D., Director of Clinical Nutrition and Wellness at St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor, MI, and team dietitian for the Detroit Red Wings, Olympic, collegiate and other pro-athletes, talks about sports and clinical nutrition
Priority Health Wellness Blog
Guest Bill Marler, foodborne illness lawyer and expert in food safety, discusses ways to prevent national foodborne illness outbreaks in general, the Chipotle incident in particular, and the six risky foods he never eats
Marler Blog
Guest Kathleen Delate, Ph.D., professor of horticulture at IA State University describes her research on the benefits of organic farming systems
Iowa State UniversityOrganic Agriculture Program
Guest Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D. Nutrition advisor for the Vegetarian Resource Group, and nutrition professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, discusses vegetarian diets.
The Vegetarian Resource Group
Guest Amanda Hitt, Director of the Government Accountability Project Food Integrity Campaign, describes the role food industry whistleblowers play in stopping abuses to animals, people and the environment.
Food Integrity Campaign
Guest Doug Crabtree, M.S., organic heirloom grain and pulse (legumes, lentils, beans, peas) farmer, explains his conservation-based land ethic for sustainable food production, and farm policies he would change to create greater national food security. The United Nations declared 2016 the international year of pulses.
International Year of Pulses
Guest Colette Cosner, former Executive Director of the Domestic Fair Trade Association, explains how free trade agreements impact farm workers and immigration, and how we can be more educated citizen eaters.
Domestic Fair Trade
Guest Jim Goodman, organic dairy farmer, member of Family Farm Defenders, and the Organic Consumers Association defines food security, food sovereignty, and discusses how the Trans Pacific Trade Partnership benefits global corporations, not family farmers.
Trans Pacific Partnership Protest
Guest Dave Seddon, Registered Dietitian, Board President and CEO of the Maine Farm and Sea Cooperative, Americas first farm-institution food service cooperative. Seddon explains the social, economic and public health benefits of cooperative, regional food production and procurement.
Maine Farm and Sea Cooperative
Guest Gail Hansen, DVM, MPH, discusses the increasing risk of antibiotic-resistant infections resulting from rising rates of misuse and abuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture on a global scale.
Keep Antibiotics Working
Guest Valerie Segrest, M.S., Native American nutritionist, co-author of Feeding the People, Feeding the Spirit: Revitalizing Northwest Coastal Indian Food Culture, and coordinator of the Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project, discusses how genetically engineered salmon violate tribal treaty rights and pose a risk to future generations.
Campaign for GE-Free Seafood
Guest Robert Shetterly, artist and founder of the Americans Who Tell the Truth project, explains his humanitarian work: painting portraits and telling the stories of exemplary citizens who have promoted social and environmental justice
Americans Who Tell the Truth
Guest Jonathan Lundgren, Ph.D. Award-winning entomologist discusses his research on neonicotinoid pesticides, their pervasive use, harmful effects, and why he left his USDA lab to start an independent research and education farm. (Part 2)
Blue Dasher Farm
Guest Jonathan Lundgren, Ph.D., Agroecologist and Entomologist, discusses his 20-years of research on bugs, pesticides, and why he left his USDA lab to start an independent research farm that focuses on producing healthier food in natures image. (Part I)
Blue Dasher Farm
Guest Representative Louise Slaughter, M.S., Congresswoman, 25th District New York State discusses her efforts to pass legislation -- the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act -- that would prohibit the dangerous use of routine antibitoics on industrial farms. Where are the roadblocks, and what can consumers do to protect our food, drugs and health?
Representative Louise Slaughter
Guest Aimee Code, M.S., Pesticide Program Director at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, will discuss the widespread use, and unintended consequences of neonicotinoid pesticides
Xerces Society
Guest Kelay Trentham, R.D., oncology dietitian discusses the role medical cannabis can play in relieving cancer treatment side-effects, challenges of treatment with marijuana, plus why red and processed meats increase cancer risk
Oncology Nutrition
Guest Catherine Badgley, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at U. of MI defines biodiversity, why it is essential for survival and how we might drive more sustainable food systems
LSA EEB
Guest Bruce Hemming, Ph.D. President and CEO of Microbe Inotech Laboratories, Inc., St. Louis, MO, describes how glyphosate' s metal chelating actions can affect our gut microorganisms
MICROBE INOTECH LABS
Guest Nicolette Hahn Niman, author, Defending Beef: The Case for Sustainable Meat Production, describes her manifesto of an environmental lawyer and vegetarian turned cattle rancher.
Nicolette Hahn Niman
Guest Stacia Clinton, R.D., Regional Direcctor, Health Care Without Harm Healthy Food in Health Care Program, and Chair of the Clinician Champions in Comprehensive Antibiotic Stewardship, explains the high cost of antibiotic resistance, and how hospital infections can be traced to farming practices
Healthy Food in Health Care
Guest Dana Gunders, Staff Scientist, National Resources Defense Council and author of the Waste Free Kitchen Handbook, discusses how to reduce food waste, plus recpe ideas for leftovers
Waste Free Kitchen Handbook
Guest David Mortensen, Ph.D., Professor of Weed Ecology, Penn State U., explains unintended consequences of GMO crops engineered to resist herbicides, how weeds develop herbicide resistance, and alternatives to herbicides
Natural Resources Defense Council
Guest Richard Oswald, 5th generation family farmer, journalist (Progressive Farmer, Daily Yonder), President, Missouri Farmers' Union and director for Organization for Competitive Markets and Board member, National Farmers\\' Union, discusses consolidation in farming and agricultural legislation affecting U.S. food security
Organization for Competitive Markets
Guest Nancy Zucker, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Eating Disorders, Duke University Medical Center, discusses her research on picky eaters, and explains what is typical, what is not and why
Duke Center for Eating Disorders
Guest Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association, defines organic, busts myths, and explains the unique benefits of organic farming and food production
Organic Trade Association
Guest Routt Reigart, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina, co-editor of the 6th Edition of the EPA Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings, and Father of the Childrens Environmental Health Movement, discusses the impact of pesticides on childrens health
Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings
Guest JoAnne Berkenkamp, M.S., Senior Advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council, Food and Agriculture Program discusses food waste.
NDRC
Guest Robert McChesney, Ph.D., Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and cofounder, Free Press, discusses media, money and politics as it influences food and farming choices. The need for media literacy has never been greater
Robert W. McChesney
Guest Douglas Gayeton, award-winning multi-media artist and mastermind behind the Lexicon of Sustainability, and Lexicon of Food, explains why and how he and wife Laura Howard-Gayeton, use language and graphics to transform our food system
Lexicon of Food
Guest Diana Dyer, M.S., R.D. dietitian and organic garlic farmer reveals the single barrier preventing her from farming in her youth; she describes the soil-food web, the benefits of organic farming, and connects soil, plant and human health
Dyer Family Organic Farm
Guest Katherine Pryor, childrens book author and sustainable food systems educator returns to discuss the story behind her latest delightful book, Zoras Zucchini. Perfect for food literacy classroom activities and helping children appreciate gardenings power in building a healthy community
Meet Author Katherine Pryor
Guest Anna Lappe, sustainable food advocate, and co-author of Spinning Food: How Food Industry Front Groups and Covert Communications are Shaping the Story of Food, reveals how industry front groups mislead, misinform, and twist how we think about food and farming
Anna Lappe
Guest Richard Bickel, international photojournalist, captures images of the Oystermen of Apalachicola, FL, and describes environmental threats to the region, its prized shellfish, people and culture
Apalachicola Riverkeeper
Guest Bill Wilson, Co-Founder Birds and Beans Coffee, LLC, explains how shade-grown, bird-friendly coffee protects migratory bird populations, and our planet
Birds and Beans
Guest Lani Malmberg, gypsy goat herder, describes how and why she works with goats to provide a safe, natural, ecological answer to weed control and land restoration
Manage Weeds with Goats
Guest Sean Sellers, M.A., Senior Investigator/Monitor, Fair Food Standards Council, Sarasota, FL, describes farm labor conditions in Immokalee Florida, and how farmworker standards, monitoring and education have advanced the human rights of farmworkers and supported ethical supply chains
Fair Food Standards Council
Guest Jonathan Latham, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Bioscience Resource Project and Editor, Independent Science News, Ithaca, NY, questions the assumptions, narratives, and PR spin re food, agriculture, and biotechnology
Independent Science News
Guest Louis Guillette, Jr., Ph.D., Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Director, Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina and Hollings Marine Laboratory, describes his research showing how environmental contaminants harm alligators and similarly, humans
Beyond Pesticides
Guest Amy Mondlach, Toxic Tater Campaign Coordinator, describes how pesticide drift from potato fields owned by Ronald D. Offutt (RDO), the largest potato grower in the world and one of McDonalds leading potato suppliers, are harming children and the environment in north central Minnesota
Toxic Taters
Guest Justin Sonnenberg, Ph.D., Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, author of The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-Term Health, discusses the impact of antibiotic overuse, the promise and uncertainties of probiotics, the gut-brain connection and how aging impacts the microbiota. (Part II)
Sonnenberg Lab
Guest Justin Sonnenberg, Ph.D., Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, author of The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-Term Health, describes our gut bacterias role in health and disease. (Part I)
Sonnenberg Lab
Guest Kimber Stanhope, PhD, RD, associate research nutritional biologist, University of California-Davis, discusses the relationship between sugar consumption, metabolic disease and industrys influence on science and health policy
SugarScience
Guest E. G. Vallianatos, Ph.D., author of Poison Spring: The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA, takes us behind the scenes of his 25 year career at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Poison Spring
Guest Jeannie Economos, Pesticide safety and environmental health project coordinator, Farmworker Association of Florida, discusses toxic Lake Apopka how agriculutral chemicals have harmed the natural environment and farmworker health
Farmworker Association of Florida
Guest Andy Bellati, M.S., R.D., explains how the food industry influences what we think about food and health, and food industry deception vs. reality
Small Bites
Bruce Lanphear, M.D., M.P.H, clinician scientist at the Child & Family Research Institute, BC Childrens Hospital, and Professor at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, talks about environmental toxins, their impact on childrens health, and profit motives that take precedence over public health
Environmental Health Atlas
Guest Jennifer Hartle, PhD., M.H.S., Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Standford University School of Medicine, and environmental health scientist talks about Bisphenol-A (BPA), the estrogen-mimicking compound that leaches out of plastics, food and beverage cans, and found in school lunch
BPA Guide
Guest Suzanne Dixon, M.P.H., M.S., R.D., dietitian with expertise in nutrition and chronic disease prevention describes the most important steps we can take to improve our diets. Tune in for a big picture look at nutrition science
No Nutrition Fear
Guest Lenore Arab, Ph.D. Nutritional epidemiologist, UCLA, explains how fruits, vegetables and unique components of tea can help protect our health
Lenore Arab
Guest Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States discusses his organizations role in protecting animal welfare, our natural kinship with animals, and ways we can see through corporate propaganda about industrial farms
Humane Society of the United States
Guest Jahi Chappel, Ph.D. Director of Agroecology and Agriculture Policy at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, talks about Deepening Food Democracy, the report he co-authored
Deepening Food Democracy
Guest Anthony Flaccavento, organic farmer and entrepreneur describes his local foods cost calculator to increase the the use of locally raised food in restaurants and food service
SCALE
Guest Stephen Ritz, South Bronx educator featured in TEDx Manhattan, one of the top 10 finalists for the Global Teacher Prize describes the Green Bronx Machine and how growing vegetables in school changed the lives of his students in one of the poorest school districts in the country
Green Bronx Machine
Guest Anita Poeppel, Illinois farmer, speaks about the hazards of pesticide drift, and the Spray Drift Education Network, created to help report, monitor and protect rural families, crops and CSA customers who want pesticide-free food
Spray Drift Education Network
Guest Sanjay Rawal, director, Food Chains, discusses his documentary film that sheds light on past and present farm worker conditions with hope and actions for justice
Food Chain$
Guest Margaret Reeves, Ph.D., Senior Scientist and advocate at the Pesticide Action Network describes the risks farmworkers face from pesticide exposure and the new Equitable Farm Initiative
EFI
Guest Jo Ann Hattner, MPH, RD, dietitian and author of Gut Insight: probiotics and prebiotics for digestive health and well-being, describes foods that nourish and protect gut microorganisms
Gut Insight
Guest Roni Neff, Ph.D., Director of the Food System Sustainability Program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for a Livable Future, and editor of Introduction to the U.S. Food System: Public Health, Environment, and Equity. Neff describes sustainable diets and climate-friendly eating
Introduction to the US Food System
Guest Stacia Nordin, R.D., Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Advisor for the United Nations, has worked in worked in Malawi, East Africa, for 17 years. She describes the benefits of biodiversity and permaculture in feeding the world (not GMOs)
Never Ending Food
Guest Gary Wenk, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Molecular Virology at the Ohio State University, and author of Your Brain on Food: How Chemicals Control Your Thoughts and Feelings, will talk about coffee, chocolate, food addiction and more
Your Brain on Food
Guest Eliza Greenman, owner/operator of Legacy Fruit Trees in Virginia and Director of Biodiversity for Greenhorns, an organization made up of young farmers, to recruit, promote and support the new generation of farmers. Greenman describes her experiences in the orchard and at the annual Future Farmers of America meeting in KY
Greenhorns
Guest Jim Gerritsen, owner and operator of Wood Prairie Farm in Bridgewater, Maine, and President of the Maine-based Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association, which in 2011 filed a lawsuit against Monsanto to challenge seed patents. Gerritsen describes the lawsuit, our common heritage of seeds, transgenic contamination and why he supports GMO food labeling
Wood Prairie Farm
Guest Ted Genoways, author of The Chain, continues his discussion revealing the true cost of cheap food, including antibiotic resistance, declining water quality and how we can help build a sustainable food system. Part II of II
Ted Genoways
Guest Ted Genoways, author of The Chain: Farm, Factory, and the Fate of Our Food, a riveting, compelling expose of the meatpacking industry, through the lens of Hormel. Genoways describes working conditions and related injuries, the shift in labor force and immigration. Part I of II
Ted Genoways
Guest Paul Hanley, environment columnist with the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and author of Eleven which describes how 11 billion people on Earth by centurys end will change everything. Hanley discusses consumerism and the need to evaluate food and farming through an ecological lens for a sustainable future
Paul Hanley
Guest Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D. Registered Dietitian, internationally respected sports nutritionist, athlete and author of Nancy Clarks Sports Nutrition Guidebook: The #1 nutrition resource for active people, describes elements of a winning sports diet and how to fuel better to feel better.
Nancy Clark
Guest Jill Nussinow, M.S., R.D., dietitian and author of Nutrition CHAMPS: New Way of Thinking about Food Groups that Will Change Your Life, discusses her new cookbook which focuses on a plant-based diet rich in cruciferous vegetables, herbs, alliums, mushrooms, pulse, seeds and nuts, and their health-promoting and flavorful attributes
The Veggie Queen
Guest Andrianna Natsoulas, author of Food Voices: Stories from the People Who Feed Us, describes the principles and pillars of food sovereignty, the consequences of fish and shrimp farming, and how consumers can be advocates for food justice
Food Voices
Guest Brian Wansink, Ph.D., Director of Cornell Universitys Food and Brand Lab, and author of Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life, explains ways we can simply tweak our most common food environments, we can easily lose unwanted pounds and achieve better health
Slim By Design
Guest Eric Herm, 4th generation TX cotton farmer and author of Son of a Farmer, Child of the Earth, and Surviving Ourselves: The Evolution of Community, Education, and Agriculture in the 21st Century, describes challenges to sustainable farming and solutions for healing the planet.
Son of a Farmer
Guest Deborah Madison, Americas leading authority on vegetarian cooking, talks about her life, kitchen, garden, and latest cookbooks: The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, and 2014 James Beard Award-winning Vegetable Literacy.
Deborah Madison
Guest Amanda Heyman, attorney, provides legal counsel for independent farmers & food businesses; she discusses legal aspects of GMO, organic and natural labeling, and threats from pesticide drift
Lawyers for Good Food
Guest Janisse Ray, author of the The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food, describes hopeful, collective actions to protect our sacred seeds, farmers rights and the future of our food
Janisse Ray
Guest Mary Stein, M.S., Deputy Director, National Farm to School Network explains how increasing local food in schools from regional farms to school gardens -- improves child nutrition, school performance and community development
National Farm to School Network
Guest Robert Lustig, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, author of Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease, and featured in the film, FED UP exposes myths and offers solutions for fixing the obesity epidemic
Fed Up
Guest Robert Kremer, Ph.D., microbiologist formerly with the U.S.D.As Agricultural Research Service and Adjunct Professor of Soil Microbiology at the University of Missouri, describes how glyphosate (Roundup) affects soil microbiology, ecology, and plant susceptibility to disease
European Journal of Agronomy
Guest Karen Collins, M.S., RDN, Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Advisor to the American Institute for Cancer Research describes dietary strategies for cancer prevention
Karen Collins Nutrition
Guest Michael Graziano, producer and director of the film, Resistance which describes the history of antibiotics and how we are moving towards a post-antibiotic era, largely due to misuse in livestock production
Resistance the Film
Guest Raymon Seidler, Ph.D., former Senior Scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR, and author of Pesticide Use on Genetically Engineered Crops, explains the failed promises and real risks of pesticides used with GMO crops
Environmental Working Group
Guest Margaret Carrel, Ph.D., medical geographer and Assistant Professor, University of Iowa, describes her research which investigated residential proximity to confined swine feeding operations and heightened risk for infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Margaret Carrel
Guest Jeff Ritterman, M.D., member, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and former Chief of Cardiology at Kaiser Richmond Medical Center, CA, explores the link between fatal kidney disease among farmers in Central America, Sri Lanka and India and exposure to heavy metals and Monsantos RoundUp herbicide
Truth-Out
Guest Mary Jo Forbord, RD, organic farmer and registered dietitian describes the intersection of health and agriculture, and the challenges she faces on her farm, and to public health, from increased pesticide use weapons of mass destruction.
Prairie Horizons Farm
Guest Lynn Dornblaser, Director of Innovation and Insight, at Mintel, an international global market research and analysis firm, describes the difference between fads and trends, and her experience tracking and analyzing new food products
MINTEL
Guest Jaydee Hansen: Senior Policy Analyst for the Center for Food Safety discusses how nanotechnology is being applied to foods and food-related products, and lack of regulation
Center for Food Safety
Guest Harold Goldstein: Executive Director, California Center for Public Health Advocacy, describes his work to reduce childhood obesity, specifically targeted on sugar-sweetened beverages
CCPHA
Guest Norma Flores Lopez: Director, Children in the Fields Campaign at the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, describes child labor in agriculture, including her own personal experience at age 12
Human Rights Watch Report
Guest Robert Shimek: Interim Executive Director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, and Founder of the Toxic Tater Coalition, discusses the public health consequences associated with pesticides used in potato production in Northern MN.
Toxic Taters
Guest Seth Holmes, Ph.D., M.D., anthropologist and author: Fresh Fruit: Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States, describes the living, working, and health conditions of migrant farm workers. (Part II)
Seth Holmes
Guest Jose Oliva, Associate Director of the Food Chain Workers Alliance describes the wages (the restaurant industry lobbies to keep the federal tipped minimum wage at $2.13) and working conditions of those who cook and serve food in our nations restaurants
Food Chain Workers Alliance
Guest John Pastor, Ph.D., Project Art for Nature, and Natural Resources Research Institute, University of MN-Duluth, describes differences between scientific and political perspectives, and his research on the effects of the mining industry on MNs sacred wild rice
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness
Guest Joanne Ikeda, M.A., R.D., Nutritionist Emeritus, Dept. of Nutritional Sciences, University of CA-Berkeley, explains how to protect children from becoming casualties in the War on Obesity, and describes the health at every size approach to weight management
ASDAH
Guest Rose Hayden-Smith, Ph.D., U.S. garden historian and author of Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of World War I, explains how home, school and community gardens have historically proven vital to national security and resiliency
Rose Hayden-Smith
Guest Steve Suppan, Ph.D., author of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy report: Nanomaterials In Soil: Our Future Food Chain?
IATP
Guest Rob McCaleb, Founder and President of the Herb Research Foundation, discusses the benefits of natures medicines -- herbs for health promotion and natural healing
Herb News
Guest Margo Wootan, Ph.D., Director of Nutrition Policy, Center for Science in the Public Interest, featured in the film, Fed Up, discusses food marketing directed towards children and strategies for parents
CSPI
Guest Joan Dye Gussow, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus, Columbia Universitys Teachers College, matriarch of the eat locally, think globally food movement discusses nutritional ecology and her lifes work
Joans Garden
Guest James Hill, Ph.D., Founding Executive Director of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center at the University of Colorado, co-founder of the National Weight Control Registry, and co-author of State of Slim, talks about healthy weight, and surprising factors influencing the number on the scale
James O. Hill, Ph.D.
Guest Seth Holmes, M.D., anthropologist and author: Fresh Fruit: Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States, describes crossing the U.S. border with Mexican migrant workers who risk their lives to pick our fruit, working conditions and policies that create suffering
Seth M. Holmes PhD, MD
Guest Alan Branhagen, Director of Horticulture, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO, describes how to care for edible plants, and the Heartland Harvest Garden, our nations largest edible landscape
Powell Gardens
Guest Calen May-Tobin, Policy Analyst, Tropical Forest and Climate Initiative, Union of Concerned Scientists, discusses the role of palm oil in climate change, and his report: Donuts, Deodorant, Deforestation: Scoring Americas Top Brands on Their Palm Oil Commitments.
Palm Oil Score
Guest Kelly Tappenden, Ph.D., R.D., Professor of Nutrition and Gastrointestinal physiology, University of IL-Urbana, talks about the microbiome, and the critical role our gut micro-organisms play in health, with specific reference to her research on auto-immune disease
Human Microbiome Project
Guest Mark Hobreich, M.D., board certified allergist discusses allergy trends, his surprising research in Amish farming communities, and how to live well with allergies
Food Allergy Research and Education
Guest Roger Blobaum, organic historian, advocate and educator, describes the organic movement past and present with highlights of his 40 year collection of organic historical documents being archived at the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Organic Movement Past and Present
Guest Kathrynne Holden, M.S., R.D., expert on diet and Parkinsons Disease talks about risk factors and nutrition strategies to help people live well with this neurological disorder
Nutrition You Can Live With
Susan Nagel, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, University of MO-Columbia, talks about her research on endocrine disrupting chemicals, and their use in fracking to extract natural gas.
TEDX
Guest Chuck Benbrook, Ph.D., Washington State University, explains his research showing the benefits of organic food and farming: higher antioxidants and vitamins, reduced pesticide use, and healthier fats in organic milk
CSANR
Guest Patsy Catsos, M.S.,R.D., author of IBS: Free at Last! Change Your Carbs, Change Your Life, talks about Irritable Bowel Syndrome and other gastrointestinal disorders and the FODMAP Elimination Diet to alleviate symptoms
IBSFree.net
Guest Brenda Davis, R.D., member, Vegetarian Hall of Fame, and author of Becoming Vegan, Becoming Raw, and Defeating Diabetes. Davis describes healthful components of vegetarian raw diets and her work reversing diabetes on the Marshall Islands
Brenda Davis, R.D.
Guest Benny McLean, Production Manager, Uncle Matts Organic, talks about organic citrus, the role of the soil, benefits of biodiversity and the challenges of citrus greening
Uncle Matts Organic
Guest Eric Lee-Mader, Assistant Pollinator Conservation Program Director, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, shares his knowledge of how food production is dependent upon beneficial insects and conservation
Xerces Society
guest Doug Gurian-Sherman, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Food & Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists describes genetic engineering, the resulting rise of superweeds, and the risks to local food and wildlife from new 2,4-D -resistant GMO crops
Union of Concerned Scientists
Guest Joe Maxwell, Vice President of Outreach and Engagement for the Humane Society of the United States, and former MO State Representative, State Senator, and Lieutenant Governor. From protecting natural resources to stopping ag-gag laws, Maxwell describes his work with the Humane Society, and discusses the policies driving changes in farming, food, and rural community health
The Humane Society
Guest Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., Director, Consumer Safety and Sustainability, Consumer Reports, discusses the recent national outbreak of Salmonella attributed to chicken and the presence of antibiotic-resistant resistant bacteria on chicken breasts in supermarkets nationwide. Rangan interprets eco-labels and suggests ways to improve food safety
Green Choices
Guest Klaas Martens, organic farmer, describes beneficial organic practices, and risks from farm chemicals on our environment, soil and public health. (Part II)
Lakeview Organic Grain
Guest Klaas Martens, New York State farmer, writer and researcher specializing in organic feed and seed. Martens began his career as a conventional grower, but switched to organic farming, only to discover higher yields and improved soil and personal health. Martens explains why he made the transition and the successful growth of his 1,400 acres of certified organic crops
Lakeview Organic Grain
Guest Kathy Pryor, MS, Program Director, Washington Healthy Food in Health Care, Health Care Without Harm, and author of the childrens book, Sylvias Spinach. Pryor discusses opportunities to improve foodservice in hospitals, and her new passion: writing stories for children about healthy food and school gardens
Katherine Pryor
Guest Niki Strealy, RD author of The Diarrhea Dietitian: Expert Advice, Practical Solutions and Strategic Nutrition, talks about what can cause bowel problems, and how to prevent them
The Diarrhea Dietitian
Claire Hope Cummings , environmental lawyer, journalist, farmer, and author of Uncertain Peril: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Seeds, discusses the ethical and political considerations of patenting and engineering seed. (Part I)
Claire Hope Cummings
Guest Capt. Joseph Hibbeln, M.D. , Acting Chief, Section on Nutritional Neurochemistry, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, talks about his research on omega-3 fatty acids, neuro-development and mental health
LMBB - Section of Nutritional Neuroscience
Guest Bev Veals , cancer patient who received national media attention for being denied health insurance, talks about the pesticide exposure which she links to her cancer, as well as how the Affordable Health Care Act will provide access to life-saving health care
WCSH TV
Guest April Winslow, M.S., R.D. Co-founder of the International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians, and Founder, Choose to Change nutrition services. Winslow describes the connection between nutrition, psychotherapy, depression, and eating disorders
Choose to Change
Guest Daphne Miller, M.D., physician, professor of family medicine at the U. of CA, San Francisco, columnist for the WA Post, and author of The Jungle Effect, and Farmacology: What Innovative Family Farming Can Teach Us About Health and Healing, describes the connections between ecology, the natural world, modern medicine and health
Daphne Miller, M.D.
Guest Art Sherwood, Ph.D., Associate Professor of management at Indiana State University and Vice President of the Bloomingfoods Co-op Board of Directions, describes the economic and community benefits of democratic, sustainable cooperative business models, grocery stores and beyond
CDS Consulting Co-op
Guest Twila C. Liggett, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Producer of the PBS Childrens TV Series, Reading Rainbow, describes her new multi-media project: Betty Spaghettis Flying Food Adventures, which will help children fall in love with eating good food
Betty Spaghetti Show
Guest Ronni Chernoff, Ph.D., R.D., Associate Director Education and Evaluation, Little Rock Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center. Chernoff is one of the nations leading experts on nutrition and aging. Shell tell how to age well and determine nutritional risk
Nutritional Checklist
Guest Dan Schlademan, Director of the Making Change at Walmart campaign, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, discusses wage disparity, economic injustice, and American taxpayer subsidies to Walmart, the worlds largest private employer
Making Change at Walmart
Guest Jay Feldman, M.S., Executive Director and Cofounder of Beyond Pesticides, and member of the National Organic Standards Board, describes the unintended consequences of pesticides, herbicide-resistant genetically engineered crops, and ways to protect vulnerable populations, pollinators and the organic food label
Beyond Pesticides
Guest Annie Kay, M.S., R.D., dietitian, registered yoga teacher, and author of Every Bite is Divine, describes her conscious and mindful eating program at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
Every Bite is Divine
Guest John Peck, Ph.D., Executive Director of Family Farm Defenders discusses farmers rights, food security, food sovereignty, and the effects of global free vs. fair food trade policies on food labels, food safety, economics and human rights
Family Farm Defenders
Guest Thomas Neltner, J.D., Former Director, Pew Charitable Trusts Food Additives Project discusses his research into the science, safety and conflicts of interest when approving chemical compounds added to our food
Food Additives Project
Guest Jennifer Harris, Ph.D. MBA, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University, talks about her research into the extent and psychological impact of children exposure to food advertising and encourages parent advocacy
Rudd Roots Parents
Guest Ricardo Salvador, Ph.D., Senior Scientist and Director of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, connects agriculture to human health and talks about the new UCS report, The $11 Trillion Reward: How Simple Dietary Changes Can Save Lives and Money, and How We Get There.
$11 Trillion Reward
Guest Anna Lappe, Project Director, Food MythBusters, talks about the subject of her new short movie which exposes how Big Food aggressively targets children, and ways parents and communities can fight back
Food MythBusters
Guest Mark Kopecky, Soils Agronomist, Organic Valley/ CROPP Cooperative, explains how soil health is key to crop yields, plant nutrition, animal and human health
Organic Valley
Guest Don Davis, Ph.D., U. of TX researcher who discovered nutritional decline and dilution with the rush for higher yields and bigger crops
HortScience
Guest Elizabeth U: author of Raising Dough: the Complete Guide to Financing a Socially Responsible Food Business, talks about fund raising options to support food entrepreneurs
Finance for Food
Guest Theresa Podoll, organic seed farmer in North Dakota, describes the myth of GMO co-existence and her observations of agriculture over the past few decades
Prairie Road Organic Seed
Guest Howard Vlieger, describes inflammatory effects of GMO feed on hog stomachs. (Part 2)
A long-term toxicology study
Guest Howard Vlieger, farmer and co-author of research documenting harm from GMO crops and feed. (Part 1)
A long-term toxicology study
Guest Deborah Eden Tull, Founder of Mindful Living Revolution, and author of The Natural Kitchen: Your Guide to the Sustainable Food Revolution, describes her journey as a Zen Buddhist Monk, and the critical role of mindfulness in true sustainability
Deborah Eden Tull
Guest Diana Robinson, Campaign and Education Coordinator of the Food Chain Worker Alliance, exposes some of the hidden faces and working conditions in the food industry
Food Chain Workers Alliance
Guest Philip Ackerman-Leist, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of the Farm and Food Project at Green Mountain College (VT), will discuss his new book: Rebuilding the Foodshed: How to Create Local, Sustainable, and Secure Food Systems.
Rebuilding the Foodshed
Guest Kiera Mulvey, Executive Director, FairShare CSA Coalition, Madison, WI, explains the CSA model and her Coalitions new seasonal cookbook, Farm Fresh and Fast.
Fairshare
Guest Steve Smith, Director of Agriculture for Red Gold canned tomatoes, and Chairman of the Save Our Crops Coalition, discusses a new class of genetically modified dicamba- and 2,4-D-tolerant crops, increased herbicide spray drift, and costly damage to fruit and vegetable crops
Save Our Crops Coalition
Guest Penelope Jagessar Chaffer, award-winning filmmaker and childrens health advocate, talks about the effects of toxic chemicals on children, and her Toxic Baby app
Penelope Jagessar Chaffer: Filmmaker
Guest Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food and Water Watch, and author of Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America, describes exploitation and corporate influence in our food system, as well as hope for restoring our democracy
Foodopoly
Guest Patricia Allen, Ph.D., talks about her book, Together at the Table: Sustainability and Sustenance in the American Agrifood System, and raises awareness of, and solutions for food injustice
Save Our Crops Coalition
Guest Bill Marler, personal injury trial lawyer and national expert in foodborne illness litigation discusses his career which began when represented the most seriously injured survivor of the Jack in the Box E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak
Marler Blog
Tod Cooperman, M.D., President of ConsumerLab.com, independent tester of dietary supplements discusses safety, efficacy and regulation of nutritional supplements
Consumer Lab
Guest Will Daniel, Senior Vice President of operations and organic integrity with Earthbound Farm discusses food safety issues affecting leafy greens from farm to consumer
Earthbound Farm
Guest Wes Jamison, Associate Professor of Public Relations at Palm Beach Atlantic University, talks about lean finely textured beef (better known as pink slime), and consumer perceptions of meat and food safety risk
Wes Jamison
Guest Cynthia Connolly, owner and operator of Ladybird Organics Farm and President of Monticello Vineyards and Winery, Floridas only organic farm winery describes how worm castings eliminated her need for expensive irrigation
Ladybird Organics
Guest Lynn Clarkson, President, Clarkson Grain, will talk about how and if GMO crops can co-exist with organic and non-GMO crops, and the threat of GMO amylase corn created for the ethanol industry.
eXtension
Guest Julie Mennella, Ph.D., Researcher, Monell Chemical Senses Center, will talk about the biology behind childrens taste and flavor preferences
Monell Chemical Senses Center
Guest Sandor Katz, aka Sandorkraut, will talk about his latest book, The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from Around the World, and how he became a fermentation revivalist.
Wild Fermentation
Guest Zenobia Barlow, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Ecoliteracy, will talk about her book, ECO Literate: How Educators are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence.
Center for Ecoliteracy
Guest Heather Day, co-founder and Director of the Community Alliance for Global Justice, talks about Our Food, Our Right: Recipes for Food Justice, and the basics of food sovereignty
CAGJ
Guest Paul Tukey, Filmmaker, author and Founder of the Safe Lawns Foundation, talks about his documentary film, Chemical Reaction, which charts the medical, legal and political fight to ban lawn pesticides in Hudson, Quebec
Safe Lawns Foundation
Guest Anne Mosness, Captain of commercial fishing boats from Copper River to Bristol Bay, Alaska, will talk about the threat of genetically engineered salmon to wild fisheries, healthy coastal economies and ecosystems
Center for Food Safety
Guest Lori Dorfman, DrPH, Director of the Berkeley Media Studies Group and digital marketing expert, will talk about how food marketing and media infiltrate our lives and influence youth
BMSG
Guest Gail Myers, Ph.D., anthropologist who studies African American farming and youth garden projects discusses her new film, Rhythms of the Land! and describes the transformative nature of gardens
Grow it! Eat it! Love it!
Guest Phil Howard, Ph.D., Michigan State University talks about his research into the consolidation of the food industry, for which he uses unique infographics to help consumers see the true narrowing of our choices in the marketplace
Philip H. Howard
Guest Josh Golin, Associate Director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, discusses the challenging media and screen environments in which our children live, and how parents can reclaim their children from corporate marketers
CCFC
Guest Fred vom Saal, Ph.D., Curators Professor of Biology, University of MO-Columbia. Dr. vom Saal talks about his decades long investigation into Bisphenol A (BPA), how the dose doesnt always make the poison, and why it has been so difficult to remove harmful chemicals from our environment.
BPA
Guest Martha Herbert, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and author of The Autism Revolution: Whole Body Strategies for Making Life All it Can Be, will discuss the connections between diet, environmental contaminants and autism
The Autism Revolution
Guest Kathy Kater, LICSW, psychotherapist and author of Healthy Body Image: Teaching Kids What they Need to Know, will discuss how to prevent eating disorders and help youth feel secure within their unique body shapes and sizes
Healthy Body Image
Guest Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumers Union, will discuss Consumer Unions latest report on antibiotic resistant bacteria found in supermarket pork chops and ground pork across the U.S.
Not in My Food
Guest Joy Spencer, Project Director of the Digital Food Marketing and Youth Initiative at the Center for Digital Democracy, discusses how children are targeted by online marketers and how the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act can help
Digital Democracy
Guest Andy Fisher, author of the upcoming book, Hunger Incorporated: How Big Business Profits From Anti-Hunger Programs, describes how corporate America benefits from food stamps, and the real advocacy thats need to reduce poverty and hunger
Hunger, Incorporated
Guest Keith Ingram, Ph.D., Southeast Climate Consortium, University of Florida, discusses climate change and affects on agriculture
Agro Climate
Guest Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D., author of Eat Your Way to Sexy, shares the secrets of eating well to feel happy and look younger
Elizabeth Somer
Guest Deborah Koons Garcia, Film Director, Writer and Producer of the documentary, Symphony of the Soil, describes her film, and our critical relationship with soil
Symphony of the Soil
Guest Randy Kasten, author of Just Trust Me: Finding the Truth in a World of Spin, talks about how we can separate truth from fiction in the food world and beyond. Educators of high school and college students may receive a free review copy of Kastens book and tools for critical thinking
GRKasten
Guest Jill Kriesky, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, talks about the effects of fracking on communities, water quality, and quality of life
PSR
Guest Brady Russell, activist, talks about his work with Clean Water Action in Philadelphia, the greatest threats to clean water, and strategies to enact policy changes
Clean Water Action
Guest Connie Evers, M.S., R.D., child nutrition expert talks about feeding kids well with compassion
Nutrition for Kids
Guest Corey Costanzo, Program Coordinator, Kids at Work! talks about empowering at-risk youth through the culinary arts
Kids at Work
Guest Michael Hansen, Ph.D., Consumers Union, talks about the safety of GMO foods and the need for labeling
Reasons for Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods
Guest Monica Nuvamsa, Executive Director, The Hopi Foundation, talks about Hopi values and the Hopi Agriculture and Food Symposium held July 2012 in Kykotsmovi, Arizona, where attendees could witness corn growing in the desert without irrigation and genetic engineering
The Hopi Foundation
Guest Theo Colborn, President, Endocrine Disruption Exchange, discusses how endocrine disruptors in our environment affect our health and behavior
TEDX
Guest Atina Diffley, author of Turn Here, Sweet Corn: Organic Farming Works, talks about her book: a love story and legal thriller with organic farming lessons woven throughout
Atina Diffley
Guest Steve Sprinkel, Harvard-educated organic farmer, owner of the Farmer and Cook organic grocery store and caf in Ojai, CA, and Cornucopia Board President . Steve talks about how organic farming protects our watersheds, and CAs Proposition 37 to label GMO foods. Third and final in the series on Prop. 37
Farmer and Cook
Guest Grant Lundberg, organic farmer, and CEO of Lundberg Family Farms. Lundberg discusses why his company supports Proposition 37, and the national labeling of genetically modified foods
The Non-GMO Project
Guest Stacy Malkan, media director of California Right to Know, discusses Proposition 37, which would require genetically engineered foods to be labeled as such. CA voters and consumers who support GMO labeling are up against a multi-million dollar ad campaign to keep consumers in the dark.
Right To Know
Guest Maryn McKenna, Association of Health Care Journalist reports on the connections between antibiotic-resistant bacteria in chicken, difficult-to-treat bladder infections, and routine antibiotic use in the livestock industry
Investigation: Drug Resistance
Guest Mary Ellen Sanders, Ph.D., Food Scientist, Microbiologist, expert in dairy probiotics and food cultures, explains the benefits of probiotics and tips for consumers when choosing the right gut bacteria for the job
Dairy & Food Culture Technologies
Ken Cook, President, Environmental Working Group discusses the Dirty Dozen, pesticide industry propaganda, and protecting people from environmental toxins
Environmental Working Group
Jasia Steinmetz, RD, author: Eat Local: Simple Steps to Enjoy Real, Healthy and Affordable Food. Jasia outlines the questions local eaters need to ask to eat well, locally
Eat Local Simple Steps
Guest Julie Guthman, Ph.D., author: Weighing In: Obesity, Food Justice and the Limits of Capitalism, discusses the complicated roots of American obesity
Julie Guthman
Guest Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Ph.D., author: Im Like, So Fat! Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices about Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World
Make Healthy Choices
Guest Michael Levine, Ph.D., internationally recognized eating disorder expert discusses ways to prevent eating disorders, promote healthy body image, and strategies for intervention
Eating Disorder Information
Guest Jill Nussinow, M.S., R.D., discusses her new cookbook, The New Fast Food: The Veggie Queen Pressure Cooks Whole Food Meals in Less than 30 Minutes
The Veggie Queen
Guest Rose Hayden-Smith MA Ed., MA, PhD., Strategic Initiative Leader in Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California-Davis, and nationally recognized garden historian discusses the the Homestead Act and Victory Gardens
Rose Hayden-Smith
Guest Anthony Flaccavento. Organic farmer, former Food and Society Policy Fellow, and candidate for Representative of Virginias 9th District discusses progressive sustainable policies
Anthony Flaccavento
Guest July 5th: Michele Simon, JD, MPH, public health lawyer, discusses her report: Food Stamps, Follow the Money: Are Corporations Profiting From Hungry Americans?
Eat Drink Politics
Guest Marion Nestle, Ph.D., food policy guru and author of What to Eat and Food Politics, discusses her most recent book, Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics. Tune in to learn the best way to shed unwanted pounds
Food Politics
Guest Bill Freese, Science Policy Analyst, Center for Food Safety, discusses the science and regulation of genetically engineered (GE/GMO) crops, the failed promises of GE crops and new 2-4,D resistant traits which await government approval
Genetically Engineered Crops
Guest Amy Kalafa, filmmaker (Two Angry Moms) and author of Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Childrens Health. Kalifa discusses her work to improve school lunch and ways parents can get involved
Two Angry Moms
Guest David Wallinga, M.D., M.P.A., Senior Advisor in Science, Food and Health, at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, discusses the health impacts of our industrialized food system on neurological development, with specific attention to the link between food, our environment and autism
Healthy Food Action
Guest Patty Lovera, Assistant Director of Food and Water Watch, explains GMOs what are they, where we can find them in our food supply, and why should we care
Food & Water Watch
Guest Mike Callicrate, Colorado cattle rancher talks about pink slime, anti-trust abuses in the meat industry, and farmer accountability
No-Bull Food News
Guest Elanor Starmer, USDA, explains the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Campaign highlights
Know Your Farmer
Guest Ariane Lotti, Legislative specialist for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition helps us understand the Farm Bill and why and how it affects the food on our plates
Sustainable Agriculture
Guest Laurie David, activist and author of The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time, and On the Future of Food: The Princes Speech.
Laurie David
Guest Lindsey Lusher Shute, Director National Young Farmer Coalition, discusses the new report: Building a Future with Farmers, and challenges and opportunities facing our nations young food producers
National Young Farmers\' Coalition
guest Frances Moore Lappe, author of Diet for a Small Planet, and most recently, \'Eco-Mind: Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want.\'
Small Planet Institute
Guest Faith Boninger, Ph.D., National Education Policy Center, discusses the full cost of commercialization of public education and food and beverage marketing in schools
NEPC
Guest Jan Weber, filmmaker, discusses her latest film, Farmlandia, about the state of rural life, agriculture and our hope for the future
Farmlandia
Guest Jim Riddle, Organic Outreach Coordinator, University of Minnesota, explains why and how organic food and farming is superior to conventional
Why Eat Organic Webinar
Guest Maria Rodale, CEO and Chairman of Rodale Inc., and author of the Organic Manifesto, explains why organic food and farming is critical for our health and future generations
Organic Manifesto
Guest Michael OGorman, Executive Director of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, explains why and how Veterans benefit from starting a career in farming after serving in the military
FVC
Guest Stephenie Caughlin, organic farmer, San Diego, CA, describes adventures and surprises going from a high powered job in New York City to managing her farm in sunny Southern California
Seabreeze Organic Farm
Guest Steph Larsen, Assistant Director of Organizing, Rural Organizing and Outreach at the Center for Rural Affairs, Lyons, Nebraska.Steph discusses health care access in rural America and how health reform affects farming communities
CFRA
Guest Leigh Lockhart, cook, food activist, and owner, Main Squeeze Natural Cafe
Main Squeeze
Special Pledge Drive Show; please call in your support. Guests: Fred vom Saal, University of Missouri biologist and international expert on plastics, BPA and endocrine disruptors and organic farming expert, Jeff Moyer, Rodale Farm Manager
EDG
Rodale Institute
Guest Jeremy Seifert, Director, Dive!, the film about food waste in America, and the soon to be released film on genetically modified food
Dive the Film
Guest Nora Goldstein, editor, BioCycle, the magazine devoted to composting, renewable energy and sustainability, talks about the landfill energy myth and smart waste management
BioCycle
Guest John Turenne, chef and President, Sustainable Food Systems. What happens when Alice Waters daughter enrolls at Yale and youre the head of dining hall food service?
Sustainable Foods Systems
Guest Ann Mosness, ocean steward and commercial fisherwoman discusses Alaska wild caught salmon, the families dependent on truly sustainable fishing, and the threats of farm-raised fish
Fish Fighters
Guest Kevin Fulton, Nebraska rancher talks about grass-based livestock, animal welfare and CAFOs from a first-hand perspective
LCD Ep 1011
Guest Pam Malo, Registered Dietitian for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Guest Bruce Friedrich, Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives, Farm Sanctuary, the nations leading farm animal protection organization
Farm Sanctuary
Guest Lisa Kivirist, Food and Society Policy Fellow, national advocate for women in sustainable agriculture, and co-author of \'Farmstead Chef,\' including recipes and stories to \'restore the planet and revitalize our lives\'
Farmstead Chef
Guest T. Susan Chang, Boston Globe cookbook reviewer, regular contributor to NPRs Kitchen Window column, and author of \'A Spoonful of Promises: Stories and Recipes from a Well-Tempered Table\'
Cook Books for Dinner
Guest Michael Batz, Head of Food Safety Programs at the University of Florida Emerging Pathogens Institute, and author of \'Ranking the Risks: The 10 Pathogen-Food Combinations with the Greatest Burden on Public Health\'
Public Health
Guest Michael Carolan, Ph.D., Sociologist, Colorado State University, and author of The Real Cost of Cheap Food. Carolan describes the price society pays for what only seems like \'cheap\' food
Michael Carolan
Guest Susan Vaughn Grooters, MPH, Director of Research and Education for Stop Foodborne Illness, discusses recent outbreaks, prevention strategies and long term consequences of foodborne illness
STOP
Guest Greg Judy, Missouri farmer, internationally known for rotational grazing. Judy describes the benefits of feeding livestock grass, both for the environment and human nutrition
Green Pastures Farm
Guest George Naylor, Iowa farmer describes the joys and struggles of family farming. Naylor is former President of the National Family Farm Coalition and featured in the film, \'FRESH.\'
NFFC
Guest Sloane Miller, M.S.W., licensed social worker, and author of Allergic Girl: adventures in living well with food allergies, and \'Please Dont Pass the Nuts:\'
Please Don\'t Pass the Nuts
Guest Connie Engel, Ph.D., Science Education Coordinator, at the Breast Cancer Fund discusses chemical and environmental links to breast cancer, including the endocrine disruptor BPA, found in the linings of canned foods
Breast Cancer Fund
Crystal Kroner, Ph.D., Educational leadership and policy analysis, discusses her paper: \'The Body Politic: Childhood Obesity as a Symbol of an unbalanced economy.\'
Policy Futures in Education
Final in the series on celiac disease. Gluten-free show #4 features Melinda Dennis, M.S., R.D., Nutrition Coordinator, Celiac Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, and author, Real Life with Celiac Disease: Troubleshooting and Thriving Gluten Free.
Celiac Center
Gluten free show #3 features Mary Waldner, Chairman and Founder of Marys Gone Crackers, a gluten-free, organic cracker. Learn how Mary started her business and her focus on conscious eating.
Marys Gone Crackers
Gluten intolerance coverage continues. Show #2 features Tricia Thompson, M.S., R.D., internationally recognized expert on celiac disease, the gluten-free diet, and FDA gluten-free package labeling laws
Gluten Free Dietitian
First of a four-part series on gluten intolerance. Show #1 features Peter Green, M.D., gastroenterologist and Director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, NY City. What is celiac disease and what are the challenges facing his patients
Celiac Disease Center
Guest Gary Schwitzer, health media watchdog and founder of Health News Review. Holds health journalism accountable and provides expert reviews of media coverage of health news. Learn how to make sense of health headlines and stories
Health News Review
Niel Ritchie, Executive Director, League of Rural Voters. Learn about the unique issues facing rural communities including access to health care and media justice
League of Rural Voters
Guest Leigh Adcock, Executive Director, Women, Food and Agriculture Network. Unique challenges and opportunities for women farmers
WFAN
Guest Jeff Moyer, Farm Manager, Rodale Institute and former chair of the National Organic Standards Board. Why and how organic agriculture CAN feed the world
Rodale Institute
Erik Olson, J.D., Director, Food and Consumer Product Safety Programs, Pew Charitable Trusts. Food safety challenges facing Americans and how can we fix the problems?
Make Our Food Safe
Guest Warren Porter, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison. Alternatives to toxic pesticides; how to kill bedbugs; the dangers of Roundup and more
Warren Porter
Lisa McDowell, M.S., R.D., Director, Nutrition Support Services, St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor, MI, describes how she established a farm on her hospital\'s campus which nourishes patients with truly healing fresh food
Ann Arbor
Guest Beate Ritz, M.D., Ph.D., reports on her research showing how common pesticide exposure increases risk for Parkinson\'s Disease
PAN North America
Guest Holly Benjamin, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Chicago Medical Center and co-author of the American Academy of Pediatrics report, "Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are they Appropriate?"
American Academy of Pediatrics
Guest Oran Hesterman, Ph.D., President and CEO of Fair Food Network, and author of \'Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All\'
Fair Food Network
Guest Gail Hansen, DVM, Senior Officer for the Pew Charitable Trusts Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming. The link between animal agriculture and antibiotic resistance
The Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming
Guest Patrick Woodall, Senior Policy Advocate for Food and Water Watch. The meat packer monopoly and how it affects consumer choice
Food and Water Watch
Guest Ladonna Redmond, Senior Program Associate for Food and Justice, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Food and Community
Guest Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., U.S. Public Health Service. Omega-3 deficiency and benefits for mind, body and society
NIAAA
Guest Jeff Dunn, President and CEO, Bolthouse Farms (baby carrots marketing); formerly President of Coca-Cola North America
Fast Company
Guest Charlie Speer, J.D. Center to Expose and Close Animal Factories; Theme music: Kevin MacLeod
Expose and Close
Guest Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., Eco-label watch-dog and Director of Technical Policy at Consumer\'s Union; Theme Music: Kevin MacLeod
Green Choices
Sarah Clark, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. The impact of NAFTA on public health
Healthy Food Action
Don Huber, Ph.D., plant pathologist, professor emeritus, Purdue University. What we need to know about genetically modified crops; Theme music: Kevin MacLeod
GMO Report
Ann Vileisis, author: \'Kitchen Literacy: How we lost knowledge of where food comes from and why we need to get it back.\' Theme music: Kevin MacLeod
Kitchen Literacy
Guest Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D., author: \'The Ultimate Omega-3 Diet.\'
Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD
Guest Carolyn Cohen, co-founder, Food Fight. Media literacy to fight childhood obesity
Food Fight
Guest Donna Pierce, food writer and ethnic recipe historian. Skillet Diaries
Black America Cooks
Guest Wood Turner, Executive Director, Climate Counts. How to fight global climate change
Climate Counts
Guest Bob Scowcroft, former Executive Director, Organic Farming Research Foundation
OFRF
Guest Megan Lott, Associate Policy Director, Community Food Security Coalition. Policy updates
Community Food Security Coalition
Guest Michele Simon, author: Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines our Health and How to Fight Back
Appetite for Profit
Guest Mark Menjivar, photographer, \'You Are What You Eat,\' refrigerator \'portraits\'
You Are What You Eat
Guest Mary Bauer, Legal Director, Southern Poverty Law Center. Injustice on Our Plates: Immigrant Women in the U.S. Food Industry
SPLC
Guest Janet Poppendieck, Professor of Sociology, Hunter College, City University of NY, author, \'Free For All: Fixing School Food in America\'
Free For All
Guest Pat Buck, Executive Director, The Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention
CFI
Guest Dan Imhoff, author, \'CAFO: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories.\'
CAFO The Book
Guest Diana Dyer, M.S., R.D., cancer and nutrition specialist, organic gardener, Cancer Victory Gardens
Diana Dyer
Guest Diane Imrie, MBA, RD., Co-Author of Cooking Close to Home and Director of Nutrition Services, Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, VT
Cooking Close to Home
Guest JoAnne Berkenkamp, Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy, Program Director for Local Foods
IATP
Guest Miles McEvoy, Deputy Administrator of the USDA\'s National Organic Program
USDA NOP
Guest Kathleen Schuler, Senior Policy Analyst, Food and Health Program, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
IATP
Guest Artemis Simopoulos, M.D., Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health
CGNH conference PDF
Guest Shannon Hayes, Ph.D., author: Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture
Radical Homemakers
Guest Renee Dufault, former FDA environmental health officer and whistle blower on mercury in high fructose corn syrup
Mercury exposure
Guest Tyrone Hayes, Ph.D., biologist and atrazine (pesticide) researcher, University of CA Berkeley
Atrazine
Guest Elizabeth Strickland, M.S., R.D. , author: Eating for Autism: The 10-Step Nutrition Plan
ADS Puzzle
Guest David Kirby, author of Animal Factory, on the dangers of industrial agriculture
Animal Factory
Guest Dr Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., biologist, cancer survivor, and author of "Living Downstream." The cancerenvironment connection
Steingraber
Guest Fiona Fisher, Communications Director, Rachel Carson's Homestead
Rachel Carson Homestead
Guest Jessica Jones-Hughes, M.S., R.D., Banana Coordinator, Equal Exchange Fair Trade
Beyond the Peel
Guest Ferd Hoefner, Policy Director, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, food safety legislation update
Food Safety News
Guest Harriet Behar, Organic Specialist, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service
MOSES
Guest David Hackenberg, beekeeper who first discovered colony collapse disorder
Vanishing Bees
Guest David Kirby, author of Animal Factory, on the dangers of industrial agriculture
Animal Factory
Guest Jonathan Bloom, author of forthcoming book American Wasteland about wasted food
Wasted Food
Guest Matthew Dillon, Director of Advocacy, Organic Seed Alliance
Organic Seed Alliance
Guest Elizabeth Royte, author: Bottlemania: The Battle over America\'s Drinking Water
Royte.com
Guest Charlotte Vallaeys, Farm and Food Policy Analyst, Cornucopia Institute
Cornucopia
Guest Diane Welland, M.S., R.D., author \'The Complete Idiot\'s Guide to Eating Clean.\'
Dfoodie
Guest Warren Porter, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, endocrine disruptors and pesticides
Warren P. Porter
Guest Phil Lempert, the \'Supermarket Guru\' on the latest food trends
Supermarket Guru
Guest Dr Frederick vom Saal, biologist and expert on plastics and endocrine disruptors
Vomsaal
Guest Sharon Astyk, author of \'A Nation of Farmers: Defeating the Food Crisis on American Soil.\'
The Chatelaine\'s Keys
Guest Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, Senior Scientist Pesticide Action Network of North America
PANNA
Guest: T. Susan Chang, food writer, NPR Kitchen Window contributor and Boston Globe cookbook reviewer
Guest: Michael Stone, Center for Ecoliteracy and author, \'Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability\'
Smart by Nature
Guest: Jim Goodman, Wisconsin organic dairy farmer and Family Farm Defender
Family Farm Defenders
Guests: Rose Hayden-Smith, U. of CA, Victory Garden Historian and Agricultural Literacy Expert; Hannah Hemmelgarn, changing college food service and the joys of permaculture
Victory Grower
Guests: Lisa Kivrist and John Ivanko, authors of ECOpreneuring: Putting Purpose and the Planet before Profits
Inn Serendipity
Guest Dr. Doug Gurian-Sherman, Union of Concerned Scientists, discusses genetically modified crops and his "Failure to Yield" report
Guest Jennifer Wilkins, Food Systems Educator, Cornell University. Jennifer describes ways we can eat more sustainably
Guest Frank Baker, Media Literacy Clearinghouse. Frank explains why media literacy is critical for democracy
Media Literacy Clearinghouse
Guest Hope Warshaw, Diabetes Educator and author. Hope talks about Type 2 Diabetes, and gives us tools for control and prevention
HWA
Guest Chuck Benbrook, Chief Scientist The Organic Center; the benefits of organic food and farming
Organic Center
Guest Susan Vaughn Grooters, MPH, Public Health Specialist for S.T.O.P. Safe Tables Our Priority
S.T.O.P.
Guest Angie Tagtow, MS, RD, LD; a dietitian who connects the dots between soil and human health
Environmental Nutrition Solutions