Food Sleuth Radio
Melinda Hemmelgarn
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Dietitian Melinda Hemmelgarn helps listeners “think beyond their plates,” connect the dots between food, health and agriculture, and find food truth.
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5 days ago
Christina Ward, food historian and author of Holy Food: How Cults, Communes, and Religious Movements Influenced What We Eat – An American History.
Did you know that religious beliefs have influenced our eating habits throughout history? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Christina Ward, food historian, Vice President and Editor at Feral House, and author of Holy Food: How Cults, Communes, and Religious Movements Influenced What We Eat – An American History. Ward discusses historical food traditions and unique practices from traditional religions to cults and utopian societies, as well as commonalities, and the power of eating together to foster understanding, peace and community.
Related website: https://www.christinaward.net/books
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Nov 23, 2023
Dana Geffner, co-founder and former executive director of Fair World Project
Did you know that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has resulted in the inability of Mexican corn farmers to earn a living? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dana Geffner, co-founder and former executive director of Fair World Project, the leading fair trade advocacy organization in the U.S. Geffner explains how “free trade” agreements benefit corporate profits at the expense of people and environment, using NAFTA as a prime example. She defines “fair trade,” and provides advice when navigating fair trade product labels in the consumer marketplace.
Related website: www.fairworldproject.org
https://corpaccountabilitylab.org/
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Nov 16, 2023
Katherine Miller, advocate and author of At The Table: The Chef’s Guide to Advocacy
Did you know that chefs are uniquely positioned to drive food system change for good? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Katherine Miller, advocate and author of At The Table: The Chef’s Guide to Advocacy (Island Press, 2023). Miller was the founding executive director of the Chef Action Network, a chef advocacy group, and the vice president of impact at the James Beard Foundation where she developed the Chef’s Boot camp for Policy and Change, where chefs learn how to effectively use their skills for advocacy. She discusses the National Restaurant Association’s political force, the key role immigrant labor plays in our food system, and the powerful potential chefs have to advocate for food system reform.
Related website: https://table81.com/
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Nov 9, 2023
Michael Fakhri, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food.
Did you know that we have more than enough food to feed everyone on the planet and then some? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Michael Fakhri, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. Fakhri is a professor at the University of Oregon, School of Law where he teaches courses on human rights, food law, development, and commercial law. He is also the director of the Food Resiliency Project in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center. Fakhri discusses the political roots of hunger and famine, the multiple benefits of agroecology, the ethics of patenting of seeds, violence in the food system, and the relationship between the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the pesticide industry.
Related website: https://law.uoregon.edu/directory/faculty-staff/all/mfakhri
Violence in the food system: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/flyer-violenceFoodSystems-PRINT.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1U128rbc6v2p27a-B6BAgGrEbtLev7IgRiQEaVhJmyjP0gqmwnEDgMnvg
Seeds report: https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/03/seeds-central-peoples-food-systems-cultures-and-human-rights
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Nov 2, 2023
Andrew Whelton, Ph.D., discusses the environmental disaster resulting from the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, OH.
Did you know that the Feb. 3rd, 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine OH resulted in chemically-contaminated air and water that continues to harm public health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andrew Whelton, Ph.D., Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. Whelton discusses his work researching environmental disasters. He discusses his recent investigations in East Palestine, OH, and surrounding communities which were contaminated by the purposeful burning of vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen. He also discusses his work in Maui, where he investigated environmental conditions following the tragic fire in Lahaina.
Related website: www.PlumbingSafety.org
Cancer Free Economy Network: https://www.cancerfreeeconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Train-Derailment-Health-Resource.pdf
CERCLA: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-cercla-overview
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Oct 26, 2023
Nick Keppler, journalist covering the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, OH.
Did you know that on February 3rd, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train derailment disaster released toxic chemicals into the air and water in East Palestine, Ohio and surrounding areas? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nick Keppler, journalist reporting for the Washington Post and Environmental Health News. Keppler describes his on-the-ground coverage of the disaster, and how the community is attempting to cope with the release of toxic chemicals into their air and water, and the ongoing threats to public health.
Related website: Health Resource Guide: https://www.cancerfreeeconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Train-Derailment-Health-Resource.pdf
Senate Hearings: https://veterans.pasenategop.com/veterans-032023/
Public Hearing on Norfolk Southern train derailment: https://veterans.pasenategop.com/vets-022323/
Environmental Health: https://www.ehn.org/east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-pollution-2662867187.html
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Oct 19, 2023
Brad Reubendale, CEO of So All May Eat, and the SAME Café
Did you know that we can build community through good food?
Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brad Reubendale, CEO of So All May Eat, and the SAME Café. Reubendale discusses the mission of SAME Cafés: to create community through healthy food access. He describes the unique and sustainable “participatory model” of the Cafés, trauma-informed environments, and the unique expansion of SAME Cafes into libraries.
Related website: www.soallmayeat.org ; courses.soallmayeat.org
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Oct 12, 2023
Erica Gies, author of Water Always Wins: Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge
Did you know that climate change is water change? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Erica Gies, author of Water Always Wins: Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge. Gies, an independent journalist and National Geographic Explorer, writes extensively about water, climate change and biology. She discusses how development, climate change, and our illusion of control impact our relationship with water. She defines “slow water;” explains how and why the water we see today is not in its natural state; and supports changing how we relate to water.
Related website: https://slowwater.world/
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Oct 5, 2023
Nse Witherspoon, MPH, Executive Director of the Children’s Environmental Health Network
Did you know that children’s health is dependent upon their environmental conditions? Join Melinda Hemmelgarn, Registered Dietitian and Food Sleuth Radio host for her interview with Nse Witherspoon, MPH, Executive Director of the Children’s Environmental Health Network and co-leader of the science and health arm of the Cancer Free Economy Network. Witherspoon describes the Eco-Friendly childcare initiative that protects children in daycare settings, and explains why and how protecting children from pesticides and other toxins is critical to their lifelong health and well-being.
Note: October is Child Health Month; and, October 12th is Children’s Environmental Health Day.
Related website: Children’s Environmental Health Network: https://cehn.org/
Cancer Free Economy Network: https://www.cancerfreeeconomy.org/
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Sep 28, 2023
Elizabeth Henderson, farmer, writer, and agrarian leader discusses food justice issues.
Did you know that agriculture is not sustainable without fair wages? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Elizabeth Henderson, award-winning farmer, writer, activist, and agrarian leader best known for her decades of support of and contributions to organic and sustainable agriculture. She is a founding member of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY) and has been a pioneer of the CSA model in the United States. She is committed to resisting the many injustices of a cheap food system through the power of cooperation. She’s the author of Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen’s Guide to Community Supported Agriculture; and a core leader of the Agricultural Justice Project.
Related website: Agricultural Justice Project and certification: https://www.agriculturaljusticeproject.org/en/
Elizabeth Henderson papers at U. of MA – Amherst: http://findingaids.library.umass.edu/ead/mums746
Real Organic Project interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA26cX2i9lg
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Sep 21, 2023
Amy Tamayo, J.D., National Policy and Advocacy Director at Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Inc.
Did you know that children as young as nine years of age work in agriculture in the U.S.? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Amy Tamayo, J.D., National Policy and Advocacy Director at Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Inc. Tamayo describes her work in which she advocates for farmworker women to advance immigration, environmental justice, and workers' rights policies. She discusses specific farmworkers’ working conditions, including heat stress and pesticide exposure.
Related website: Farmworker Justice: https://www.farmworkerjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Reproductive-Health-Effects-of-Pesticide-Exposure.pdf
Elizabeth Jaime testimonial: https://www.alianzanacionaldecampesinas.org/elizabeth-jaime-profile
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: https://www.eeoc.gov/selected-list-pending-and-resolved-cases-involving-farmworkers-1999-present
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Sep 14, 2023
Georges Benjamin, MD, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association discusses how climate changes health.
Did you know that climate change threatens public health and safety, especially for underserved and vulnerable populations? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Georges Benjamin, MD, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association. Benjamin discusses regional differences of climate impact, and describes the ways extreme weather events can affect our health.
Related website: https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/climate-change
https://www.apha.org/-/media/Files/PDF/topics/climate/Energy_Justice_Key_Concepts.ashx
https://www.apha.org/Publications/Fact-Sheets
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Sep 7, 2023
Christina Campbell, Ph.D., R.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at IA State U. discusses the intersection of food and peace.
Did you know that a long-standing relationship exists between food as a political tool and the maintenance of power, and that food provides a unique opportunity to engage in peace-building? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Christina Campbell, Ph.D., R.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at IA State U. Campbell studies the intersection of food and peace and is the co-organizer of the 2023 Peace and Justice Studies Association’s annual conference. She describes how she considers food in the context of peace to foster right and just relationships with self, others, and the Earth for sustainable, resilient, and equitable food systems.
Related website: https://www.peacejusticestudies.org/
Food-Peace Framework in the J Acad Nutr Diet. 2023;123(7):997-1010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2023.02.005
Earth Charter: https://earthcharter.org/
The Waters Center for Systems Thinking: ht…
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Aug 31, 2023
Laurie Beyranevand, JD, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at the Vermont Law and Graduate School
Did you know that food is at the core of health and wellness as well as national and international security? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Laurie Beyranevand, JD, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at the Vermont Law and Graduate School, South Royalton, VT. Beyranevand discusses food law and policy, plus several of the Center’s reports, including “The State of Prison Food in New England: A Survey of Federal and State Policy” and “Exposed and At Risk: Opportunities to Strengthen Enforcement of Pesticide Regulations for Farmworker Safety .”
Related website: “Hunger as a Weapon” – Global & National Security Institute:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skeMCnQwMPY
Reports: https://www.vermontlaw.edu/academics/centers-and-programs/center-for-agriculture-and-food-systems/reports
Labels Unwrapped: https://labelsunwrapped.org/
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Aug 24, 2023
Eric Hecht, MD, MPH, PhD, discusses the negative impacts of ultra-processed food on mental health.
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
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Aug 17, 2023
Chef Jimmy Hill, award-winning instructor of the Food Tech training program at the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, MI.
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
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Aug 10, 2023
Brian Kaufman, co-director of the documentary, Coldwater Kitchen
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/
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Aug 3, 2023
Ben Feldman, Policy Director, Farmers Market Coalition
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/
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Jul 27, 2023
Kristina Marusic, author of A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention.
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
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Jul 20, 2023
Chris Jones, Ph.D., author of The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth about Agriculture and Water Quality.
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…
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Jul 13, 2023
Alan Kolok, Ph.D., Professor of Ecotoxicology at the U. of Idaho, and author of Modern Poisons: A Brief Introduction to Contemporary Toxicology.
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
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Jul 6, 2023
Stacy Malkan, co-founder and managing editor at US Right to Know discusses “MERCHANTS OF POISON How Monsanto Sold the World on a Toxic Pesticide - A case study in disinformation, corrupted science, and manufactured doubt about glyphosate.”
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…
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Jun 29, 2023
Brenda Davis, RD, discusses meeting protein needs on vegetarian diets.
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
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Jun 22, 2023
Krista Varady, Ph.D., Professor of Nutrition at the University of Illinois-Chicago discusses intermittent fasting.
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/
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Jun 16, 2023
Cheryl Harris, MS, RD discusses therapy for POTS.
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
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Jun 8, 2023
Katherine Pryor, award-winning children’s book author.
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/
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Jun 1, 2023
Steven Lawrence, co-producer of the documentary, The Invisible Extinction.
Did you know that the misuse of antibiotics can disrupt our gut microbiome, and contribute to a range of diseases? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Steven Lawrence, award-winning film maker and co-producer of the documentary, The Invisible Extinction. Lawrence discusses his personal experience with the side effects of antibiotics, and the making of a film that takes audiences on a global journey to understand the far-reaching impacts of our gut microbiome on health and disease, as well as the creation of a microbial preservation vault.
Related website: https://www.theinvisibleextinction.com/
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May 26, 2023
Steven Lasee, Ph.D., environmental toxicologist discusses PFAS contamination.
Did you know that essentially all humans have PFAS compounds in their systems? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Steven Lasee, Ph.D., environmental toxicologist, and analytical chemist, who describes how and where PFAS enter our environment, and us. Lasee’s research discovered that some pesticides contain PFAS as part of their hidden “inert” ingredients.
Related website: www.laseeconsulting.com
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May 18, 2023
Susan Clayton, Ph.D., social psychologist discusses the impact of climate change on mental health.
Did you know that climate change affects both mental and physical health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Susan Clayton, Ph.D., social psychologist, Whitmore-Williams Professor of Psychology at The College of Wooster (Ohio), and lead author of the chapter on “Health, Wellbeing, and the Changing Structure of Communities,” in the U.N.’s Sixth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) . Clayton discusses “eco-anxiety,” psychological impacts, resilience, communication and hope in the face of climate change.
Related website: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-ii/
https://ecoamerica.org/
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May 11, 2023
Maria Gloria Dominguez Bello, PH.D discusses disruptions to the microbiota
Did you know that disruptions in the infant microbiome can lead to lifelong illness? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Maria Gloria Dominguez Bello, PH.D., Henry Rutgers Professor of Microbiome and Health, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, and of Anthropology at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Dominguez Bello discusses her microbiome research that focuses on birth, and breastfeeding, and the impact of practices that reduce microbial transmission or disrupt the microbiota, as well as strategies for restoration. Her research was featured in the documentary film, The invisible Extinction. She also spearheaded the creation of an international microbiota vault to safeguard microbes that may help cure chronic illnesses in the future.
Related website: https://www.microbiotavault.org/
https://www.theinvisibleextinction.com/
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May 4, 2023
Martin Blaser, MD, discusses the human microbiome.
Did you know that the overuse of antibiotics can disrupt our microbiome, and contribute to diseases such as asthma, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Martin Blaser, M.D., Henry Rutgers Chair of the Human Microbiome at Rutgers University, author of Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues, and featured in the documentary film, Invisible Extinction. Blaser discusses the relationship between the human microbiome, health and disease, and the cumulative effects of exposure to antibiotics.
Related website: https://www.theinvisibleextinction.com/
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Apr 27, 2023
Margaret Reeves, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at the Pesticide Action Center of North America discusses pesticides’ role in climate change.
Did you know that most synthetic pesticides are petroleum-based? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Margaret Reeves, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at the Pesticide Action Center of North America. Reeves discusses the Pesticide Action Network’s new report: “Pesticides and Climate Change: A vicious cycle.” She describes how pesticides contribute to climate change and explains the smoke and mirrors behind some “climate smart” terms and practices.
Related website: Report “Pesticides and Climate Change: A vicious cycle:”
https://www.panna.org/resources/pesticides-and-climate-change-vicious-cycle-report
and webinars: https://www.panna.org/resources/webinar-recording-pesticides-and-climate-change
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Apr 20, 2023
Robbie Doerhoff, M.S., Forest Entomologist, MO Dept. of Conservation discusses harm from herbicides, dicamba and 2,4-D.
Did you know that the herbicides, dicamba and 2,4-D, increasing sprayed on genetically engineered commodity crops (soy, cotton, corn) can drift from agricultural applications, as well as lawn chemical use, and harm our trees, native plants, home gardens, and greater ecosystem? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Robbie Doerhoff, Forest Entomologist with MO Dept. of Conservation, for a discussion about how two specific herbicides are wreaking havoc on our environment, and therefore our health. The See the Xerces Society’s report, “Drifting Towards Disaster,” for more information: https://www.xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/20-021.pdf
Related website: Dicamba/2,4-D & Trees: Old Herbicides Causing New Problems:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdxeoX2QobY
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Apr 13, 2023
David Abazs, organic farmer, and Executive Director of the Northeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnership at the U. of MN
Did you know that climate change effects our natural environment and food system? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with David Abazs, organic farmer, and Executive Director of the Northeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnership at the U. of MN. Abazs defines “agrophenology” and explains how climate change impacts our landscape and food system. He provides examples of the importance of learning to carefully observe naturally occurring events in our ecosystem. He also describes the Forest Assisted Migration Project: https://extension.umn.edu/rsdp-happenings/climate-smart-trees-take-root-northeast-minnesota.
Related website: Round River Farm:https://www.round-river.com/
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Apr 6, 2023
Jeanne Heuser award winning citizen activist, former technical information specialist, USGS.
Did you know that knowing our watershed, and understanding water and nitrogen cycles is key to sustainable food and farming methods? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jeanne Heuser, award winning citizen activist, and former Technical Information Specialist with the US. Geological Survey. From hospice, Heuser reflects on her life’s work to protect watersheds, our food system, and encourage local engagement. Her regional work in the state of MO, with the Moniteau County Neighbors Alliance can serve as a national model. See: : www.MCNAmissouri.org
Related website: https://www.usgs.gov/
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Mar 30, 2023
Megan Westgate, Executive Director of the Non-GMO Project
Did you know that sales of non-GMO verified products continue to grow in consumer popularity and sales? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Megan Westgate, Executive Director of the non-profit Non-GMO Project. Westgate explains what the non-GMO Project’s butterfly label tells consumers, why the verification matters, and how the FDA’s label for “bioengineered” food is confusing and misleading to consumers who want to avoid GMO food ingredients. Westgate emphasizes consumer power in the marketplace to shape our food system and create a more resilient future.
Related website: www.nonGMOproject.org
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Mar 23, 2023
Hale Ann Tufan, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, discusses gender equity and social inclusion in agriculture.
Did you know that gender influences agricultural research and practice? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Hale Ann Tufan, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science with an adjunct appointment in the Department of Global Development at Cornell University. Tufan’s work focuses on gender equity and social inclusion. She discusses the roles and cultural positioning of men and women in agriculture, science, and health, and women’s disproportionate vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change. See related United Nations report: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/02/explainer-how-gender-inequality-and-climate-change-are-interconnected
Related website: https://cals.cornell.edu/hale-ann-tufan#about
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Mar 16, 2023
Jillian Fry, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor, Towson University, MD, discusses media framing of food waste and diet in climate change mitigation.
Did you know that the way in which issues are framed in the media influences how they are understood and acted upon? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jillian Fry, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Towson University (MD), where she researches the intersection of public health, the food system, and environmental sustainability. Fry discusses her research paper, “A Tale of Two Urgent Food System Challenges: Comparative Analysis of Approaches to Reduce High-Meat Diets and Wasted Food as Covered in U.S. Newspapers.” She describes the differences in media framing of these two issues, which are critical in mitigating climate change.
Related website: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2022/10/02/journalists-are-making-the-same-mistake-with-food-that-they-made-with-climate-change-scientists-say/?sh=712a121c4299
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Mar 9, 2023
David Mas Masumoto, award winning organic farmer and author.
Did you know that Japanese Americans were denied land ownership because of their nationality? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with David Mas Masumoto, organic farmer, activist, and award-winning writer based in the Central Valley of California. He is best known for his book, Epitaph for a Peach, which won the Julia Child Cookbook award and was a finalist for a James Beard award. In this interview, Masumoto will discuss his latest book, a memoir titled: Secret Harvests: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm, published by Red Hen Press. Masumoto describes the story of his long lost aunt, the immigrant and farmworker struggles, and the history of Japanese-American internment during World War II.
Related website: https://www.masumoto.com/
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Mar 2, 2023
Nancy Alderman, MES, founder and president of Environment and Human Health, Inc.
Did you know that bottle bills have the potential to reduce the waste stream significantly, yet only nine states have beverage container deposit programs in place? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nancy Alderman, MES, founder and president of Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), a non-profit organization composed of physicians and public health professionals who are dedicated to protecting human health from environmental harms. Alderman discusses the importance of bottle bills in significantly reducing the waste stream. The Container Recycling Institute provides statistics, myths and facts about bottle bills: https://www.container-recycling.org/
Related website: www.ehhi.org
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Feb 23, 2023
Ben Halpern, Ph.D., lead author of “The Environmental Footprint of Global Food Production.”
Did you know that global food production puts enormous environmental pressure on our planet? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Ben Halpern, Ph.D, marine ecologist and conservation scientist at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara. Halpern discusses his recent paper titled: “The Environmental Footprint of Global Food Production,” and describes four pressures of food production: greenhouse gas emissions, freshwater use, habitat disturbance, nutrient pollution; he also discusses the costs and benefits of “efficient” food production. Related resource: IPCC: https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/chapter/chapter-5/
Related website: The Environmental Footprint of Global Food Production:
https://www.rootsofchange.org/wp-content/uploads/Environmental-impact-of-Global-Food-Production.pdf
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Feb 16, 2023
Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D., author of Christopher Hobbs’s Medicinal Mushrooms: The Essential Guide: Boost Immunity, Improve Memory, Fight Cancer, Stop Infection, and Expand Your Consciousness
Did you know that mushrooms are more closely related to animals than plants? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D., internationally renowned botanist, mycologist, research scientist and author of Christopher Hobbs’s Medicinal Mushrooms: The Essential Guide: Boost Immunity, Improve Memory, Fight Cancer, Stop Infection, and Expand Your Consciousness. Hobbs discusses the unique traits and multiple benefits of fungi, from human to planetary health.
Related website: www.christopherhobbs.com
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Feb 9, 2023
Gail Myers, Ph.D,, creator and director of the multimedia documentary film project, Rhythms of the Land: A Love Story of Land and Family
Did you know that Black farmers faced grave injustices, racist policies and land loss while attempting to feed their families and communities? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gail Myers, Ph.D., cultural anthropologist and creator and director of the multimedia documentary film project, Rhythms of the Land: A Love Story of Land and Family. Myers discusses her decades of interviewing African American farmers, the “eldest elders,” and shares their philosophies, injustices, and challenges in obtaining and holding onto farmland. Myers captures agrarian legacies and calls her project a “Valentine to generations of Black farmers.”
Related website: www.rhythmsoftheland.com
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Feb 2, 2023
Tod Cooperman, MD, President, Founder, and Editor-in-Chief at ConsumerLab.com.
Did you know that many chocolate products contain unsafe levels of cadmium and lead? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tod Cooperman, MD, President, Founder, and Editor-in-Chief at ConsumerLab.com, the leading independent evaluator of dietary supplements and nutritional products. Cooperman discusses Consumer Lab’s chocolate testing results and the dangers of lead and cadmium in relation to beneficial flavanols in chocolate. Cooperman also discusses whether any dietary supplements offer protection against Covid-19, the benefits of masks, and a new report on powdered fruit and vegetable supplements.
Related website: www.consumerlab.com
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Jan 26, 2023
Lena Brook, M.S., Director, Food Campaigns, Healthy People & Thriving Communities Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Did you know that organic agriculture is a key to mitigating climate change, building strong rural economies and supporting public health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Lena Brook, M.S., Director, Food Campaigns, Healthy People & Thriving Communities Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Brook defines “organic” agriculture, discusses the new report: “Grow Organic: The Climate, Health and Economic Case for Expanding Organic Agriculture,” and the public policies necessary to support it.
Related website: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/lena-brook/new-report-unlocking-potential-organic-agriculture
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Jan 19, 2023
Nigel Brockton, Ph.D., Director of Research at The American Institute for Cancer Research.
Did you know that alcohol consumption increases our risk for cancer? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nigel Brockton, Ph.D., Director of Research at The American Institute for Cancer Research. Brockton dives into the research explaining how and why specific nutrients impact cancer risk, with an emphasis on the role of inflammation, and alcohol. Tune in for supporting information for “dry January” and to find out if you are practicing cancer prevention.
Related website: https://www.aicr.org/cancer-health-check/
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Jan 12, 2023
Thomas Galligan, Ph.D., Principal Scientist for Food Additives and Supplements at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Did you know that many food additives allowed in the U.S. have been banned in the EU? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Thomas Galligan, Ph.D., Principal Scientist for Food Additives and Supplements at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Galligan explains that more than 1800 brand name food products contain titanium dioxide, yet in 2021, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that the cosmetic additive is no longer safe in foods. Galligan describes CSPI’s “Chemical Cuisine Guide,” which ranks food additives from “safe” to “avoid.”
Related website: https://www.cspinet.org/page/chemical-cuisine-ratings
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Jan 5, 2023
Alison Cohen, Advocate and Coordinator of the National Right to Food Community of Practice.
Did you know that food is a key intersectional point for health, labor, human rights, agriculture, environment, and climate change? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Alison Cohen, Advocate and Coordinator of the National Right to Food Community of Practice. Cohen exposes false narratives around poverty and hunger, and advocates for a legal framework to protect the right to food.
Related website: file:///C:/Users/Dan/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/1QPWI2U5/OP-ED%20White%20House%20Conference%20on%20Hunger%202022%20(1).pdf
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Dec 29, 2022
Jill Nussinow, M.S., R.D., a.k.a. “The Veggie Queen,” culinary educator and author.
Did you know that fiber-rich, plant-based diets are key to wellness? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jill Nussinow, M.S., R.D., a.k.a. “The Veggie Queen,” culinary educator and author of multiple cookbooks. Nussinow describes the health benefits of organic, seasonal, high-fiber, whole food plant-based eating, the ease of speedy pressure cooking, and how adopting a breathing practice can enhance digestion and improve health and energy in the New Year. Hint: put mushrooms, beans and fermented foods on your food resolution list, and try the simple breathing exercise Nussinow describes.
Related website: https://www.theveggiequeen.com/
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Dec 22, 2022
Matt Simon, author of A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies.
Did you know that microplastics have infested every corner of Earth, from the highest mountains to the deepest seas? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Matt Simon, journalist, staff writer at Wired, and author of A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies (https://islandpress.org/author/matt-simon ). Simon describes the “unbearable burden” of this insidious pollutant on our personal and planetary health, and ways we can work to curtail its production.
Related website: http://www.mattsimon.net/
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Dec 15, 2022
Theresa Stahl, R.D., Registered Dietitian certified in mind body medicine, and author of I’m Full: Remindful Eating Tips to Feel Great and Make Peace with Your Plate.
Did you know that the most popular New Year’s resolutions include losing weight and exercising more? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Theresa Stahl, Registered Dietitian certified in mind body medicine, and author of I’m Full: Remindful Eating Tips to Feel Great and Make Peace with Your Plate. Stahl describes her personal struggles with eating, explains how to embrace mindfulness, and shares insights from her decades of working with patients to help us reach our New Year goals, and enjoy safe and nourishing holidays.
Related website: https://www.remindfuleating.com/
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Dec 8, 2022
Teofilo Reyes, Ph.D., Restaurant Workers Bill of Rights
Did you know that restaurant workers have united to correct unfair labor practices in the workplace? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Teofilo Reyes, Ph.D., Chief Program Officer for Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. Reyes describes the major unfair labor practices among restaurant and food service workers, including wage theft, poverty wages, and lack of access to health care and time-off for rest and recovery. He discusses the stress of Covid, the basic tenets of the Restaurant Workers Bill of Rights. and how we can offer support.
Related website: https://rocunited.org/bill-of-rights/
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Dec 1, 2022
Martin Bourque, Executive Director, the Ecology Center, Berkeley, CA https://ecologycenter.org/ discusses the myths of plastic recycling.
Did you know that most plastic packaging is not recyclable? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Martin Bourque, Executive Director, the Ecology Center, based in Berkeley, CA with international reach. Bourque pulls back the curtain on plastic recycling myths and describes meaningful policy action we can take to reduce plastic’s toxic footprint on our planet.
Related website: https://ecologycenter.org/
https://upstreamsolutions.org/
https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/
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Nov 24, 2022
Jill Lindsey Harrison, Ph.D., author of Pesticide Drift and the Pursuit of Environmental Justice
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
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Nov 17, 2022
Mark Winne, community food activist, writer, and Senior Advisor to the Food Policy Networks Project at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
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 with Mark 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 comm…
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Nov 10, 2022
Adam Alexander, author of The Seed Detective: Uncovering the secret histories of remarkable vegetables.
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/
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Nov 6, 2022
Andrianna Natsoulas, Campaign Director, Don’t Cage Our Oceans
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/
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Oct 27, 2022
Aaron Johnson, Program Manager for Challenging Corporate Power at Rural Advancement Foundational International – USA (RAFI-USA.)
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.rafiu…
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Oct 20, 2022
Lauren Swann, MS, RD, food labeling expert
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/
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Oct 13, 2022
Taylor Brorby, essayist, poet, environmentalist, and author of Boys and Oil: Growing up Gay in a Fractured Land.
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
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Oct 6, 2022
Manny Teodoro, Ph.D., lead author of The Profits of Distrust: Citizen-Consumers, Drinking Water, and the Crisis of Confidence in American Government.
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 Coas…
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Sep 29, 2022
Ramon Velazquez, Ph.D., researcher at the Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at Arizona State University, discusses brain health and the herbicide glyphosate’s ability to increase neuroinflammatory compounds.
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
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Sep 22, 2022
Bart Elmore, Ph.D., environmental historian at the Ohio State University and author of Seed Money: Monsanto’s Past and Our Food Future.
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, and award-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/
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Sep 15, 2022
Jenn Wheeling, holistic rancher, regenerative farmer
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/
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Sep 8, 2022
Barry Boyd, MD, MS, integrative oncologist
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
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Sep 1, 2022
Joshua David Stein, author of “Lunch from Home.”
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
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Aug 25, 2022
Joshua Sbicca, Ph.D., Director of the Prison Agriculture Lab at Colorado State University
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/
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Aug 18, 2022
Sarah King, M.S., Head of Greenpeace Canada's Oceans and Plastics campaign.
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 with Sarah 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
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Aug 11, 2022
Danielle Dreilinger, author of The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live
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
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Aug 4, 2022
Brad Lancaster, rainwater harvester, permaculturist, regenerative design consultant and author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond.
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/
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Jul 28, 2022
Kari Hamerschlag, Deputy Director of Friends of the Earth’s Food and Agriculture Program and the Climate-Friendly Food Program. (Part 2 of 2)
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_FoodPrin…
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Jul 22, 2022
Kari Hamerschlag, Deputy Director of Friends of the Earth’s Food and Agriculture Program and the Climate-Friendly Food Program.
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-clima…
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Jul 14, 2022
David Wiss, Ph.D., Registered Dietitian, founder of Nutrition in Recovery and Wise Mind Nutrition.
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/
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Jul 7, 2022
Faith Rogow, Ph.D., media literacy educator, founding President of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, and author of Media Literacy for Young Children: Teaching Beyond the Screen Time Debates
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/
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Jun 30, 2022
John Wargo, Ph.D., discusses “Pesticide Risks: From our Farms to our Homes.”
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
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Jun 23, 2022
Alan Graham, founder, President and CEO of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, and Community First! Village
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/
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Jun 16, 2022
Alexis Temkin, Ph.D. toxicologist and lead author of the Environmental Working Group’s “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.”
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
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Jun 9, 2022
Bill Marler, personal injury lawyer discusses Abbott’s infant formula contamination.
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
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Jun 2, 2022
Rhonda Sherman, M.S., Extension Specialist on composting, recycling and solid waste reduction.
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/
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May 26, 2022
Henry Rowlands, Director of the Detox Project, discusses his latest report: “Glyphosate Contamination: The Poison in Our Daily Bread.”
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
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May 19, 2022
Tom Pelton, discusses the Environmental Integrity Project’s report, “The Clean Water Act at 50: Promises Half Kept at the Half Century Mark.”
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
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May 12, 2022
Alan Lewis, V.P. for Government Affairs, Stakeholder Relations, and Organic Compliance for Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage discusses food labels and marketing.
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
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May 5, 2022
Mick McDowell, grape grower/wine producer discusses herbicide damage to his crop.
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
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Apr 28, 2022
Liz Carlisle, Ph.D, author of Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming
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/
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Apr 21, 2022
Shana Klein, Ph.D., author of The Fruits of Empire: Art, Food, and the Politics of Race in the Age of American Expansion
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. Klein discusses 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/
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Apr 14, 2022
Michael O’Donnell, farmer, discusses pesticide drift.
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
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Apr 7, 2022
Danielle Reed, Ph.D. Associate Director, Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, discusses smell and taste loss.
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/
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Mar 31, 2022
Frank Baker, journalist and Media Education Consultant discusses media literacy education.
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
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Mar 25, 2022
Jed Fahey, Ph.D., nutritional biochemist discusses the benefits of “phytochemicals.
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
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Mar 17, 2022
Dorothy Sears, Ph.D., professor of Nutrition at Arizona State U.’s College of Health Solutions discusses intermittent fasting and research on standing/sitting.
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
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Mar 11, 2022
Kristin Schafer, Former Executive Director, Pesticide Action Network of North America.
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
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Mar 3, 2022
Nancy Alderman, founder and President of Environment and Human Health, Inc.
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
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Feb 24, 2022
Jeff Tkach, Chief Impact Officer at the Rodale Institute
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
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Feb 17, 2022
Gaboury Benoit, Ph.D., Environmental Chemist, Yale University, author of “Plastics and Microplastics: A Threat to the Environment and Health”
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
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Feb 10, 2022
Sherri Dugger, Executive Director of the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project
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/
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Feb 3, 2022
Dana Ellis Hunnes, R.D., MPH, Ph.D., author of Recipe for Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life.
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
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Jan 27, 2022
Frances Moore Lappé, activist and author of Diet for a Small Planet.
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/
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Jan 20, 2022
Erica Cirino science writer, author and artist, discusses her book, Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis.
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/
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Jan 13, 2022
Anne Ross, attorney, discusses human trafficking and forced labor in food and agriculture industries.
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
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Jan 6, 2022
Eva Greenthal, MS, MPH, Senior Science Policy Associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest discusses food labels.
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
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Dec 30, 2021
Laura Vandenberg, Ph.D., researcher and author of “The Science of Spin: Targeted Strategies to manufacture doubt with detrimental effects on environmental and public health
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 with Laura 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…
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Dec 23, 2021
Reshma Shah, MD, MPH, pediatrician and co-author of “Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families.”
Did you know that many physicians are joining with dietitians to help their patients eat well? Join Food Sleuth Radio host 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 famili…
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Dec 16, 2021
Alexis Goldsmith, National Organizing Director at Beyond Plastics
Did you know that less than 10% of plastic is recycled? Join Food Sleuth Radio host 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
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Dec 9, 2021
Beth Hoffman, journalist and author of Bet the Farm: Dollars and Sense of Growing Food in America.
Did you know that the majority of farmers struggle to make a living? Join Food Sleuth Radio host 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/
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Dec 2, 2021
Edward Maltby, Executive Director of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance.
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/
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Nov 26, 2021
Melanie Joy, PhD, psychologist and author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows.
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
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Nov 18, 2021
Josh Golin, Executive Director of Fairplay: Childhood Beyond Brands.
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
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Nov 11, 2021
Laura H. Kahn, M.D., MPH, M.P.P, co-founder of the One Health Initiative.
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
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Nov 4, 2021
Shanna Farrell, author of A Good Drink, In Pursuit of Sustainable Spirits
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
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Oct 28, 2021
Anthony Thomas, Ph.D., nutrition researcher, discusses the gut microbiome and beneficial probiotics.
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
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Oct 21, 2021
Anthony Thomas, Ph.D., nutrition researcher discusses the microbiome in infancy.
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/
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Oct 14, 2021
Sydney Evans, MPH Science Analyst, Environmental Working Group discusses PFAS.
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-fighti…
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Oct 7, 2021
Greg Quinn, owner, Walnut Grove Farm, Clinton, NY and grower/producer of black currants.
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
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Sep 30, 2021
Jocelyn C. Zuckerman, author of Planet Palm: How Palm Oil Ended Up In Everything – and Endangered the World.
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/
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Sep 24, 2021
Tom Philpott, food and ag correspondent for Mother Jones, discusses his book: Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It.
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/
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Sep 16, 2021
Marianne Larned Interview
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
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Sep 9, 2021
Sarah Sorscher, J.D., MPH, Deputy Director of Regulatory Affairs, Center for Science in the Public Interest.
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/…
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Sep 2, 2021
Nancy Collins, Ph.D., R.D., registered dietitian certified in wound care.
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 role pre- and post-surgery and for general wound healing.
Related website: https://drnancycollins.com/
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Aug 26, 2021
Jonathan Lundgren, Ph.D., Blue Dasher Farm and Ecdysis Foundation, defines and discusses regenerative agriculture.
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 agriculture through 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 fo…
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Aug 19, 2021
Kimberly Seals Allers, journalist, author and advocate for equity in maternal and infant health.
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
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Aug 12, 2021
Emily Miller, Research and Policy Manager at the Family Farm Action Alliance
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/
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Aug 5, 2021
Carey Gillam, journalist and author of “The Monsanto Papers: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man’s Search for Justice.”
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 Enviro…
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Jul 29, 2021
Suzan Erem, co-founder and Executive Director of the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust describes the “Circle Our Cities” campaign.
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-ci…
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Jul 22, 2021
Tristan Brandhorst, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, University of WI – Madison discusses his investigation into the toxicity of the commonly used fungicide, fludioxonil.
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 i…
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Jul 15, 2021
Jennifer Emond, Ph.D., MS, Assistant Professor, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College discusses fast food marketing targeted to children.
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
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Jul 8, 2021
Aurora Meadows, M.S. R.D., Staff nutritionist for the Environmental Working Group.
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
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Jul 1, 2021
Shoshana Inwood, Ph.D., Rural Sociologist discusses farmers’ needs for health insurance and child care.
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
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Jun 25, 2021
H. Claire Brown, staff writer for The Counter discusses prison labor in our food system.
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/
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Jun 17, 2021
Michael Jacobson, Ph.D, co-founder of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and author of “Salt Wars: The Battle Over the Biggest Killer in the American Diet.”
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
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Jun 11, 2021
Sarah Nelson, Ph.D., Director of Research at the Appalachian Mountain Club discusses climate change.
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.
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Jun 3, 2021
Navina Khanna, co-founder and the Executive Director of the HEAL Food Alliance
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/
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May 27, 2021
Guy Jodarski, DVM, compares conventional vs. organic and sustainable livestock practice.
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 with Guy 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/
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May 20, 2021
Angela Jackson Pulse, organic farmer, inspector and auditor describes health and crop challenges from chemical and genetic drift.
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/
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May 13, 2021
Gabrielle Mack, Registered Physical Therapist and Licensed Occupational Therapist describes the benefits of time in nature.
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
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May 6, 2021
Bryon Wiegand, Ph.D., Professor of Animal Science at the University of Missouri discusses alternative meat products.
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/
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Apr 29, 2021
Lucy Martinez Sullivan, M.B.A., Executive Director of Feed the Truth.
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
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Apr 22, 2021
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.
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/
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Apr 15, 2021
Shanna Swan, Ph.D. discusses endocrine disruptors.
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/
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Apr 8, 2021
Chip Osborne, President of Osborne Organics, LLC, and Founder of the Organic Landscape Association
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/
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Apr 1, 2021
Jonathan Shenkin, DDS, pediatric dentist, discusses how sugar causes tooth decay and the impact of Covid on oral health.
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
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Mar 25, 2021
Chris Jordan, photographer known for his images of albatross chicks and the ocean plastic that killed them.
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/
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Mar 18, 2021
Janice Newell Bissex MS, RD, Registered Dietitian and Holistic Cannabis Practitioner
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 with Janice 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/
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Mar 11, 2021
Molly Rockamann, Founding Director of Earth Dance Certified Organic Farm School based in Ferguson Missouri.
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/
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Mar 4, 2021
Mackenzie Feldman, Founder and Executive Director of Herbicide-Free Campus, and Food Research Fellow for Data for Progress
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
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Feb 18, 2021
Marshall Johnson, Vice-President, Conservation Ranching Initiative at National Audubon Society.
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
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Feb 11, 2021
Holly DeLong, MS, RDN discusses food and mood.
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
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Feb 4, 2021
Mark McBrine, organic farmer and Food Service Manager at Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston, Maine.
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
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Jan 28, 2021
Alison Alkon, Ph.D., professor of sociology at the University of the Pacific, discusses her TED talk titled: “Food as Radical Empathy.”
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 with Alison 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
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Jan 21, 2021
Leslie Soble, M.A., Impact Justice Food in Prison Project reviews “Eating Behind Bars: Ending the Hidden Punishment of Food in Prison”
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
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Jan 14, 2021
Rob Faux, Ph.D., organic farmer and Pesticide Action Network’s Communications Associate for Iowa discusses herbicide damage to his crops.
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
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Jan 7, 2021
Lani Eckart-Dodd, Native Hawaiian farmer, educator, and water rights advocate from Maui discusses the impact of colonization on cultural foodways.
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
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Jan 1, 2021
Jean La Mantia, R.D., Registered Dietitian, discusses eating to reduce inflammation.
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/
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Dec 24, 2020
Autumn Ness, Director of Hawai'i Organic Land Management
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
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Dec 18, 2020
Brian Ronholm, Director of Food Policy for Consumer Reports compares the credible “One Health,” to the misleading “One Health Certified” food label.
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/#
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Dec 10, 2020
Jennifer Smilowitz, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Human Studies Research Program for the Foods for Health Institute at UC Davis discusses multiple benefits of breastfeeding, protection against Covid, and importance of lactation consultants.
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/
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Dec 3, 2020
Jennifer Smilowitz, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Human Studies Research Program for the Foods for Health Institute at UC Davis discusses breastmilk and the infant gut microbiome.
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
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Nov 26, 2020
Hugh Kent, owner of King Grove Organic Farm
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
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Nov 20, 2020
Dan Scheiman, Bird Conservation Director at Audubon Arkansas
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
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Nov 12, 2020
Anne Ross, attorney with an advanced degree in Agriculture & Food Law discusses organic integrity and new bioengineered food labels.
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
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Nov 5, 2020
Dina Gilio-Whitaker, author of As Long As Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice from Colonization to Standing Rock.
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 Colonization to 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
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Oct 29, 2020
Terry Fuller, farmer and chair, Arkansas Plant Board discusses dicamba crop damage, and vandalism.
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://…
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Oct 23, 2020
Gladis Zinati, Ph.D., Director of the Rodale Institute’s Vegetable Systems Trial
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/
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Oct 15, 2020
Leah Douglas, staff writer and associate editor at the Food and Environment Reporting Network on COVID-19 at meatpacking plants and racism in the FFA.
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/
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Oct 9, 2020
Benjamin Cohen, Ph.D., author of Pure Adulteration: Cheating on Nature in the Age of Manufactured Food.
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/
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Oct 1, 2020
Kendra Klein, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at Friends of the Earth.
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/
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Sep 24, 2020
Keri Blakinger, formerly incarcerated staff writer for the Marshall Project.
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
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Sep 18, 2020
Monica White, Ph.D. author of Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement.
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…
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Sep 10, 2020
Kate Mendenhall, Executive Director of the Organic Farmers Association
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/
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Sep 3, 2020
Leone Jose Bicchieri, Founder and Executive Director of Working Family Solidarity.
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/
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Aug 27, 2020
Carmen Fernholz, organic grain farmer
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
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Aug 20, 2020
Darrie Ganzhorn, Executive Director, Homeless Garden Project, Santa Cruz, CA
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
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Aug 13, 2020
Everett Murphy, M.D., discusses CAFOs, racism and Covid-19.
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
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Aug 6, 2020
Susan Carlson, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research at the U. of Kansas (KU) School of Health Professions, discusses DHA to reduce preterm birth.
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-202…
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Jul 30, 2020
Donna Battle Pierce, journalist, editor, food historian, and director of the nonprofit Skillet Project.
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
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Jul 23, 2020
Cindy Leung, ScD, MPH, nutritional epidemiologist whose research focuses on diet and health disparities in vulnerable populations.
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 Strategie…
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Jul 17, 2020
Aly Cohen, M.D., co author of Non-Toxic: Guide to Living Healthy in a Chemical World. Part 2/2
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
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Jul 10, 2020
Aly Cohen, M.D., co author of Non-Toxic: Guide to Living Healthy in a Chemical World. Part 1/2
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
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Jul 2, 2020
Craig Willingham, MPH, Deputy Director of the City University of NY Urban Food Policy Institute.
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 of NY 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/
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Jun 25, 2020
Dina Falconi, herbalist and author of Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook.
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
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Jun 19, 2020
Judy Juanita, MFA, former Black Panther
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
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Jun 12, 2020
Jackie Bowen, M.S., MPH, Executive Director of the Clean Label Project
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
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Jun 4, 2020
Lisa McDowell, Registered Dietitian speaks about nutrition, immunity and Covid-19.
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
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May 28, 2020
Kim E. Richman, Founding Partner at Richman Law Group discusses litigation and deceptive food marketing
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/
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May 21, 2020
Axel Fuentes, Executive Director, Rural Community Workers Alliance
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/
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May 14, 2020
Karen Ehrens, Registered Dietitian discusses her trip to the U.S./Mexican border.
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
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May 7, 2020
Don Schaffner, Ph.D., Rutgers University food safety specialist discusses food safety during the pandemic.
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
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Apr 30, 2020
Sarah Reinhardt, MPH, RD, Lead Food Systems & Health Analyst, Food & Environment Program, Union of Concerned Scientists
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
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Apr 24, 2020
Megan Lott, MPH, RD, Deputy Director of Healthy Eating Research
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
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Apr 16, 2020
Chris Smith founder and Executive Director of the Utopian Seed Project and author of The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration.
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 the Utopian Seed Project and author of The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration. The grand champion of okra, Smith describes 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
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Apr 10, 2020
Ann Bikle, M.S., biologist, co-author, The Hidden Half of Nature.
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
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Apr 2, 2020
Paul Lesko, attorney representing farmers damaged by Monsanto’s dicamba herbicide.
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, attorney based 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
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Mar 27, 2020
Timothy Wise, M.A., Director of the Land and Food Rights Program at the Small Planet Institute, and author of Eating Tomorrow: Agribusiness, Family Farmers, and the Battle for the Future of Food.
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
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Mar 19, 2020
Rebecca Katz, M.S., chef, educator, artist and author of The Cancer Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing Big Flavor Recipes for Cancer and Treatment and Beyond.
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 author of The Cancer Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing Big Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Beyond. Katz describes 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
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Mar 12, 2020
Tod Cooperman, MD, President and Founder of Consumerlab.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
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Mar 5, 2020
Melissa Abbott, Vice President of Culinary Insights for the Harman Group, a consumer culture research firm.
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
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Feb 27, 2020
Judith D. Schwartz, author of Water in Plain Sight: Hope for a Thirsty World.
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/
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Feb 20, 2020
Turner Wyatt, Chief Executive Officer, Upcycled Food Association
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
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Feb 13, 2020
Nsedu Witherspoon, Executive Director, Children’s Environmental Health Network
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/
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Feb 6, 2020
Robert Martin, Director of the Food System Policy Program at Johns Hopkins University, Center for a Livable Future
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
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Jan 30, 2020
Kevin Walker, Ph.D., author of The Grand Food Bargain and the Mindless Drive for More.
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
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Jan 23, 2020
Andrew Scrivani, author of That Photo Makes Me Hungry: Photographing Food for Fun and Profit.
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
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Jan 16, 2020
Terry Spence, livestock farmer in northeast Missouri, and Executive Director of the Socially Responsible Agricultural Project.
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:…
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Jan 9, 2020
Laurel Schaider, Ph.D., Research Scientist at the Silent Spring Institute discusses PFAS.
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
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Jan 2, 2020
James Greenblatt, M.D., author of “Integrative Medicine for Binge Eating.”
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/
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Dec 26, 2019
Mary Donkersloot, R.D., host of Mary’s Smart Eating Show.
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/
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Dec 19, 2019
Jill Kanaley, Ph.D., Exercise Physiologist, University of Missouri, discusses the effects of exercise timing on blood sugar and body weight..
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
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Dec 12, 2019
Bettina Elias Siegel, author of Kid Food: The Challenge of Feeding Children in a Highly Processed World.
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/
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Dec 5, 2019
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.
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/
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Nov 28, 2019
Part II, 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.
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
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Nov 21, 2019
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.
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
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Nov 14, 2019
Cheryl Watson, Ph.D., discusses endocrine disruptors.
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/
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Nov 7, 2019
Linley Dixon, Ph.D., plant pathologist, farmer and Associate Director of the Real Organic Project.
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
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Oct 31, 2019
Lena Brook, Director of Food Campaigns, Natural Resources Defense Council, discusses antibiotic resistance.
Did you know that new 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 she leads 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
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Oct 24, 2019
Sister Simone Campbell discusses the three virtues for the 21st century as they apply to food, health and democracy.
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
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Oct 17, 2019
Lori Taylor, M.S., R.D. discusses “keto” diets and intermittent fasting.
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/
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Oct 10, 2019
Susan Futrell, author of Good Apples: Behind Every Bite, discusses apple history and production.
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
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Oct 3, 2019
Elizabeth Andress, Ph.D., food safety specialist with Georgia Cooperative Extension, and Director of the National Center for Home Food Preservation discusses safe food preservation methods.
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/
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Sep 26, 2019
Donna Marie Lisenby, President, Riverfox Environmental , coal industry investigation.
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/
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Sep 19, 2019
John B. Atwater, Ph.D., Senior Director of Verification Programs for U.S. Pharmacopeia.
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
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Sep 12, 2019
Michael Lewis, M.D., MPH, President and founder of the Brain Health Education and Research Institute.
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
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Sep 5, 2019
Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., chief science advisor for GRACE Communications Foundation.
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/
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Aug 29, 2019
Steve Ellis, commercial beekeeper and national advocate for curbing the use of dangerous neonicotinoid pesticides.
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
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Aug 22, 2019
Leah Penniman, Founding Co-Director of Soul Fire Farm and author of Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land.
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/
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Aug 15, 2019
: Tamara Duker Freuman, Registered Dietitian and author of The Bloated Belly Whisperer.
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 will discuss 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/
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Aug 8, 2019
Steven Apfelbaum, author of “S” is for Soils! discusses soil life and health.
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/
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Aug 1, 2019
John Ikerd, Ph.D., professor emeritus of agricultural economics, University of Missouri, Columbia, discusses the impact and unintended consequences of industrial agriculture.
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
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Jul 25, 2019
Gabriel Scarlett, 73rd college photographer of the year on immigration, environmental racism, and uranium mining’s impact on water quality on the Navajo Nation.
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 2019 Picture 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 p…
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Jul 18, 2019
Rebecca de Souza, author of Feeding the Other: Whiteness, Privilege, and Neoliberal Stigma in Food Pantries.
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
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Jul 11, 2019
Jon Steinman, author of Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants describes the benefits of cooperative grocery stores.
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/
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Jul 5, 2019
Katherine Pryor, children’s book author describes her latest story, Bea’s Bees.
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/
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Jun 28, 2019
Joanne Slavin, Ph.D., R.D., fiber expert and professor of nutrition at the University of Minnesota-St. Paul describes the health benefits of dietary fiber.
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
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Jun 20, 2019
Aarti Batavia, Registered dietitian, discusses dietary and lifestyle strategies to reduce risk for Alzheimer’s Disease and reverse cognitive decline.
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/
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Jun 14, 2019
Erin Jordan, Investigative journalist at The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA) describes threats to water quality following spring storms and hog manure spills.
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
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Jun 6, 2019
Matt Wechsler, producer of the film, “Right to Harm” explores the devastating impact of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) across the U.S.
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
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May 30, 2019
Mike Callicrate independent cattle producer describes the consequences of industrial meat production practices and loss of consumer choice.
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 con…
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May 23, 2019
Jeff Jones, 4th generation family farmer and president of Friends of Responsible Agriculture, describes his fight against the expansion of a 10,000 hog CAFO, and the effects on his rural community.
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…
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May 16, 2019
Barbara Storper, dietitian, describes her use of live theater to teach children healthy eating habits.
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
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May 9, 2019
Linda Booker, producer of the documentary film, “Straws,” helps us rethink single-use plastics.
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 the featured 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
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May 2, 2019
Matt Willey, artist, explains why and how he is painting 50,000 bees on murals across the world.
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
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Apr 25, 2019
Brenda Davis, dietitian and author of “The Kick Diabetes Cookbook” describes how high fiber plant foods can help reverse type 2 diabetes.
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
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Apr 18, 2019
Patty Lovera, Assistant Director of Food & Water Watch, defines and discuss biotechnology applications in food and agriculture and the new “bioengineered” food labels.
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
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Apr 11, 2019
Gary Paul Nabhan, Ph.D., the “father” of the local food and heirloom seed saving movements discusses his new book, “Food from the Radical Center: Healing Our Land and Communities.
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/…
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Apr 4, 2019
Northeast Arkansas Beekeeper, Richard Coy, describes how the use of the herbicide Dicamba is killing the plants his bees need to survive.
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-/
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Mar 28, 2019
Formerly incarcerated Anthony Travis describes his life changing experience participating in Catherine Sneed’s Horticulture Project at the San Francisco County Jail.
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
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Mar 22, 2019
Shelly McGuire, Ph.D., discusses the “human milk microbiome,” – and the miraculous relationship between a lactating mother and her baby.
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
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Mar 15, 2019
Tod Cooperman, M.D., President of Consumerlab.com discusses the safety and effectiveness of popular supplements: CBD oil, bone broth, and apple cider vinegar.
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
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Mar 7, 2019
Jay Feldman Executive Director and co-founder of Beyond Pesticides, discusses the merits of organic food and farming, harms from pesticide use, and the 2019 Pesticide Forum in NYC.
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
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Feb 28, 2019
Teresa Martin, Registered Dietitian, talks about her top ten tips for gut health. (Part 2 of 2).
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
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Feb 21, 2019
Teresa Martin, Registered Dietitian, describes the role of the gut microbiota and how we can eat to promote a healthy gut.
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
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Feb 7, 2019
Dietitian Judy Simon describes how diet and lifestyle influence fertility.
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/
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Jan 31, 2019
Registered Dietitian and fertility and reproductive nutrition expert, Judy Simon, reviews tips for men and women to improve fertility.
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/
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Jan 24, 2019
Jeannine Guttman, journalist, describes her investigation into racism and abuse of undocumented immigrant labor in Vermont’s iconic dairy industry.
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
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Jan 17, 2019
Iris Figueroa, staff attorney for Farmworker Justice, describes immigrant farm labor statistics and health challenges.
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
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Jan 10, 2019
Registered dietitian, Rebecca Scritchfield, discusses “Body Kindness” and the pitfalls of dieting.
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
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Jan 3, 2019
Dietitian Karen Collins reviews diet research to reduce cancer risk.
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/
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Dec 28, 2018
Jennifer Jay, Ph.D., environmental engineer, describes how to reduce our carbon footprint and meet Paris Climate Accord targets through changes in our dietary habits.
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/
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Dec 21, 2018
Andrea Lieberstein discusses mindfulness-based eating, and how to find and fill the voids in our lives…without food.
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/
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Dec 13, 2018
Steven Apfelbaum, Fellow of the Ecological Society of America, Founder and Chairman of Applied Ecological Services, describes the value of ecological services, biodiversity, and emulating nature in regenerative land practices to mitigate climate change.
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…
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Dec 7, 2018
Steve Smith, Director of Agriculture for Red Gold Tomatoes, and Chairman of the Save Our Crops Coalition describes the risks of using the herbicide, dicamba.
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.