Displaying episodes 1 - 30 of 613 in total
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
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
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/
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/
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/
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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 with Lani 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
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/
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
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/#
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/
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)
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
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
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
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
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://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/02/14/584647903/these-citizen-regulators-in-arkansas-defied-monsanto-now-theyre-under-attack https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/10/26/559733837/monsanto-and-the-weed-scientists-not-a-love-story Related website: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/sep/25/state-official-victim-of-vandals/
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/
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/
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/
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/
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
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.youtube.com/watch?v=HzhbIeutIjI&list=PLY-HA3-cbCGdC2dqjlZAv8cfOU6B-Noqw&index=9 Related website: www.monicamariewhite.com
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/