Food Sleuth Radio Stephan van Vliet, PhD, Director of the Center for Nutrition Studies at Utah State University explains how farming practices impact nutrition quality of food.
Sep 26, 2025
Stephan van Vliet, PhD, is an expert in nutritional science at Utah State University, focusing on the link between farming practices and food quality. In this discussion, he reveals how agricultural methods directly impact nutrient density and human health. He explores the benefits of regenerative agriculture, emphasizing soil health and biodiversity. The conversation touches on how ultra-processed foods lack essential phytonutrients. Stephan also advocates for dietary guidelines that reflect the importance of how food is grown.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Bridging Medicine And Agriculture
- Stephan van Vliet built collaborations between medical and agricultural scientists to study how food production affects health.
- He found plant compounds in animal diets can alter animal and potentially human health.
Biodiversity Predicts Nutrient Density
- Biodiversity is a strong predictor of nutrient density in crops and livestock.
- Mimicking diverse natural systems helps increase phytonutrient levels in food.
Value Nutrient Density Over Yield
- Reward nutrient density rather than sheer yield to avoid the dilution effect in crops.
- Otherwise breeders will keep selecting for size and yield at the expense of micronutrients and phytonutrients.