Soil science, microbiomes, and loving grains again :: with Joni Kindwall-Moore

In this episode of Ventures, my guest Joni Kindwall-Moore (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joni-kindwall-moore-rn-57a81014/) and I discuss the science behind grains, soils, and microbiomes. We also talk about the story of her startup (https://snacktivistfoods.com/) and how her team is helping to regenerate healthy soils and grains to improve human health.

Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-49 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned. 

You can watch this episode via video here.

In this episode we cover the following:

1:33 - Will’s general tee-up for the conversation and introduction of Joni.

2:15 - Joni self-introduction, background, career story in the hard sciences, nursing, and founding a startup.

3:59 - What was Joni working on and researching early in her career?

7:24 - What was the origin story of starting Snacktivist? 

10:03 - What is it about processed grains that causes bad reactions in people? 

11:30 - What is celiac disease? What is gluten? 

13:30 - How did Joni start building her business practically?

16:20 - What was the journey of dealing with initial customers? What did early traction look like?

18:21 - A discussion on sugars. What is the difference between all these different types of common sugars out there?

19:50 - What are the “things” that are around honey and such that make them absorb at different rates than sugar?

21:33 - Where has Snacktivist gone from the early days to today?

26:37 - Why can some people not eat pasta, for example, in the USA but can in Europe?

29:52 - What is the microbiome for humans and in soil science?

34:05 - What are hydroponics? Is this a good thing?

37:30 - Is there hope for Americans to have our soil regenerated?

43:44 - What is monocropping? 

46:05 - Wisdom is often where there is uncertainty and nuances (and a willingness to embrace this).

48:45 - More explanation about Joni’s work with Washington State University. How is the team creating economic incentives for farmers to rejuvenate their soil?

52:11 - What is the vision with Snacktivist? What can we buy right now?

54:54 - What are sourdough starters? How does this relate to our conversation? What is the underlying science? How is this different from traditional breads?

58:50 - Where can people find Joni and Snacktivist online? https://snacktivistfoods.com/