Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that 50 years have passed since the first edition of Diet for a Small Planet was published? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Frances Moore Lappé, activist and author of Diet for a Small Planet. Lappe discusses her life’s work; the connections between democracy, world hunger, and our environment, and shares insights gained during the fifty years since the first edition of her book reached more than 3 million readers and changed many lives.  Lappe also discusses highlights from her 50th edition of Diet for a Small Planet. Related website:  https://www.dietforasmallplanet.org/ 

Did you know that less than 10% of all the plastic ever made has been recycled? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Erica Cirino, science writer, artist, and author of Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis (Island Press, 2021). Cirino describes her 24 day ocean voyage during which she witnessed extensive plastic pollution, the plastic crisis facing our planet, and the environmental and public health costs associated with its production and use. She encourages consumers to engage in policy (See: https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/policy), and consider two questions: What do we need to live; and, what can we live without? Related website:  http://www.ericacirino.com/ 

Did you know that January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and in all likelihood, we consume the products of slavery every day? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Anne Ross, attorney with Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services, Charleston, S.C. Ross discusses human trafficking and forced labor in food and agriculture industries. Today’s globalized supply chains make it is almost impossible to avoid goods or services free of the fingerprints of slavery, including electronic gadgets, clothing, fish, cocoa and cane sugar. Ross describes how trafficking happens, and how we can help report and avoid such tainted products. For more information from the state department, see: https://www.state.gov/national-human-trafficking-prevention-month/ , and a toll-free number to report suspected trafficking or seek help: 888-373-7888. Related website:  PBS/ Frontline investigation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp9E5nkr-wQ 

Did you know that food labels can mislead us into thinking processed and packaged foods and beverages are healthier than they might appear? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Eva Greenthal, MS, MPH, Senior Science Policy Associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Greenthal discusses the Food Labeling Modernization Act and the food labeling confusion and loopholes it attempts to correct. Greenthal and Hemmelgarn expose misleading “natural” labels, and discuss potentially harmful ingredients, including phosphorus, caffeine, gluten, food dyes, sugar and more. Related website:  CSPI food labeling webinar: https://cspinet.org/resource/2021-flma-webinar-recording 

Did you know that industries use a variety of tactics to manipulate public opinion about products that can harm our health and environment? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview 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 to convince us that their products are safe. Related website:  https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12940-021-00723-0.pdf 

Did you know that many physicians are joining with dietitians to help their patients eat well? Join Food Sleuth 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 families, but for the world at large. You can try some of her recipes here: https://reshmashahmd.com/recipes/ Related website:  https://nourishthebook.com/ 

Did you know that less than 10% of plastic is recycled? Join Food Sleuth 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 

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/ 

Did you know that Danone North America, owner of Horizon Organic, dropped its contracts with 89 organic dairies in New England and Upstate New York? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Edward Maltby, Executive Director of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance. Maltby discusses the benefits of organic food and farming, the plight of dairy farmers, and the impact of lost contracts on farm families and regional economies.  Related website:  https://www.nodpa.com/ 

Did you know that our perceptions of how and what we eat are influenced by our culture? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Melanie Joy, PhD, psychologist and author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows. Joy specializes in the psychology of eating animals, social transformation, and relationships. She discusses her theory of carnism, and works to raise awareness of the brutality of factory farms. Related website:  www.carnism.org ; www.melaniejoy.org/relational-literacy