Food Sleuth Radio

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 

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 

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 

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 

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 

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/ 

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 

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