Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that climate change impacts water quality and foodwebs?Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sarah Nelson, Ph.D., Director of Research at the Appalachian Mountain Club. Nelson discusses climate change impacts on environment and public health https://hubbardbrook.org/sites/default/files/pictures/HBRF/Why%20It%20Matters.jpg, and  weather whiplash: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019EF001224. 

Did you know that food is our most intimate, powerful connection to each other, to our cultures and the earth? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Navina Khanna, co-founder and the Executive Director of  HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, and Labor) Food Alliance, a national alliance of organizations building collective power for transformed food systems across race, sector, and geography. Ms. Khanna discusses racial injustices in our food system and larger society, key messaging strategies (see: ASO Communications - https://asocommunications.com/) and creating a food system where land and workers are valued and respected. Related website:   https://healfoodalliance.org/ 

Did you know that organic methods of livestock production offer widespread benefits to animals, people and planet?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Guy Jodarski, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, who compares conventional vs. organic and sustainable livestock practices. Jodarski’s work has focused on dairy cattle health, benefits of grazing, and disease prevention. He also speaks to the wider impact of agriculture on community health. Jodarski holds an MS in Physiology and DVM from the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison and has been in practice for over 30 years. He also serves on the One Health Committee https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/index.html of the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association (WVMA). Related website:   https://grassworks.org/ 

Did you know that organic farming in the rural Midwest is becoming increasingly difficult due to chemical and genetic drift from “conventional” farms? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Angela Jackson Pulse, organic farmer, inspector and auditor based in Vermilion, South Dakota. Jackson Pulse describes her on-farm experiences, loss of organic status, crops, adverse health effects from pesticide exposure, and how we can protect public health through pesticide policy reform (FIFRA – The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act ). Pulse will be speaking at the Beyond Pesticides annual Forum on June 1st.  For more information on the Forum, see: www.beyondpesticides.org Related website:   https://prairiesunorganicfarm.com/ 

Did you know that time spent in nature has therapeutic value? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gabrielle Mack, Registered Physical Therapist and Licensed Occupational Therapist. Mack describes the physiological benefits derived from time spent in nature, and gardening. She explains how “green time” benefits both our central nervous system and mental health. Gardening is especially therapeutic for those who have survived trauma. As Mack explains, there is a physiological explanation for why we feel better after spending time outside or having our hands in the soil. Related website:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjkDnqZYSiA 

Did you know that ”alternative” meat products are a $1 billion (and growing) market in the US? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Bryon Wiegand, Ph.D., Professor of Animal Science at the University of Missouri, State Meats Extension Specialist, and Associate Division Director in Animal Science. Wiegand defines and explains the science and technology behind alternative meat products, including lab-based, cultured, and plant-based, as well as how these products are labeled. Related website:   https://alt-meat.net/ 

Did you know that trade associations exert political power on behalf of multiple corporations and help funnel hundreds of millions each year into our political system? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Lucy Martinez Sullivan, M.B.A., Executive Director of Feed the Truth, a new nonprofit organization which seeks to advance truth, trust and transparency in the food system. Sullivan describes highlights from Feed the Truth’s new report, "Draining the Big Food Swamp" https://feedthetruth.org/drain-the-big-food-swamp/, which looks at the size and correlating political clout of Big Food (and Agriculture). Sullivan explains how “Big Food” influences federal policy, sponsors University research, and controls the narrative on food and agriculture. Related website:   www.feedthetruth.org

Did you know that food insecurity is a chronic societal problem, made worse during the Covid pandemic? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Katie Martin PhD, Executive Director of the Foodshare Institute for Hunger Research & Solutions, and author of Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries: New Tools to End Hunger (Island Press). Martin shares stories of those who face hunger, explains the difference between food banks and pantries, and speaks to the root causes of hunger, and solutions. As Martin explains, it will take more than food to solve food insecurity: https://www.ittakesmorethanfood.org/ Related website:   https://www.katiesmartin.com/ 

Did you know that fertility has dropped more than 50% over the past 50 years worldwide? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Shanna H. Swan, Ph.D., environmental and reproductive epidemiologist and professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. Swan discusses her new book, Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race. Note: April 18-24th is National Infertility Awareness week. https://infertilityawareness.org/ Related website:   https://www.shannaswan.com/ 

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 Related website:   https://osborneorganics.com/