Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that food served in jails and prisons does not promote mental and physical health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Keri Blakinger, staff writer for the Marshall Project who was formerly incarcerated in upstate New York. Blakinger describes the food and other hidden living conditions in prison, as well as the impact of Covid lockdowns on food quality. See Blakinger’s reporting at the Marshall Project website, including this story on what some prison food looks like: https://www.themarshallproject.org/.../ewwwww-what-is-thatRelated website:  https://www.themarshallproject.org 

Did you know that “urban agriculture” is not new? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Monica M. White, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Environmental Justice at the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. White is the author of the award-winning book, Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement. White reflects on African American farmers’ long connection to the soil - a tool for resilience and resistance. White discusses the power of cooperatives, and heroes in African American food and agriculture, including Fannie Lou Hamer, and George Washington Carver, who said: “there is probably no subject more important than the study of food.” White also describes her critical role as “scholar activist.” White’s presentation at the University of Michigan can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzhbIeutIjI&list=PLY-HA3-cbCGdC2dqjlZAv8cfOU6B-Noqw&index=9Related website:  www.monicamariewhite.com

Did you know that organic farms provide beneficial ecological services to rural communities and the planet? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kate Mendenhall, organic farmer and Executive Director of the Organic Farmers Association. Mendenhall witnessed the negative impact of industrial agriculture in her rural IA community and chose organic farming to help feed and preserve the health of her community members.  She describes the organic certification process and explains how certification helps farmers better steward their land. Unfortunately, USDA’s Farm Service Agency recently reduced the “cost share” for organic farmers, and unfairly distributed more stimulus funds to support industrial food and farming systems. Mendenhall offers a call to action.Related website:  https://organicfarmersassociation.org/

Did you know that workers in meat packing plants are at increased risk for Covid-19, and other work-related injuries due to increasing line speeds (such as 175 birds to handle per minute)? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Leone Jose Bicchieri, Founder and Executive Director of Working Family Solidarity, based in Chicago, IL. Bicchieri describes exploitative working conditions in meat packing plants, how trade policies (NAFTA) led to increased migration, and strategies for labor justice. This interview is especially important in honor of Labor Day. Bicchieri will host a free Racial Justice Unity Teach-In Series beginning Sept. 16th. To join: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/civil-rights-past-present-future-tickets-118184237235Related website:  https://www.workingfamilysolidarity.org/

Did you know it’s possible to “feed the world” without the use of harmful chemicals? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Carmen Fernholz, award-winning organic grain farmer based in Madison, Minnesota. Fernholz discusses his farming philosophy, an organic farmer’s audit trail and the ecosystem services/benefits associated with biodiverse organic farming systems and perennial crops.  “Food production must be an egalitarian process,” says Fernholz.  He was recently featured in the Real Organic Project’s Know Your Farmer Video series: https://www.realorganicproject.org/know-your-farmer-a-frame-farm/Related website:  https://mrbdc.mnsu.edu/carmen-fernholz

Did you know a community garden and social support can help end homelessness? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Darrie Ganzhorn, Executive Director of the Homeless Garden Project based in Santa Cruz, CA. Ganzhorn describes the therapeutic value and empowering impact of social support and holistic community gardening. The project’s success rate – over 90 percent of those completing the program find jobs and housing – promises to be a national model.Related website:  https://homelessgardenproject.org

Did you know that factory farms (CAFOs), racism and Covid-19 are connected? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Everett Murphy, M.D., retired pulmonologist from K.C., MO who has been instrumental in working to defeat the expansion of CAFOs  - concentrated animal feeding operations. People who live closest to CAFOs are more likely to suffer with asthma, antibiotic resistant infections, and other illnesses. Murphy discusses exploited labor, propaganda, public health impacts, and economic declines associated with CAFOs. The American Public Health Association called for a moratorium on CAFOs in 2019.Related website:  https://www.naturalawakenings.com/2020/06/30/317717/beyond-factory-farms-big-meat-comes-at-high-cost

Did you know that that the long-chain fatty acid, DHA, can significantly reduce preterm birth, and that African American women are more prone to preterm births? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Susan Carlson, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research at the U. of Kansas (KU) School of Health Professions, and Distinguished AJ Rice Professor of Nutrition in the KU Department of Dietetics and Nutrition at KU Medical Center. Carlson discusses her research which focuses on the protective effects of docosahexanoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, for preventing preterm birth and enhancing infant brain, visual and behavioral development.  Tune in to learn how to get DHA in your diet, recommended supplement dose for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and which popular infant formula  comes up short on DHA.This interview is featured for World Breastfeeding Week: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/31-07-2020-world-breastfeeding-week-2020-message?fbclid=IwAR2CwJK1VOTfw-HhnMP90Dvaey3aS2O7h-OXNtLcd0rSIj_Is9lqviQoMnI  Related website:  http://www.kumc.edu/school-of-health-professions/dietetics-and-nutrition/our-people/carlson.html

Did you know that African Americans were purposely left out of recorded history, resulting in lost wisdom and dignity? Join Food Sleuth Radio host, and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Donna Battle Pierce, former food editor and test kitchen director at the Chicago Tribune, and director of the non-profit Skillet Project which creates meaningful connections among generations through food and journalism. Pierce discusses African American food culture, her experience with recipe development, plus history, race and justice through a food lens.Related website:  www.blackamericacooks.com/, Maya Angelou, “Family Affairs” https://genius.com/Maya-angelou-family-affairs-annotated 

Did you know that the stress and trauma from food insecurity puts children’s mental and physical health at risk?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Cindy Leung, ScD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of  Michigan School of Public Health.  Leung  is a nutritional epidemiologist whose research focuses on diet and health disparities in vulnerable populations. She discusses the psychological distress associated with childhood food insecurity, which has risen exponentially due to COVID-19. (See: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/05/06/the-covid-19-crisis-has-already-left-too-many-children-hungry-in-america/ ).  She is the lead author of a paper in the March 2020 issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, titled: “Understanding the Psychological Distress of Food Insecurity: A Qualitative Study of Children’s Experiences and Related Coping Strategies.” Related website:  https://jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(19)31547-3/pdf