Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that the herbicide, dicamba, threatens organic farmers’ economic viability as well as consumer access to local fresh organic fruits and vegetables? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Rob Faux, Ph.D., organic farmer and Pesticide Action Network’s Communications Associate for Iowa. Faux owns and operates the Genuine Faux Farm near Tripoli, Iowa, where he produces a wide variety of health-promoting produce for his community. There's just one problem: drift from the herbicide dicamba, used on GMO soy and corn, threatens his ability to farm, and his community’s access to health promoting food. Follow Faux’s farm updates here: https://genfaux.blogspot.com/ Related website:   https://www.panna.org/blog/im-living-dicamba-nightmare 

Did you know that Native Hawaiians lost much of their connection to cultural foodways due to colonization? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview withLani Eckart-Dodd, Native Hawaiian farmer, educator, and water rights advocate from Maui. Eckart-Dodd defines “Aloha Aina,” and discusses native foods, and the impact of sugar plantations and Christian missionaries on indigenous culture, environment and food sovereignty. Related website:   https://www.huionawaieha.org/nawaiehainformation 

Did you know that chronic inflammation is a risk for a host of diseases? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jean La Mantia, Registered Dietitian, author, speaker & cancer survivor, based in Toronto, Canada. La Mantia discusses the risks of chronic inflammation, and describes the benefits of both an anti-inflammatory diet and intermittent fasting.  Her webinar on the topic can be viewed here: https://healthcare.orgain.com/webinar/course/view/id/anti-inflammatory-diet Related website:   https://jeanlamantia.com/ 

Did you know that Hawaii imports the majority of its food, leaving its citizens vulnerable to food shortages during disasters? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Autumn Ness, Director of Hawai'i Organic Land Management a Program of Beyond Pesticides based in Maui. Ness discusses her efforts to regulate widespread pesticide spraying, and implement a local food hub (see: https://mauihub.org/)in the wake of pandemic food system disruption. The food hub supports local organic farmers, strengthens the local economy and feeds people well. Related website:   https://www.beyondpesticides.org/programs/hawaii 

Did you know that “One Health” is a valid, interdisciplinary approach to public health that connects human, animal, and environmental health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brian Ronholm, Director of Food Policy for Consumer Reports, and former Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at USDA. Ronholm compares the credible “One Health,” (www.cdc.gov/onehealth/who-we-are/one-health-office-fact-sheet.html) to the misleading “One Health Certified” food label.  Related website:   https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2020/07/consumer-reports-one-health-certified-label-is-meaningless-misleading/# 

Did you know that breast milk is a complex system that is both responsive and dynamic?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jennifer Smilowitz, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Human Studies Research Program for the Foods for Health Institute at UC Davis, and Director of Scientific and Strategic Development for the International Milk Genomics Consortium. Smilowitz discusses highlights from the Annual International Symposium on Milk Science and Health,including research showing that Covid-19 antibodies (but not virus) are passed through breastmilk.  She also discusses common breastfeeding problems, and the need for both paid parental leave and affordable, easy access to well-trained lactation consultants to help support optimal infant health. (Part 2 of 2). For part 1, see: https://beta.prx.org/stories/349235 Related website:   https://milkgenomics.org/17th-annual-international-symposium-on-milk-genomics-and-human-health/ 

Did you know that breastmilk is uniquely suited to support infant growth, and the infant gut microbiome? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jennifer Smilowitz, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Human Studies Research Program for the Foods for Health Institute at UC Davis. Smilowitz describes the unique nutritional characteristics of breast milk, and discusses her research on breast milk and infant health, with emphasis on supporting the infant gut microbiome. (Part 1 of 2) Related website:   https://www.the-scientist.com/features/the-infant-gut-microbiome-and-probiotics-that-work-67563

Did you know that there’s a difference between soil-based and hydroponically produced berries? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Hugh Kent, owner of King Grove Organic Farm in Central Florida where he grows soil-based, certified organic blueberries. Kent compares soil-based organic agriculture to hydroponic berry production, and the critical positive impacts of organic farming methods on land and water quality, nutrition and taste. Kent will be a featured speaker at the Real Organic Project’s annual symposium in January, 2021. For details: https://www.realorganicproject.org/ Related website:   http://www.kinggrove.com 

Did you know that our food and farming choices impact bird populations? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dan Scheiman, Bird Conservation Director at Audubon Arkansas. He'll discuss the damaging effects of widely used agricultural and lawn-based pesticides (dicamba, neonicotinoids) on trees, insects and birds, as well as the benefits of citizen science and policy advocacy.  For parents with children at home Audubon offers educational resources:  https://www.audubon.org/conservation/audubon-adventures Related website:   https://ar.audubon.org/conservation/dicamba-danger 

Did you know that the new “GMO” food labels required in January 2022 will not say “GMO,” but instead say “bioengineered”?   Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Anne Ross:, attorney with an advanced degree in Agriculture & Food Law from the University of Arkansas. As policy advisor for the Cornucopia Institute, Ross investigated organic import fraud. She shares her expertise in analyzing food labeling, including “natural” and “non-GMO” labels, and discusses overall organic integrity. Related website:   www.cornucopia.org