Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that there is no evidence to date that people can contract COVID-19 from food?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Don Schaffner, Ph.D., food safety specialist and Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University, and podcast host (http://foodsafetytalk.com ). Schaffner describes best practices for safe food handling during the corona virus pandemic. He outlines key steps for good handwashing, assesses risk from take-out foods, and discusses how to safely handle groceries and fresh produce. For more information on Food Safety and Covid-19, see the JAMA Patient Page:  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764560  Related website:  http://riskyornot.co 

Did you know that the U.S. Dietary Guidelines are updated every five years, but have thus far not taken sustainability into consideration? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sarah Reinhardt, MPH, RD, Lead Food Systems & Health Analyst, with the Food & Environment Program, at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Reinhardt discusses key findings from her recent research paper titled: “Systematic Review of Dietary Patterns and Sustainability in the United States.” https://academic.oup.com/advances/advance-article/doi/10.1093/advances/nmaa026/5804823 To submit a comment to the Dietary Guidelines Committee: https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/work-under-way/get-involved/submit-comment-advisory-committee-reviews-science  Related website:  www.ucsusa.org 

Did you know that 40 million fellow Americans, or at least one in nine households experience food insecurity? (These numbers are before the impact of the Corona virus on our nation’s economy. ) Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Megan Lott, MPH, RD, Deputy Director of Healthy Eating Research, based at Duke University. Lott discusses nutrition guidelines for the charitable food system, food policy, and the grave impact of proposed cuts to federal nutrition programs.  Related website:  www.healthyeatingresearch.org 

Did you know that okra doesn’t have to be slimy? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Chris Smith, founder and Executive Director of the Utopian Seed Project and author of The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration. The grand champion of okra, Smith describes his okra seed trial research, celebrates okra’s many uses, teaches us how to remove the “slime,” and explains why okra might play a key role in food security during climate change.  Smith also emphasizes the need to preserve regional, diverse and heritage seeds.  Related website:  www.utopianseed.org 

Did you know that microorganisms in the soil impact plant health, just as gut microorganisms impact human health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Ann Bikle, M.S., biologist, and co-author, The Hidden Half of Nature. Bikle discusses the community of soil microorganisms, and their role in plant and human health, and identifies the role home gardens could play in carbon sequestration and mitigating climate change.  Link to Bikle’s 2019 Real Organic Project lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CWQ1i7Byi0  Related website:  www.dig2grow.com 

Did you know that a Missouri peach farmer lost 30,000 trees and his peach business due to drift from Monsanto’s dicamba herbicide? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Paul Lesko, attorney based in St. Louis who is a litigator representing farmers, nurseries, and individuals damaged by Monsanto’s dicamba herbicide. Lesko describes the Bader peach farm case in which the jury awarded Bader over 250 million dollars due to the loss of his peach trees from Monsanto’s highly volatile herbicide,  dicamba. The story has been covered by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and U.S. Right to Know.  Anyone who has suffered crop or personal loss due to Monsanto’s (now Bayer) herbicides is advised to contact a lawyer.  Related website:  http://prwlegal.com 

Did you know that producing more food with exported Western technologies will not “feed the world? “Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Timothy Wise, M.A., Director of the Land and Food Rights Program at the Small Planet Institute, Senior Research Fellow at Tufts University’s Global Development and Environment Institute, and the author of Eating Tomorrow: Agribusiness, Family  Farmers, and the Battle for the Future of Food. Wise exposes agribusiness strategies, questions the “Green Revolution,” and describes key features of climate-resilient agriculture.Related website:  https://www.smallplanet.org/eating-tomorrow 

Did you know that eating is a full sensory experience? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Rebecca Katz, M.S, chef, educator, artist and author of The Cancer Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing Big Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Beyond.  Katz describes her artful culinary pharmacy, and the importance of food’s texture, flavor and color in cancer healing, prevention, and more enjoyable eating. Tune in and learn what it means to feel “well-nourished.”Related website:  www.rebeccakatz.com 

Did you know that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get high quality dietary supplements? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tod Cooperman, MD., President and Founder of Consumerlab.com, an independent evaluator and reviewer of dietary products and supplements. Cooperman discusses his recent research on flavanol content and heavy-metal contamination of chocolate, plus reviews the most critical nutrients for protecting bone health and cognitive function.Related website:  www.consumerlab.com 

Did you know that stress and anxiety have replaced weight as the leading consumer health concern?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Melissa Abbott, Vice President of Culinary Insights for the Harman Group, a consumer culture research firm, based in Belleview, WA. Abbott discusses changes in consumer food trends, trend-tracking techniques, and shifts in consumer thinking about food value, health and sustainability.Related website:  www.hartman-group.com