
Food Sleuth Radio
Dietitian Melinda Hemmelgarn helps listeners “think beyond their plates,” connect the dots between food, health and agriculture, and find food truth.
Latest episodes

Dec 20, 2019 • 28min
Jill Kanaley, Ph.D., Exercise Physiologist, University of Missouri, discusses the effects of exercise timing on blood sugar and body weight..
Did you know that the time of day when we exercise can help better control blood sugar levels? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jill Kanaley, Ph.D., Exercise Physiologist and Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri. She’ll discuss her research on the effects of diet composition and exercise/physical activity on blood sugar and body fat. She recommends the American College of Sports Medicine to stay abreast of exercise research: www.acsm.orgRelated website: http://nep.missouri.edu/faculty_kanaley.html

Dec 13, 2019 • 28min
Bettina Elias Siegel, author of Kid Food: The Challenge of Feeding Children in a Highly Processed World.
Did you know that highly processed “junk” food harms children’s health beyond obesity? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Bettina Elias Siegel, attorney, advocate, and author of Kid Food: The Challenge of Feeding Children in a Highly Processed World. Siegel discusses multiple ways highly processed foods harm children’s health, and most important: she describes how we can help protect children from exploitation by junk food marketing and promotion. Siegel’s book provides critical reading for anyone who cares about kids and wants strategies to protect their well-being.Related website: https://www.bettinasiegel.com/

Dec 6, 2019 • 28min
Bob Quinn, Ph.D., award winning organic farmer based in Montana, and co-author of Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food.
Did you know that the industrialization of wheat may be a contributing factor explaining the rise in wheat intolerance? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Bob Quinn, Ph.D., award winning organic farmer based in Montana, and co-author of Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food. Quinn discusses the evolution of industrial wheat production, its impact on rural communities, wheat nutrition, and the health benefits of khorasan ancient wheat and organic farming methods.Related website: http://bobquinnorganicfarmer.com/grain-by-grain/

Nov 29, 2019 • 28min
Part II, Mark Winne, Senior Advisor, Center for a Livable Future and author of Food Town USA: Seven unlikely cities that are changing the way we eat.
Did you know that communities across the country are using food to rise out of economic despair? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mark Winne, Senior Advisor, Center for a Livable Future and author of Food Town USA: Seven unlikely cities that are changing the way we eat. Winne takes a deeper dive into cities that have been rejuvenated by food despite ongoing struggles with climate change and racism. He also discusses the meaning of a “food system” and the power of food, art and music as drivers of unity and community cohesiveness. (Part II)Related website: www.markwinne.com

Nov 22, 2019 • 28min
Mark Winne, Senior Advisor, Center for a Livable Future and author of Food Town USA: Seven unlikely cities that are changing the way we eat.
Did you know that the food system can be a tremendous economic driver in communities facing economic hardship? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mark Winne, Senior Advisor, Center for a Livable Future and author of Food Town USA: Seven unlikely cities that are changing the way we eat. Winne explains food’s economic potential and its ability to build social capital and create jobs.Related website: www.markwinne.com

Nov 15, 2019 • 28min
Cheryl Watson, Ph.D., discusses endocrine disruptors.
Did you know that many modern chemicals used in the manufacture of consumer products mimic (though imperfectly) our hormonal systems? Endocrine disruptions caused by this imperfect mimicry can lead to many chronic diseases that have their roots in early exposures. Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Cheryl Watson, Ph.D., professor (emeritus) in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Dept. at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Watson discusses her research on endocrine disruptors and provides tips for avoiding these harmful compounds. Related website: https://cehi.org/cheryl-s-watson-phd/

Nov 8, 2019 • 28min
Linley Dixon, Ph.D., plant pathologist, farmer and Associate Director of the Real Organic Project.
Did you know that organic farming methods provide nutritional benefits to the end consumer and our planet? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dr. Linley Dixon, Ph.D., farmer and associate director of the Real Organic Project. Linley describes the benefits of organic farming from a farmer and plant pathologist perspective. She describes how organic regenerative farming can increase organic matter in the soil and sequester carbon to help mitigate climate change. Linley describes her own farming methods, the challenges of, and strategies for marketing local organic foods, and how climate change has been impacting farmers nationwide. She also provides strategies for keeping integrity in the organic label, and supporting and connecting with organic farmers. Related website: www.realorganicproject.org

Nov 1, 2019 • 28min
Lena Brook, Director of Food Campaigns, Natural Resources Defense Council, discusses antibiotic resistance.
Did you know that new estimates put the death toll from antibiotic-resistant infections in the U.S. at over 160,000 deaths a year, making it the third-leading cause of death in the U.S.? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Lena Brook, Director of Food Campaigns, Natural Resources Defense Council, where she leads the Antibiotics Off the Menu coalition and is a key voice on the Chain Reaction Antibiotics Scorecard campaign: https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/restaurants-antibiotic-use-report-2018.pdf The two will discuss antibiotic use by the livestock industry, the development of resistant bacteria, and the compounding impact of climate change. Related website: www.nrdc.org/save-antibiotics

Oct 24, 2019 • 28min
Sister Simone Campbell discusses the three virtues for the 21st century as they apply to food, health and democracy.
Did you know that our cultural narrative of “rugged individualism” fails to recognize strength in community? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. Campbell, one of our nation’s most influential faith-based progressive activists, led the famous “Nuns on the Bus” tour which challenged proposed cuts to programs for the poor. She explains her “three virtues for the 21st Century,” as presented at the Bioneers conference in 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRqovAImD3A , and shares stories about food access and health care from her visits to rural communities across the United States. Related website: https://networklobby.org

Oct 18, 2019 • 28min
Lori Taylor, M.S., R.D. discusses “keto” diets and intermittent fasting.
Did you know that there are many health benefits associated with intermittent fasting? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with registered dietitian, Lori Taylor, who compares and contrasts the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting, and the benefits of eating within a specific window of time every day. Taylor also identifies specific populations for whom fasting may be harmful, and shares her youtube video for Saybrook University on these topics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPVWln6ef5U&list=PLUakTEuPjbFDg-IbovVkI_dRwSCFCSZ3s&index=2&t=0s Related website: https://www.saybrook.edu/faculty/byname/lori_taylor/