Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that children are not “little adults?” Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nsedu Witherspoon, Executive Director of the Children’s Environmental Health Network, who describes why and how children are more vulnerable to environmental toxins.  Witherspoon describes some of the resources, programs and actions available to parents and childcare providers to keep children safe, including the Eco-Healthy Childcare Guide, Blueprint for Protecting Children’s Environmental Health, Children’s Environmental Health Day (October 8th, 2020), the Cancer Free Economy Network, and Project TENDR to reduce neuro-developmental risks.Related website:  https://cehn.org/

registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Robert Martin, director of the Food System Policy Program at Johns Hopkins University’ Center for a Livable Future who  takes a deep dive into agriculture research, practices, and policies impacting farm communities and quality of life. Martin discusses findings from his work with the PEW Commission, investigating the negative impact of concentrated animal feeding operations on air, and water quality and antibiotic resistance "Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America." He also describes policy and funding changes, as well as personal actions to improve our food system and public health.Related website:  https://clf.jhsph.edu/about-us/staff/bob-martin 

Did you know that there’s a price to pay for increasing food production without regard to planetary impact?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kevin Walker, Ph.D., author of The Grand Food Bargain and the Mindless Drive for More. Walker discusses the myths and consequences of our industrial food system, and names animal agriculture (CAFOs) as particularly detrimental to our environment and public health. Walker explains the risk of taking food for granted.  We’ve equated abundance to food security, but the loss of biodiversity, and focus on selling more calories, has reduced nutritional quality and increased our risk for food scarcity. Nature ranked Walker’s book as one of their top ten books of 2019.Related website:   https://islandpress.org/books/grand-food-bargain 

Did you know that photographers use special techniques to create mouth-watering food images? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andrew Scrivani, NY Times food photographer, and author of That Photo Makes Me Hungry: Photographing Food for Fun & Profit. Scrivani will discuss his career, and describe the techniques he uses to create enticing images of real food. Scrivani’s book not only reveals the photographer’s inside tips, but provides a “self-help” element to encourage other food photographers to create their best work yet.Related website:   www.andrewscrivani.com 

Did you know that the American Public Health Association has called for a moratorium on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) because of risk to public health and the environment? See: https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2020/01/13/precautionary-moratorium-on-new-and-expanding-concentrated-animal-feeding-operations   Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Terry Spence, livestock farmer based in northeast Missouri, and Executive Director of the Socially Responsible Agricultural Project. Spence describes how his life changed after 80,000 hogs moved in next door to his family farm. He now works nationally on policies to protect the environment, quality of life, and human health. Spence discusses environmental regulations, citizen rights, and farm practices and policy.  Spence frequently speaks on panels following screenings of the new documentary film, “Right to Harm:” https://righttoharm.film/Related website:   https://sraproject.org/ 

Did you know that there are at least 4,700 highly fluorinated chemicals, often called “PFAS” in many everyday consumer products, and that these chemicals pose harm to human health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Laurel Schaider, Ph.D., Research Scientist at the Silent Spring Institute. Schaider discusses water contamination from PFAS chemicals, and the consumer products that contain them, including: non-stick cookware, grease-proof food packaging, and even dental floss.  For a map of the U.S. with identified PFAS contamination see: https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/2019_pfas_contamination/map/Related website:   https://silentspring.org/project/everyday-exposures-pfas-chemicals  

Did you know that dieting can lead to disordered eating? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with James Greenblatt, M.D., author of “Integrative Medicine for Binge Eating.”  Greenblatt discusses how dieting and food deprivation can lead to disordered eating, and the role of media, sleep, stress and exercise on appetite and binge eating disorders.  He describes the benefits of mindfulness, exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy in treatment.Related website:   https://www.jamesgreenblattmd.com/

Did you know that eating well is one of the most important ways we can feel and look our best? However, navigating popular diets and food and nutrition media messages can be confusing.  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her light-hearted but practical interview with Mary Donkersloot, R.D., host of Mary’s Smart Eating Show. Donkersloot discusses some of the most popular eating trends and recommendations from the past year including red meat warnings, keto diets, gut health, and more.  If you want to start the next decade on the road to better health, tune in.Related website:   http://marydonkersloot.com/smart-eating-show/ 

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 

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/