Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that every apple in the supermarket is hand-picked?  And that out of tens of thousands of varieties of apples, only 11 make up 90 percent of the apples sold in grocery stores? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Susan  Futrell, MFA, author of Good Apples: Behind Every  Bite. Futrell discusses apple history, methods of agricultural production, harvesting, marketing, and the value of preserving family orchards across the United States. Related website:  https://susanfutrell.ink 

Did you know that home canning errors can cause serious illness and even death?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Elizabeth Andress, Ph.D., food safety specialist with Georgia Cooperative Extension, and professor in the dept. of Foods and Nutrition at the University of GA, Athens. Andress is the Director of the National Center for Home Food Preservation.  She discusses the history and importance of “home economics,” as well as how to safely preserve high quality, bountiful harvests, and identify risky food preservation practices.  Related website:  https://nchfp.uga.edu/ 

Did you know that thousands of groundwater wells near coal ash dumps across the U.S. contain arsenic, lead, and other toxic pollutants at levels that exceed federal health-based thresholds, and threaten our drinking water?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Donna Marie Lisenby, President,  Riverfox Environmental , which investigates the coal industry. Lisenby works with coalitions around the globe to end the coal industry’s illegal pollution of our water, and dispel the myth of “clean coal.” Lisenby worked extensively with the Waterkeeper Alliance, and was featured in the video, “Clean Coal: Water Pollution at the Light  Switch,” https://vimeo.com/16524532. Related website:  https://ashtracker.org/ 

Did you know that dietary supplement manufacturers—unlike drug companies—do not need to prove that their products are safe and effective before going to market? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with John B. Atwater, Ph.D., Senior Director, Verification Programs, for U.S.  Pharmacopeia.  Atwater describes the process by which USP verifies the quality of dietary supplements, and why consumers should look for the USP verified mark on supplement labels.Related website:  https://www.usp.org/dietary-supplements-herbal-medicines

Did you know that omega-3 fatty acids play a critical role in the treatment of concussions and traumatic brain injuries? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Michael Lewis, M.D., MPH, President and founder of the Brain Health Education and Research Institute: www.brainhealtheducation.org. Lewis is an expert on nutritional interventions for brain health. He discusses the use of omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention, management, and rehabilitation of concussions and traumatic brain injury. Especially critical info during football season.Related website:  www.BrainCARE.center

Did you know that some plant-based and cell-cultured meat alternatives may not be better for our health and environment?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., chief science advisor for GRACE Communications Foundation, who takes a critical look at “fake meat,” vegetable-based, and lab-created meat alternatives. She discusses the health and environmental impact of meat from animals raised conventionally (feed-lot) vs. those raised with regenerative agricultural practices (grazing).  She also discusses ingredients and labeling.Related website:  https://foe.org/resources/from-lab-to-fork/

Did you know that neonicotinoid pesticides are used extensively in conventional agriculture despite their harm to bees and endangered species?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Steve Ellis, Minnesota-based commercial beekeeper and national advocate for curbing the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. Ellis discusses the attack on USDA scientists who studied the effects of neonicotinoids on bees, and why he filed a lawsuit against the US EPA for sanctioning the widespread use of these chemicals in agriculture without adequate consideration of harm to bees and endangered species. In addition to choosing organic food, which prohibits the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, Ellis offers tips for consumers to protect our environment and health.  Related website:  https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/05/09/judge-epa-violated-law-in-approving-products-dangerous-to-bees-butterflies 

Did you know that racism is deeply embedded in our food system? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Leah Penniman, Founding Co-Director of Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, New York, and author of Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land.Penniman discusses the tragedy of racism in our food system, defines “food apartheid,” and provides examples of how USDA discriminated against black farmers.  She is the recipient of the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award, and was interviewed in the July 2019 Sun Magazine Related website:  https://www.soulfirefarm.org/media/farming-while-black/ 

Did you know that gastrointestinal bloating can be caused by a variety of reasons?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tamara Duker Freuman, M.S., R.D., registered dietitian and author of The Bloated Belly Whisperer.  The two will discuss common gastro-intestinal (GI) symptoms, including: bloating, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease. Tune in to discover causes and strategies for managing symptoms and healing. Related website:  https://www.thebloatedbellywhisperer.com/ 

Did you know that soil health is connected to human health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Steven Apfelbaum, Fellow of the Ecological Society of America, Founder and Chairman of Applied Ecological Services, and author of “S” is for Soils!  Apfelbaum discusses life in soil, measures of soil health, and how soil health is connected to human health. He also dispels myths and legends about soil, and discusses the environmental benefits of sustainable meat eating with multi-paddock grazing. Related website:  https://lsrwa.org/news/s-is-for-soils/