Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that more education isn’t enough to help people make better food choices? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with  Leslie Mikkelsen, RD, MPH, Managing Director at the Prevention Institute in Oakland, CA. Mikkelsen explains that our environment, and the public policies that affect the kinds of foods that are accessible, available and affordable, play the most critical role in supporting healthful food choices and preventing chronic disease.  Mikkelsen addresses the role of marketing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab9zbqHJ_p4 ) and the penetration of processed foods in our environment, as well as the role of government policies in shaping our food environment.

Did you know that media (words and images) influence how we think about food, and ourselves? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with  Roy Fox, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Department of Learning, Teaching & Curriculum at the University of Missouri, and author of “Harvesting Minds: How TV Commercials Control Kids.” Fox talks about his groundbreaking study which explored how kids respond to the TV commercials they watched as part of Channel One – commercial programming in public school. After interviewing 200 kids in rural Missouri schools that receive the Channel One broadcast, Fox concludes that such commercials influence kids’ thinking, language, and behavior, shaping them into more active consumers.  Fox will define media literacy, and describe his recent work using writing and imagery to handle trauma.Related website: https://education.missouri.edu/person/royfox/

Did you know that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, is the largest expenditure in our Federal Farm Bill?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Christopher Bosso, Ph.D., professor of public policy and urban affairs at Northeastern University, and author of “Framing the Farm Bill: Interests, Ideology, and the Agricultural Act of 2014.” Bosso explains why food assistance is part of our Farm Bill; he discusses the special interests that influence the bill, how the Farm Bill shapes our food system, and how we can shape the Farm Bill.

Did you know that glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide globally, and decades of scientific research link it to a range of diseases, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Carey Gillam, former senior correspondent for Reuters’ international news service, research director of U.S. Right to Know (www.usrtk.org), and author of “White Wash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science.” Gillam describes what she uncovered, and the challenges she faced, during her years investigating the main ingredient – glyphosate –in Monsanto’s popular herbicide, Round up. Monsanto says its safe. Tune in for the truth.Related website: http://careygillam.com/

Do you know the multiple benefits of organic food and farming systems? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Charles Benbrook, Ph.D., agricultural economist, visiting scholar at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, and member of the Children’s Environmental Health Network  (CEHN) Science Team.  With CEHN, Benbrook and colleagues research the impact of pesticide use on birth outcomes. See: http://cehn-healthykids.org/  He describes the risks of increasing herbicide use, specifically related to genetically engineered herbicide-resistant crops. Benbrook also describes the environmental and public health benefits of pasture-raised, 100% grass and forage-fed organic livestock, specifically increases in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.Related website: http://www.asyousow.org/ays_report/roundup-revealed/

Do you know the difference between “biological” and “conventional” farming? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tom Ruggieri, M.S., engineer, farmer and fermenter. Ruggieri describes the innovative biological farming methods he uses on his Fair Share Farm and CSA outside Kansas City, MO, and the benefits to soil, climate and community health. Fair Share Farm is unique in that it is a “farm to ferment” operation.Related website: http://fairsharefarm.com/

Did you know that our food system can help build social networks and create greater empathy? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Michael Carolan, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University and author of “No One Eats Alone: Food as a Social Enterprise.” Carolan discusses value chains, unintended consequences of  “local” food,  and the crucial human connections in our modern “foodscape.” Carolan explains how we have lost our visceral food and farming knowledge, and describes ways alternative food networks can promote empathy and compassion.Related website: https://islandpress.org/books/no-one-eats-alone

Did you know that there are parallels between the microbial worlds in our gut and the soil? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with David Montgomery, Ph.D., MacArthur Fellow, professor of geomorphology at the U. of Washington, and author of  “The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health.” Montgomery helps us rethink our relationship with the land and soil, connecting the root life of plants to gut health and the mechanisms by which we exchange nutrients and more. He explains the essentiality of bacteria in the human gut to a healthy life, with profound implications for both agriculture and medicine. We are witnessing a revolution in the way we see the microbial world, explains Montgomery, who presented a Keynote lecture at the 35th annual Beyond Pesticides Forum in Minneapolis in April 2017. His presentation is available for viewing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kVEGGJL4Y&t=4sRelated website: www.dig2grow.com

Did you know that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed with diet and exercise? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brenda Davis, R.D., author and international expert on plant-based diets. Davis advocates for diets that are ecologically sustainable and ethically justifiable. She reveals the pitfalls of the popular Paleo diet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUXTzbjGakg), and explains why and how shifting to a plant-based diet has the power to promote longevity and reverse diabetes. Tune in and learn how to fight disease with our forks.Related website: www.brendadavisrd.com

Are you one of approximately 170 million Americans who take dietary supplements? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tod Cooperman, M.D., President, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ConsumerLab.com, an independent tester and evaluator of dietary supplements. He’ll discuss food and supplement safety, and validity behind claims of popular supplements, including those promoted to slow macular degeneration, boost mood, and reduce depression. Tune in for the latest on magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, chocolate safety and more.Related website: www.consumerlab.com