Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that it’s easier than you might think to meet protein needs on vegetarian diets? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brenda Davis, RD, plant-based diet expert and author of Plant Powered Protein: Nutrition Essentials and Dietary Guidelines for All Ages. Davis discusses the multiple health benefits of plant-based diets and describes how to easily meet protein and other nutrient needs. She also discusses the new (and unique) Canadian Food Guide: https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/Related website: www.plant-poweredprotein.com

Did you know that intermittent fasting can improve non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and other metabolic disorders related to obesity? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Krista Varady, Ph.D., award-winning researcher and Professor of Nutrition at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Varady discusses the most effective methods of intermittent fasting.Related website: https://www.instagram.com/drkristavarady/

Did you know that POTS - postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome – is increasingly seen as a component of Long Covid? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Cheryl Harris, MS, RD, who discusses her article on diet and exercise therapy to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.Related website: https://www.jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(22)00342-2/fulltext

Did you know that children’s literature can teach important lessons about our shared environment and the food system? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Katherine Pryor, award-winning children’s book author and “good” food advocate discusses her latest title: Spring is for Strawberries, which helps children understand the value of seasonal eating.Related website: https://katherinepryor.com/

Did you know that the misuse of antibiotics can disrupt our gut microbiome, and contribute to a range of diseases? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Steven Lawrence, award-winning film maker and co-producer of the documentary, The Invisible Extinction. Lawrence discusses his personal experience with the side effects of antibiotics, and the making of a film that takes audiences on a global journey to understand the far-reaching impacts of our gut microbiome on health and disease, as well as the creation of a microbial preservation vault.Related website: https://www.theinvisibleextinction.com/

Did you know that essentially all humans have PFAS compounds in their systems? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Steven Lasee, Ph.D., environmental toxicologist, and analytical chemist, who describes how and where PFAS enter our environment, and us. Lasee’s research discovered that some pesticides contain PFAS as part of their hidden “inert” ingredients.Related website: www.laseeconsulting.com

Did you know that climate change affects both mental and physical health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Susan Clayton, Ph.D., social psychologist, Whitmore-Williams Professor of Psychology at The College of Wooster (Ohio), and lead author of the chapter on “Health, Wellbeing, and the Changing Structure of Communities,” in the U.N.’s Sixth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) . Clayton discusses “eco-anxiety,” psychological impacts, resilience, communication and hope in the face of climate change.Related website: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-ii/ https://ecoamerica.org/

Did you know that disruptions in the infant microbiome can lead to lifelong illness? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Maria Gloria Dominguez Bello, PH.D., Henry Rutgers Professor of Microbiome and Health, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, and of Anthropology at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Dominguez Bello discusses her microbiome research that focuses on birth, and breastfeeding, and the impact of practices that reduce microbial transmission or disrupt the microbiota, as well as strategies for restoration. Her research was featured in the documentary film, The invisible Extinction. She also spearheaded the creation of an international microbiota vault to safeguard microbes that may help cure chronic illnesses in the future.Related website: https://www.microbiotavault.org/ https://www.theinvisibleextinction.com/

Did you know that the overuse of antibiotics can disrupt our microbiome, and contribute to diseases such as asthma, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Martin Blaser, M.D., Henry Rutgers Chair of the Human Microbiome at Rutgers University, author of Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues, and featured in the documentary film, Invisible Extinction. Blaser discusses the relationship between the human microbiome, health and disease, and the cumulative effects of exposure to antibiotics.Related website: https://www.theinvisibleextinction.com/

Did you know that most synthetic pesticides are petroleum-based? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Margaret Reeves, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at the Pesticide Action Center of North America. Reeves discusses the Pesticide Action Network’s new report: “Pesticides and Climate Change: A vicious cycle.” She describes how pesticides contribute to climate change and explains the smoke and mirrors behind some “climate smart” terms and practices. Related website: Report “Pesticides and Climate Change: A vicious cycle:” https://www.panna.org/resources/pesticides-and-climate-change-vicious-cycle-report and webinars: https://www.panna.org/resources/webinar-recording-pesticides-and-climate-change

Did you know that the herbicides, dicamba and 2,4-D, increasing sprayed on genetically engineered commodity crops (soy, cotton, corn) can drift from agricultural applications, as well as lawn chemical use, and harm our trees, native plants, home gardens, and greater ecosystem? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Robbie Doerhoff, Forest Entomologist with MO Dept. of Conservation, for a discussion about how two specific herbicides are wreaking havoc on our environment, and therefore our health. The See the Xerces Society’s report, “Drifting Towards Disaster,” for more information: https://www.xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/20-021.pdfRelated website: Dicamba/2,4-D & Trees: Old Herbicides Causing New Problems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdxeoX2QobY

Did you know that climate change effects our natural environment and food system? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with David Abazs, organic farmer, and Executive Director of the Northeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnership at the U. of MN. Abazs defines “agrophenology” and explains how climate change impacts our landscape and food system. He provides examples of the importance of learning to carefully observe naturally occurring events in our ecosystem. He also describes the Forest Assisted Migration Project: https://extension.umn.edu/rsdp-happenings/climate-smart-trees-take-root-northeast-minnesota.Related website: Round River Farm:https://www.round-river.com/

Did you know that knowing our watershed, and understanding water and nitrogen cycles is key to sustainable food and farming methods? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jeanne Heuser, award winning citizen activist, and former Technical Information Specialist with the US. Geological Survey. From hospice, Heuser reflects on her life’s work to protect watersheds, our food system, and encourage local engagement. Her regional work in the state of MO, with the Moniteau County Neighbors Alliance can serve as a national model. See: : www.MCNAmissouri.orgRelated website: https://www.usgs.gov/

Did you know that sales of non-GMO verified products continue to grow in consumer popularity and sales? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Megan Westgate, Executive Director of the non-profit Non-GMO Project. Westgate explains what the non-GMO Project’s butterfly label tells consumers, why the verification matters, and how the FDA’s label for “bioengineered” food is confusing and misleading to consumers who want to avoid GMO food ingredients. Westgate emphasizes consumer power in the marketplace to shape our food system and create a more resilient future.Related website: www.nonGMOproject.org

Did you know that gender influences agricultural research and practice? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Hale Ann Tufan, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science with an adjunct appointment in the Department of Global Development at Cornell University. Tufan’s work focuses on gender equity and social inclusion. She discusses the roles and cultural positioning of men and women in agriculture, science, and health, and women’s disproportionate vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change. See related United Nations report: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/02/explainer-how-gender-inequality-and-climate-change-are-interconnectedRelated website: https://cals.cornell.edu/hale-ann-tufan#about

Did you know that the way in which issues are framed in the media influences how they are understood and acted upon? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jillian Fry, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Towson University (MD), where she researches the intersection of public health, the food system, and environmental sustainability. Fry discusses her research paper, “A Tale of Two Urgent Food System Challenges: Comparative Analysis of Approaches to Reduce High-Meat Diets and Wasted Food as Covered in U.S. Newspapers.” She describes the differences in media framing of these two issues, which are critical in mitigating climate change.Related website: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2022/10/02/journalists-are-making-the-same-mistake-with-food-that-they-made-with-climate-change-scientists-say/?sh=712a121c4299

Did you know that Japanese Americans were denied land ownership because of their nationality? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with David Mas Masumoto, organic farmer, activist, and award-winning writer based in the Central Valley of California. He is best known for his book, Epitaph for a Peach, which won the Julia Child Cookbook award and was a finalist for a James Beard award. In this interview, Masumoto will discuss his latest book, a memoir titled: Secret Harvests: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm, published by Red Hen Press. Masumoto describes the story of his long lost aunt, the immigrant and farmworker struggles, and the history of Japanese-American internment during World War II.Related website: https://www.masumoto.com/

Did you know that bottle bills have the potential to reduce the waste stream significantly, yet only nine states have beverage container deposit programs in place? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nancy Alderman, MES, founder and president of Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), a non-profit organization composed of physicians and public health professionals who are dedicated to protecting human health from environmental harms. Alderman discusses the importance of bottle bills in significantly reducing the waste stream. The Container Recycling Institute provides statistics, myths and facts about bottle bills: https://www.container-recycling.org/Related website: www.ehhi.org

Did you know that global food production puts enormous environmental pressure on our planet? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Ben Halpern, Ph.D, marine ecologist and conservation scientist at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara. Halpern discusses his recent paper titled: “The Environmental Footprint of Global Food Production,” and describes four pressures of food production: greenhouse gas emissions, freshwater use, habitat disturbance, nutrient pollution; he also discusses the costs and benefits of “efficient” food production. Related resource: IPCC: https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/chapter/chapter-5/ Related website: The Environmental Footprint of Global Food Production:https://www.rootsofchange.org/wp-content/uploads/Environmental-impact-of-Global-Food-Production.pdf

Did you know that mushrooms are more closely related to animals than plants? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D., internationally renowned botanist, mycologist, research scientist and author of Christopher Hobbs’s Medicinal Mushrooms: The Essential Guide: Boost Immunity, Improve Memory, Fight Cancer, Stop Infection, and Expand Your Consciousness. Hobbs discusses the unique traits and multiple benefits of fungi, from human to planetary health.Related website: www.christopherhobbs.com

Did you know that Black farmers faced grave injustices, racist policies and land loss while attempting to feed their families and communities? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gail Myers, Ph.D., cultural anthropologist and creator and director of the multimedia documentary film project, Rhythms of the Land: A Love Story of Land and Family. Myers discusses her decades of interviewing African American farmers, the “eldest elders,” and shares their philosophies, injustices, and challenges in obtaining and holding onto farmland. Myers captures agrarian legacies and calls her project a “Valentine to generations of Black farmers.” Related website: www.rhythmsoftheland.com

Did you know that many chocolate products contain unsafe levels of cadmium and lead? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tod Cooperman, MD, President, Founder, and Editor-in-Chief at ConsumerLab.com, the leading independent evaluator of dietary supplements and nutritional products. Cooperman discusses Consumer Lab’s chocolate testing results and the dangers of lead and cadmium in relation to beneficial flavanols in chocolate. Cooperman also discusses whether any dietary supplements offer protection against Covid-19, the benefits of masks, and a new report on powdered fruit and vegetable supplements.Related website: www.consumerlab.com

Did you know that organic agriculture is a key to mitigating climate change, building strong rural economies and supporting public health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Lena Brook, M.S., Director, Food Campaigns, Healthy People & Thriving Communities Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Brook defines “organic” agriculture, discusses the new report: “Grow Organic: The Climate, Health and Economic Case for Expanding Organic Agriculture,” and the public policies necessary to support it.Related website: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/lena-brook/new-report-unlocking-potential-organic-agriculture

Did you know that alcohol consumption increases our risk for cancer? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nigel Brockton, Ph.D., Director of Research at The American Institute for Cancer Research. Brockton dives into the research explaining how and why specific nutrients impact cancer risk, with an emphasis on the role of inflammation, and alcohol. Tune in for supporting information for “dry January” and to find out if you are practicing cancer prevention.Related website: https://www.aicr.org/cancer-health-check/

Did you know that many food additives allowed in the U.S. have been banned in the EU? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Thomas Galligan, Ph.D., Principal Scientist for Food Additives and Supplements at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Galligan explains that more than 1800 brand name food products contain titanium dioxide, yet in 2021, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that the cosmetic additive is no longer safe in foods. Galligan describes CSPI’s “Chemical Cuisine Guide,” which ranks food additives from “safe” to “avoid.”Related website: https://www.cspinet.org/page/chemical-cuisine-ratings

Did you know that food is a key intersectional point for health, labor, human rights, agriculture, environment, and climate change? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Alison Cohen, Advocate and Coordinator of the National Right to Food Community of Practice. Cohen exposes false narratives around poverty and hunger, and advocates for a legal framework to protect the right to food.Related website: file:///C:/Users/Dan/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/1QPWI2U5/OP-ED%20White%20House%20Conference%20on%20Hunger%202022%20(1).pdf

Did you know that fiber-rich, plant-based diets are key to wellness? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jill Nussinow, M.S., R.D., a.k.a. “The Veggie Queen,” culinary educator and author of multiple cookbooks. Nussinow describes the health benefits of organic, seasonal, high-fiber, whole food plant-based eating, the ease of speedy pressure cooking, and how adopting a breathing practice can enhance digestion and improve health and energy in the New Year. Hint: put mushrooms, beans and fermented foods on your food resolution list, and try the simple breathing exercise Nussinow describes.Related website: https://www.theveggiequeen.com/

Did you know that microplastics have infested every corner of Earth, from the highest mountains to the deepest seas? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Matt Simon, journalist, staff writer at Wired, and author of A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies (https://islandpress.org/author/matt-simon ). Simon describes the “unbearable burden” of this insidious pollutant on our personal and planetary health, and ways we can work to curtail its production.Related website: http://www.mattsimon.net/

Did you know that the most popular New Year’s resolutions include losing weight and exercising more? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Theresa Stahl, Registered Dietitian certified in mind body medicine, and author of I’m Full: Remindful Eating Tips to Feel Great and Make Peace with Your Plate. Stahl describes her personal struggles with eating, explains how to embrace mindfulness, and shares insights from her decades of working with patients to help us reach our New Year goals, and enjoy safe and nourishing holidays.Related website: https://www.remindfuleating.com/

Did you know that restaurant workers have united to correct unfair labor practices in the workplace? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Teofilo Reyes, Ph.D., Chief Program Officer for Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. Reyes describes the major unfair labor practices among restaurant and food service workers, including wage theft, poverty wages, and lack of access to health care and time-off for rest and recovery. He discusses the stress of Covid, the basic tenets of the Restaurant Workers Bill of Rights. and how we can offer support.Related website: https://rocunited.org/bill-of-rights/

Did you know that most plastic packaging is not recyclable? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Martin Bourque, Executive Director, the Ecology Center, based in Berkeley, CA with international reach. Bourque pulls back the curtain on plastic recycling myths and describes meaningful policy action we can take to reduce plastic’s toxic footprint on our planet.Related website: https://ecologycenter.org/https://upstreamsolutions.org/ https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/

Did you know that pesticide drift is a widespread, largely invisible problem that disproportionately harms racially marginalized, Indigenous, and working-class communities? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jill Lindsey Harrison, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Colorado – Boulder, and author of Pesticide Drift and the Pursuit of Environmental Justice (MIT Press). Harrison discusses the plight of poor agricultural workers, and the pesticide industries’ marketing strategies, and influence on educational institutions and regulatory agencies.Related website: https://www.colorado.edu/geography/jill-lindsey-harrison

Did you know that all the feeding assistance programs in the world won’t solve the root cause of hunger, which is poverty? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mark Winne, community food activist, writer, and Senior Advisor to the Food Policy Networks Project at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, for his discussion of the recent White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, and his recent blog post on the conference: https://www.markwinne.com/the-white-house-hunger-conference-dispatch-from-a-man-who-wasnt-there/ Winne shares his expertise in hunger and food insecurity, describes food systems, and explains what was missing from the recent White House Conference. He addresses the benefits and pitfalls of SNAP – the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program, and steps we can take to improve our food system, food security and health. His most recent book, Food Town USA (Island Press, 2019), explores communities in which food has been at the heart of healthy economic growth.Related website: www.markwinne.com

Did you know that home gardeners have a critical role in helping to conserve the biodiversity of crops, which is crucial in combatting climate change? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Adam Alexander, award-winning film and television producer, and author of The Seed Detective: Uncovering the Secret Histories of Remarkable Vegetables (Chelsea Green 2022). Alexander discusses his true passion: collecting rare, endangered, but above all, delicious vegetables from around the world. He explores the social and cultural relationships we have with what we grow, and explains why and how vegetables have become lost or extinct. You can watch Alexander’s entertaining videos here: The adventures of a seed detective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHbaJ80X_Jk Related website: https://theseeddetective.co.uk/

Did you know that large-scale off-shore marine finfish aquaculture operations pose a risk to our ocean commons? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andrianna Natsoulas, Campaign Director, Don’t Cage Our Oceans, a national coalition working to protect our ocean commons from the risks of off-shore marine finfish aquaculture operations. Natsoulas describes industrial off-shore aquaculture operations, who profits from them, and the feed and medications that impact both fish quality and our natural ocean environment. Natsoulas also provides tips on choosing sustainable, wild-caught (vs. farmed) fish.Related website: https://dontcageouroceans.org/

Did you know that most poultry sold in supermarkets is produced by an unjust “tournament system” that pits farmer against farmer? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Aaron Johnson, Program Manager for Challenging Corporate Power at Rural Advancement Foundational International – USA (RAFI-USA), a non-profit organization based in North Carolina that challenges the root causes of unjust food systems, and supports and advocates for economically, racially, and ecologically just farm communities. Johnson describes vertical integration within the poultry industry, how “tournament systems” exploit poultry farmers, and how banks and taxpayers support this unjust system. Importantly, Johnson helps us rethink cultural narratives on regulation. The film, “Under Contract,” takes us behind the scenes to understand the lives of contract poultry farmers: https://rafiusa.org/undercontractfilm/Related website: https://www.rafiusa.org/programs/challenging-corporate-power/

Did you know that most food labels are tightly regulated by FDA? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Lauren Swann, Registered Dietitian and food label regulation expert. The two will discuss areas of confusion, trends, and the finer points of evolving food labels and their role in consumer education, marketing, and protecting public health. For FDA labeling information see: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition.Related website: Food & Nutrition Label; Dietary Supplement & Menu Labeling & Advertising: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/158141/

Did you know that fracking, and other methods of fossil fuel extraction and production puts farm land, water quality and public health at risk? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Taylor Brorby, author, poet, essayist, environmentalist and author of Boys and Oil: Growing up Gay in a Fractured Land. Brorby discusses the impact of the expansion of the fossil fuel industry into his home state of North Dakota, the calculated pitting of pipeline supporters against environmentalists, and his essay in Orion Magazine https://orionmagazine.org/article/diabetes-disability-fossil-fuels/ which brings into focus the relationship between personal and planetary health.Related website: www.taylorbrorby.com

Did you know that bottled water purchases can predict political involvement? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Manny Teodoro, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and lead author of The Profits of Distrust: Citizen-Consumers, Drinking Water, and the Crisis of Confidence in American Government. Teodoro discusses the connections between the rise of the commercial drinking water industry, distrust in and failure of government, and broader withdrawal from civic life. Teodoro has served on expert advisory panels to state governments, UNICEF/World Health Organization, the American Water Works Association, and dozens of local governments. He works directly with government, community, and industry leaders to improve water affordability, equity, and regulatory implementation. He is a member of the Water and Health Advisory Council: https://wateradvisory.org/ and addressed the Third Coast Water Conference (3/31/21), speaking on “Confidence in American institutions and the Rise of Bottled Water”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OL8R0082OsRelated website: www.mannyteodoro.com

Did you know that the herbicide glyphosate can cross the blood-brain barrier, resulting in an increase of neuro-inflammation? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Ramon Velazquez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the School of Life Sciences, and Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University. Velaquez discusses his new published research on the effects of glyphosate on the brains of mice, showing that it may increase the risk of neurodegenerative disorders. “Glyphosate infiltrates the brain and increases pro-inflammatory cytokine TNFα: implications for neurodegenerative disorders.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35897073/ He also discusses the role of choline in cognitive health and how it may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.Related website: https://velazquezlab-asu.github.io/index.html

Did you know that Monsanto knew PCBs were harmful to public health, but continued to profit from their sale? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Bart Elmore, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Environmental History, core faculty member of the Sustainability Institute at the Ohio State University, and award-winning author of Citizen Coke: The Making of Coca-Cola Capitalism (W. W. Norton, 2015) and Seed Money: Monsanto’s Past and Our Food Future(W. W. Norton, 2021). Elmore describes how he gained access to archival documents showing how Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) profited by exploiting labor and natural resources, and continues to do so today with GMO crops designed to sell an increasing number of damaging herbicides. Related website: https://www.bartelmore.com/

Did you know that pasture-based animal agriculture differs vastly from industrial feedlots? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jenn Wheeling, holistic rancher and regenerative farmer. Wheeling is one of several siblings who live and operate agricultural enterprises on James Ranch in Durango, CO. She describes a resilient regional food system that feeds her community and contributes to the region’s environmental and economic well-being.Related website: https://jamesranch.net/

Did you know that insulin resistance increases risk for chronic diseases? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Barry Boyd, MD, MS, integrative oncologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Yale Cancer Center. Boyd discusses his focus on nutritional support in cancer prevention and treatment, insulin resistance and glyphosate-related cancers.Related website: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1534735403259152

Did you know that children who bring non-traditional foods in their lunch boxes can face bullying at school? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Joshua David Stein, food writer, restaurant critic, and children’s book author. Stein describes his work writing and performing children’s books. Lunch From Home, his most recent title, describes “lunch box moments” as faced by the lead characters (real professional chefs) when they were children. Stein explores the sensitive topics of cultural foods and how children react to “strange” food. A perfect back-to-school read to help children navigate their school cafeterias, embrace cultural differences and explore ethnic foods.Related website: https://www.thebandbooks.com/; www.joshuadavidstein.com

Did you know that over 600 U.S. prisons include agricultural activities of some kind? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Joshua Sbicca, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Prison Agriculture Lab at Colorado State University. He is also co-author with Ashante Reese of “Food and carcerality: From confinement to abolition.” (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358186429_Food_and_carcerality_From_confinement_to_abolition) Sbicca explains that plantation labor has never really gone away, and dives into the forms of unseen agriculture as it exists today in the “criminal punishment” system, and discusses who stands to profit from the agri-carceral industrial complex. He also describes his unique and collaborative Prison Agriculture Lab project which includes maps, stories and more.Related website: https://prisonagriculture.com/

Did you know that the United Nations has declared plastic pollution a global crisis? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sarah King, M.S., Head of Greenpeace Canada's Oceans and Plastics campaign. King exposes the fossil fuel industry’s dependence on plastic for profit, its connection to our global climate crisis, and the myth of plastic recycling. She also discusses the potential impact of Canada’s commitment to ban single-use plastics (See: https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/press-release/52311/global-plastics-treaty-mandate-pivotal-step-to-end-plastic-pollution/ ) and how we can grow the reuse – refill, zero-waste movement.Related website: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/what-you-need-know-about-plastic-pollution-resolution

Did you know that early home economists were advocates for justice and revolutionary scientists? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Danielle Dreilinger, award winning journalist and author of The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live (W. W. Norton). Dreilinger discusses the origins of home economics, the broad scope of the profession, its name changes, and why this area of study and work remains critically important in benefiting society today.Related website: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324004493

Did you know that harvested rainwater can be used in arid regions of the world to support food-bearing shade trees, abundant gardens, and a thriving landscape that provides wildlife habitat, beauty, medicinal plants, and more? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brad Lancaster, rainwater harvester, permaculturist, regenerative design consultant and award-winning author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond. Lancaster describes how he captures rain and grey water, and thereby transformed his community, reduced temperatures, and improved health.Related website: https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/

Did you know that our food and agricultural practices can have either a beneficial or detrimental impact on the global climate crisis? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kari Hamerschlag, Deputy Director of Friends of the Earth’s Food and Agriculture Program and the Climate-Friendly Food Program. Hamerschlag discusses findings from the “Farming for the Future” Report which explains the connections between food, agriculture and climate change, and agroecological solutions. (See: https://1bps6437gg8c169i0y1drtgz-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/legacy/FOE_Farming_for_the_Future_Final.pdf ). She also describes the multiple benefits of climate-friendly schools meals, including cost-savings to school districts. (Part 2 of 2)Related website: “Shrinking the Carbon and Water Foot Print of School Food: A Recipe for Combating Climate Change:” https://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/webiva_fs_2/FOE_FoodPrintExecSumm_7.pdf

Did you know that The UN Secretary-General has called the climate crisis a “code red” warning for humanity, yet multinational development banks (MDBs) continue to pump public money into climate-unfriendly industrial animal agriculture? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kari Hamerschlag, Deputy Director of Friends of the Earth’s Food and Agriculture Program and the Climate-Friendly Food Program. Hamerschlag discusses her research on multinational development banks, and their role in funding industrial livestock operations (CAFOs), thereby ignoring warnings from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification. Both the IPCC and the U.N. advise transforming and scaling back greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from CAFOs in order to build resiliency and reach Paris climate goals. (Part 1)Related website: https://foodtank.com/news/2022/06/public-banks-are-breaking-their-climate-pledges/