Did you know that if pesticides are used anywhere in a community, those pesticides can end up in ground water shared by that community? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nancy Alderman, Founder and President of Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of human health from environmental harms through research, education and the promotion of sound public policy. Alderman describes...
Mar 04, 2022•28 min•Ep. 660
Did you know that U.S. consumers spend more on health care than they do on food? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jeff Tkach, Chief Impact Officer at the non-profit Rodale Institute. Tkach describes the Rodale Institute’s new free, on-demand consumer course on regenerative organic food and farming. He defines “regenerative organic agriculture,” and explains the multiple health benefits of organic food and farming for our environment...
Feb 25, 2022•28 min•Ep. 659
Did you know that plastic breaks down in our environment and enters our water, air, food chain and bodies? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gaboury Benoit, Ph.D., Environmental Chemist at Yale University, and author of “ Plastics and Microplastics: A Threat to the Environment and Health.” Benoit discusses the fate of microplastics, potential adverse effects on soil and human health, and why it is critical to choose anything but plas...
Feb 18, 2022•28 min•Ep. 658
Did you know that industrial agriculture and factory farms negatively impact rural communities’ water, air and quality of life? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sherri Dugger, Executive Director of the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project. Dugger defines “socially responsible agriculture,” discusses industrial farming myths, and describes how SRAP works in partnership with rural communities to oppose concentrated animal feeding ...
Feb 11, 2022•28 min•Ep. 657
Did you know that what we eat can not only affect our own personal health, but that of our planet as well? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dana Ellis Hunnes, R.D., MPH, Ph.D., dietitian and faculty member at UCLA https://ph.ucla.edu/faculty/hunnes who discusses her book: Recipe for Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life. (Cambridge U. Press). Hunnes reflects on her dietetics profession,...
Feb 04, 2022•28 min•Ep. 656
Did you know that 50 years have passed since the first edition of Diet for a Small Planet was published? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Frances Moore Lappé, activist and author of Diet for a Small Planet . Lappe discusses her life’s work; the connections between democracy, world hunger, and our environment, and shares insights gained during the fifty years since the first edition of her book reached more than 3 million readers and...
Jan 28, 2022•28 min•Ep. 655
Did you know that less than 10% of all the plastic ever made has been recycled? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Erica Cirino, science writer, artist, and author of Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis (Island Press, 2021). Cirino describes her 24 day ocean voyage during which she witnessed extensive plastic pollution, the plastic crisis facing our planet, and the environmental and public health costs as...
Jan 21, 2022•28 min•Ep. 654
Did you know that January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and in all likelihood, we consume the products of slavery every day? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Anne Ross, attorney with Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services, Charleston, S.C. Ross discusses human trafficking and forced labor in food and agriculture industries. Today’s globalized supply chains make it is almost impossible to avoid goods or services free of...
Jan 14, 2022•28 min•Ep. 653
Did you know that food labels can mislead us into thinking processed and packaged foods and beverages are healthier than they might appear? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Eva Greenthal, MS, MPH, Senior Science Policy Associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Greenthal discusses the Food Labeling Modernization Act and the food labeling confusion and loopholes it attempts to correct. Greenthal and Hemmelgarn expose...
Jan 07, 2022•28 min•Ep. 652
Did you know that industries use a variety of tactics to manipulate public opinion about products that can harm our health and environment? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Laura Vandenberg, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs within the School of Public Health & Health Sciences, and Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. Vandenberg’s resear...
Dec 31, 2021•28 min•Ep. 651
Did you know that many physicians are joining with dietitians to help their patients eat well? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dr. Reshma Shah, M.D., MPH, board-certified pediatrician, and co-author of the award-winning book, Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families , co-authored with Registered Dietitian, Brenda Davis. Shah has over two decades of experience caring for children and recognizes the many chall...
Dec 24, 2021•28 min•Ep. 650
Did you know that less than 10% of plastic is recycled? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Alexis Goldsmith, National Organizing Director at Beyond Plastics. Goldsmith discusses the myths of plastic “recycling,” plastic’s connection to climate change and how plastic creates global environmental and public health disasters. Related website: https://www.beyondplastics.org/plastics-and-climate...
Dec 17, 2021•28 min•Ep. 649
Did you know that the majority of farmers struggle to make a living? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Beth Hoffman, journalist and author of Bet the Farm: Dollars and Sense of Growing Food in America (Island Press, 2021). Hoffman describes the little known hard economic realities of farming and exposes myths we’ve been fed about American agriculture. Her book offers potential solutions to achieve truly resilient and sustainable farm...
Dec 10, 2021•28 min•Ep. 648
Did you know that Danone North America, owner of Horizon Organic, dropped its contracts with 89 organic dairies in New England and Upstate New York? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Edward Maltby, Executive Director of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance. Maltby discusses the benefits of organic food and farming, the plight of dairy farmers, and the impact of lost contracts on farm families and regional economies. Related...
Dec 03, 2021•28 min•Ep. 647
Did you know that our perceptions of how and what we eat are influenced by our culture? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Melanie Joy, PhD, psychologist and author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows . Joy specializes in the psychology of eating animals, social transformation, and relationships. She discusses her theory of carnism , and works to raise awareness of the brutality of factory farms. Related website: www.carnism....
Nov 26, 2021•28 min•Ep. 646
Did you know that child-targeted marketing and excessive screen time undermines kids’ health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Josh Golin, Executive Director of the non-profit , Fairplay: Childhood Beyond Brands (formerly the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood). Golin describes the mission and recent activities and concerns of Fairplay, and strategies to help children thrive despite our increasingly commercialized, screen-obse...
Nov 19, 2021•28 min•Ep. 645
Did you know that human, animal, plant, environment and ecosystem health are all connected? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Laura Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP, co-founder of the global One Health Initiative. Kahn is a physician and research scholar with experience in medicine, public health, and public policy. She fosters systems thinking, taking into account connections between agricultural practices, pandemics and climate change and impact...
Nov 12, 2021•28 min•Ep. 644
Did you know that the stories behind our favorite distilled spirits are largely hidden, and rarely presented on bar menus? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Shanna Farrell, expert in “cocktail culture,” and author of A Good Drink, In Pursuit of Sustainable Spirits. Farrell delves into labeling, ingredients, production, and why and how eco-conscious consumers should include attention to both their food and drink. Her website also incl...
Nov 05, 2021•28 min•Ep. 643
Did you know that the benefits of probiotics are strain specific? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her part 2 interview with Anthony Thomas, Ph.D., nutrition researcher, scientific consultant in the dietary supplement industry, and director of Scientific Affairs at Natreon Inc., a nutraceutical ingredient innovator. Thomas was formerly the Director of Scientific Affairs at Jarrow Formulas, Inc. Thomas continues his explanation of the development of th...
Oct 28, 2021•28 min•Ep. 642
Did you know that the microbes in and on our body significantly contribute to our health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Anthony Thomas, Ph.D., nutrition researcher, scientific consultant in the dietary supplement industry, and director of Scientific Affairs at Natreon Inc., a nutraceutical ingredient innovator. He was formerly the Director of Scientific Affairs at Jarrow Formulas, Inc. Thomas discusses the influence of diet and a...
Oct 22, 2021•28 min•Ep. 641
Did you know that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 98 percent of Americans have trace amounts of PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in their bodies? And that PFAS reduce vaccine effectiveness? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sydney Evans, MPH Science Analyst, Environmental Working Group. Evans discusses PFAS, a toxic “forever chemical” and tap water contaminant that has been linked to cancer, thy...
Oct 15, 2021•28 min•Ep. 640
Did you know that black currants were once illegal to grow in the U.S.? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Greg Quinn, owner of Walnut Grove Farm in Clinton, NY where he grows and produces a variety of black currant products. Once a “forbidden fruit,” Quinn describes the steps he took to make it legal to produce currants in NY State, and explains why their production was forbidden and still restricted in some states. The small dark be...
Oct 07, 2021•28 min•Ep. 639
Did you know that global palm oil production is decimating rainforests, polluting water and harming farmworker health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jocelyn C. Zuckerman, former deputy editor of Gourmet magazine , and James Beard award winning feature writer, who discusses her book, Planet Palm: How Palm Oil Ended Up In Everything – and Endangered the World. (The New Press) Palm oil has become ubiquitous in highly processed diets...
Sep 30, 2021•28 min•Ep. 638
Did you know that food and food production are central to our discussion about climate change? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tom Philpott, food and agriculture correspondent for Mother Jones , and author of Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It . Philpott focuses on two key areas of U.S. food production: California and the Midwest, and these regions’ water scarcity and soil degradatio...
Sep 24, 2021•28 min•Ep. 637
Did you know that young people worldwide are working to mitigate climate change, clean up their environment and create a more sustainable, livable world for future generations? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Marianne Larned, Founding Director of the Stone Soup Leadership Institute and author of Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life Changing Stories of Young Heroes . Larned shares stories of stand-out youth leaders and describes...
Sep 16, 2021•28 min•Ep. 636
Did you know that poppy seeds used in baking come from the same plant that produces opiates, including morphine and codeine? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sarah Sorscher, J.D., MPH, Deputy Director of Regulatory Affairs, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Sorscher explains that the poppy plant cannot be legally grown in the United States, so all poppy seeds sold in this country are imported. While the seeds themsel...
Sep 09, 2021•28 min•Ep. 635
Did you know that chronic wounds (those that have not healed in 12 weeks) affect approximately 6.5 million patients in the U.S. annually? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nancy Collins, Ph.D., R.D., a registered dietitian who is certified in wound care, and is known nationally for her expertise in the complex relationship between malnutrition, body composition, and tissue regeneration. From surgical scars to gunshot wounds, diabetic...
Sep 03, 2021•28 min•Ep. 634
Did you know that most cropland in the U.S. is characterized by large monocultures, whose productivity is maintained with costly inputs, such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and that this over-simplification of our of our food system contributes to climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jonathan Lundgren, Ph.D., Director and Founder of Blue Dasher Farm and the Ecdysis Foundation. Lu...
Aug 27, 2021•28 min•Ep. 633
Did you know that August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month and August 25th-31st is Black Breastfeeding Week? https://www.facebook.com/BlackBreastfeedingWeek/ Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kimberly Seals Allers, journalist, author and advocate for equity in maternal and infant health. Seals Allers discusses the economics, politics and culture of breastfeeding in America and the specific challenges faced by women of color. Seals All...
Aug 19, 2021•28 min•Ep. 632
Did you know that industrial agriculture is economically flawed, and survives by externalizing its costs to taxpayers, while spending billions of dollars on myth-based marketing campaigns? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Emily Miller, Research and Policy Manager at the Family Farm Action Alliance, and lead author of the report: “The Truth About Industrial Agriculture: A Fragile System Propped up by Myths and Hidden Costs.” Miller d...
Aug 12, 2021•28 min•Ep. 631
