Edible Empire

Andrew Barnes is an innovator, entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of 4 Day Week Global . Andrew has made a career of market-changing innovation and industry digitisation, most recently in 2018 in New Zealand, where he piloted the 4-day week concept in his own business, Perpetual Guardian . The astounding results made waves around the world and sparked a global movement. Andrew’s staff were h...

In this express episode, Ben and Emma share some exciting news about The Lentil Intervention and our expanded focus and direction for the future. We’re now a registered charity in New Zealand and have plans for more community outreach, so watch this space! We’ve also overhauled our website and added a bunch of new resources, so we’d love for you to check it all out. We also check in with a few gue...

Dr Mark Messina is the President of Nutrition Matters Inc , an adjunct associate professor at Loma Linda University and the Executive Director of the Soy Nutrition Institute . Mark is a former programme director with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the United States, and while at the NCI he initiated a multi-million dollar research programme on the anticancer effects of soy. Mark has spent...

Jasmine Duthie and Anton Leach of Jagged Peak Films are two of the passionate team members behind Lion, Bones & Bullets , a powerful new feature documentary exposing an elaborate wildlife con, centred around the lion farming industry in South Africa. Jasmine worked as Producer, Editor and Writer, and Anton worked as Director, Executive Producer and Director of Photography on this three-year pr...

Professor Ian Shaw is highly regarded as an international expert on food safety, with extensive expertise in food chemical residues and their impact on human health. Ian leads the Toxicology Research Group at the University of Canterbury and has over 20 years of experience in academia, industry and government, which includes presenting at two TEDx talks , chairing the UK Pesticide Residues Committ...

Susan Scott and Bonné De Bod of Scott & De Bod Films are two passionate filmmakers based in South Africa. Susan and Bonné joined forces to bring to life their critically acclaimed documentary STROOP – journey into the rhino horn war . What started as a six-month project turned into a four-year filming odyssey as Susan and Bonné peeled back the complex layers of the rhino poaching trade, realis...

In this episode, we bring you the recording of Dr Rob Wilks’ Evidence Based Eating NZ lecture. Rob is a GP based in Motueka and here he discusses his experience of being a plant-based GP in a pro-meat world, touching on the challenges of discussing diet in general practice and treating gut health and common ailments with diet. Over the coming months, Evidence Based Eating NZ is delivering a series...

In this episode, we bring you the recording of Dr Wayne Hurlow 's lecture, a GP based in Nelson. Here he discusses the turn-around success that is possible through the CHIP programme . Wayne details how Obesity, Diabetes and Heart Disease can be successfully treated through a whole foods plant-based diet. Over the coming months, Evidence Based Eating NZ is delivering a series of health-focuse...

In this episode, we bring you the recording of Professor Julia Rucklidge ’s lecture. Julia is a Professor of Clinical Psychology in the School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing at the University of Canterbury and co-author of a recently released book The Better Brain . Here Julia discusses building a better brain; the foods and nutrients for optimal mental health. Over the coming months, Evidence...

Kennedy Zakeer is a successful account director whose life trajectory changed in 2016, after a harrowing experience working with orphaned rhinos in South Africa. Kennedy now splits her time between the corporate world and saving rhinos in Africa, having established the Council of Contributors , a 501c3 organisation that raises funds to support ‘boots on the ground’ and ‘eyes in the sky’ organisati...

Dr Diana Bogueva is a professional journalist, Research Associate and Adjunct Fellow at Curtin University and is also centre manager at the Centre for Advanced Food Enginomics at The University of Sydney. Diana has a strong interest in meat consumption reduction, food sustainability, social marketing and consumer behaviour change, after conducting her PhD on these topics. What we choose to eat and...

In this episode, we talk with Ryan Alexander, the co-founder and managing director of No Meat May , a registered charity that challenges people to eliminate meat from their diets for the month of May for 4 big reasons; environment, health, animals and food systems. From humble beginnings in 2013, No Meat May has quickly grown into a hugely successful global campaign with over 65,000 participants f...

In this episode, we talk about all things kidney health with Fuchsia Goldsmith, a dietitian based in Auckland. Fuchsia is the founder of Feed Nutrition and serves as Doctors For Nutrition’s lead dietitian for New Zealand’s North Island. Also working as a renal dietitian, Fuchsia is an expert on diet and kidney health. Kidney disease is a leading cause of premature death in developed countries and...

Dr Martyn Williamson is a General Practitioner from Alexandra in Central Otago, achieving the honour of New Zealand’s Plant-Based Practitioner of the Year in 2019. In addition to his GP work, Martyn is a senior lecturer in the department of general practice and rural health at the University of Otago, is co-founder of Lifestrong Health with his wife Liz, and is a committee member of Evidence Based...

In this express episode, Ben and Emma celebrate Earth Day and share some exciting news about joining the 50by40 network. We dive into some listener questions — Emma discusses tips and tricks for enhancing iron and zinc absorption on a plant-based diet and if oxalates are an issue; Ben delves into some strategies for overcoming shin splints. We discuss some upcoming events of interest by our friend...

Dr Rebecca Van Amber is a Senior Lecturer in Fashion and Textiles at RMIT University in Melbourne and an expert in clothing and textile science. Rebecca is passionate about textile and apparel sustainability, research and development and was the winner of the 2017 H&M Foundation's Global Change Award 's innovation challenge. Typically, when people think about the industry and environ...

Professor Corey Bradshaw is the Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology at Flinders University, where he leads the Global Ecology Laboratory and heads the Flinders Modelling Node of the Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage . Corey was lead author of a recent perspective article titled ‘ Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future ’. This paper discusse...

Professor Alan Brent is Chair in Sustainable Energy Systems at the School of Engineering and Computer Science, Victoria University of Wellington. Alan also holds the position of Extraordinary Professor at Stellenbosch University and is an executive committee member for The Sustainability Society , NZ. His research interests encompass engineering management and sustainable systems, and as an expert...

Boyd Swinburn is a Professor of Population Nutrition and Global Health in the School of Population Health, University of Auckland. Originally trained as an Endocrinologist he is now an eminent public health physician conducting research on community and policy actions to prevent childhood and adolescent obesity, and reduce what he has coined the ‘obesogenic’ food environment. Boyd is Co-Chair of W...

Peter Eastwood is a New Zealand philanthropist, passionate conservationist and founder of Tanglewood Foundation . Peter first ventured into the business world with a small homebrew shop but this soon went from strength to strength. This business success allowed Peter to expand his philanthropic work and support many worthwhile causes - from conservation of wildlife to backing a range of educationa...

Hannah O’Malley is a clinical pharmacist and lifestyle medicine practitioner based in Nelson NZ. Until recently Hannah served as Projects Lead for the health promotion charity Doctors For Nutrition , but has now taken on the challenging role of Events and Education Lead. Hannah also founded The Better Base in 2018, to help people consume more delicious plant-based foods and educate them on the ass...

Dr Catherine Knight is an environmental historian and consultant , award-winning non-fiction author, yoga teacher , and co-founder of Better Futures Forum . Catherine’s most recent book, Nature and Wellbeing in Aotearoa, examines the link between nature and wellbeing and argues for the restoration of ‘neighbourhood nature’. Catherine brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this chat, as we...

In this episode, we are joined by quite the dynamic due; Dr Heleen Roex, and her daughter, Dr Juliette Roex. Heleen is a paediatrician, Food For Life instructor and serves as Chair of Board for Doctors For Nutrition (DFN) – which, by the way, she co-founded! Juliette is currently completing her GP training and serves as South Australian ‘Ambassadoc’ and Lead Student Advisor for DFN. Both doctors a...

Dr Ian Tibbetts is Associate Professor at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland and serves as Director of the Moreton Bay Foundation . He has authored more than 100 journal articles, many of which feature Moreton Bay, and in 2018 Ian was appointed Chair of the Scientific Expert Panel advising the Minister for Fisheries on the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy . Moreton Bay suppo...

Melanie Dixon is a principal ecologist and serves as a trustee and deputy chair for the National Wetland Trust of New Zealand . Wetlands are often undervalued, but are amongst the most productive ecosystems in the world, home to an immense variety of species and acting as important filtration and buffer systems. These ecosystems are also hugely important carbon sinks, storing ~1/3 of the world’s t...