Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that there are many health benefits associated with intermittent fasting?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with registered dietitian, Lori Taylor, who compares and contrasts the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting, and the benefits of eating within a specific window of time every day. Taylor also identifies specific popu...

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 agric...

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 Ho...

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 th...

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...

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 fo...

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...

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 sci...

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...

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 bowe...

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 t...

Did you know that industrial agriculture cannot “feed the world” sustainably? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with John Ikerd, Ph. D., professor emeritus of agricultural economics, University of Missouri-Columbia.  Ikerd discusses the impact and unintended consequences of industrial agriculture on the environment and social fabric of rura...

Did you know that powerful photojournalism can drive public policy to protect public health and promote social and environmental justice?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gabriel Scarlett, 73rd College Photographer of the Year, recognized at the 2019 Picture of the Year Awards at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism. Sca...

Did you know that stereotypes and stigma shape public policy? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Rebecca de Souza, Associate Professor of Communication at the University of MN- Duluth, and author of Feeding the Other: Whiteness, Privilege, and Neoliberal Stigma in Food Pantries (MIT Press). De Souza describes how social narratives, ster...

Did you know that cooperative grocery stores strengthen regional economies and put money and resources back into local communities? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jon Steinman:producer and host of the internationally syndicated TV/web series, radio show and podcast “ Deconstructing Dinner: Reconstructing Our Food System ,” and autho...

Did you know that reading to children can educate, inspire and promote scientific literacy? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Katherine Pryor, Seattle-based children's book author, who holds an M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems. Pryor discusses her latest book, Bea’s Bees , about a curious little girl who explores declining bee populati...

Did you know that dietary fiber is considered “fuel for the gut?” Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Joanne Slavin, Ph. D., R.D., fiber expert and professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota-St. Paul. Slavin describes the assorted types of fiber found in various foods, fiber supplements, and...

Did you know that Alzheimer’s disease is considered a global health threat, and that diet, exercise, sleep, and common drugs can influence our risk for dementia? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Aarti Batavia, M.S., R.D., certified practitioner of functional medicine, and expert in the role of nutrition and dementia.  Batavia discusse...

Did you know that spring flooding in the Midwest led to hog manure tank spills and threats to water quality and public health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Erin Jordan, Investigative journalist at The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA). She'll describe her techniques for reporting and the threats to water quality following spring storms,...

Did you know that concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) create polluted landscapes that harm public health and destroy home values? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered  Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Matt Wechsler, filmmaker, founder of Hourglass Films, and producer of “Right to Harm,” a film that explores the devastating impact of CAFOs on public health, the...

Did you know that imported meat can be sold at a lower cost than that which is produced in the U.S.?   Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mike Callicrate, independent cattle producer, business entrepreneur and political activist. He serves as an outspoken leader in addressing the economic, social and cultural impacts of industrial agric...

Did you know that industrial agri-business rhetoric hides the truth about the environmental and social impacts on rural citizens living near concentrated animal feeding operations?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with 4th-generation family farmer Jeff Jones from rural Callaway County (MO) who has been embroiled in a fight to prevent a co...

Did you know that “live theater” is a fun and effective way to teach children healthy habits? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Barbara Storper, Registered dietitian, Founder and Executive Director of FoodPlay Productions, a nutrition education organization that brings the power of live theater to turn kids on to healthy habits.  FOODP...

Did you know that at least 520 million plastic straws are disposed of each day in the U.S.?  Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Linda Booker, film maker, director and producer of “Straws,” one of the featured documentaries in the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, and identified as one of the leading documentaries to help us rethink single-...

Did you know that 50,000 bees are necessary for a healthy, thriving hive? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Matt Willey, artist, who is painting 50,000 bees on murals across the world in order to raise awareness of the plight and the importance of bees in our food system.  Willey describes the course of his project and his process.  He...