Agriculture and nutrition. Answers to your questions about how food is grown and why. Insight on ways dietitians and consumers may have been food bullied.

No farmers, no food. No food, no need for nutrition experts. While that may be an oversimplification, Michele and Nicole have heard one message clearly: RDNs are hungry for connection with those who grow, raise, and produce food. In this Food Bullying podcast, Michele and Nicole bring together voices from the agrifood sector to help you better understand the food you're so passionate about. The dietitian community will be armed with the REAL stories of agriculture, the truth in food, and most importantly – empowered to help others feel more confident in their food choices.

Latest Podcast Episodes

Cheesemaking – paving the whey for fine spirits: Episode 113

Named after and guided by her parents, Jerry and Linda, Alise Sjostrom’s Jer-Lindy Farms produces award-winning cheeses.  A graduate of the University of Minnesota and Vermont Institue for Artisan Cheese, Sjostrom is quick to point out the biggest misconception about her line of work - that being lactose intolerant means...

Back to school with agriculture & nutrition: Episode 112

With back to school in full swing, Michele and Nicole talk with Katie Pratt and Amanda Radke on the latest podcast episode.  While each of these women wears many hats (farmers, mothers, and pillars of their respective communities), they both work to increase literacy about food, farming, ranching, and nutrition...

Holistic animal agriculture for nutrition pros: Episode 111

“All actions have some sort of impact on the system, but at times, people can assume reducing animal protein can have a vast and meaningful impact without considering other important tradeoffs that should be considered.” Passionate about leaving the planet better than she found it and ensuring access to nutrient-dense...

Sugar is sugar – and it’s sustainable: Episode 110

There is a farmer behind everything you choose in the grocery store. Even sugar. And the people who farm are frustrated with the guilt in the grocery. “Pesticides, GMOs, roundup, the word natural....fear-mongering in the grocery store needs to stop. People are guilted into paying more for equally safe food...

Heath & environment priorities to beef producer: Episode 109

“Herd health is our #1 priority.”  Alli Fender left her corporate vet technician career to pursue her dream of being her own boss as a direct-to-consumer beef producer and black angus breeder.  Not only does she juggle that dream alongside motherhood, showing and breeding Australian Shepherds, and sharing her beef...

Beautiful beans from farm to plate: Episode 108

"The work ethic and pride most farmers have in what we do everyday is second to none. Family farms take care of the environment and land we use to make sure it is better for the next generations" points out a Michigan farmer responsible for the beans in your can....

Sweet strawberry safety: Episode 107

“The biggest misconception comes in when organic options are pushed as healthier than conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables.” This farmer hopes dietitians can help break that myth and talks about how they grow strawberries in Florida on this episode of the Food Bullying podcast.  As operations manager for her family’s strawberry...

Cows with attitude & dairy debates: Episode 106

A dairy farmer who is just shy of ONE MILLION followers on Facebook, Derrick Josi survives on coffee and sarcasm while dispelling B.S. on social media. He says “doesn't put up or ignore idiots online because to do so makes them feel justified and entitled to stay ignorant.”  This candid...

Dietetic ethics, evidence, & evolution of food information: Episode 105

“Translating the science to the table does not mean we slide over the science.” Connie Diekman, M.Ed, RD, CSSD, LD, FADA, FAND is a Food and Nutrition Consultant in St. Louis, Missouri, and a former President of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Always on top of cutting-edge research, she...

mRNA, myths, & why science in food matters: Episode 104

“You have to do what’s right, no matter how much it hurts.” Dr. Kevin Folta is a molecular biologist who has worked with mRNA for more than 25 years. He is scientist in the genetics and genomics of small fruit crops, a recent farmers market president, and advocate for science...

Ranching, your relationship with food, & wellness: Episode 103

"The biggest hurdle for so many people pursuing health and wellness, including healing their relationship with food and being intentional about nutrition, has so much more to do with their mental and emotional state that we often realize. I believe that health should be pursued in a holistic approach, not...

Farm monoculture myths & soil nutrients: Episode 102

“We’re not ‘dousing’ our fields, we’re not ‘mining’ our soil, and nutrients don’t ‘run off’ the fields during normal rainfall.” This episode busts myths about monoculture and soil health in today's farming.  As a dietitian turned full-time farmer on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Jennie Schmidt has heard it all...

Apples, fungi, & pheromones: Episode 101

“Everyday life on the farm isn’t always sunshine and roses.” Nick Schweitzwer, a fifth generation farmer from the area known as “the ridge” north of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Roughly 60% of Michigan’s apple production are grown in the area and Nick grows over 18 varieties on his farm.  He shares...

Dietitian + farmer = sweet scent of Froot Loops + cows: Episode 100

“Go out and get the work done.” If there’s one insight to be gleaned from the 100th episode of the Food Bullying Podcast, it might be this one from co-host Michele. Or that she'd rather smell like her cows, while Nicole wishes to smell like Froot Loops. When Michele wanted...

Farm families, FFA, & the future of food: Episode 99

If Hannah Craun and Levi Schiller are any indication, the future of farming certainly shines bright in FFA members. Craun, a masters student at Virginia Tech focusing on cattle reproduction, and Schiller, an Ag Business major at The University of Nebraska, boast numerous awards and experiences in 4-H and FFA....
Food Bullying Podcast Relaunch 2

Why listen?

Michele and Nicole help dietitians and consumers get firsthand perspective from farmers about how food is grown. One knows farming, the other dietetics - and neither are afraid to ask the tough questions. You'll get candid conversation from two moms who have unique insigh on food, experts from around the food plate, and how label choices effect your health. This 30-minute podcast will help you navigate grocery store aisles, better understand farming, and be prepared for those sticky conversations with clients.

  • Real insight from experts who are working in farming, science, and dietetics.
  • Answers to the most common questions around farming and food.
  • Tools to battle bullying found in the 200,000+ label claims found in a grocery store.
  • Ideas for creating your own social, ethical, environmental, and health standards when making eating decisions.

Meet the Hosts

Michele Payn

Michele Payn Food BullyingKnown as one of the leading voices in connecting farm and food, Michele helps you simplify safe food choices while understanding food bullying. An international award winning author, she brings common sense to the overly emotional food conversation and perspective from the cows in her front yard. Michele is a mom who is tired of the guilt trips around food, so she wrote Food Bullying: How to Avoiding Buying B.S. She’s also a kick boxing professional speaker who has helped thousands of people understand the real story behind food. Michele’s work has appeared in USA Today, Food Insight, CNN, Food & Nutrition Magazine, NPR and many other media outlets. Armed with science, compelling stories, and a lifetime on the farm, Michele will upend the way you think about food. She is also the author of No More Food Fights! and Food Truths from Farm to Table, an IPPY award winner in health, medicine and nutrition

Nicole Rodriguez

Dietitian podcast hostNicole Rodriguez, registered dietitian and certified personal trainer, resides in the metro New York area, where she offers nutrition counseling and fitness coaching to a diverse clientele.  Always encouraging her friends, family, followers, and clients to make fruits and vegetables the stars of their plates, Nicole serves as a partner in kind with the Produce For Better Health Foundation.  Eager to inspire the next generation of bold, active, and compassionate entrepreneurs, Nicole serves as leader of her daughter’s Girl Scout troop.  In her spare time, you’ll find her browsing the grocery store aisles, working on her deadlift, and on the beach with her family. Visit enjoyfoodenjoylife.com for more info.