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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

Southern belles, soil health, & sustainability: Episode 126

A fourth-generation farmer. 1,100 acres of peanuts, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat. And a perspective on sustainable agriculture that might surprise you. Wendy Yeager of Bell Place Farm in west central Alabama — the heart of Alabama's Blackbelt — doesn't just farm the land her family has worked for generations....

The heart of the wheat kernel: Episode 125

  Wheat hasn't changed – and a 40-year wheat breeder can prove it If you've ever had a patient insist that wheat today is "different" than it was decades ago, or that U.S. wheat must be GMO, Dr. Brett Carver has spent the better part of a decade building the...

The art & science of farming citrus: Episode 124

Rich in vitamin C and flavonoids, many citrus varieties have earned their place on our breakfast tables, squeezed into our water (and cocktails), and in our favorite American recipes.  There is both art and science in growing citrus that is in demand as part of our nutrition. Citrus farmers continually...

Big bad agriculture: a transparent look at their science & safety

“The biggest misconception about my work is that agriculture companies place pesticides or biotech products on the market without testing them for safety. The fact is that agriculture is one of the most strictly regulated and thoroughly investigated industries in the world. Agriculture companies must strictly follow local and international...

A.I. in your food (cattle, not computers): Episode 122

Artificial insemination in cattle: the science behind your beef and dairy When you hear "AI" in agriculture, it's not about computers. It's about one of the most important tools in modern cattle production – and one that directly shapes the beef and dairy that reaches your table. Brady Blackett is...

Food labels & nutrition choices driven by dollars: Episode 121

What’s the relationship between front-of-package food labeling and consumer choice, and how can it potentially impact grocery prices?Dr. Chen Zhen is a professor in Food Choice, Obesity, and Health Economics at the University of Georgia.  His research focuses on the impact of interpretative front-of-package labeling on consumer behavior and food...

Building up data for dietitians: Episode 120

“You can’t talk about what’s on the plate if you don’t know how it got there.” As the founder of Build Up Dietitians, Leah McGrath has created a space in which dietitians at all stages in their careers (including students), can learn more about just that - and provides avenues...

GMOs & bacon with a side of bullying: Episode 119

GMOs, bacon & a side of bullying: what a Minnesota hog farmer wants dietitians to know Fourth-generation farmers don't usually end up in the comments section defending their livelihood to strangers on the internet. But Wanda Patsche of southern Minnesota has been doing exactly that – and she's not stopping....

Separating fact from fiction in food & farming: Episode 118

Grocery store costs are crazy, but what costs have gone up on farms? Are fields sprayed with “such harsh pesticides” that workers can’t enter the fields?  Is hydroponic farming the wave of the future when it comes to leafy greens?  Should you be worried about lead in soil?  Michele helps...

Talking turkey – hormones, breasts, nutrition: Episode 117

Turkey is not just for Thanksgiving – and a third-generation farmer has things to tell you No hormones. No steroids. Strict antibiotic protocols. Mandatory withdrawal periods. Residue testing before every bird leaves the farm. Peter Klaphake has been raising turkeys in central Minnesota for his entire career, following two generations...

The great pumpkin! Episode 116

Pick a pumpkin - but what kind?  A self-proclaimed Professor of Pumpkinology, John Ackerman is the owner and operator of the farm bearing the same name that has been in his family for over a century.  And while you may hear “pumpkin” and think of the jack-o-lantern variety, he and...

Gettin’ figgy with it: Episode 115

"A little sugar is not always a bad thing!”   Kevin Herman is a diversified farmer who grows crops you may have not heard much about, but his biggest crops are figs.  And yes, there are more than one variety. He likens fig varieties to wine varieties - each with a...

Fish farming, fear, and your food: Episode 114

Farm-raised fish are safe – and here's why you should eat more of them Is wild-caught fish actually safer, more nutritious, or better for the environment than farm-raised? The short answer, according to someone who has spent over 40 years raising fish, is no. Mike Freeze is the owner of...

Cheesemaking – paving the whey for fine spirits: Episode 113

From milk to cheese to spirits: the full-circle farm innovation at Redhead Creamery Most dairy farmers measure success in hundredweights of milk. Alise Sjostrom measures it in wheels of award-winning cheese, whey-based spirits, and the look on a tour group's face when they realize how little they understood about where...

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...
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Dietitian podcast

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.

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