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Roundup, dorm diets, and chemicals: Episode 55

by Michele Payn

What’s with the claims about glyphosate in hummus & cereal? Why is there so much blame and fear about agriculture and the environment? What can we do to eat better when we are eating dorm food? In this special behind-the-scenes episode, Michele and Eliz welcome Callie (Eliz’s daughter) for a wide-ranging Q&A session. Callie Greene is about to begin her second year at Lawrence University, where she studies psychology and harp performance.

Feeding kids with confidence: Episode 54

by Michele Payn

Food shaming puts undue stress on parents, especially as kids go back to school. Amy Reed is a pediatric dietitian who teaching parents how to advocate for the needs of their kids. Whether your child is labeled as a “picky eater” or has significant challenges receiving nutrition, parents who aren’t confident in what they feed their kids are susceptible to food shaming and bullying. As a pediatric dietitian, Amy evaluates how well a child is growing and how their nutritional status is helping or hurting their growth.

Cooking, culinary medicine, & comfort in nutrition: Episode 53

by Michele Payn

Did you know there is a science dedicated to teaching cooking skills? How and what we serve at our table makes a big difference in our health. Our guest shares why she teaches medical students about nutrition. Dr. Jacque Nyenhuis is a chef, dietitian, professor of medicine, and farms on the side. She offers a unique perspective on food, medicine, and comfort of knowing nutrition.

Cooking, culinary medicine, & comfort in nutrition: Episode 53

by Michele Payn

Dr. Jacque Nyenhuis on teaching nutrition to doctors

Chemicals, creepy crawlies and crops: how safe is your food? Episode 52

by Michele Payn

Agronomist Kevin Hoyer joins the podcast to talk about his experience helping farmers diagnose and treat their plants and soil as well at traveling the world looking at food production in other countries. As a “doctor for crops,” he says “you can be thankful and trust that the product you buy are at the highest level of safety possible. America carries the highest standards found anywhere in the world.”

Should we be afraid of sugar? Episode 51

by Michele Payn

Sugar gets the blame for many of our health issues. Should we avoid sugar? Are there good sugars and bad sugars? Our guest, Melissa Joy Dobbins is a registered dietitian and diabetes expert. She brings a common sense approach to eating well and says “if people with diabetes can have sugar, you can too!”

Honoring choices in food and farming: Episode 50

by Michele Payn

How do we honor the people who produce our food when most of us never set foot on a farm or ranch? Our guest this week suggests the key is educating yourself about the benefits of food and choosing what you want without giving into what other people may think. Joe Anderson, an Idaho farmer, talks gluten, GMOs, and getting firsthand perspective.

Does an expensive steak taste better? Episode 47

by Michele Payn

How does price impact how we feel about the value of a product? Does how you feel about a cut of steak or whether it is labelled “natural” impact how much you enjoy it? Our guest, Dr. Mark Miller shares his research on consumer beef preferences and how labels influence what we choose to eat.

Food allergies & food bullying: Episode 46

by Michele Payn

Did you know that people can use food to threaten others? When it comes to food allergies, food CAN kill! Our guest in this episode has great advice on how to truly welcome everyone to your table AND avoid killing someone (or making them sick) with the food you serve.

Food allergies & food bullying: Episode 46

by Michele Payn

Tracy Stuckrath on how to avoid making people sick with food

How do marketers influence your food buying? Episode 45

by Michele Payn

Do you know how labels, ads, and menus are designed to make you buy? The job of a marketer is to get you to choose their item and sell more. Our guest, branding expert Gerry O’Brion shares how giving people a rational reason to choose a product is the key to influencing buying behavior.

Dairy farmer millennial mom talks robots: Episode 44

by Michele Payn

This episode’s guest and her husband are millennials and third generation dairy, beef and crop farmers in Michigan. They are working hard and using technology, including robots, to secure the future of their farm. Ashley Kennedy shares insights on being a working mother, fostering a positive attitude toward food, and what exactly robots are doing on their farm.

Why is technology in food so scary? Episode 43

by Michele Payn

We are likely to stand in line to get the latest smart phone technology — so why do we fear technology in food? Dr. Kevin Folta makes Eliz and Michele roar with laughter and sheds light on genetics, technology, and how to he’s working to make strawberries taste better. We discuss how science is working to solve important problems for people and the environment.

Food doesn’t have morals: Episode 42

by Michele Payn

Do you feel guilty for not being able to afford the “better” food label? Food Science Babe is back for a rousing game of “Guess What I Saw in the Grocery Store?” Super foods, non-GMO, and other food bullying labels cause unnecessary guilt. “Food doesn’t have morals – food isn’t good, food isn’t bad.” Erin, a chemical engineer and a food scientist joins us for an eye-opening discussion about food labels, guilt, and her experience as a mom feeding a child with special needs.

Mother’s Day & a Big Block of Cheese: Bonus Episode

by Michele Payn

In this special Mother’s Day edition, Michele and Eliz are joined by Grace Greene, Eliz’s daughter. In a nod to the West Wing Weekly Podcast, Grace leads a “Big Block of Cheese” format to turn the tables on her mom and Michele. To peals of laughter, Grace asks questions on a range of topics including how her mom was a food bully, GMOs, selective breeding, the non-GMO butterfly, and using your own food standards.

Mother’s Day & a Big Block of Cheese: Bonus Episode

by Michele Payn

Two moms and one daughter talk food

Motherhood, Cancer, and Unsolicited Advice: Episode 40

by Michele Payn

Navigating through unsolicited advice as a new mom is hard enough. Imagine the complexity of bringing a child into the world hours after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis! Brooke Taylor is an Oklahoma ranch girl who has lived in various cities, while working with agricultural organizations through ad agencies. While juggling life as a full-time, self-employed business woman, Brooke welcomed her first baby into the world six hours after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Parenting a child with diabetes through food bullying: Episode 39

by Michele Payn

Having a child with different dietary needs opens the door to bullying. Parents have to make the choice about what is right for their family. We need to respect the choices and the benefits of science.

Heather is married to a second-generation farmer, a professional in agriculture, and mom to three sons, ages 7, 4 and 1. Their oldest son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder four years ago and their middle son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes almost one year ago.

Sustainability trade-offs on Earth Day: Episode 38

by Michele Payn

Did you know the term “sustainable” is used in food marketing to achieve price advantage, without any science backing the claim? In this Earth Day episode, Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, a livestock geneticist at University of California, Davis, sheds light on why genetics is an important component of sustainability. She also warns that anytime breeding innovations are taken off the shelf (e.g., GMOs), the tradeoff a less sustainable food production system.

Food safety, expiration dates & processing codes

by Michele Payn

How do I know if my milk is expired? Should I throw out the can of fruit from my pantry that’s dated a month ago? Is my meat expired? How am I supposed to wash my groceries? These are all common questions I’ve heard from friends concerned about their food during a global pandemic.

Fighting hunger with dignity: Episode 37

by Michele Payn

How can you support people who are food insecure with dignity? Our guest, Community Network Dietitian Nicole Weeks, share how her organization uses the My Plate Model in choice food pantries. Nicole shares ways to help by, “Shopping with your wallet and having a voice, as well.”

What’s cooking in your quarantine kitchen? Episode 36

by Michele Payn

As we all cope with stay-at-some orders due to COVID-19, cooking and grocery shopping have become more challenging. In this special episode, Registered Dietitians Alice Henneman and Liz Ward share tips for stocking your fridge, pantry, and freezer while sharing quick meal ideas.

The unintended consequence of food elitism: Episode 35

by Michele Payn

Fancy shoes and cheap prices. Chicken breasts and hormone myths. Food snobbery and the hungry. Healthy food and fat. Cheap food and sustainability. “It’s really easy for us to look at a product that has a fancy name or claim and assign higher perceived value to it.”

Exploring the environmental science of meat: Episode 34

by Michele Payn

“Kids are dirty and if you’re worried about what you’re feeding them, you’re a good a mom.” says this millennial mom who prioritizes low-cost food at the grocery store. Brandi Buzzard Frobose is a rancher and environmentalist who offers insight on how the science of producing food is remarkable, along with the care that farmers and ranchers provide for the planet. She’s not a fan of the mud while she’s ranching in Kansas, but loves to go roping at the rodeo as a cowgirl.

Stress, Uncertainty, & the Coronavirus: Episode 33

by Michele Payn

If you are feeling unsettled, stressed, or have jangled nerves as we all weather changes due to COVID19, there is a good reason. Michele and Eliz discuss why your brain likes a predictable environment and how uncertainty creates stress. Eliz shares her research on stress and some tips to decrease the impact of these unsettling times. As always, there’s humor, real talk about food insecurity, bullying, and even Michele’s stress brought on by a drunk driver destroying her cattle fence.

Stress, Uncertainty, & the Coronavirus: Episode 33

by Michele Payn

Behind the scenes with Michele Payn & Eliz Greene

How can farmers & dietitians help with food insecurity? Episode 32

by Michele Payn

Did you know that nutrition programs are the majority of the farm bill? It’s one of the many ways agriculture and nutrition go hand-in-hand. That’s why the Food Bullying podcast is celebrating National Nutrition Month and National Agriculture Month with a joint release with the Sound Bites podcast.

Melissa Joy Dobbins, RDN, is the host of the Sound Bites podcast and she loves learning from farmers! She talks with Michele & Eliz about opportunities for agriculture and nutrition to work more closely together to address hunger.

How can farmers & dietitians help with food insecurity? Episode 32

by Michele Payn

RDN Melissa Joy Dobbins on nutrition & agriculture collaborating

Where food grows, bugs go: Episode 31

by Michele Payn

Wine. Tomatoes. Green beans. Tofu. What may sound like a menu is actually what one farm grows. Jennie Schmidt shares how she produces so many crops, why her farm transitioned from organic to conventional to be more sustainable, and what food bullying terms like factory farming mean to her family farm.

Are you bullying yourself about food? Episode 30

by Michele Payn

When was the last time you judged or criticized yourself about food? National Nutrition Month is a great time to change the restrictive mentality we have around food and today’s guest will help you spend less energy worrying about food.

How now, brown cow? Why a dairy farmer talks to his cows: Episode 29

by Michele Payn

Are dairy farmers crazy? Maybe, but it’s because they always put their cows first. Derrick Josi, known as TDF Honest Farming, is an Oregon dairy farmer encouraging other farmers to bridge the gap with consumers – and understand the divide goes both ways. He talks about his little brown cows, while Michele accuses him of being a cow racist. Derrick shares the mental health impact of bullying by activists, how he actually cares for cows, and the work that goes into producing healthy milk.

Are your hands a food safety risk? Episode 28

by Michele Payn

Did you know that only 8% of males wash their hands after using the restroom? And those people might have picked up or touched the apple you just bought? Hygiene is important – both on your hands and in your kitchen. It’s a greater concern than the chemicals many worry about. Meat scientist Jennie Hodgen loves to talk about bacteria, meat cuts, cleaning produce, and keeping your food safe. “The food you’re getting has gone through quite a bit of rigor from a food safety stand point.” She helps us remember that food safety done well is invisible.

Are You Eating Beyond the Headlines? Episode 27

by Michele Payn

Are you leaving foods out of your diet? You can run the risk of creating health issues if you are leaving out major food groups, like carbohydrates. “Our bodies need a variety of nutrients, which are obtained from variety of foods in our diet” points out Neva Cochran, a registered dietitian nutritionist. When you eliminate most of the foods in your diet, you are not going to be adequately nourished and may not have enough calories. Great tips on balanced diet choices!

Oscars and Vegetarians and Starbucks, OH MY! Episode 26

by Michele Payn

Artificial insemination. Vegetarian choices. The Oscars. STDs. Greenhouse gas emissions. Baby calves. Nursing. Starbucks. Nutrient density of food. Personal choices.

If those topics don’t add up to a civil conversation in your mind, listen in for a model on how to have a discussion around food and the environment that’s respectful and informative with someone different than you.

How can eating help you never miss a heart beat? Episode 24

by Michele Payn

Did you over-indulge during the Super Bowl festivities, Christmas, or the last family holiday? You’re not the only one – holiday heart syndrome and atrial fibrillation (afib) is not uncommon after eating too much. Food can help you proactively manage your health – or it can lead to missed heart beats. In addition to explaining more about afib, Mellanie True Hills talks about figuring out what fuels your body the best and creating your own personal diet.

Do you know the pecking order of the egg? Episode 23

by Michele Payn

A basic nutritional building block. Part of your everyday eating. Used for baking, breakfast and bullies. Wait, what? Eggs – or the hens that produce them and the people who care for those hens – have long been the target of animal rights bullies. But rest assured, there is no big nutritional difference in eggs – and science shows that no single hen housing is superior.

How to overcome food anxiety & B.S. health claims: Episode 22

by Michele Payn

“The food and health marketing industry is out-of-control,” says Australian RDN & exercise physiologist Bill Sukala. Advertising confuses people and creates anxieties around food and health. Bill brings a voice of reason and is concerned that the “gatekeeper of information has been chloroformed.” His B.S. detector raises red flags about bad information, misinformation and quackery in food and health claims.

How to overcome food anxiety & B.S. health claims: Episode 22

by Michele Payn

Australian RDN & Clinical Exercise Physiologist on the health industry

Does your voice matter in the politics of food & agriculture? Episode 21

by Michele Payn

“Misrepresentation that affects farm families through agricultural policy” is what food bullying looks like to to Oregon State Representative Shelly Davis. She shares her experiences as an elected official, building consensus by reaching across the aisle, and what she saw with the #TimberUnity movement in Oregon. “Your voice matters” – especially when combined with others.

Does your voice matter in the politics of food & agriculture? Episode 21

by Michele Payn

State Representative Shelly Boshart Davis builds consensus

How to have a meaningful conversation about food: Episode 20

by Michele Payn

“Do you think our psychology around food is skewed not just because sometimes we can be hypocritical in our choices but because what we want to believe isn’t always true?” It’s tough to have a meaningful conversation with others in today’s overly emotional food arena. Millennial dietitian Leia Flure explains the steps to maintaining respectful discussion and making personal choices about what you eat. She suggests more critical thinking is needed in food-based decisions by being analytical and verifying information.

Why do bullies call farmers animal abusers? Episode 19

by Michele Payn

Why is it so easy to call farmers names...

Are you feeding your brain trash? Episode 18

by Michele Payn

“Food is such an integral part of our social fabric. It becomes a part of the storytelling process,” but our farming memory is being lost across generations, says Dr. Cami Ryan, a Canadian social scientist. This loss of farming memory has created gaps and barriers between rural and urban. Opportunists fill in the gaps with new information, which isn’t always accurate. Cami explains how food can be taken on as identity, leaving a person susceptible to bullying. She offers insight on information literacy to keep the trash out your brain and social feeds.

A father & farmer on food bullying & fruitcakes: Episode 17

by Michele Payn

“When we create anxiety around food because of different arbitrary rules that are put in place by people, especially with younger kids, it makes kids scared about what they eat.” Dad Ben LaCross shares how his daughter was food bullied by a teacher in school. As a Michigan cherry farmer, he takes us through the process of growing, harvesting, and processing cherries – and many of the challenges cherry farmers face.

A father & farmer on food bullying & fruitcakes: Episode 17

by Michele Payn

Michigan farmer Ben LaCross

Is your emotional brain being tricked by food marketers? Episode 16

by Michele Payn

“Food marketers are well aware of the kind of differences amongst these technologies in terms of which ones we like and which ones we don’t like.” Dr. Tyler Davis, a neuroscience researcher at Texas Tech, helps us understand of the high-risk food technologies that he has researched and shares tips on how we can overcome food bullying by understanding more about the brain.

How is your brain being tricked about food?

by Michele Payn

Neuroscience. Pretty pictures on food. Elephants and the emotional brain. How are these related? Neuromarketing is one of the biggest bullies as you make eating choices – and manipulating the way you think and feel about food & farming.

Compromise, cortisol, & celebration – Episode 13

by Michele Payn

In this birthday episode for Michele, Eliz gifts her ideas to reduce stress. As an expert in the health arena, Eliz has new research to show WHY we’re stressed – and offers practical tips for everyone to reduce their cortisol to get stress under control for better health.

Can the way you buy food reduce hunger? 3

by Michele Payn

Season 2: Diane Sullivan, anti-hunger advocate

Can the way you buy food reduce hunger?

by Michele Payn

“We are trained to think that if something is going to cost us more, there must be more value in it.”
Fear-mongering is one of the reasons why our food costs have gone up. Misleading food labels have swayed the market and have driven up food prices, points out anti-hunger advocate Diane in this podcast episode.

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