E23: Al Sommer on Vitamin A, Blindness and Global Politics

March 21, 2019

We speak today with someone whose work is credited with preventing 400,000 cases of blindness and saving as many as 1 million deaths per year. Dr. Alfred Sommer has earned this place in global history. He discovered that Vitamin A deficiency reduces immune responsiveness and resistance to infectious diseases such as diarrhea and measles. He proved that vaccination for smallpox as late as six days after infection can prevent the disease. He demonstrated the effectiveness of a simple and effective tool for monitoring the nutritional health of children at high risk of dying from malnutrition, and he identified an early accurate predictor of optic nerve damage, signaling when to start Glaucoma therapy.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Diet & Nutrition | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E20: Darriel Harris on Harnessing Faith to Improve Community Health

March 12, 2019

Can you make sustainable changes in community or neighborhood health without tackling the issue of food and diet? Why is such work so difficult? What is the role of churches and other faith organizations? Our next guest on The Leading Voices in Food is Reverend Darriel Harris and he works on this problem in a variety of ways.

Related podcasts: Community & Economic Development | Diet & Nutrition | Faith & Food | Food Insecurity |

 

E27: William Dietz on Obesity, Undernutrition & Climate Change

March 3, 2019

It would seem at first glance that undernutrition and obesity are opposite sides of the same coin and not very related to one another and that neither of these issues would be related at all to climate change. Well, this turns out to not be true at all according to an authoritative new report for our listeners. The title of the report is The Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition and Climate Change, The Lancet Commission Report. One of the architects of that report is Dr. William Dietz.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Insecurity | International Food & Ag Policy | Obesity | Regenerative Agriculture |

 

E7: Thomas Farley on the Real Returns of the Philadelphia Soda Tax

January 24, 2019

Today’s guest has had a fascinating career and has made significant contributions to public health in Louisiana, New York, and in Pennsylvania. He says he learned the true value of public health investigating syphilis and legionnaire’s disease outbreaks while working for the Center for Disease Control’s epidemic intelligence service. He’s worked on the front lines to prevent and control infectious diseases such as HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, and his research on obesity led him to see the obesity epidemic in our country as an outcome of an unhealthy environment. Dr. Thomas Farley is the Health Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia and he led work to pass a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, seen widely as a significant success in health policy.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Childhood Obesity | Diet & Nutrition | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Obesity | Soda Taxes |

 

E6: Shiriki Kumanyika on the Disparities in our Food

January 22, 2019

Is it fair or ethical to allow food companies to target low-income communities with marketing for unhealthy foods? Should the health of our communities take a back seat to industry profits? These are surprisingly difficult questions we’ll explore today with Dr. Shiriki Kumanyika on The Leading Voices in Food.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Diet & Nutrition | Eating Disorders | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Obesity | Ultra-processed Food & Additives |

 

E3: Marion Hetherington on Kids, Vegetables and Appetite

January 19, 2019

Ever wonder why some kids like certain vegetables and some don’t? Or why some people are super focused on food and others forget to eat? Explore these ideas with biopsychologist Marion Hetherington on the Leading Voices in Food podcast.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Children Food Preferences | Diet & Nutrition |

 

E1: Billy Shore on Feeding Kids in the US and Abroad

January 1, 2019

Have you ever wondered why people are hungry in a world that produces more than enough food to feed them? The Leading Voices in Food interviews Billy Shore, the executive chair of No Kid Hungry and its parent organization Share our Strength.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Diet & Nutrition | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy |