E217: When babies inherit Mom’s trauma-affected gut microbiome

October 12, 2023

A diversity of bacteria and microorganisms making up the gut microbiome supports both our physical and our mental health. Research has shown that stress and trauma can negatively impact the microbiome. But a recent study took that finding to a new level. This was a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scientists now see inflammation-related microbiomes in babies born to women who experienced mistreatment or adversity during their own childhood. These microbiomes predispose children to physical and mental health problems. We’ll talk today with the co-author of that paper, Fran Querdasi, from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Diet & Nutrition | Food, Psychology & Neuroscience |

 

E209: Microbiome Research and a Vision of Precision Medicine

July 13, 2023

The microbiome is fascinating and how diet affects it is something we all want to know. The work of today’s guest, Dr. Abigail Johnson, tells us a lot. She’s on the faculty and the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota and is an expert on diet and the microbiome and their impact on health and disease.

Related podcasts: Diet & Nutrition | Food, Psychology & Neuroscience |

 

E206: Results from a National Household Food Waste Survey

June 6, 2023

No one actually wants to waste food, right? And yet, a new national study on food waste at home shows we’ve become more wasteful recently. US families self-reported a 280% increase in discarded food between early 2021 and early 2022. What’s more, households tossed out more food during weeks they ate out. Today, we will explore results from a national tracking study published in the Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association. Our guests to help us learn more about this topic are economist Kathryn Bender. Katherine studies consumer behavior and food waste at the University of Delaware. We also have Brian Roe, who is an agricultural economist from the Ohio State University. Brian’s research focuses on food waste and consumer economics.

Related podcasts: Climate Change, Environment & Food | Food Waste & Implications | Food, Psychology & Neuroscience |

 

E185: How and why do households waste food?

November 2, 2022

Did you know that each year the average American family of four loses $1,500 to uneaten food? What’s more, consumer food waste is the largest category of waste sent to landfills. When food is wasted, so is the land, water, labor, and energy that were used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing and disposing of the discarded food. So why does household food waste and plate waste happen? We have two guests today to help us explore this topic. First, Dr. Roni Neff from Johns Hopkins University. Roni studies wasted food, food system resilience, and climate change through a public health lens. Second, we have Dr. Brian Roe from the Ohio State University. Brian focuses on food waste and behavioral and consumer economics.

Related podcasts: Climate Change, Environment & Food | Food Waste & Implications | Food, Psychology & Neuroscience |

 

E181: UK Stands Firm in Ruling Against Kellogg Cereals

September 21, 2022

In July, 2022 food giant Kellogg lost a court challenge of the United Kingdom’s high sugar cereal rule. The multinational food company had argued that the UK government’s inclusion of their serials among and I quote, less healthy foods is unfair because it doesn’t take into account the milk that is usually added to the cereals. The UK court dismissed the claim and is enforcing regulations, is limiting the promotion of foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar in UK supermarkets as part of their efforts to curb obesity. Here to speak with us today about the implications of this ruling is Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation in London.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Childhood Obesity | Diet & Nutrition | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Food Policy | Food, Psychology & Neuroscience | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E37: Unhealthy Foods Make Healthy Foods Stand Out

May 9, 2019

Imagine you are a manager of a supermarket and you’re working with health authorities to increase the purchase of healthy foods. Let’s say broccoli. What would you change? What comes to mind might be changing price, creating attractive displays or providing information on how to make tasty dishes with broccoli. But there might be other surprising options, according to our guests, neuroeconomist Scott Huettel and Nicolette Sullivan.

Related podcasts: Food, Psychology & Neuroscience |

 

E29: Linda Bartoshuk on Supertasters, Yuck, and the Future of Food Nutrition

May 4, 2019

Ever heard the term supertasters? Have you wondered why some people love broccoli and others find it very unpleasant. Is family upbringing the answer to this? Or, is there a biological basis for this and for other taste preferences? The leading voice on these issues is Dr. Linda Bartoshuk.

Related podcasts: Children Food Preferences | Diet & Nutrition | Food, Psychology & Neuroscience |

 

E16: Sara Bleich on Menu Labeling, Marketing and Public Health

February 28, 2019

Do you make better food choices when you see calorie counts listed on restaurant menus? Do you think food stamp recipients should be able to buy unhealthy foods, like sugary drinks? And what role should the government play in our food choices? We’ll explore these questions on The Leading Voices in Food with Dr. Sara Bleich.

Related podcasts: Addiction & Food | Advocacy & Food | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Food Policy | Food, Psychology & Neuroscience | Obesity |

 

E2: Andrew Prentice on the Genetic Legacy of our Nutrition

January 10, 2019

You have likely heard the saying “You are what you eat.” But what if I told you that how well your parents were eating in the days and months before you were conceived may actually help to determine how your body works—at the cellular level—for your entire life? As it turns out, you were optimized to survive in your parents’ nutritional environment. The Leading Voices in Food podcast series, produced by the World Food Policy Center at Duke University, interviews Dr Andrew Prentice, professor of international nutrition that the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Prentice is a distinguished scholar on the effects of diet on human health and disease and as a world leader in global health research, he has made major contributions in many areas, two of which are the regulation of Human Energy Balance and obesity and the effects of malnutrition on maternal and child health and poor populations.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Food Insecurity | Food, Psychology & Neuroscience |