Sound Bites With Melissa Joy Dobbins

“Gardening as a family becomes a place where no one is an expert. Instead, everyone teaches each other, enjoys each other, and works side by side together. Gardening is not only a place to grow vegetables, but it’s also a place to grow closer as a family.” – Jen Haugen’s mom    “Moms are craving simplicity and balance and I believe a family vegetable garden can not only grow healthy food that nourishes our families, but it can also nourish our souls. I learned this while I was a supermarket dietitian with an overloaded schedule and realized I needed to go back to my roots to achieve balance again with my family.” – Jen Haugen Jen Haugen, RDN, LD is a mom, an award-winning registered dietitian and a certified master gardener. She recently published her first book “The Mom’s Guide to a Nourishing Garden.”  Known as the Down To Earth Dietitian, Jen specializes in inspiring moms to create the recipe to a nourishing life through gardening, good food, family, and faith. Her TEDx Talk, “How Moms Can Change the World

Making family meals happen is easier than you think! Supermarkets offer shopper solutions to combat barriers that challenge the goal of having one more family meal per week. Discover how one small change per week can improve your family’s health and happiness. Susan Borra is a registered dietitian and a nationally recognized expert in nutrition, food and health.  Susan has built her career working with national and international organizations representing the food retailing and food processing industries. As the Chief Health and Wellness Officer at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), Susan leads the health and wellness initiatives recognizing the unique assets of a grocery store (food, nutrition experts and pharmacy) and food retail’s important role in helping customers lead healthy lives. Susan is also executive director of the FMI Foundation which supports research and education in the areas of food safety, nutrition and health. You can read the full show notes and access all the resources at www.soundbites

It’s not every day you get to hear about nutrition research straight from the expert himself! Dr. Taylor Wallace has a passion for food science and technology that creates a safer, healthier and more nutritious food supply, and a perspective on industry research that may surprise you. While attending the University of Kentucky, Taylor fell in love with the field of food science and the technology used to create a safer, healthy and more nutritious food supply in a world with a fast-growing population and diminishing natural resources.  He became particularly interested in the functional properties of foods, how different foods affect human health, and how specific diet patterns can be used to prevent the onset of chronic disease.  He spent the next few years focusing his doctorate research on the health-promoting properties of a group of compounds known as “anthocyanins,” the orange-red to blue-violet colors in many fruits and vegetables.  Today, Taylor focuses much of his professional career on nutrition and

“Healthy and wholesome can also be delicious! I embrace this philosophy and incorporate science-based principles to deliver up-to-date information and advice.” – Toby Amidor Toby is the founder of Toby Amidor Nutrition, where she provides nutrition and food safety consulting services for individuals, restaurants and food brands. She is also the author of The Greek Yogurt Kitchen: More Than 130 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Day.   Toby is a nutrition expert for FoodNetwork.com, and has been writing for their Healthy Eats Blog since it began about 9 years ago. She is also a regular contributor to U.S. News and World Report Eat + Run blog, Shape.com, MensFitness.com and is an adjunct professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. She also has her own “Ask the Expert” column in Today’s Dietitian Magazine.   Toby trained as a clinical dietitian at New York University. Previously, Toby was a consultant on Bobby Deen’s cooking show, “Not My Mama’s Meals.” Through ongoing consulting and facult

Our kids are bombarded every day with health and nutrition information and misinformation in the news. But what are they learning in the classroom? And are they able to digest this information and make their own, well-informed health and nutrition decisions? Andrew Milne, Illinois’ Health Teacher of the Year 2016, has traveled around the world in his 20 years as a teacher and coach. Originally from England, Andy taught physical education in London for 12 years before immigrating to America in 2008. Since that time he has worked in Special Education, written and taught a health curriculum and now teaches Kinetic Wellness and Health at a high school in the Chicagoland area. Andy received his BA (hon) in Sports & Recreation at Staffordshire University and his PGCE in Physical Education & English at Exeter University, both in England. Read the full show notes here: http://www.soundbitesrd.com/

 “The next 35 years are not only the most important 35 years there have ever been in the history of agriculture, they are the most important 35 years there will ever be in the history of agriculture.” – Jack A. Bobo   Jack Bobo is Chief Communications Officer for Intrexon Corporation. Prior to joining Intrexon last year, Jack spent 13 years at the U.S. Department of State working on global food policy. His education includes degrees in biology, chemistry, psychology, environmental science and law.   Jack is an expert in global food policy and spent the last decade trying to figure out how to sustainably feed the world in 2050. In many ways there is nothing we do that has a bigger, more negative impact on the planet than agriculture, but there is also nothing more critical for our daily survival.   You can read the full show notes and access all the resources at www.soundbitesrd.com

Preparing your own meals can help you be more mindful and appreciative of food and how it nourishes your body and spirit. Sarah-Jane Bedwell is a Nashville-based registered dietitian and the host of Cooking with Sarah-Jane video series, a consultant to the food and beverage industry, and frequently appears in the media sharing evidenced-based information on food and nutrition. Sarah-Jane’s mission is to help people achieve a higher quality of life through food and nutrition. She is the official food and nutrition blogger for SELF Magazine, has appeared on all the major Nashville news station affiliate channels, and several times nationally on NBC’s TODAY Show. You can read the full show notes and access all the resources at www.soundbitesrd.com

Today’s episode is about my progress with the 30 Day Protein Challenge and solutions for getting more protein at breakfast.   Lauren Harris-Pincus is a registered dietitian nutritionist and the owner of Nutrition Starring YOU. She’s a nutrition communications specialist and also has a private practice where she specializes in weight loss. Lauren grew up as an overweight child and draws on that experience, in addition to her degree in nutrition and years of counseling clients on weight management strategies, in her daily work as a nutrition communicator and educator. She develops recipes that not only taste great, but are calorie-controlled and pack a lot of nutritional power, and has a particular talent for creating breakfast recipes that are protein-rich because she knows that helps control hunger and support weight management efforts.   In this episode, Lauren helps Melissa with her 30 Day Protein Challenge with a focus on breakfast solutions. They also discuss various aspects of weight management including

Today’s episode is about hormones and antibiotics in dairy.   Carla Wardin and her husband Kris are dairy farmers in St. Johns, Michigan, where they milk 400 cows and raise corn and alfalfa to feed them.  Carla is also an agriculture representative for U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, which is a position that puts her in touch with consumers who have questions about how their food is produced. Carla has a master’s degree from MSU in English Literature and worked in corporate jobs and as an adjunct professor before deciding to become a dairy farmer nine years ago. In this episode, Carla discusses the most common questions she gets about hormones and antibiotics in milk and shares information about dairy farming practices, including her own experiences on her Michigan dairy farm.   You can read the full show notes and access all the resources at www.soundbitesrd.com

Today’s episode is about the importance of high-quality protein and exercise in healthy aging – preventing the loss of muscle associated with aging and therefore health-related adverse events.   In this episode, Dr. Phillips shares important information about how we can and should slow the aging process through diet and exercise. By exercising and consuming the right kind and amount of protein at the right time we can support muscle maintenance as we age which means we can reduce the risk of disease and death. Dr. Phillips discusses the types and amounts of protein, the most important amino acid for your muscles, and myths about protein consumption.  You can read the full show notes and access all the resources at www.soundbitesrd.com.

Today’s episode is about Do MORE with Dinner! This is the third episode in this series – my daughter Sarah and I are dishing about how we’ve been doing more with dinner, especially our recent experience with a meal delivery service and also about our upcoming summer plans!   In this episode, Sarah and I had a lot to catch up on since our last #domorewithdinner podcast. We really enjoyed trying out a local meal delivery service. We also talked about the ways we boost the nutrition in our meals and how we’re looking forward to doing our farmer’s market produce donation pickups again this summer for our local food pantry. You won't want to miss all the special things we have in store for you! We can't wait to hear how you are doing more with dinner! You can read the full show notes and access all the resources at www.soundbitesrd.com  

Today’s episode is about genetically engineered crops – their prevalence, safety, and regulation. What foods contain GMOs? Are they safe? Should they be labeled?   Gregory Jaffe is the Biotechnology Project Director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.  CSPI is a non-profit consumer organization that concentrates on food and nutrition issues.  They publish Nutrition Action Healthletter, which helps consumers understand the relationship between food, nutrition, and healthy eating.  Greg has been at CSPI for almost 15 years.  He has an undergraduate degree in biology and a law degree.  He has been following issues around biotechnology on and off for more than thirty years.  In this episode, Greg answers common questions about GMOs with the most fair and balanced approach I’ve ever heard. With a background in biotech and law, he understands the complex nature of the topic and shares important insights and resources.  You can read the full show notes and all the resources at www.soundbitesrd.com

Today’s episode is about how eating healthy doesn’t have to take a lot of time, work, or money. But it will transform how you look and feel.  Michelle Dudash is a registered dietitian and Cordon Bleu-certified chef who has run her culinary nutrition consultancy Chef Dudash Nutrition for 11 years, working with food companies and media. On the consumer side, she is a cookbook author and creator of her new online meal planning program Clean Eating Cooking School: Monthly Meal Plans Made Simple. You can read the full show notes at www.soundbitesrd.com.

Today’s episode is about arsenic, rice, and food safety –everything you need to know from a pediatrician and a mom.  Arsenic in rice sounds about as scary as it can get when it comes to something in your food that you’re not too keen on eating. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently released their risk assessment on arsenic levels in rice products, so I talked to Dr.Claire Chehrazi, pediatrician, to find out more about what this means for our food and our families. You can read the full show notes at www.soundbitesrd.com.

Today’s episode is about finding common ground in nutrition and connecting what we know with what we do.   Dr. David Katz is a well-recognized and regarded thought leader in nutrition, chronic disease prevention, weight management and integrative medicine. He is the founding director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center and a clinical instructor at the Yale School of Medicine. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Childhood Obesity, President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and medical director for the Integrative Medicine Center at Griffin Hospital in Derby, CT. You can read the full show notes at www.soundbitesrd.com.

Today’s episode is about The Family Dinner Project – a growing movement of food, fun and conversation about things that matter. FDP is a nonprofit organization based at Harvard University. You can read the full show notes at www.soundbitesrd.com

Manuel Villacorta MS, RD, is a registered dietitian and author of three books: Whole Body Reboot: The Peruvian Superfoods Diet, Peruvian Power Foods, and Eating Free: The Carb-Friendly Way to Lose Inches, Embrace Your Hunger and Keep the Weight Off for Good. Born and raised in Peru, Manuel is the owner of a San Francisco-based private practice, MV Nutrition. He's a former media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and regularly appears on TV and radio, blogs for The Huffington Post and is quoted in articles published in print and online. You can read the full show notes at www.soundbitesrd.com.

Today’s episode is about Do MORE with Dinner! This is the second episode in this series – my daughter Sarah and I are dishing about where we get our meal and recipe ideas & inspiration!  Although Do MORE with Dinner is about so much more than recipes, Sarah and I thought it would be good to focus this episode on that and then we can move on to other aspects in future episodes. So today we talked about some of our favorite sources for meal and recipe inspiration including my “ginormous” binder, Pinterest and some of our favorite cookbooks. If you are looking for ways to be healthier and happier, want to provide nutritious and delicious meals for your family, or want to enjoy your family time more, you might be interested in my “do more with dinner” idea. For more information and the show notes visit www.SoundBitesRD.com 

Sharon Palmer, RDN, is a registered dietitian, food and nutrition blogger, writer, editor and author, and plant-based nutrition expert. As a registered dietitian with 16 years of health care experience, she channels her nutrition experience into writing features covering health, wellness, nutrition, and cuisine. She is a passionate writer about food and environmental issues, and has published a number of features on plant-based diets, hunger, agriculture, local and organic foods, eco-friendly culinary practices, sustainability, food safety, and food security.  Sharon is here today to give us some insight into the top nutrition trends for 2016, and you might be surprised at what's on the horizon! To see all the show notes and access the resources mentioned, click here.

Are you looking for ways to be healthier and happier? Do you want to provide nutritious and delicious meals for your family? Do you want to enjoy your family time more? Then maybe you’ll be interested in my “do more with dinner” idea. This is NOT about “doing” more – it’s about getting more, having more, enjoying more. It’s about family time and food – eating, cooking, shopping, etc. I sat down with my daughter, Sarah, the other day to talk about how we’ve been doing more with dinner the past few months and some of the ways we will do more in the coming year. This is the first of many episodes where I’ll be chatting with Sarah as well as experts like dietitians and psychologists to share ideas and inspiration. For more information and the show notes click here.