The humble potato: is it a vegetable or a grain?

Coming from a family that has farmed America's favorite vegetable (yes, we'll refer to the potato as such), Mitchell Searle offers a unique perspective on the cultivation, harvesting, and sustainability of this crop.

While Searle expresses concern about what he perceives as the growing chasm between the farm and the consumer, he emphasizes that many of the misconceptions surrounding potato farming are largely unfounded.

"Sustainability is my number one focus every day," says Searle. "Is my workload sustainable? Are my tillage practices sustainable? Is my business structure sustainable to be passed on to the next generation? Everything boils down to sustainability. His family has farmed for over 100 years, so they should know.

Listen in as Searle discusses biological vs. chemical practices, how interest groups shape policy, and his very down-to-earth potato consumption preferences.

Visit potatoesusa.com for more or connect with Mitchell Searle on LinkedIn.

Where's the future of food production? You might want to look to the sky.

In this episode of the Food Bullying podcast, Nicole and Michele chat with Sarah Hovinga of Bayer Crop Science in California and Bryan Sanders of HSE-UAV in Washington about how precision agriculture is transforming farming.

According to Sanders, drones REDUCE 1) the amount (and cost) of pesticides used 2) human exposure by keeping the applicator away from the actual pesticide (since the drone is doing the spraying) and 3) pesticide drift thanks to the intentional downward movement the propellers create which helps push the pesticide into the crop with centimeter level accuracy. Drones also help by creating good-paying tech jobs in farming, inspiring young people to get into farming - but he says consumer misunderstanding of the role of pesticides in our food system still runs rampant.

"Blaming and pointing the finger at farmers, applicators, and the chemical industry is an easy and popular narrative that anti-agriculture groups promote which helps them in turn gain funding from their sponsors," says Hovinga.

The reality? Hovinga shares the following: "My friend once asked me: 'I am so confused, what food in the store is safe to eat?' Do you know what I told her? 'Everything.' And it's because of the robust regulations around food in the United States. How cool is that?"

We think it's very cool indeed. We also think dietitians and those who prioritize nutrition need to understand where the future of agriculture is going to help reduce fear-mongering. Who can you share this episode with?

Sarah does a lot on social media under the AgScienceMom handle - be sure to check it out for great examples of precision agriculture in action. You can find her on Instagram, LInkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhovinga/, Facebook, and Twitter.

Bryan love technology that flies, but isn't as active on social media. However, his company has accounts across all social media channels under HSE-UAV where you can see drones in action.

No - you DON'T have to cook pork until it's gray. This, along with the idea that pork is somehow not a healthy protein choice are two misconceptions that Jeanette Merritt, director of Communications for Indiana Pork, wishes would go away already.

"Pork still has the perception of not being a good dietary choice," says Merritt. "Consumers think chicken is the only healthy meat available to them. A boneless pork loin as the same amount of fat as a skinless chicken breast."

She talks through pig squeals, animal care, Indiana's infamous pork loins, environmental improvements in farming, and why Proposition 12 in California has been a factor in driving up pork prices.

A 4th generation pig, corn, soybean, and wheat farmer, Merritt proudly raises three kids with her husband, Rusty, where at least two of them want to be the 5th generation on the farm and the other wants to be an ag education teacher. She has spent her entire career serving agriculture.

Merritt encourages consumers and dietitians to familiarize themselves with Pork's We Care Principles. She also hopes that these principles - centered around food safety, community, environment, animal welfare, people, and public health - will encourage the next generation to explore opportunities in agriculture.

"Overall, we have a labor shortage, as much of agriculture is dealing with. We need younger people to come in and want to be involved in pork production!" says Merritt.

Follow Indiana Pork on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.

Sure, grocery prices are through the roof, but are farmers paying the ultimate price? This insightful podcast gives dietitians, consumers, and farmers insight on the impact of inflation around the food plate.

In this candid conversation, Michele and Nicole take a deeper dive into the impact of the yet-to-passed Farm Bill, consumer demand, and the ensuing stress on farmers. They talk food insecurity, inflation, farming practices, and nutrition myths in this episode of the Food Bullying podcast.

Offering perspectives from their respective fields, Michele and Nicole also discuss the weight of dis- and misinformation on their personal and professional lives.

On a lighter note, the two share recent recipe wins to give listeners ideas for their own kitchen.

One dietitian with three decades of experience believes RDNs must be a part debunking nutrition myths and overcoming food bullying to help people enjoy food.

Is eating well on a budget…impossible? Dr. Keith Ayoob, EdD, RDN, FAND, CDN, is an Associate Professor Emeritus in the department of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, where, for over 30 years he directed a nutrition clinic for children with special needs. Dr. Ayoob has also worked with numerous commodity and nutrition organizations to help dispel nutrition myths and misconceptions.

Sharing his own experiences as a graduate student and drawing on his vast work experience in the poorest congressional district in the nation, Dr. Ayoob has come to the conclusion that it is indeed possible to eat well on a tight budget, despite the common misconception that it has to be "complicated and expensive."

"NONE of my families can afford organic foods or even farmer's market foods - and they don't have to in order to be healthy and feed their families well," says Dr. Ayoob.

Highlighting the importance of meeting patients where they are (both literally - as in where they shop, and figuratively, as in where they are in their respective health journeys), Dr. Ayoob discusses the importance of cultural sensitivity when making dietary recommendations, and that having a deeper understanding of agriculture can help dietitians inspire confidence in their patients.

Listen in as Dr. Ayoob offers tips on food modeling, his thoughts on plant-based diets, social media, and more. "My body is anot a trend" sums up his thinking.

Visit his website www.cuttothechasenutrition.com, and find him on X.

With the rise of Avian flu, should consumers take caution when buying eggs? What do dietitians need to know about the safety of animal proteins? And why are egg prices so high?

Andy Bishop, Kentucky farmer and ag lender, confirms that Avian flu is not transmitted via eggs, but that the spread of the virus has presented farmers with a variety of challenges. From depopulation to misinformation, Avian flu hurts farmers' bottom line and impacts mental health.

Also serving as the chair of the Cattleman's Beef Board in Kentucky, Bishop has plenty to say about the food landscape and how the term "plant-based" impacts consumer decisions.

"Consumers are inundated with messaging based on social media algorithms that often spread false information. With the changes in the way we receive information, it is often difficult to discern what is true and what is not," says Bishop. "The whole plant-based narrative amplifies the negative messaging surrounding true protein 'Animal Protein'."

Bishop also touches on his passion for agvocacy, how farming has shaped parenthood, and how "regenerative agriculture" is simply the way things have been done on his farm - and many others - for generations. Visit Fairfield Farms Angus, which Bishop owns and operates with his wife, Meagan, and their four children on Instagram.

Scientific curiosity can change the conversation about food, whether from a food, farm, or dietetic perspective. Likewise, scientific illiteracy can leave people susceptible to food bullying. Listen to this latest episode of the Food Bullying podcast and learn about how a new book can help you better communicate science.

Amy Hays is currently the Assistant Director at the Oka Institute at East Central University, focused on sustainable water solutions, land stewardship, water research, and policy. She lives on a small ranch in Oklahoma. Her passion for science literacy inspired her to start For Science Sake, a project that helps people enhance their outreach and engagement, which lead to her co-authoring the new Science Story Speak with Michele Payn to help re-build trust in science around the food plate.

"Science is being questioned and denied like never before in this era of divisiveness, inflated food prices, and social media. Decisions are often made based on emotions, rather than evidence. Yet science has never been more critical for addressing major challenges like food security, climate change, and public health."

Science Story Speak helps you change the way you communicate and builds belief in scientific advancements. Declining trust in science hurts agriculture by limiting progress in modern farming technologies, hindering hunger relief, expanding regulations, increasing consumer questions about farming, and contributing to mental health challenges.

Amy also notes "There's a common misconception that farming and ranching are dominated by corporate farms using harmful, environmentally unfriendly practices. In reality, it's quite the opposite. Most farms and ranches are family-owned, and the folks running them care deeply about their crops and animals. They have to — their commitment to stewardship means everything because agriculture is tightly regulated, more so than many others. If they don't do things right, they simply won't last."

Learn more about Amy's work at 4sciencesake.com or the newly released Science Story Speak at ScenceStorySpeak.com.

In a sea of dis- and misinformation, what's the most important thing dietitians can do to help consumers?

Milton Stokes, Senior Director of Food and Nutrition at the International Food Information Council (IFIC), has some ideas to help RDNs cut through the congestion of information swirling around about food and nutrition.

"Sometimes when we provide more information, we make the problem worse. Let's build connections based on values, especially when dealing with contentious topics," says Stokes, whose career has been at the intersection of food, agriculture, and nutrition for the last 10 years working on some of the most urgent issues facing people and planet–issues like food and nutrition security as well as sustainability. Stokes suggests that the profession could benefit from more active listening in the social media landscape.

Touching on IFIC's 2024 Food and Health Survey, Stokes shares that taste and price are the most important factors in consumer food choice. Dietitians can help consumers make more nutritious decisions by utilizing a more positive approach, emphasizing the enjoyment of food, its flavor, and the overall experience.

Stokes also emphasizes the importance of creating connections between dietitians and farmers, and specifically points to Jenny Schmidt (guest on Food Bullying Podcast Episode 102) as a resource for RDs. He also shares that dietitians can benefit greatly from partnerships with farmers as opposed to assuming expertise in various areas of agriculture.

Connect with IFIC on Instagram, on X, and LinkedIn.

If you close your eyes and imagine a "healthy" meal, is a salad the first thing that comes to mind?

Dr. Eric P. Berg of North Dakota State University discussed the concept of a 'complete plate' in the context of good nutrition. He explained that a complete plate should have a balanced diet with six nutrient categories: water, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates. He emphasized that it's not enough to just have these categories in the diet, but that there are certain levels of essential nutrients within each category that people need to have.

The body needs amino acids to make proteins. Proteins are essential for many functions in the body, such as building and repairing tissues, producing enzymes, hormones, and neurotransmitters. The body cannot produce all the amino acids it needs, so they must be obtained through the diet. There are nine essential amino acids that the body cannot synthesize on its own and must be obtained through the diet. These amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

He says that consumers are doing themselves a disservice by failing to consider animal-based proteins as part of a complete plate. Moreover, a plethora of foods labeled as "high protein" may sway shoppers away from foods that are naturally rich in protein and into "crude" protein territory.

Dr. Berg mentions that choosing proteins with a high Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) can lead to better health outcomes. He pointed out that some food labels claiming to be "high protein" may not adequately indicate the quality of the protein.

According to the World Health Organization, a protein source must have a DIAAS score above 75 to be considered a good source and above 100 to be considered an excellent source. He also highlighted that animal-source foods often have higher DIAAS scores than plant source foods.

He suggested that consumers can find nutrition information on food labels, which provide details about the amount of nutrients (like protein) in a serving of food. However, he noted that labels may not always provide a clear picture of a food's nutritional quality. In such cases, he suggested looking at other resources, such as the USDA Nutrient Database, which provides detailed nutritional information on a wide range of foods. Additionally, he recommended consulting a registered dietitian, who can provide personalized advice on nutrition and help consumers make informed choices about their diets.

Dr. Berg has demonstrated the impact of a diet with an overall higher DIAAS score vs. a more traditional Western diet in pigs. Pigs on the more traditional Western diet experienced acne, hair loss, and muscle loss, while pigs who were fed a diet in which beef replaced sugar experienced less muscle loss and fat accumulation. Dr. Berg discusses the study in depth during his Ted Talk.

While Dr. Berg emphasizes the importance of higher DIAAS-scoring foods as part of an overall balanced diet, he cautions consumers to resist fixating on any one nutrient or food group.

He is a meat scientist who has worked to help people understand meat. He explained that the Barbecue Bootcamp was initially started as a program to educate people about modern agriculture. He and his team recognized that misconceptions were prevalent about modern agriculture, and they believed that teaching people about food safety, nutrition, and the difference between grilling and barbecue would be a good way to draw people in. They also wanted to address any questions and misconceptions people had about food and agriculture.

Visit Dr. Berg on Facebook and contact him via email.

Would consumers be healthier with fewer dollar stores? While the plethora of expanding bargain chains across the country offer fewer nutrient-dense choices than other food retailers, Dr. Sean Cash, an economist on faculty at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, where he chairs the Division of Agriculture, Food and Environment, says that some consumers benefit from having a dollar store nearby.

"It's not necessarily the case that all consumers would be better off, or have healthier diets, if they had fewer dollar stores near them. The reality is more complicated: Dollar stores may make it harder for grocery stores to stay open in some areas, but in other places they are providing services where other retailers would not be operating regardless. And the people who rely most on dollar stores are generally very satisfied with them -- and as our research shows, may even be using the foods offered at dollar stores to free up funds that help them buy healthier items elsewhere," says Cash.

Dr. Cash advises dietitians to clarify WHERE their patients are shopping before making purchase recommendations and warms against hypervigilance in nutritionism, or focusing excessively on the nutritional value of foods. With this tendency toward hypervigilance, Dr. Cash explains, online shopping for grocery items presents a unique decision-making process that may result in making less nutritious choices.

For more information on Dr. Cash and his work, visit him on LinkedIn and X.