Sustainable Dish Podcast

I am popping in your feed for a special episode. NYC schools just announced that in addition to their Meatless Mondays, they will now be serving all vegan meals on Fridays.

As you may imagine, I am pushing back hard on this. To discuss the problematic policy and its consequences, I have the perfect guest, Ede Fox - better known as The Black Carnivore.  Not only does Ede promote a meat-inclusive diet but she also knows firsthand the landscape of New York, its politics, and the children that will be directly impacted by this change.

Listen in to find out more about how taking meat out of schools will have devastating effects on some of the most vulnerable kids. 

Connect with Ede:

Podcast: The Black Carnivore 

YouTube: Black Carnivore

Instagram: @blackcarnivore

Twitter: @edefox

LinkedIn: Ede Fox

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Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, Patreon supporters, and listeners.

If you’ve been listening for long, then you know I am a big believer in bone broth. From its gut-healing properties to its nutrient-dense profile, bone broth is always something I have around for sipping or adding to recipes. 

I’ve been making my own broth for years but as we all know, sometimes it's nice to have some stocked and ready-to-go in the pantry. Ready-made bone broth is also a good option for those of us that are time-strapped or maybe just intimidated by the whole broth-making process. Believe me - we’ve all been there. 

My favorite shelf-stable bone broth is Fond and Alysa Seeland, founder, and CEO, is on the show today to talk about her story and why she started Fond Bone Broth. Along with the Fond origin story we also chat about:

- The delicious Fond flavors and how they came to be

- Fond’s setbacks and growth over the years

- Tips and tricks for making broth at home (there’s one that even I didn’t know about)

- The outer and inner results from drinking bone broth regularly

If you are a bone broth evangelist or skeptic, this episode is for you so tune in!

Resources:

Weston A Price Foundation

Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions

Sustainable Dish posts on chicken and beef bone broth

Connect with Alysa:

Website: Fond Bone Broth

Instagram: @fondbonebroth

Twitter: @fondbonebroth

LinkedIn: Alysa Seeland

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Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, Patreon supporters, and listeners.

This episode is sponsored by Levels, a continuous glucose monitor that gives you individualized insight into your metabolism. This is a tool I personally use and recommend to people I work with. It’s helped me figure out what foods spike my blood sugar and which ones keep me level. I can also see how certain tricks like walks after a meal affect my body. Right now Levels has a waiting list of over 150,000 but they are allowing my listeners to skip the line if you go to sustainabledish.com/levels and sign up. Try it out to see how the food you eat affects your metabolism. This is a must-have tool for anyone interested in personalizing their nutrition. 

On this episode, I am joined by Ty Beal, Ph.D., a Research Advisor on the Knowledge Leadership team at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). So he is the perfect person to talk about nutrition at the global level including nutrient deficiencies and how best to address those gaps in different populations around the world. 

We were both in Washington DC presenting at a conference and took advantage of a break in our schedules to have a chat. During this episode, Ty shares the highlights from his talk, “Contributions of Animal-source Foods to Healthy Diets for Improved Nutrition,” which is a topic you all know I am passionate about. 

Ty references his presentation slides during the show and each one is pictured in the website show notes with timestamps so you can follow along, plus there is a downloadable pdf to the full slide deck. For those that want to dive deep into the science, there are also links to the studies he mentions.

For those that just want the good news about including meat in your diet, here are the key takeaways:

- Low consumption of meat and other animal-source foods increase the risk of undernutrition

- Animal-source foods contain unique nutrients and are evolutionarily appropriate for humans

- Meat and other animal-source foods are among the top sources of nutrients commonly lacking, especially among vulnerable groups like young children

- Too little animal-source foods may hinder child growth and development and may not be optimal for longevity

- Meat and animal-source foods are important for healthy diets and are compatible with sustainable diets when produced appropriately

- Meat, eggs, and dairy provide unique essential nutrients important for healthy diets

- Consuming too little animal-source foods worsens diet quality, increasing the risk of nutrient deficiencies and ill-health

Additional Resources:

2019 Burden of Disease Study

The Grocer: Red Meat Health Risks Study is ‘Unreliable’, Claim Scientists 

Sustainable Dish Episode 84 with Frédéric Leroy

Eat-Lancet Diet

20 Ways Eat-Lancet’s Global Diet is Wrongfully Vilifying Meat (Sustainable Dish blog post)

White Oak Pastures Beef and Organ Meat Blend

US Wellness Meats Beef Blend  

Lulun Project

Connect with Ty:

Website: Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)

Twitter: @tyrbeal

LinkedIn: Ty Beal

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Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, Patreon supporters, and listeners.

This episode was brought to you by my new Sustainavore Course! Are you confused about which diet is best for your health and the planet? Are you feeling frustrated with quick-fix diets and conflicting nutrition information? Check out Sustainavore.  You will learn how to feel confident that the food you’re buying is the right choice for your health and the environment. The course includes over 7 hours of video instruction from me and 60 daily emails full of tips, tricks, and motivation to keep you going - plus lots of bonus material. For a limited time, I am offering special discount pricing so head over to The Sustainavore Course now!

This episode is also being sponsored by Levels, a continuous glucose monitor that gives you individualized insight into your metabolism. This is a tool I personally use and recommend to people I work with. It’s helped me figure out what foods spike my blood sugar and which ones keep me level. I can also see how certain tricks like walks after a meal affect my body. Right now Levels has a waiting list of over 150,000 but they are allowing my listeners to skip the line if you go to sustainabledish.com/levels and sign up. Try it out to see how the food you eat affects your metabolism. This is a must-have tool for anyone interested in personalizing their nutrition.

Friend and fellow dietitian, Lily Nichols is back to catch us up on what she’s been up to and fill us in on the latest in nutrition research. Since our first episode together, Lily has been busy advocating for updated dietary guidelines, especially as they relate to pregnancy and postpartum. She is the author of two books: Real Food for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes. Lily is also the co-founder of Women’s Health Nutrition Academy, an organization dedicated to providing continuing education in women’s health.  

In this episode, Lily and I take a deep dive into all things protein. There is a long-held belief in dietetics that as long as you are getting enough total protein in your diet then your amino acid requirements will be met too.  Lily sets the record straight by pointing to new evidence that shows this simply isn’t true. In fact, the need for the full array of amino acids for children is so important, that deficiencies during certain development periods can cause irreversible problems.

There’s so much to cover in this episode that we actually ran out of time so stay tuned as I’m sure to have Lily on the show again.

Even if you are not pregnant or considering getting pregnant, you’re sure to find something interesting in this episode. Listen in to hear us rant about the need for protein and so much more including:

- Why the RDA (recommended dietary allowance) for protein needs an update

- All things B12 

- Cheap nutrient-dense food options

- The need for culturally appropriate nutrition recommendations 

- A thought experiment about the environmental cost of being unhealthy

- Why meat does not have to be grass-fed to be healthy

- Why nutrition professionals need real-world perspective

- Our personal results from continuous glucose monitoring and why everyone should try it

Resources:

Women’s Health Nutrition Academy

Sacred Cow

Research Paper: Animal Source Foods, Rich in Amino Acids Important for Linear Growth and Development of Young Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

US News and World Report “Best” Diets

Levels

Lily’s books:

Real Food for Pregnancy 

Real Food for Gestational Diabetes

Lily’s Articles

Protein Requirements in Pregnancy are Higher Than Previously Thought

Vegetarian Diet in Pregnancy: Nutrients of Concern

Choline in Pregnancy: Folate’s Long-Lost Cousin

Budget-Friendly Prenatal Nutrition Following Real Food for Pregnancy Principles

Why Prenatal Nutrition Guidelines Needs to be Updated

Liver and Organ Meat: Nutritional Benefits & How to Make it Palatable

Connect with Lily:

Website: Lily Nichols, RDN

Instagram: @lilynicholsrdn

Twitter: @LilyNicholsRDN

Facebook: Lily Nichols, RDN

LinkedIn: Lily Nichols, RDN

***

Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, Patreon supporters, and listeners.

This episode was brought to you by my new Sustainavore Course! Are you confused about which diet is best for your health and the planet? Are you feeling frustrated with quick-fix diets and conflicting nutrition information? Check out Sustainavore.  You will learn how to feel confidant that the food you’re buying is the right choice for your health and the environment. The course includes over 7 hours of video instruction from me and 60 daily emails full of tips, tricks, and motivation to keep you going - plus lots of bonus material. For a limited time, I am offering special discount pricing so head over to The Sustainavore Course now!

This episode is also being sponsored by Levels, a continuous glucose monitor that gives you individualized insight into your metabolism. This is a tool I personally use and recommend to people I work with. It’s helped me figure out what foods spike my blood sugar and which ones keep me level. I can also see how certain tricks like walks after a meal affect my body. Right now Levels has a waiting list of over 150,000 but they are allowing my listeners to skip the line if you go to sustainabledish.com/levels and sign up. Try it out to see how the food you eat affects your metabolism. This is a must-have tool for anyone interested in personalizing their nutrition.

Jake Marquez and Maren Morgan are the creators of the forthcoming documentary Death in the Garden, which is their journey to “save the world through embracing the cycles of life and death and changing cultural paradigms.”

These two acknowledge the challenge and complexity of the project they have taken on but have pledged to question everything, remain honest, and uphold the highest levels of integrity.  

It’s inspiring to see members of a younger generation not accept black and white thinking or the latest trendy narrative. Jake and Maren challenge the world-saving stories that have been sold as facts like eating a vegan diet, renewable energy, and recycling plastics. Instead, they view the world holistically and refuse to rely on the system that created our problems to solve them.

Jake and Maren have traveled the world interviewing experts in regenerative farming, human nutrition, carbon, soil, human rights, and the list goes on. You may even recognize some of the experts from the Sustainable Dish Podcast, like Lierre Keith and Nina Teicholz.

My co-host, James Connolly, has gotten to know this team as the producer of the Death in the Garden, and now he is interviewing Jake and Maren on what it was like to make the film.

This in-depth conversation covers:

- How James found Jake and Maren

- Jake’s time as a vegan

- Maren’s involvement with humanitarian projects 

- How the film started out about regenerative agriculture and carbon but they realized it needed to be about more

- The problems with renewable energy sources

- Embracing death as part of the story

- How industrial civilization treats life like a commodity

- The next steps for Death in the Garden

Resources:

Interview with Lierre Keith

Interview with Nina Teicholz

Interview with Derrick Jenson

Silent Spring by Rachel Carlson

Peter Donovan of the Soil Carbon Coalition

30x30

COP26

Thacker Pass

Connect with Jake and Maren:

Website: Death in the Garden

Podcast: Death in the Garden

Instagram: @deathinthegarden

Twitter: @death_thegarden

Support their work: substack and Patreon

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Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, Patreon supporters, and listeners.

This episode was brought to you by my new Sustainavore Course! Are you confused about which diet is best for your health and the planet? Are you feeling frustrated with quick-fix diets and conflicting nutrition information? Check out Sustainavore.  You will learn how to feel confidant that the food you’re buying is the right choice for your health and the environment. The course includes over 7 hours of video instruction from me and 60 daily emails full of tips, tricks, and motivation to keep you going - plus lots of bonus material. For a limited time, I am offering special discount pricing so head over to The Sustainavore Course now!

We’ve all heard about the microbiome and how important it is to human health. But have you thought about the microbiome of animals? Native Microbials is an innovative company that specializes in optimizing the gut bacteria of animals including cattle, chickens, and even your pets!

My guest today is Mallory Embree, Chief Science Officer at Native MIcrobials. She along with her co-founder, Mike Seely, started Native Microbials in 2015 to produce the next generation of feed supplements to improve the health, productivity, and sustainability of animals with microbes that are native to them.

Mallory’s love of microbes comes across as we chat about:

- How Native Microbials started

- What microbes can do for animals

- What the microbiome actual is

- Antibiotic resistance Native Microbials products can help

- How Native Microbials is different than just a probiotic

- The process for finding the best microbes

- The promising data on reduction in methane production

- How Native Microbials may impact the cell-based meat industry

Resources:

Robert Hungate

Research Paper: The Western Diet–Microbiome-Host Interaction and Its Role in Metabolic Disease

Connect with Mallory:

Website: Native Microbials

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: Mallory Embree

Instagram: @arksusdaily and @galaxis_native

***

Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, Patreon supporters, and listeners.

This episode was brought to you by my new Sustainavore Course! Are you confused about which diet is best for your health and the planet? Are you feeling frustrated with quick-fix diets and conflicting nutrition information? Check out Sustainavore.  You will learn how to feel confidant that the food you’re buying is the right choice for your health and the environment. The course includes over 7 hours of video instruction from me and 60 daily emails full of tips, tricks, and motivation to keep you going - plus lots of bonus material. For a limited time, I am offering special discount pricing so head over to The Sustainavore Course now!

Our friends at Food and Faith podcast just released an excellent interview with my co-host James Connolly.  The intersection of food and faith is often overlooked but it is important to acknowledge the influence of spirituality on what we eat and how we take care of the land.

Co-host of the podcast, Derrick Weston, is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, founding director of the Food and Faith Storytelling Collective, proud father, husband, and gardener. 

Every Food and Faith podcast episode begins with the question, “What is your geography?” It’s a simple question that allows each guest to talk about the food, the music, or culture that has shaped them into who they are today.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that James begins his answer talking about books and takes us through his life story starting with his time in the military, then heading a nonprofit in NYC, and ending up as a documentary maker.

- Learn more about James as he talks to Derrick about:

- The problems with nutrition in schools 

- How James found my work

- Insight into how the current meat industry works

- How there’s a vegan documentary that appeals to every type of consumer

- Vegetarianism and the Black experience

- Seventh-Day Adventists and their influence on policy

- The Pigford v Glickman lawsuit 

- The war with nature and how it relates to the Garden of Eden

Resources:

Archer Gray

Sacred Cow

Kiss the Ground

The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright

Dust Bowls of Empire by Hannah Holleman

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

Cows Save the Planet and Water in Plain Sight by Judith Schwartz

Mole Man

Transmilitary

Connect with Derrick:

Website: Faith & Leadership

Instagram: @derricklweston

LinkedIn: Derrick Weston

Twitter: @derricklweston

Podcast: Food and Faith Podcast

Connect with James:

Website: The Primate Kitchen

Instagram: @primatekitchen

Twitter: @jamescophoto

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Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Meg Chatham, and our editor is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, Patreon supporters, and listeners.

This episode was brought to you by my new Sustainavore Course! Are you confused about which diet is best for your health and the planet? Are you feeling frustrated with quick-fix diets and conflicting nutrition information? Check out Sustainavore.  You will learn how to feel confidant that the food you’re buying is the right choice for your health and the environment. The course includes over 7 hours of video instruction from me and 60 daily emails full of tips, tricks, and motivation to keep you going - plus lots of bonus material. For a limited time, I am offering special discount pricing so head over to The Sustainavore Course now!

My co-author and friend, Robb Wolf, and I are back again with another Fireside Chat (or is it a campfire chat?) where we get into current events and the latest research articles about food and nutrition.  And despite a bad internet connection, we get into a couple of great topics this time.

First, we catch up on all the new happenings at Sustainable Dish

- The new website relaunch

- I’m hiring for a Digital Marketing Manager. Check out the job description here.

- The all-new Sustainavore Course coming soon. Stay tuned for details (full credit to Robb for the name)

- The shout out from Bear Grylls

We then get into why the “Less Meat, Better Meat” concept should die and cover these big current topics in research and the news:

- A new paper on how eating meat affects linear growth in kids and why it’s important. You can read more about the science on the Global Food Justice Alliance here

- The Starbucks “Justice Cup” hoax and a quick fact check. You can read the Starbucks response here.

Tune in to hear Robb and me break it all down. 

Resources:

John Sapp and the Roam Free Bison Ranch

Bear Grylls 

Captain Fantastic

Global Food Justice Alliance

Connect with Robb:

Website: The Healthy Rebellion

Instagram: @dasrobbwolf

LinkedIn: Robb Wolf

Facebook: RobbWolf.com

Twitter: @robbwolf

YouTube: Robb Wolf

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Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Meg Chatham, and our editor is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, Patreon supporters, and listeners.

You may know him as Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec, or as Amy Poehler’s co-host in the reality competition series Making It,  or as Megan Mullally’s husband.  But did you know that Nick Offerman is also a passionate supporter of sustainability and the movement for better meat?

Many of you will immediately recognize his dulcet tones as the narrator from my film Sacred Cow. Nick and I met through a mutual friend and fellow supporter of regenerative farming, James Rebanks, and continue a friendship through our shared interests.

In this episode, I sit down to talk to Nick about his latest book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play. Nick recounts some of his most memorable moments from his journeys and shares the inspiration for his travels.

Get to know Nick a little bit better as we chat about:

- Nick’s backstory and family history

- His inspiration drawn from Wendell Berry

- How Parks and Rec opened doors for new opportunities

- The good and bad of living in LA

- The necessary tradeoffs of living in the modern world

- The value of face to face interactions

- The problems with battling misinformation

- Nick’s current and upcoming projects

- Nick’s book recommendations

Resources:

Solid Sound Festival 

The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks

Wendell Daily Twitter 

The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry

Bewilderment and The Overstory by Richard Powers

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

The Man Who Made Things Out of Trees: The Ash in Human Culture and History  by Robert Penn

Girls & Sex and Boys & Sex by Peggy Orenstein

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

Connect with Nick:

Website: Nick Offerman and Offerman Woodshop

Instagram: @nickofferman

Facebook: Nick Offerman

Twitter: @nick_offerman

Podcast: In Bed with Nick and Megan 

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Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Meg Chatham, and our editor is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, Patreon supporters, and listeners.

A big thanks to Nakano Knives for their support of my work and the podcast. I’ve been using their knives for a couple of years now and I love them. They are beautiful, easy to hold, and a fantastic value. And just in time for the holidays, you can use my offer code DIANA for 10% off plus get a $25 voucher toward your next purchase. Who doesn’t love a new knife, right? 

This episode is also sponsored by Paleovalley, my go-to, grab-and-go source for products that prioritize nutrient density in an industry that prioritizes everything else. Their epic lineup of products includes Organic Supergreens, 100% Grass-Fed Beef Sticks, Grass-Fed Organ Complex, 100% Grass-Fed Bone Broth Protein, and low-sugar snack bars. Visit their website here and enter the code SUSTAINABLEDISH for 15% off your first order.

Small and mid-sized farms in America have been dwindling for decades. Often these farms are bought up by larger conglomerates. One relatively recent example is Perdue’s purchase of Niman Ranch. You can read my post about the buyout here and my concerns about CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) taking over companies with higher standards of production. 

In the episode, we learn that it’s not only Big Ag that’s getting into the small farm business. Financial institutions have been in the farmland game for years. My co-host James Connelly interviews Madeleine Fairbairn, an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz about her latest book. Fields of Gold: Financing the Global Land Rush explores the financialization of farmland and how financial institutions began treating farmland as investment opportunities. You can download the ebook for free here.

James and Madeleine start their discussion in the 1970s with skyrocketing crop prices, quickly followed by overproduction and inflation, making farmland attractive to wealthy investors. This situation coupled with financial deregulation in the 80s and 90s caused changing mindsets in companies and consumers that now make finance a part of our everyday lives. 

Their conversation concludes with our current landscape where we see major investment companies like Harvard Management Company and TIAA owning huge swaths of farmland, often to the detriment of the local community. 

Tune in to learn more about:

- Financialization and how it affects all areas of our lives

- The Global Land Grab

- The Shareholder Value Revolution

- Congress's bipartisan measure to prevent institutions from taking over farmland and how those measures went away in the 1980s

- California’s water shortage problem

- How Harvard Management Company bought a vineyard

- The rise of ESGs (Environmental, Social, and Governance) or socially responsible investing

- Madeleine’s skepticism of ESGs

Resources:

Fields of Gold by Madeleine Fairbairn (free ebook)

The Looting Machine: Warlords, Oligarchs, Corporations, Smugglers, and the Theft of Africa’s Wealth by Tom Burgis

Greta Krippner 

The Great Grain Robbery

The Last Supper for Malthus: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It by Tom Philpott

Connect with Madeleine:

Website: Madeleine Fairbairn and UC AFTeR Project

LinkedIn: Madeleine Fairbairn

Email: [email protected]

***

Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Meg Chatham, and our editor is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, Patreon supporters, and listeners.

A big thanks to Nakano Knives for their support of my work and the podcast. I’ve been using their knives for a couple of years now and I love them. They are beautiful, easy to hold, and a fantastic value. And just in time for the holidays, you can use my offer code DIANA for 10% off plus get a $25 voucher toward your next purchase. Who doesn’t love a new knife, right?