Food Slain is hosted by me, Michele and I look forward to seeing you on the other side of the plate!

Our food security is being threatened, with the downturn of the economy, imports are probably going to slow down a lot more, and we are already seeing runs on the grocery stores with empty shelves, Costco is selling out of toilet paper (for some reason), many stores have already sold out of necessities and this, unfortunately, is just the beginning.

All the more reason to take responsibility for what gets onto your plate. So, buckle up...this one’s going to be a doozy.

The question is, what foods help restore healthy GABA levels to help protect us all from the outcomes of anxiety and depression that will come from people being out of work and on COVID-19 lockdown during the unknown ?

Listen in to find out and give yourself the gift of GABA!

In this BONUS episode, I'm interviewing a Medical Doctor, Oncologist and Researcher from UCSF who gives us an inside look at how the gut microbiome behaves, especially when it comes to colorectal cancer outcomes.

The episode is a little longer, and more technical - so if you're a nerd like me, listen in for the great clinical information she shares on the gut microbiome, health, cancer, food and wouldn't you know it...MEAT!

However, the avocado supply chain there has unfortunately left some blood in the streets, enabled organized criminals who are fighting over territory, and it’s manipulated environmental institutions causing irreversible damage to the environment - despite their big profits.

Listen in to learn what you can do to support California growers and help the family farmers in Mexico stay alive!

Recently, a big peach farm in Missouri won a settlement against Monsanto/Bayer and BASF for $265 million dollars! And in this particular legal case, the diabolical problem that was discovered was that employees of Monsanto knew that this product had the potential to destroy other farms and crops.

They distributed a bunch of “voodoo science” and hoped that regulators wouldn’t get tipped off AND hoped that they wouldn’t get caught so they could stay out of jail. The impacts are far and wide and impact not only peaches and farmers, but wildlife, old growth trees and much, much more. Listen in to find out what's up with your peaches!

Right now, farmers are being forced to dump their goods like millions of gallons of milk, smash hundreds of thousands of eggs and till into the ground thousands of pounds of fresh produce...which is causing a tremendous economic fallout for farmers, especially. Listen in...

Two callers asked great questions so listen in to hear the conversation. And if you want to join this conversation, follow me on the socials @foodslain.

Listen in as he shares his mindful insights into his choice to become vegan in the early 90's, his brief life on a farm in his youth and how that shaped his life, and also the creation of his vegan clothing line - all to create a better tomorrow!

http://pintxosauce.com

We talk about everything from "greening" the desert, to permaculture and microgreens, to surviving the house music era to a brief history of piquillo peppers.

In this episode, we’re going to get deeper into what “plantibodies” are, how they can impact fertility, sperm counts and can possibly control sexually transmitted diseases.

We're also going to get into the deeper issue of GMO corn being in our entire food supply chain all over the world (especially Third World Countries), in our skin and body care products and even in our contraceptives!

He shares SO much information in this interview on everything from his background, growing up in the Bronx, NY and his first experiences with Grandmother growing food, to explaining in depth what biochar is, how it works to regenerate soil and how to create living soil.

It's worth the full hour listen, but no matter whether you're a "backyard gardener" or a full on crop grower of hemp, you'll get a little bit of everything in this interview. And if you just want to hear about what you're in to, check out the timestamp list below. And make sure to connect with him on social media or head over to blueskybiochar.com to learn more about his products.

Listen in and enjoy!

• 1:00 Introduction and Michael Wittman’s Extensive background and experience
• 10:30 - Food Supply Chain and Self-Sufficiency
• 13:20 -  Nutrient Dense Food & the disappearance of varieties of food
• 13:56 - Justus von Leibig - chemist who discovered NPK
• 16:22 - Creating living soil and how biochar is the management system of soil
• 20:37 - Microbiology, nutrient retention and biochar as a permanent amendment
• 24:12 - Interesting facts about Biochar
• 26:08 - Impacts of Biochar on livestock (Cattle)
• 31:48 - Impacts of Biochar on livestock (Chickens, Ducks, Geese)
• 34:18 - Using NPK for the “backyard gardener” and creating a living soil
• 45:27 - The balance between bacteria and fungi in the soil
• 48:28 - Why mulching is critical
• 52:14 - Maintaining living soil and why Michael doesn’t use NPK fertilizers
• 55:26 - 3 Steps to properly using foliar spray for plants and trees
• 1:06:54 - Foliar spraying to avoid powdery mildew & mites on cannabis and hemp
• 1:18:18 - What Blue Sky Biochar products to use if you’re just starting out

Listen in and find out what you can do to give yourself space and grace, change behavior and figure out why getting back to basics is so important.

02:19 - Intro : Who is Erica Ballard

04:05 - The Gut Microbiota - getting back to basics and starting small

07:19 - How the gut microbiome impacts our mental health

10:02 - Feeding the “bad” bacteria & why we don’t “feel” good

12:50 - How to keep healthy food on the plate & save some dollars

20:07 - Access to healthy food isn’t just a community of color issue

22:35 - A customized approach to eating healthy & getting clear about goals

26:32 - The What, When & How to Eat - Erica’s B Method

30:22 - Changing behavior, self talk & Atomic Habits

34:40 - Is being unhealthy serving you? A coping mechanism…

38:06 - Giving yourself space and grace…

Because today, I’m talking to a guy with a PhD in Chemical Biology who breaks down the science behind corn, and how it impacts our genetic sequence as carbon based beings, how it impacts our gut microbiota (our 1st brain) and why it's essential that we make better food choices.

It’s fascinating and I am glad you’re here. Please welcome, Tanei the Science Guy.

For convenience, here is the time stamp breakdown :

01:34 - Tanei’s Background

02:49 - Who is Tyrone Hayes?

06:18 - Epicyte corn impacts sperm and renders women pseudo-sterile

11:47 - How does genetically modified food work against us bio-chemically speaking?

16:05 - BT corn is punching holes in your gut & the rise of leaky gut syndrome

20:30 - Drug resistant bacteria, bacterial evolution & foreign DNA in food

24:20 - The carbon that exists in our bodies is from corn

26:58 - Carbon hair test reveals that 69% of carbon in body is from corn

36:47 - Our (and livestock animals) addiction to corn (by products)

39:10 - How corn is controlling your thoughts in your 1st brain

42:46 - Making better choices

47:26 - The Dirty Dozen - EWG

51:54 - Genetics & GMO corn

To find Tanei, follow him on Twitter @TJRicks_TSP or email him : info@taneithescienceguy.com

Thank you again for listening in. I hope you get some real value from this and every episode.

A few notable links discussed in this podcast :

Link to the article on carbon hair testing that revealed the percentage of corn, in plant biologist at the University of California-Berkeley, Todd Dawson’s hair.

https://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/09/22/kd.gupta.column/

Link to Tyrone Hayes’ TedTalk on The Toxic Baby

https://www.ted.com/talks/tyrone_hayes_penelope_jagessar_chaffer_the_toxic_baby?language=en#t-479152

They started SIMPLi Good in 2019 with the belief that the best flavors come from the best relationships. They are focused on ethically sourcing food to create a better world - for farmers, for people, for food and for the environment.

Visit https://www.simpligood.co/ to learn more about what they are up to, how they are changing the game and how you can support them with a purchase of something simply good!

The impacts of sugarcane production on our health (especially our children), our environment and our economy are startling. Our "sugar daddy" is the largest corporation producing sugarcane in Florida, and we are getting pimped out, keeping all of us coming back for more - from the cradle to the grave.

Listen in to what I've discovered about where our sugar comes from, what's happening on a global scale, where its influence impacts our politics and how it continues to feed our addiction.

In the podcast episode, you’ll hear what these additives are, and we’ll focus on phosphates - because your kidney health matters! Our kidneys regulate blood pressure, and if you’re starting to feel more anxiety with everything that is going on, the LAST thing you need is stressed kidneys!

As you know, we eat a lot of meat in this country, we're still seeing meat shortages and increased prices in meat products at the grocery store. What we don't know, and aren't made aware of is, what "big meat" is putting into and onto our food.

Listen in to find out what these additives are, some which are on our food labels and many that are not...and aren't required to be. :(

I thank you for listening in, subscribing and sharing this episode with someone that you love. I'll see you on the other side of the plate!

Chow.

This topic was a listener request, so thank you for participating in the discussion and requesting an episode on seafood so that we can dissect what’s going on in our seafood supply chain and dig into what the heck is in the food on our tables.

A lot of seafood is imported into the U.S., and a large percentage of it is "farm raised", which is not only big business but it's also toxic to our environment and our neurological health. What's worse is, so much of the seafood that is imported into the U.S. is done so illegally, it's unregulated and it's unreported.

Just that alone should make you wonder, "what exactly am I eating, what has IT eaten, and where is it from?" Listen in and find out some answers that might leave a "salty" taste in your mouth. And make sure to share this episode with someone you love who eats seafood...their brain will thank you!

Although Atrazine isn't a food additive in the sense that it is added to our food supply, it is in and on our food, it's in our water and the question is, is it killing more than weeds?

Tune into this week's podcast episode as we discuss the health, ecological and economic impacts of Syngenta's Atrazine herbicide.

The use of herbicides is critical to the success of many farmers. Equally, the non-use of herbicides is critical to the survival of many species - including us!

It's complicated because many farmers have to use pesticides and herbicides to have successful crops so they can make money. But at what cost?

Recently, there were two articles that discussed lawsuits brought against Monsanto, the manufacturer of Dicamba (which I talked about in my Yo, Soy Peaches episode in Season One) and also against Monsanto/Bayer, which settled for $10 billion dollars. 

Listen to the Dicamba episode on https://foodslain.com.

Here are the links : 

https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/blog/6047/double-victory-monsanto-pesticide-and-gmos-just-got-whacked

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/business/roundup-settlement-lawsuits.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes

Thanks for listening in. Share this episode with someone you love and I'll see you on the other side of the plate.

Chow!

Being visually impaired, he began to research and advocate for better treatment and solutions for diabetes and he’s sharing his story about how he’s seeing life through a new, healthy lens.

EPISODE TIME STAMP

Intro

3:01 - Making the internal transformation from “sugar-free” drinks to water

8:30 - The influence of Dick Gregory on Dr. Dre

13:18 - Why Dr. Dre drinks okra water to help reverse his diabetic condition

17:12 - Dr. Dre’s advice to anyone living with diabetes & the secret to changing your diabetic life

20:59 - Commercial meat production is different than what it was

26:03 - The diabetic revolution started after WW2 

28:30 - Removing dairy and modifying his food addiction

30:27 - Vegan, vegetarian, meat eater? We need a food revolution!

34:02 - A Diabetes mindset

37:40 - Check out Speak To Life w/Dr. Dre and Analyn Scott

Enjoy, and I'll see you on the other side of the plate!

In this episode, we’re talking about pet food….specifically dog food. If you’re like me, you like animals, and whether you're a dog person, cat person, bird person, fish person and horse person...we love our pets.

We love them so much so, that according to a survey done by the American Pet Products Association, we spent $29 billion on pet food in 2017 alone.

Despite how much we are spending on them, both cats and dogs are dying from diseases that are associated with being human. Kidney failure, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In fact, dogs are dying from cancer at an alarming rate.

The question is....WHY? Is there something in the food? Are dog and cat food brands being held accountable? Are the treats we're rewarding them with laced with cancer causing chemicals?

Full Warning : The information might make you feel queasy...

Listen to the full episode and let's dig into the research, the costs and the impacts these pet foods are having on our beloved pets.

Listen in to the episode and we hope you enjoy it and share it with someone you love!

She is on the show, sharing lots of great information about HOW to grow your own food, why you should and how easy it can be. She also talks about how important medicinal herbs are, how you can grow them yourself and why NOW is the perfect time to learn what you need to know to keep your family healthy and safe!

Luckily, she's giving my listeners a special opportunity to take one of her online courses and learn the basics of Home Medicine with plants. Listen to the episode and I hope you enjoy it and share it with someone you love!

In this episode, we are talking about inflammation - both acute and chronic inflammation and how the body (and our genetics) plays a role in our body’s response to food. Angel shares so many wonderful tools for us to use so that we can take our M.E.D.S. everyday.

The meds she’s recommending have nothing to do with the pharmaceutical companies, but have everything to do with leading a fit and functional, healthy life. Listen in and welcome to Season Three of Food Slain!

He is a community organizer, facilitator, and artists, and loves engaging youth in environmental educational programs that get them excited about exploring their relationship with nature.

Alfredo is also the host of his own podcast, Climate Front Line, so make sure to listen in to his episodes.

https://www.climatefrontline.com/

Thanks for listening in, and I'll see you on the other side of the plate.

Chow.

The bigger question is, what can we do to stop it from being in our kids' breakfast and in our favorite healthy snacks like hummus?

Listen in to this week's amuse bouche style, short format "appetizer" podcast episode designed to give you a taste of reality. :)

Did you know that most of us don't get enough Vitamin D everyday? Do you know how the body makes and stores it? Do you what foods you can eat to get enough of it?

Listen into this week's episode to find out how you can boost your immunity and protect yourself as we enter "flu season". As if, we haven't been in flu season all year!!!!

Why would these three 19 year olds want to learn how to grow their own food?

Call it circumstance or destiny, but the impact of Covid-19 is playing a huge role in their decision to learn these valuable life skills, heal their bodies and minds and build relationships with the plants, the environment and the people around them.

Listen in to the episode to learn more about WHY they consciously decided to leave college and take responsibility for their lives.

EPISODE TIME STAMP

02:08 - West : Self Sufficiency Skills For Feeding Oneself

05:16 - Cultivating the Skills to Provide for Yourself

06:57 - May : The Healing Impact of Growing Food

09:09 - We ALL Want To Heal Our Bodies & Minds

11:06 - Nevin : Connecting to What’s Around Us & Building Relationships

13:53 - The Quality of Our Relationships - with Food, with Soil and with Each Other

This spice is so popular that it has been one of the top selling spices in the world, but it has been adulterated with lead since the 1980's. Crazy, right?

And there is NO safe level for lead consumption in the United States, so even with all the snazzy packaging, and the inundation of marketing telling us how healthy turmeric is, it all seems to be going to our heads. Literally.

Lead accumulates in the body, the brain, the liver, kidneys and bones and it can have major impacts on the health of pregnant women, infants and children, especially.

There have been several recalls of turmeric over the years. One in 2011, one in 2016 and even as recent as the summer of 2019. So, even with all this, we're still finding lead laced turmeric on our plates, in our cups and in our skin care products.

If you use ground turmeric or know someone who does (I mean, we all know someone who puts this stuff in their smoothies), make sure to listen to this episode and share it with someone you love.

There's no doubt, this is a sticky issue. Not just for beekeepers, but for us, as consumers. There are many brands of honey out there, both little known and very well known, that are cut and adulterated with cheap grain and sugar syrups, like sugar cane, corn and rice syrup, and beet sugar. In many cases these other sweeteners go undetected and end up in your cup of tea.

The cold, hard truth is, there’s fraud happening, honey buns. And it’s happening around the world. It is particularly egregious in Australia. However, for all my listeners down "unda" - you’re not the only ones. And the impact isn’t just economic, there are health implications, as well as environmental ones that we just don’t think about when we buy honey!

And these things are threatening our national food security. So, that’s what we’re going to talk about in this episode.

His extensive research has revealed that we're not always getting the nutritional density that we think we are getting when we opt for whole grain and whole wheat products. Why is that a problem?

Well, the problem is two-fold. First, the marketing behind the promotion of whole wheat and whole grain products is massive, and we're told to eat more foods with whole grains because it's "healthier". But the whole wheat and whole grains we are being fed, are not nutritionally dense in most cases.

Second, the way wheat and whole grains are processed, diminish the nutrient density and flavor profile.

Listen to Dr. David Killilea, PhD. dig into the half truths behind whole wheat and whole grains and learn more about what you can do to help build a local grain economy where you live!

These are chemical additives used to make plastics AND they are used to strengthen flour and bleach dough. Potassium bromate is an additive that is used to accomplish a few things. It helps breads rise higher, it acts as a dough conditioner and it makes baked breads appear lighter in color.

Sadly, this additive also accomplishes a few things that take the joy out of eating bread for some of us, namely disrupting genetic information in the cells of the body.

And if that’s not enough of a bummer, potassium bromate is banned in many countries around the world on the basis that it is a possible carcinogen, but it is not banned in the United States.

So, I bet you’re thinking….if it’s banned in other countries around the world, why hasn’t it been banned in the US?

That’s a good question. And that’s what we’re digging into today. Thanks for listening.

Che is a leading Agronomist in Washington, D.C., he's an urban agriculture researcher and consultant, and he's writing a book about the origins of sustainable agriculture.

The most interesting parts of this interview revolves around nutrient dense varieties and Che's trials with growing rice. Did you know, there are heavy metals in some of the rice we are consuming and feeding to our children? Yeah...

Anyway, I hope you listen in and share this episode with someone you love. Make sure to get your nutrient dense foods in and boost your immunity. We're not "out of the weeds" with this global pandemic, and we're entering "flu season"...so there's that!

In this episode, we're talking rising food prices and global food shortages. It's already happening and we're not out of the COVID-19 weeds yet.

There are a variety of reasons why we should be more concerned about these important issues, than some of the other irrelevant stuff we are being distracted by.

Countries are hoarding food, the shortening of growing days and extreme weather events have already impacted farmers yields with rice, wheat and corn crops, and lockdowns are expected again this winter. So what will that mean for us?

Well, that’s what we’re going to talk about in this episode. Listen in here or on foodslain.com, share this episode with someone you love and let's continue the conversation on the socials and in Season Four - starting November 13th.

Happy Halloween and I'll see you on the other side of the plate.

Chow.

We to talk about what's standing in our way and how we can get back to basics, restore the nutrient density of our food, AND restore our soil and ecosystems, our water systems, our air, our health, and our economy.

Thanks for listening in...time stamps for your convenience.

01:14 - Differences between sustainable and regenerative agriculture

05:01 - How can agricultural commodity growers use regenerative practices

08:25 - The interdependence in nature : the beaver & the wolf

14:31 - The pathway back to indigenous land management

18:37 - Nature will always be here

21:27 - To Move Into a Regenerative World, We need consensus

23:25 - How education is impacting our systems

26:22 - We need co-existence and common sense - not fear

31:54 - Small Steps to Move in the Direction of Regenerative Agriculture

36:04 - Building Resilience by Doing is an Evolution

38:27 - We rule the Corporate Food-Scape through Supply & Demand

42:14 - Values Based Purchasing - How Politics Guides Our Food Supply

50:01 - Why Women and Youth Will Save The World

52:42 - Greed Always Takes Over

We consume almost 2 billion pounds of turkey meat each year, and most of that is turkey raised in commercial facilities. The truth is, the welfare of these wonderfully curious animals is threatened at these large production facilities. An organization by the name of Mercy for Animals did an exposé in 2011 which resulted in a first ever, felony animal cruelty conviction. Historic!

As we enter the holiday season, this serves as an important reminder that we control the market, as consumers. We can vote with our dollar - and many of us do. There's no shortage of bad actors out there, and if there's one thing you know I don't like, it's liars. Check out my "Why I Talk Dirty...About Food" video, and we'll keep talking until they stop giving us something to talk about....because there is NO consequence to speaking up, if what you're saying is true. Boom!

Thanks for listening. Share this episode with someone you love, and I'll see you on the other side of the plate. Chow.

For the first time, they wanted an inside look at turkey processing, and they wanted to participate directly in the processing of the turkey they will enjoy for Thanksgiving.

Listen in as they share their experience about what it takes to get a turkey from the farm to the table, and also listen as they share their reverence for their turkey.

See you on the other side of the plate. Chow.

Listen in and learn how Bob Klein is creating a grain economy, 100% traceability from the field to the fork, and learn how we screwed up the most important food in civilization!

TIMESTAMP

03:58 - Why Community Grains and the Emerging Culture of Food

09:13 - The Flour (and entire Food) Industry Driven By Ad Gods

11:34 - Disrupting the System to be Radically Transparent

14:25 - Creating Trust and Accountability - Aligning Values From Field to Fork

21:08 - Testing Wheat and Results with Dr. David Killilea

27:44 - Transparency Is Complicated

31:18 - Changing the Grain Game

35:46 - The Economics of Healthy Food Options

41:08 - Reasons to Build A Grain Economy

47:22 - Connecting with Community Grains & Their Recipes

51:52 - If given a choice, what would a 5th grader choose?

54:28 - We screwed up the MOST important food in civilization and how to fix it

With the effects of the pandemic impacting our lives so profoundly, many people who have lost their jobs have turned to local food banks for support, and the millions of volunteers on the front lines are amazing! There's no doubt about that.

But...the honest and eye opening inquiry this week involves us looking at what's happening behind the curtain. Charity is heartfelt and heart warming, especially this time of year.

However, with food banks running out of money and food, how do we know that the money celebrities donate to the biggest network of food banks in the United States is getting to the people who need it most? How do we know that the food being distributed by food banks is not exacerbating the health disparities in these communities?

We don't. And that's what we're digging into today. This episode is NOT meant to downplay the enormous generosity of people like you and I, average folks, who genuinely want to help people in need. It's about following the money to make sure that the food that does end up on our tables, isn't going to do more harm than good.

Listen in and share with someone you love.

The core question is valid, and it is VERY complicated. Luckily, that’s what this week’s podcast is digging into...thanks to two loyal listeners (Yvonne and Vincent) who made the suggestion for this topic! 

Cultured meat is looking like it's "the next big thing" that billionaires are sinking their money into in an effort to combat climate change, end animal cruelty and of course, make a lot of money.

So, does cultured meat create more problems than it solves? Is it really better if energy and water consumption exceed traditional animal agriculture? Is it really less cruel if animals still have to die? Is it really "clean" if the same players remain in control of its infrastructure, manufacturing and distribution? Or do we just need to make adjustments to the industrial meat industry?

It's complicated. Listen in to this episode and share it with your favorite climate change advocates, vegan friends and bio-tech supporters and ask them...

And if you want to listen to the interview that I did with Claudia Cometa of Peace Advocacy Group, for her podcast called Minding Wellness, check it out here!

I know...sex is just more provocative, but in this episode, we're going to talk about the world's most beloved fruit - bananas.

It's the 4th most popular agricultural product, following rice, wheat and milk, and by the end of this episode, you might still want to eat bananas, but my guess is, you’ll look at them a little differently.

We’ll pull back the curtain on bananas and their second imminent extinction, we’ll look at the industry as a whole and who the big bananas are who own the market. We'll dig into the history and the communities impacted by the mass production of bananas.

We’ll see whether the opportunity cost of eating a banana for breakfast tomorrow or, blending it up in your smoothie, or scarfing down that slice of banana bread leaves the same taste in our mouths. Enjoy!

Farmer Chippy is changing the game (and the future) for youth and elders alike in Baltimore by helping reduce food insecurity. Hundreds of kids in the city of Baltimore participate on his farm to learn about innovations in urban agriculture.

Plantation Park Heights Urban Farm is the one of the few city resources for access to cleaner, greener foods for the community and if you like the way that sounds, please vote for his #AgriHood right now! They could win the Farm Bureau's 2021 Ag Innovation Challenge with the help of your vote! Click here.

Listen to this interview and share it with a friend to experience his infectious joy and passion.

And these two ladies, Aubrie Maze and Temra Costa are two extraordinary women, feeding community in Sebastopol, CA. This is the second episode in the Food Slain Farmer Spotlight Series.

Aubrie is a farmer, herbalist and community organizer. She has dedicated her life to the arts of land-based skills, finding beauty and purpose in the tending of land. Temra is a co-founder of Green Valley Farm + MIll, manager of California Foodshed Funders and author of "Farmer Jane: Women Changing the Way We Eat."

Listen and share with a friend to learn how these ladies are shaking things up on their farm to keep things equitable, honest and in balance with animals and nature.

Messages are getting into our eyes and brains (and even our noses) by the thousands each day in an effort to get us “triggered”, for lack of a better word, both mentally and emotionally to influence us to whip out our wallets to purchase their products.

We are inevitably influenced in one way or another thanks to the exponential growth of online marketing.

So it begs the question that is the topic of this week’s episode, are we really the ones making the decisions when it comes to healthy food options? We have the illusion of choice, but are we really in control of our minds?

Let's listen to Jana and find out how we can take control of our food choices by adjusting what we say....to ourselves!

Check out this video snippet with Jana.

There are three things at work here, and in this short format video, I'll tell you what those three things are (as defined by a marketing executive) and how they impact and influence our decision making.  

With so many companies fighting for our dollars, it's no wonder they are getting smarter (than we are) about how they influence our decisions when it comes to food. It's true...you are making decisions...but are YOU making the decisions? Or are you being influenced subliminally or by artificial intelligence?  

Well, regardless of what you answer, the reality is, you are in control when it comes to the "illusion" of choice but the mental manipulation starts way before you whip out your wallet. That's why this week we're talking to a health coach who's done a lot of work in NLP (formerly known as neurolinguistic programming.

What is it, exactly? Why is it even in our water? Is it helping or hurting us? And most importantly, what can we do about it if it's problematic?

We eat (AND drink) more times in a month than we brush our teeth - with or without fluoridated toothpaste so it's important to understand what the cumulative impacts of fluoride on our bodies, plants and animals (because they need water too and we eat them).

Thank you for your listening support and I encourage you to share this episode with someone you love!

Chow.

Right now, our plates are filthy and few are willing to do dishes. It's the job no one really wants. The good news is, we can work together to clean things up and innovate.

Billionaires and millionaires are pooling their wealth together to change the game and invest in beefless meat, breastless milk, chickenless chicken, pigless pork and eggless eggs which will supposedly end the meat industry in 15 years.

So, the questions we dive into in this Season Five Premiere episode are, who are the gatekeepers and who owns what? Who is strategically controlling our food, our farmland and the sun? And what does this mean for farmers across America?

Oh, and one more question that we tackle is...why are billionaires investing in fake, lab grown boobie milk?

Buckle up. It's gonna be a bumpy ride. Listen in and share with someone you love. See you on the other side of the plate. Chow!

They started the farm in 2013 to provide Portland area folks with humane, grass-fed, local meat delivered directly to their homes. And now, they have strategically partnered with 4 farms to provide 400 customers with the best pastured meat in the area.

Listen in as we discuss how they are staying ahead of the "big players" who could impact their business, and how they balance farm life with family life - all the while trying to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems.

This timely topic was not just great for me (having endured the stress of 12 days of no power, heat or internet) but is also really timely for anyone feeling stress or experiencing hormonal imbalances.

Dr. Dee, as she is affectionately known by her patients, gives great tips we can use to achieve balance. She also wants to give YOU some free stress management resources from her website.

Interview Timestamp

03:57 - The organs that control our hormones

05:54 - Dopamine and serotonin - feeding our happiness hormones

09:02 - Magnesium plays a major role in our mental and overall health

14:18 - Balance is the key - what is your body trying to tell you?

16:21 - Identifying symptoms before things fall apart

22:19 - The estrogen paradox - how it works for men and women (autoimmunity and disease)

24:50 - Testosterone and immunity

28:24 - The cortisol domino effect and adrenal fatigue

32:45 - Using food as medicine - navigating the unknowns

37:16 - The role of fiber

41:07 - Feeding hormonal health and the food landscape

43:17 - Excess estrogen

44:50 - Recommendations - local and seasonal foods

51:16 - Stress and cortisol

She is a private patient advocate and today, we’re talking about reducing the noise so we can tune in and listen to our inner wisdom.

Should we find ourselves in front of a medical professional, it’s important to be organized and she gives us some great tools that she has developed, for how we can advocate effectively for ourselves with the right tools. 

Click here to check out her FREE course.

Click here to get access to her FULL course. Use the PROMO CODE : FOOD for $100 off.

Listen in and share this podcast with someone you love.

TIMESTAMP:

Intro

05:50 - The defining moment on the heels of Oprah

08:50 - Figuring out how nutrition plays a role in medical schools

16:30 - Food as medicine is complicated, but we have internal wisdom

24 :10 - Quiet the external noise by tuning in and listening

27:16 - Advocating with the right tools (GPS) at the Dr’s office

31:16 - Get organized with Claudia’s free online course (link above)

34:49 - Blind perception and being jaded

40:32 - Recommendations on complementing pharmaceuticals with food

45:48 - Success leaves clues

51:18 - Alternatives to pharmaceutical imports

We talk about everything from "copy & paste" meal plans, to harmful supplements, and the three things he tells his clients about breaking unhealthy eating habits.

At the end of our conversation, we agree....You Are Enough! Listen in, share this episode with someone you love, and check out his online coaching program here.

Thanks for choosing this podcast! It's been one year, and I'm really grateful for your listening support! Chow!

EPISODE TIME STAMP

Intro

07:49 - How to navigate through the supplement landscape

12:01 - Bone Broth, Supplements & Country of Origin due diligence

16:36 - 3 Tips to Cope with real life Challenges & Mental Health

27:14 - Mindful Eating and Navigating an Uncertain Food Supply

35:55 - Fads overlook thyroid function

37:40 - Grass Fed over Grain Fed

42:38 - Getting to Micro Commitments

43:30 - The Influencer Meal Plan Hoodwink

45:45 - Maverick’s Plan for Breaking Unhealthy Eating Patterns 

47:11 - David Goggins and Doing The Mind Work

50:01 - Comparison is the Thief of All Joy

We believe that baby food is pure, like our babies. We trust companies to put the purest ingredients in baby food, right? Or at the very least take some responsibility for the safety of the product.

Unfortunately, the U.S. House of Representatives report that was released in February 2021 pulls back the curtain on seven major baby food brands - both organic and conventional baby food brands - to reveal the undeniable presence of cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury in baby food products.

Listen in to hear the results and learn what you can do to help spread the word and "move the needle."

He does this through an intentional relationship with seeds and his circle of Midwestern growers, who produce regionally adapted seed using chemical-free, sustainable and organic practices.

We all know who the behemoth player is in this seed game and we’re going to talk about them a little, but we going to talk more about what we can do as gardeners/farmers to save seeds, and enhance cultures and our local communities.

Make sure to listen all the way to the end for a discount code to get 20% off an order from North Circle Seeds.

Both James and I know that the economy AND the food industry are complex, and the carbon footprint of the food supply chain is responsible for at least 25% of total U.S. emissions. So, we dive into some possible solutions to some of the complexities that could help the big players in the industry reduce carbon emissions.

We also talk about his background as a farmer and butcher, growing up in Ireland. We have a lot in common and we know that, although we may not agree on exactly how to solve these problems, we agree that somehow, we can solve them!

Listen in, subscribe and share with someone you love!

What's great about this conversation is, the quality of the food we buy is reflective of the health of the soil it's grown in...even the grasses and hay that Gus' animals eat!

You'll hear some "farm noises" because this was an "on farm" interview in Gus' high tunnel greenhouse! And if you're into building soil, make sure to listen in because Gus shares some real "gems" and insight into the science of soil and soil nutrients!

Wanna support this podcast? It's easy...

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and share this episode with a farmer or gardener that you love!

Chow.

Stacy is an author and investigative journalist who created the Safe Cosmetics campaign and has been at the forefront of this very important issue for decades.

This is an important conversation to have. Why? So that we can all understand the impact that corporations, manufacturers and politicians have over the many products that we use in our hair and on our skin everyday.

Let's listen in so we can begin to stand up together. Please share this episode with someone you love...because with steadily declining fertility rates, our grandchildren depend on it!

TIMESTAMP

02:47 - Intro

04:03 - Bioaccumulation of lead - we’re getting it from many things

07:26 - How can companies do better

10:22 - Big business - what can we do about the compounding problems?

17:09 - Beauty influencers aren’t our parents anymore - how can we educate the current beauty industry

27:20 - Does better cost more, and why? Healthy should be available to everyone

30:34 - Most expensive doesn’t mean better/cleaner

33:07 - Why it’s so hard for industry to change

34:30 - Health and fertility outcomes - connecting the dots

39:48 - What are health outcomes going to look like in 20 years

50:09 - Passing the baton, will a change in political systems work?

53:45 - Bringing the darkness into the light!

Fannie Lou Hamer was a pioneer, a courageous and determined woman, farmer, chef, freedom fighter, singer, mother, wife, friend and survivor and I am honored to dedicate this episode to her.

In this episode, we’re also going to talk about how Fannie Lou Hamer’s legacy impacts us today, how her ideas and commitment to community, poor people and food are relevant today. Especially regarding the corporate takeover of our food systems, rising food prices, new proposed legislation and our food freedom.

Thanks for listening in and please share this episode with someone you love. And remember, "Nobody's free, until everybody's free."

If you've ever wondered about how soil sequesters carbon, or what happens "down under" your soil, or how we can help change the behavior of the "big Ag players", then this is the episode to tune into. Thanks for listening in and please share this episode with someone you love.

Time Stamp

03:32 - Why does soil matter?

05:15 - How can big ag create better soil?

10:07 - What are the most important plant nutrients and micronutrients?

11:34 - How does the soil sequester carbon - what is the actual process?

14:24 - Wood chips? The Carbon:Nitrogen ratio misunderstood

18:30 - The economic impact of improving soil

21:42 - Changing behavior : stop the subsidizing of NOT growing food

30:48 - The Calcium connection : The basic building block

36:22 - Soil testing : Potting Soil vs Land Soil

40:32 - How to get a good soil sample

46:52 - It takes time on the land to figure out what works

47:19 - Zach’s top recommendation for building better soil

Meet Booker T. Whatley.

In this episode of Food, Farm & History, we're talking about a farmer who believed that "smaller was smarter". He was a black farmer from Alabama who studied with Dr. George Washington Carver, and he wrote a book called How to make $100,000 dollars Farming 25 acres With Special Plans for Prospering on 10 to 200 Acres - published in 1987 by the Regenerative Agricultural Association of Rodale Institute.

Booker T. Whatley's ideas about how to be a profitable farming operation by focusing on what customers want, cutting out the middlemen/middlewomen, marketing directly to customers, and reducing labor costs by letting customers do the work for you, have been proven time and time again. Pure genius.

If you care about building community, reducing food insecurity, creating a thriving local economy and eating clean, healthy food - you'll enjoy learning about this guy!

I thank you for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love.

Well, let me put it this way...it's expensive as all get out (as 2Chains would say, it's the "most expensivist"), it's cut with other seed oils that can cause health problems, it's an industry run (basically) by the "agro-mafia", it's labeling regulations don't exist, so producers can put whatever they want on the label, AND a few of the major sources of olive trees in Europe have a bug infestation so serious that it might bring an end to the olive oil import industry within a few years. Not to mention, we want the health benefits - namely, polyphenols.

Polyphenols are naturally occurring plant compounds that help manage blood pressure, reduce inflammation and regulate blood sugar, but when we're consuming adulterated olive oils cut with seed oils like safflower, sunflower, canola, soy or peanut oils, then we're dealing with a whole different barrel of monkeys.

Many of those seed oils are not only pressed from GMO crops (commonly sprayed with glyphosate, aka weed killer), but they are polyunsaturated fats that do not contain polyphenols at all. In fact, they have the exact opposite effect of olive oil (a monounsaturated fat). Not only that, polyunsaturated fats are the fats that can increase your risk of heart disease and cause inflammation.

 I'm not going to belabor the point here, but it's a pretty "greasy" issue and neither producers nor retailers have any incentive to do anything to stop this madness.

Luckily, you're going to listen to this episode, get some ideas about what we can do, and share it with someone you love so that we can all stay informed and healthy.

Time Stamp 

04:45 - The business of olive oil

07:33 - The most "expensivist" olive oil

09:48 - Industry standards are not being met

12:03 - Why it matters - polyphenols

14:49 - There's an "agro mafia" massive olive oil scandal

17:04 - America is the dumping ground for adulterated olive oil

21:26 - Xylella fastidiosa across Europe is destroying olive trees

23:36 - Things we can do to verify what we're buying

29:19 - Is the olive oil in your kitchen real?

Rice is THE most important human food crop in the world, feeding half the world's total population. Many cultures rely on rice for food multiple meals a day and we eat billions of pounds of it every year.

But why the heck is inorganic arsenic, a toxic heavy metal, in this culturally important staple food? Che helps us understand how rice is grown and why it's in there. Then we talk about what we can do to minimize our exposure to it. Listen in and share this episode with someone you love.

We consume 8 lbs per person of this popular summer fruit in the United States. It's a multi billion dollar industry and unfortunately, the way strawberries are grown, 20-30% of samples test positive for toxic chemicals that are not only killing bees, they are impacting our brains and reproductive health, especially in men.

Most importantly, huge conventional strawberry farmers use massive amounts of fumigants in the soil, every season before the season begins, so these chemicals are also killing EVERYTHING in the soil they are grown in too! (Not to mention the other environmental externalities at play here...)

Listen in and share this episode with someone you love - especially with someone who loves the other sweet treat byproducts of this fruit. Thank you for your support.

This zero-calorie, "non-artificial" sweetener is designed to “urgently advance sugar reduction around the world" and ”to support good health and well being in our societies”.

There is no scientific evidence to back up the claim that it supports good health and well being. They claim this product is "sustainable", but it seems more like greenwashing, and there is a lot of money invested into this venture.

It begs the question....cui bono? I think you know the answer...but I hope you listen in to find out. Share this episode with someone you love and I'll see you on the other side of the plate.

Chow.

Anyway, I chose this man to do an episode on, not because he is a black inventor, not because he is hardly known by many, but because his patented inventions (plural) have changed the lives of farmers in the United States since 1834.

There isn't a lot of recorded history about Henry Blair. I have no idea whether he was married or had children. He was barely literate, but he was the 2nd man of color to be issued a patent in the United States. He was 27 years old.

His patents changed farming, food and fashion...forever. Truth is, most people have never heard of him and probably don't really care. That's why he is the topic of today's episode...because at the end of the day, all we are is dust in the wind.

The problem isn't just the threat of compromised security of sensitive data and operating systems, it's the threat of food insecurity. JBS processes 85% of meat products in the U.S. and has been "playing dirty" for 100 years.

If the ransomeware attacks, coupled with meat shortages and higher prices and dirty business tactics continues, there's a good chance that in the not too distant future, some of you will be fighting at the big box grocery stores for the last package of bacon....just sayin'.

Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love.

The reality is, there is no way out. 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but all I can say is...our bodies are full of microplastic bits and fibers, literally. And so is our fruit, beer and salt.

We are dependent on convenience in our food supply chain and plastic is necessary for food safety, so where does that leave us?

It leaves us swirling around in this seemingly never ending eddy of plastic in our everyday lives...and now it's showing up in our stool. Yes, our poop.

This is the Season Six Finale, so thanks for listening in, sticking around and subscribing to this podcast. See you on the other side of the plate! Chow.

In this episode we’re talking about beef, as an industry, as environmental, health and economic challenges, as well as the industry as a whole and how it contributes to our lives and basic products we use everyday.

No matter what side of the debate you're on, beef pervades our lives in many, many ways, so it’s worth digging into to learn exactly where we need to focus the blame - and it isn’t on ALL beef producers.

It’s a tricky issue, especially when we consider choice….at the end of the day, if the billionaires and global corporations have their way, we won’t have choice...or beef.

We’ll have alternatives, probably more plastic, and forget about lipgloss and ceramic plates.

Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with people you love.

Like how 86% the beef processing industry is owned and controlled by four major global corporations, one who has been caught bribing government officials, is paying off health inspectors so tainted and contaminated meat makes it to market and is disguising foreign grown beef as US beef - thanks to Congress repealing Country of Origin labeling laws in 2015.

It is a "hot mess" and the blame should fall on the bad actors, not the ones who treat animals humanely, produce healthier beef products, integrate waste back into the system to improve soil and sequester carbon and help keep local communities resilient.

Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love.

If you’re not a coffee drinker, I get it. This episode may not be for you. But if you do drink coffee, you’ll learn a few things about the history of coffee, how we got here, a few factoids about the economic value of coffee, the exploitation of coffee farmers, and the environmental impact of our coffee addiction. 

It’s a pretty interesting little bean that has a lasting impact on our lives and it isn’t going anywhere. So, if you’re listening to this episode in the morning, grab your cup of Joe and let's get buzzed together!

Thanks for listening and for sharing this episode with someone you love! Chow.

She came to Oregon on the Oregon Trail with her common law husband, David Carson, and they had two children. Martha, the first child, whom you see on the cover art and who was born while on the way to Oregon, and the other, Adam.

She was a one of Oregon's first black pioneers who came out West with her family, cultivated her skills, lost it all and triumphed over her adversaries.

Amazing. I hope you enjoy her story and share this with someone you love and keep her legacy alive! Chow.

There are many alternatives to animal proteins, but it seems (after diving deep into a rabbit hole of research, videos, studies, science and many other tangents) that these alternatives, including by not limited to soy, have a "dark" side that impacts our health, environment and wallet...yaddah, yaddah...you know how it goes.

This shouldn't be a surprise, but what is eye opening is the way soy protein isolate is made and how we came to use it as food in the first place. We'll get into that as well as some interesting history...and if you're thinking..."well, I use organic protein powder, so no big deal..." let me just say....think again!

Thanks for listening in and sharing this episode with someone you love. See you on the other side of the plate.

Chow.

For decades, these seed oils have been promoted as being a "healthier" option because animal fats (what people have eaten for millennia) got a bad rap!

The research shows that polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils may be lowering our cholesterol, but it's killing us sooner, by way of oxidative stress on our mitochondria which has been linked to diseases like diabetes, Alzheimers, cancer, heart disease and obesity.

So, why aren't we talking more about this? There are 98.5 billion reasons why we are not...so, I figured what better time to start the conversation!

Thanks for listening and remember to share this episode with someone you love.

I am really excited to talk to someone who understands economics because it is such a critical lens to look through when talking about food and agriculture.

I am thrilled to welcome Michelle Klieger who is the founder of Stratagerm Consulting, an agricultural and business consulting firm. She also has a podcast and is a professor of economics.

What's worse is, the public tax payers rely on inspectors to catch public health threats when it comes to our meat, poultry and processed egg products, yet there's manipulation, coercion and corruption going on behind the curtain.

So, let's pull that baby back and take a look at what's going on (or not) with our food safety. It ain't pretty but, we should know. Enjoy!

These laws are designed to help educate consumers about the healthfulness and nutritional benefit of food products, and they contribute to the building of trust between consumers and brands.

Sadly, there are a few billion pounds of vulnerable products exempt from these laws and the impacts are changing markets, increasing economic divide and deceiving consumers at the table.

Enjoy this episode and please share it with someone you love. Chow.

Meet the fungi you probably never heard of, Ochratoxin A. It's a mycotoxin that is found in 25% of our food globally, it can cause acute and chronic illnesses, it cannot be destroyed by most heat or pH fluctuations, and it is causing havoc inside our pets and our bodies.

The thing is...by the time you figure out it's on your plate, it's probably already too late.

Enjoy this Season Seven Finale, and I'll see you on the other side of the plate! Chow.

It's the end of the year and I figured I'd make a Year In Review BONUS episode. We talked about a lot of food, and talked to some amazing people this season.

So, what did we learn from it all? Well, you tell me what you learned, but in this episode I'll share what I learned. At the end of the day, there are good and bad actors in the food industry. Without one another, neither would exists.

There's a Nietzsche quote that says, "Only great pain is the ultimate liberator of the spirit….I doubt that such pain makes us ‘better’; but I know that it makes us more profound."

It is my hope that through the deep dives into the food supply chain on this podcast, among the bad, the ugly and the pain that is felt by what we learn, that we realize we have become more profound.

Wishing you and yours happy, healthy holidays. I appreciate you listening and sharing with people you love! See you in Season 8 in January.

Welcome to the Season 8 Premiere. In this episode we're diving into a few food industries where three or four corporations control upwards of 80% of the marketshare. They rake in billions in profits every year, often subsidized by lobbyist, government aid and by us, taxpayers.

Even though we're paying for these companies to control almost every part of our food supply chain, we're not getting better quality, nor safer food. We're not healthier and all of us, animals and wildlife and ecosystems included, are paying the price.

Share this episode with someone you love, and thanks for listening.

More specifically, we're diving into some of the major issues in the chocolate industry pertaining to the destruction of rain forests, the ongoing perpetuation of slave labor and price fixing.

This is Part One of two episodes this season on chocolate, because there is so much to cover. We had a "spirited" conversation about climate change and solutions, only to realize that the issue is nuanced and very complicated.

What I’d like to share with you in this episode is what is behind the curtain. What the food products are that use convict labor to bring these foods to market, what are the benefits and costs are on both sides of the issues to determine whether this is a good thing for our food and our people.

It’s definitely a complicated issue that has been controversial…I mean, have you ever read the back of any product that said, "Made In the US by prisoners"? Probably not.

And if you did, would you still buy that product? That’s the question.

Thanks for listening and I hope you share this episode with someone you love.

Our quality of life, economic prosperity, the health of our land and water and our wellbeing has all diminished as a result of this big fat lie and in this episode I’m going to share the science that supports this discovery and share some of the history and corruption behind how we got to this point and what we can do about it.

We’ve heard for decades that the problem with obesity is our fault. And no matter what we do or change in our diets and habits, we’re still getting diabetes, gaining weight and dying from these horrible diseases…slowly and painfully.

So, after learning about how this lie has cost us in healthcare, cost people their lives and to this day, costs people thousands of dollars in prescription medications, yet we are still burdened with poor health outcomes, how can we believe anything we're told? That's the question.

Thanks for listening.

He’s been to the show before, first talking about corn and also talking about fluoride (which if you haven’t listened to either of those episodes, you should) and this time, we’re talking about “the Science”...something that is ever present in our lives now for the past two years.

Thanks for listening and share this episode with someone you love.

There are a lot of reasons to be concerned about this, the least of which is, we have no idea whether we can REALLY trust food being grown, produced and imported from China, into countries around the world.

It's not to say that the food can't be better, because we know it can. The issue is, it's difficult to identify good, pure (uncontaminated) food - especially for the almost 3,000 athletes competing at the apex of their athletic career...because this isn't the first time adulterated food has been discovered there.

So, that begs the question...how can we trust that what they are reporting is true? Listen in to find out, and thanks for sharing this episode with someone you love!

Food waste is apparent up and down the food supply chain from the farmer all the way to your plate - and it’s pretty staggering how much food waste contributes to greenhouse gasses, but interestingly, fruits and vegetables are THE most wasted foods.

The sad part it, we’re throwing perfectly good food away - to the tune of over $300 billion dollars worth every year - is dumb. And also very complex. This is perfectly edible food that feed millions of people who face food insecurity, everyday for one year.

This is one of my all time pet peeves, and I will caution you...there are a lot of numbers swirling around in this one...but I pull it all together in the end.

Thanks for listening and I'll see you on the other side of the plate! Chow.

Well…that’s only half the story. Truth is, we’re probably getting the water soluble gunk out…but most of the toxins we think we are getting rid of, aren’t water soluble.

That's why in this episode, I'm talking to Spencer Feldman. He's the creator of Remedy Link, and he's created products and protocol for the effective detoxification of water AND fat soluble toxins.

He will be back next week talking about parasites. :(

Thanks for listening and sharing with someone you love...

Some are active some are like sleeper parasites. Some we see and most we don’t. But they are there, messing with our heads. Rest assured.

It's not likely that we can get rid of them, so the best we can do is make the environment inhospitable.

Covered in this episode are :

• Toxoplasmosis - Cats & Neurotransmitters
• How Toxoplasmosis Alters Human Behavior
• Eating More Bitter Foods
• Why we need to breakdown the biofilm
• Cooperative communities & the cycle of germ terrain theory
• We’ll never get rid of them all…and they won’t leave willingly
• Electrical charging and breaking up the crystals inside us
• Creating an inhospitable environment

Thanks for listening and sharing with someone you love.

WARNING : There may be some parts of this discussion that teeter on the edge of uncomfortable.

The reality is, we are in an inflationary cycle right now. Global food prices are up 47%* and here in the U.S., food prices are up 7.4%** within the past 12 months, with some foods increasing in price by double digit percentages. It's crazy.

But, why?

Well, part of the reason is debt. The increase in Federal interest rates just went up and the other part of the reason is the dollar just doesn't buy as much as it used to. Oh, and let's not forget...food distribution and supply chains are impacted by high fuel costs, and fertilizers have doubled or tripled in price, making the production of food for farmers even more expensive.

Inflationary cycles happen in debt based economies, but the last time we were facing this kind of "across the board" inflation was 40 years ago in 1982.

There's still hope, and some time before things all fall apart, so make sure to listen in to find out how you can "beef up" your resilience and make a valiant effort at making it through the storm.

Thanks for listening to the Season 8 Finale, and sharing with someone you love.

WARNING : There may be parts of this episode that are upsetting to some of you...

*UN Global Food Price Index

**U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

People like Belle Gibson, The Vegan Teacher on TikTok and Sarma Melngailis have been caught up in scandals, have made a lot of bad decisions, and have turned their backs on the people who supported them, exposing deep hypocrisy, theft and deception.

I used to be a "vegan", worked as an Executive Raw Food Chef back in the early 2000's and even wrote a book about raw food. I eventually realized veganism wasn't the nutritionally ideal diet for me. But this episode isn't about me.

It's a kind of sad story of vegan influencers that makes me questions the moral high ground that many vegans stand on. Because, if not eating meat helps you live (supposedly) healthier and more "pure" life, why are vegans behaving so badly? T'is a pickle.

Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love.

Why?

That's the question. There's inflation, bird flu, global events, and more debt at our doorstep...what's to worry about? World leaders would like us to just turn the other way, "nothing to see here" and would rather keep us distracted by erroneous social events. It's all a conspiracy, they say. Maybe they're right?

Maybe not. You decide. And thanks for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love.

(To access the list of articles referenced in this episode, visit https://foodslain.com.)

The canary in the coal mine idiom refers to an early warning sign that danger is afoot. In this sense, the canary may or may not be dead but it has definitely left the building. We’ve been warned and danger is ahead.

If we stay in the coal mine (meaning, if we keep doing what we’re doing), there’s a higher likelihood we won’t make it out or endure what the CEO of Chase JP Morgan warned us about last week, what he called an "economic hurricane".

Whether that sounds ominous to you or not, the reality is, we should all be preparing for the worst. Not just preparing for continuing food shortages, but preparing for much, much more that is already on the horizon.

That said…I hope you are motivated to take action, and thanks for listening to this episode and (definitely) sharing it with the people you love.

Seeds are interesting because seed genetics contain information that helps the plants thrive, produce fruit and even more seeds. However, thanks to corporate consolidation, seeds have become a commodity, ripe for manipulation, control and economic gain...but for whom?

We all know "whom"...but seeds are also intrinsically connected to family legacies, food sovereignty, food history and culture.

So, what happens to all that when more than 70% of the global seed market is controlled by just 10 corporations?

Listen and find out. Thanks for sharing this episode with someone you love!

If you're someone who wants to know where their meat comes from, and you need a little clarity about buying meat in bulk (like buying herdshares) then this is the episode for you!

Camas and I sit down in my farm truck and talk about the benefits of buying good meat in bulk, from local farmers and ranchers, what to do with it, how to cook and store what you get, and we talk about the real cost per pound and how buying direct from producers helps your local economy.

Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love.

Chow!

If you are a science fan like me, or you're wondering why antibiotics are in our food, water and soil, or why our bodies are resisting them (and ultimately creating "super bugs" that set out to kill us) then you'll love listening to this episode. :)

P.S. We are all grown folk, but I figure I should warn you. There's a cuss word or two in here and the episode is a little long, but it's fun and informative so I hope you enjoy it!

Of course, this is all subjective. But what makes meat good or bad? We all have preferences and price expectations, monetary constraints and values that govern our decision making. We often try to choose what is in our best interest, but we also have to choose trade offs, which are based on some of these microeconomic factors.

We could argue all day every day about what is better, but there will always be tradeoffs that produce different outcomes. Then the question becomes…what outcomes do we desire? In our personal lives and in society. What percentage of those outcomes can we really control? And no matter what we decide…we must always consider, cui bono? Who benefits?

We can assume the answer to that, but we still have to eat. Many of us want to eat better food and what "better" means to each of us might be different, but maybe we can find common ground and quit lumping all meat into a good or bad category.

Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love! Happy Belly Year!