Snakes, stigmas, & neophobia in the pandemic: Episode 62
Release Date: 09/28/2020
Potato, potahto, vegetable or grain? Episode 141
Food Bullying Podcast
The humble potato: is it a vegetable or a grain? Coming from a family that has farmed America’s favorite vegetable (yes, we’ll refer to the potato as such), Mitchell Searle offers a unique perspective on the cultivation, harvesting, and sustainability of this crop. While Searle expresses concern about what he perceives as the growing chasm between the farm and the consumer, he emphasizes that many of the misconceptions surrounding potato farming are largely unfounded. “Sustainability is my number one focus every day,” says Searle. “Is my workload sustainable? Are my...
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Healthy fields, happy farmers - drones deliver sustainability: Episode 140
Food Bullying Podcast
Where’s the future of food production? You might want to look to the sky. In this episode of the Food Bullying podcast, Nicole and Michele chat with Sarah Hovinga of Bayer Crop Science in California and Bryan Sanders of HSE-UAV in Washington about how precision agriculture is transforming farming. According to Sanders, drones REDUCE 1) the amount (and cost) of pesticides used 2) human exposure by keeping the applicator away from the actual pesticide (since the drone is doing the spraying) and 3) pesticide drift thanks to the intentional downward movement the propellers create which helps...
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Pork Yeah, for your nutrition: Episode 139
Food Bullying Podcast
No - you DON’T have to cook pork until it’s gray. This, along with the idea that pork is somehow not a healthy protein choice are two misconceptions that Jeanette Merritt, director of Communications for , wishes would go away already. “Pork still has the perception of not being a good dietary choice,” says Merritt. “Consumers think chicken is the only healthy meat available to them. A boneless pork loin as the same amount of fat as a skinless chicken breast.” She talks through pig squeals, animal care, Indiana's infamous pork loins, environmental improvements in farming, and...
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Farming pain, inflated food prices, and Pad Thai: Episode 138
Food Bullying Podcast
Sure, grocery prices are through the roof, but are farmers paying the ultimate price? This insightful podcast gives dietitians, consumers, and farmers insight on the impact of inflation around the food plate. In this candid conversation, Michele and Nicole take a deeper dive into the impact of the yet-to-passed Farm Bill, consumer demand, and the ensuing stress on farmers. They talk food insecurity, inflation, farming practices, and nutrition myths in this episode of the Food Bullying podcast. Offering perspectives from their respective fields, Michele and Nicole also discuss the weight...
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Dietitian’s top five super foods: Episode 137
Food Bullying Podcast
One dietitian with three decades of experience believes RDNs must be a part debunking nutrition myths and overcoming food bullying to help people enjoy food. Is eating well on a budget…impossible? Dr. Keith Ayoob, EdD, RDN, FAND, CDN, is an Associate Professor Emeritus in the department of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, where, for over 30 years he directed a nutrition clinic for children with special needs. Dr. Ayoob has also worked with numerous commodity and nutrition organizations to help dispel nutrition myths and misconceptions. ...
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Eggs, Angus, and healthy animal proteins: Episode 136
Food Bullying Podcast
With the rise of Avian flu, should consumers take caution when buying eggs? What do dietitians need to know about the safety of animal proteins? And why are egg prices so high? Andy Bishop, Kentucky farmer and ag lender, confirms that Avian flu is not transmitted via eggs, but that the spread of the virus has presented farmers with a variety of challenges. From depopulation to misinformation, Avian flu hurts farmers' bottom line and impacts mental health. Also serving as the chair of the Cattleman’s Beef Board in Kentucky, Bishop has plenty to say about the food landscape and how the...
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Science connecting dietitians & agriculture: Episode 135
Food Bullying Podcast
Scientific curiosity can change the conversation about food, whether from a food, farm, or dietetic perspective. Likewise, scientific illiteracy can leave people susceptible to food bullying. Listen to this latest episode of the Food Bullying podcast and learn about how a new book can help you better communicate science. Amy Hays is currently the Assistant Director at the Oka Institute at East Central University, focused on sustainable water solutions, land stewardship, water research, and policy. She lives on a small ranch in Oklahoma. Her passion for science literacy inspired her to start...
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Food demons & dietitians as decongestants: Episode 134
Food Bullying Podcast
In a sea of dis- and misinformation, what’s the most important thing dietitians can do to help consumers? Milton Stokes, Senior Director of Food and Nutrition at the , has some ideas to help RDNs cut through the congestion of information swirling around about food and nutrition. “Sometimes when we provide more information, we make the problem worse. Let's build connections based on values, especially when dealing with contentious topics,” says Stokes, whose career has been at the intersection of food, agriculture, and nutrition for the last 10 years working on some of the most...
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Eat like a pig with high quality amino acids: Episode 133
Food Bullying Podcast
If you close your eyes and imagine a “healthy” meal, is a salad the first thing that comes to mind? Dr. Eric P. Berg of North Dakota State University discussed the concept of a 'complete plate' in the context of good nutrition. He explained that a complete plate should have a balanced diet with six nutrient categories: water, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates. He emphasized that it's not enough to just have these categories in the diet, but that there are certain levels of essential nutrients within each category that people need to have. The body needs amino...
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Do dollar stores help meet dietary needs? Episode 132
Food Bullying Podcast
Would consumers be healthier with fewer dollar stores? While the plethora of expanding bargain chains across the country offer fewer nutrient-dense choices than other food retailers, Dr. Sean Cash, an economist on faculty at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, where he chairs the Division of Agriculture, Food and Environment, says that some consumers benefit from having a dollar store nearby. “It's not necessarily the case that all consumers would be better off, or have healthier diets, if they had fewer dollar stores near them. The...
info_outlineWhat role does disgust play in our fear of disease? Why should we be careful about the language used to describe disease? Dr. Tyler Davis is back to discuss how exotic foods are associated with “otherness." Neophobia (fear of new things) creates stigmas. Bonus, Michele expresses her feelings about snakes. It's a great start to Season 7!
Dr. Tyler Davis is an associate professor of psychological sciences at Texas Tech University, where he directs the Cap Rock Lab. The Cap Rock lab is something that uses functional in neuro imaging to study cognitive neuroscience in categories, categorization, attitudes, and preference.
Key points:
- We need to be careful about the language we use to describe disease because if we are unfamiliar with something there is more chance of misinformation.
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If people believe a disease, such as Covid-19 originated from an exotic food source it is perceived as more risky and this creates a stigma around the disease and the country of origin.
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In the United States, we don’t typically eat bats or snake (although some people eat rattlesnakes). We often don’t understand the importance of these animals to the food chain. For example, bats control malaria by eating insects and are pollinators.
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People also generalize the perceived risk of exotic foods (or disease) with the people who eat it.
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Neophobia is the fear of new things. This plays into food bullying as identity-based avoidance technology, such as non-GMO, contributes to fear. Labels like “natural” prey on this fear.
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To change perceptions we need to focus on the values of the group and how they identify around a fear.
Three tips to overcome food bullying:
- Think about how food relates to your values
- Check that food claims actually mean what you think they mean. Ask why people want you to believe or identify with the claim.
- Don’t assume people are different because they eat differently.
Links:
Dr. Tyler Davis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/flatlandneuro
Email: [email protected]
Food Bullying book with Michele Payn: http://foodbullying.com
Embrace Your Heart book with Eliz Greene: http://www.embraceyourheart.com/
Food Bullying Podcast’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/foodbullyingpodcast