Foodie Pharmacology

Notes of vanilla, a hint of orange and holiday spice, rich color, long legs and a full body… these are the traits of an excellent aged rum. On this episode, we learn about the art of rum making, starting with the sugar cane fields all the way to the aging barrel. Our guest is Joy Spence, a chemist and first woman to hold the position of Master Blender in the spirits industry. Joy shares insights from her 40+ year tenure at Appleton Estate creating some of the most highly awarded rums the world has ever seen. #Rum #Jamaica #Spirits #AppletonEstate #FoodiePharmacology

New science is emerging that the chemical signals read by our brain (neurotransmitters) also impact the gut. Each of us has a complex gut microbiome composed of many different species, but did you know that some gut bacteria have receptors for neurotransmitters? I speak with leading microbiologist, Dr. Vanessa Sperandio, about research on cocaine addiction behavior and bacterial cell-signaling in the gut.  #cocaine #microbiome #addiction #FoodiePharmacology

If you were to pick one essential element of the diet that influences our health, what would it be? The amount of fats, sugars, or carbs we consume? How about meats? Fiber? On this episode of Foodie Pharmacology, I chat with award-winning gastroenterologist and best-selling author Dr. Will Bulsiewicz about the importance of our diets to gut health! He explains the benefits of a plant-based diet and the science behind the healing properties of dietary fiber. You can learn more about Dr. B’s work and sign up for his newsletter on his website: theplantfedgut.com or follow his social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook at @theguthealthmd. #Gut #DrB #plantbased #plants

This week on the show, we’re going to dig in to one of my favorite fruits and despite it being the largest edible tree fruit native to North America, I’d bet that many of you have never heard of it before! The best way to describe its flavor is as a fun cross between a banana and mango! We’re talking about Asimina triloba in the Annonaceae family, commonly known as the American Pawpaw. Our guest today is Sheri Crabtree, Horticulture Research and Extension Associate at Kentucky State University and expert on this fabulous edible fruit! #Pawpaw #fruit #FruitTree

What does the Manhattan project and your sandwich wrapper have in common? PFAS! These per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are man-made chemicals invented nearly 80 years ago that are used in non-stick cookware, raincoats, water-proof boots, sandwich wrappers, take-out food boxes, microwave popcorn bags and more! Despite being linked to several cancers and other health hazards, they are ubiquitous in our modern food system. As “forever chemicals”, they enter the body and stay. I speak with Dr. Erin Baker, a chemist and expert in tracking down PFAS in the environment. She’s developing new untargeted mass spectrometry-based tools to hunt for these toxins in places like pine trees, alligators, water, and human blood. Read more about her research at her laboratory website or follow Dr. Baker and her lab team on Twitter at: @ErinBakerNCSU and @BakerlabNCSU #PFAS #ErinBaker #ForeverChemicals #FoodiePharmacology

Spirulina is a blue-green algae that has been growing in popularity on the food scene as either a dry product or fresh ingredient. Could this biomass of microbes help offset carbon footprints and serve as a key part of a sustainable food system? I speak with Jonas Guenther about this and more. Jonas is an entrepreneur, food activist, and writer who launched We Are The New Farmers to bring nutrient-dense fresh frozen spirulina to consumers. You can follow them on Instagram @wearethenewfarmers and try their products with this special discount code to get 15% off any order: FP15 #spirulina #protein #sustainability #foodsystems

This week on the show we’re going to learn about plant medicines from the beautiful islands of French Polynesia. Our guest is Dr. Francois Chassagne; he’s a research group leader at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development. He works on developing ethnobotanical and pharmacological tools to validate the use of traditional remedies in developing countries and French Overseas territories. We discuss some of his latest research on medicinal plants for treating diarrhea and a form of toxic fish food poisoning, known as ciguatera. Learn more about Dr. Chassagne’s work by following him on Twitter at @chassagne_f  #islands #ethnobotany #ciguatera #FrenchPolynesia #PacificIslanders #diarrhea #MedicinalPlantsa #FoodiePharmacology #Quave

Every culture has monsters that eat us, and every culture repels in horror when we eat ourselves. This week on the show, we explore the inhuman acts of consumption found in stories of anthropophagous monsters and cannibals. Our guest is Kevin Wetmore, author of Eaters of the Dead and many other books. Kevin is an actor, director, stage combat choreographer, and professor of Theatre Arts at Loyola Marymount University. We discuss the cultural and environmental conditions that create myths of corpse-eating monsters and examine conditions in modern human societies where cannibalism still occurs. #myths #monsters #cannibals #Grendel

Did you know that an estimated 80% of the world relies on medicinal plants as their main source of medicine? This week, I speak with Amanda Thiel, who is working towards her PhD in Anthropology at Washington State University. She shares insights from her research on medicinal plants and home gardens of the Q’eqchi’ Maya people of Guatemala. We discuss how certain fruit trees are used as food and medicine, and how community relationships and sharing of plant resources fosters health resilience. You can follow Amanda on Twitter @AmandaMThiel1 I also share some info on an upcoming June 2022 expedition to study medicinal plants of the Balkans. Head over to our crowdfunding site to learn more: https://momentum.emory.edu/quave 

Who’s hungry for meat? How about plant-based meat? Our guest this week is Jody Boyman, co-founder of Hungry Planet, a plant-based meat company that offers a full range of inventive products, from burger patties and chicken to Italian sausage, crab cakes, pork Thai meatballs and more. Jody shares the story of building the company and developing flavorful plant-based products. You can check out more about Hungry Planet products on Instagram @hungryplanetfoods. #plantbased #vegetarian #foodtech

Humans have practiced the art of fasting across cultures and religions over millennia. But its only just in the past few years that the science behind how fasting impacts our health has begun to emerge. This week, I speak with Dr. William Hsu, Chief Medical Officer at L-Nutra. Dr. Hsu walks us through the different modalities of fasting and how this practice can lead to a longer healthspan. #healthspan #fasting #diet 

This week, we take a closer look at how technological innovations are changing the landscape of the foods we eat. Not so many years ago, eating a veggie burger was a rather dull, mushy experience. Yet, today, you can find plant-based foods in the meat section of the grocery store that actually make a convincing pass at the flavor and texture of everything from ground meat to chicken nuggets! These techie foods are made with an assortment of plant-derived proteins and flavors… but just how healthy are they for humans and the planet? I speak with Larissa Zimberoff, author of the new book “Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley’s Mission to Change What We Eat.” You can follow Larissa’s work at her Website, or on social media at Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok. #TechnicallyFood #FoodScience #techfood #Nuggets

Throughout human history, humans have faced periods of intense food shortages and even famines. The cause of famines can differ, and whether it is due to poor economic policy, drought, crop disease, or pests, one thing remains the same: humans seek out alternative food sources to fill the gap. My guest this week is Dr. Paul Minnis, an ethnobiologist and expert on famine foods! We talk about the role of famine foods in history and their importance to the future of food security. To learn more, check out his latest book, Famine Foods: Plants We Eat to Survive.  #Famine #wildfoods #survival

This week, we get to the root of things! Literally! I speak with Dr. Eve Emshwiller, ethnobotanist and expert on the Andean tuber crop “Oca” in the genus Oxalis. We dig into the fascinating genetics, chemistry, and morphology of this staple food source. We also discuss how research on crop wild relatives can contribute to food security for the future. #oca #Andes #crops #eveemshwiller

I speak with archeologist and paleobotanist, Dr. Matthew Biwer, about some exciting new research on ancient beer brewing practices in the pre-Columbian Andes. We discuss evidence that Peruvian peppertree (molle, the source of pink peppercorns) was used as a beer ingredient along with a DMT-containing plant (a bean tree locally known as vilca). While vilca was used as a hallucinogenic snuff by other groups, archeological evidence at Quilcapampa indicates that it may have also been used in molle brews. From entheogens to beer and ancient feasting practices, there are a lot of fun concepts to unpack in this episode. #beer #Wari #hallucinogen #pinkpeppercorn

At Foodie Pharmacology, we’re not only fascinated with the incredible pharmacological potential of medicinal plants, but are also eager to learn more about how this translates into integrative medicine. We have a wonderful guest today to discuss this topic: Dr. Stephen Dahmer. Dr. Dahmer is a board-certified family physician whose passion for health and healing has taken him around the globe. A fellow of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, for over two decades he has studied the relationships between plants and people, working closely with diverse cultures and documenting their uses of plants and other integrative therapies. You can learn more about Dr. Dahmer’s work supporting clinical trials on Cannabis at https://vireohealth.com/ and follow him on social media on Twitter @DrStephenDahmer and Instagram @stephendahmermd . #cannabis #ClinicalTrials #IntegrativeMedicine

It’s an incredible thing to learn how humans have sorted through nearly 400,000 species of plants over the centuries and have determined which plants are useful as foods, medicines, tools and more. Yet when it comes to food, despite access to what feels like every type of cuisine globally, our modern diets are less varied than ever. Of the more than 6,000 species of plants once consumed by humans, only nine remain staples today. And of those—rice, wheat, and corn—now make up half of our calories. The world is currently at a crisis point, with one million plant and animal species threatened with extinction. But there are those who are fighting to save these species, dedicating their lives to not only capturing this traditional food knowledge, but also preserving the species and their flavors that could greatly enhance the human diet. My guest today is the award-winning food journalist, Dan Saladino. He is author of the new book “Eating to extinction: The world’s rarest foods and why we need to save them”. You

Have you spent much time exploring the water? Whether by swimming, kayaking, or hiking along the edges of aquatic habitats—there is always something interesting to see… and sometimes even tasty to eat! On this episode I speak with Susanne Masters, author of the new book Wild Waters: A wildlife and water lover’s companion to the aquatic world. We discuss curious creatures like eels, anemones, kelp and watermint and explore their history and present roll in the culinary traditions of Britain and Ireland. #kelp #eels #watermint #WildWaters

This week on the show, we’re going to get a little wild, exploring the wild food traditions across geographic borders in the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, Balkans and Middle East! I’m joined by Professor Andrea Pieroni, a leading ethnobiologist who studies the food traditions of diaspora and minority populations. We discuss the ties between traditional knowledge and community resilience, and celebrate some of the incredible foods found in some of the most remote regions of the world. #ethnobiology #WildFood #migrant #SlowFood

We’ve talked a lot about the topics of food security and food choice on the show, and I think most of you will agree that it can be hard to keep a healthy diet. But, have you ever considered if some of our food decisions are beyond our control? Are certain foods engineered to be addictive, like drugs or alcohol? An how complicit is the food industry in creating and marketing such foods? We’ll cover these topics and more today with our special guest, Pulitzer prize winning and best selling author, Michael Moss. He’ll share insights from his latest book, Hooked: Food, Free Will and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions. Find out more at his website, https://www.mossbooks.us/ or follow him on Instagram @michaelcmoss . #FoodIndustry #Addiction #SaltSugarFat #Hooked