We’ve reached the final episode of the Sustainable Dish podcast, and I am joined by my friend Robb Wolf to help me close it out. During this casual conversation, we look back on how our ideologies and priorities have changed over the years - from the time of a dogmatic approach to Paleo to now when we are better able to incorporate nuance when it’s needed. And it wouldn’t be a conversation with Robb if we didn’t debunk the latest study vilifying meat. The latest study from Harvard finds a...

As Sustainable Dish comes to a close, my co-host, James Connolly, and I wanted to reflect on some of our favorite episodes. They may be your favorites if you’ve been a long-time listener. If you are new to the show, these may be the episodes you’ll want to check out first. James and I have had the good fortune to meet incredible and interesting people while learning a lot along the way. Listen in as James and I take a trip down memory lane. Diana’s favorite episodes: Episode 117: Dr....

It’s no secret that our food system is broken. Food production has been consolidated and corporatized, leading to the illusion of choice and abundance. The reality is a landscape of nutrient-poor, ultra-processed convenience food. As a nation, we are overfed, and undernourished, and “lifestyle” diseases are compromising our health and happiness.  On today’s show, my co-host, James Connolly, sits down for an in-depth conversation with Jennifer Stojkovic. Jennifer is a food-tech leader,...

Will Harris, owner of White Oak Pastures, has been a guest on Sustainable Dish many times. This time, he is joined by his daughters, Jenni and Jodi. They are part of the 5th generation in this 6-generation family farm in Bluffton, Georgia. They’ve helped turn White Oak into more than a farm but a tourist destination. On this episode of the show, I chat with the Harris Family about how White Oak Pastures has evolved over the years and revitalized the town of Bluffton. Not only do they ship...

Gareth Wyn Jones is a hill farmer in Wales and a passionate advocate for grazing livestock as a means for environment and human health. Gareth’s family has been grateful stewards of the land for 375 years, growing produce and raising livestock. He has been using his media presence to provide honest information about farming in hopes of sending the message that livestock is not the primary source of our environmental woes.  He acknowledges the divide between urban and rural and the loss of...

Andrea Bemis started her blog, Dishing Up the Dirt, as a way to document her life as a farmer and home cook. When she and her husband, Taylor, wanted to settle down, they moved to his family farm in Massachusetts. Eventually, they wanted to start something for themselves, so  Andrea and Taylor bought six acres in Parkdale, Oregon, which became Tumbleweed Farm. Through farming, Andrea found a love of food. She began by sharing recipes with her CSA, which grew into a book, Dishing Up the...

There’s lots of buzz around lab-grown meat right now, and you may be thinking, “What is this stuff?” On this episode, I am joined by Paul Wood, AO (Officer of the Order of Australia), who is going to give us a crash course on lab-grown meat, including the process of growing meat from cells, all in inputs involved, actual cost behind production, and the final product results. Paul takes the emotion, ethics, and politics out of the issue by focusing only on the business and technology...

“What to eat?” This is a question we ask ourselves several times a day.  The answer seems simple enough, but there are endless factors that drives this decision: your values, budget, time, mood, and last but not least - taste.  To answer this question, Martin Cohen, PhD, taps into philosophy. Dr. Cohen is a British philosopher who blends “psychological and social studies with philosophical theory” and aims to explain complex problems in easy-to-understand ways.  His latest book is I Think...

We are dipping back into the archives to bring you an episode especially for “Supplement September.” We are taking a deep dive into the importance of nutrition for fertility and pregnancy. While women often shoulder the responsibility of all things related to preconception and birth, my guest today, Ayla Barmmer, MS, RDN, LDN says that nutrition in men during this time is just as critical. For over 15 years, Ayla has been advancing the health and empowerment of thousands of clients,...

My good friend, Chris Kresser, M.S., L.Ac, is back on the show. It’s been a while since our last conversation, so today, we are catching up on what’s new in his world. As an internationally recognized leader in ancestral health and functional integrative medicine, you may be familiar with his work. He is the author of The Paleo Cure and Unconventional Medicine and the founder of the ADAPT Practitioner Training Program.  In an effort to reach more lives, he developed the supplement line, ...

Running a successful bison ranch takes more than land and a dream. Jon Sepp, one of the founders of Roam Free Ranch, will agree. Jon knew from childhood that bison ranching was in his future. After 10 years in the military, he transitioned to ranch life in Montana. But it wasn’t until meeting Brittany Masters, the other half of the Roam Free team, that pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Brittany was ready to escape the grind of the corporate world and she brought her marketing...

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of vision loss and blindness in adults. And who better to explain the connection between sight and diabetes than an ophthalmologist? Dr. James Muecke has been working as an ophthalmologist in Adelaide, South Australia, for over 30 years. In 2020 he was named Australian of the Year for his work with the nonprofit, Sight for All.  Shortly before this honor, he began exploring the link between nutrition and eyesight. Now he is using his recognition to...

If you ever get the chance, go to the Old Salt Festival in Montana. It’s a celebration of people coming together to support land stewardship in Montana. This year I was fortunate to be one of the speakers along with others in the regenerative space, plus regional authors, poets, and musicians.  Now that I’ve returned and things have settled a bit, I have Cole Mannix, president and founder of Old Salt Co-op, on the show to talk about his experience with ranching and growing his business. ...

If you’ve been considering a career in nutrition, my podcast producer, Emily Soape, RD, has some sage advice.  After years of weighing the pros and cons of going the route of registered dietitian, she finally completed the journey of obtaining the official designation of “RD”. As Emily explains in the episode, this may not be the optimal choice for everyone. It comes down to your ultimate goals for your career and your personal strengths. There are many options. Currently, Emily is working...

Sugar is ubiquitous. Our grocery stores are brimming with sugar-added products, both from the usual suspects like cereal, soda, and other sweet treats and from products marketed as “healthy” that can contain a whopping dose of the sweet stuff. Likely though, if you’ve been following my work for awhile, you already know this. But how did we get here?  The new book, The World of Sugar: How the Sweet Stuff Transformed Our Politics, Health, and Environment over 2000 Years, seeks the answer. On...

Shannon is the Chef & CEO of Sap Bush Hollow Farm, a three generation family business.  After graduating with a PhD in sustainable agriculture, Shannon became a subversive cookbook author as a means to get her message out into the world.  She went on to write six additional books, started a podcast, and expanded the family business. Throughout this growth, Shannon found herself overworked, stretched thin, and searching for a better way. This episode originally aired June 8, 2021. The...

“Why do we have to do it like everyone else?” This is the question that Jill Winger asked herself years ago that led to impulse-buying a neglected farmstead with her husband. After years of learning “old-fashioned” skills required for homesteading, like raising chickens, preserving food, and maintaining a great sourdough starter, she is now a mentor and teacher for those who want to do the same.  Her website, The Prairie Homestead, is a vast resource for homesteaders at every level: from...

Pilar Egüez Guevara, PhD is the director and founder of Comidas que Curan, an independent education initiative to promote the value of traditional foods through research and film. Her documentary Raspando Coco (Scraping Coconuts) received several awards and was presented at film festivals in the United States, Europe, and Japan.  This episode was pulled from the archives and aired initially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although it may feel like the woes of this time are behind us, Pilar’s...

Duke Phillips III started his ranching journey without any land to his name and grew it into Ranchlands, a ranching business that encompasses 5 ranches in 4 states. Together with his family and team, Duke stewards almost 400,000 acres with a mission to promote the conservation of ranch lands, ranching legacy, and preserving the quality of life of the people associated with ranching.  In October, I am honored to join Ranchlands at the Zapata Ranch for a full weekend of ranch experiences....

Phosphorus is essential for life. It’s the second most abundant mineral in the body and critical for bone structure and bodily functions. Like humans, plants need phosphorus, too, and because of this, it is a key component of fertilizer.  Phosphorus also has a dark side. It’s used to make firebombs, rat poison, and nerve gas. The increased reliance on phosphorus has created dangerous conditions for humans and animals through its misuse and overuse.  Award-winning journalist Dan Egan...

John Kempf is an entrepreneur, speaker, podcast host, and teacher on a mission to make regenerative agriculture mainstream. This is John’s third time on the show, and he’s here to give us an update on trends he’s seeing in the regen ag space.   Episode resources and transcripts are available at www.sustainabledish.com. You can also watch this episode on YouTube: Episode 251: John Kempf Episode Credits: Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James...

Thomas Locke is part of the recent movement of office workers turned farmers. Before becoming a farmer, Thomas followed a path most of us are familiar with: go to college, take classes you find interesting, then move to a city where you can successfully join the workforce. The end. But for Thomas, it didn’t stop there. After some moving around both geographically and within careers, he found his calling as a farmer and has never looked back. Bois d’Arc Meat Co. was born. Episode resources...

Dr. Tommy Wood is a neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience at the University of Washington. His research focuses on brain injury and brain health across the lifespan.  Episode resources and transcripts are available at www.sustainabledish.com. You can also watch this episode on YouTube: Episode 249: Dr. Tommy Wood Episode Credits: Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connolly. Our producer is Emily Soape....

It won’t come as a surprise that Indigenous cultures are often overlooked in conversations about health and well-being.  The current anti-meat narrative often demonizes traditional foodways and appropriates sacred rituals and ceremonies of First Nation people into performative, Instagrammable acts or a commercialized product.  Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins are on a mission to reclaim and revitalize Indigenous health and wellness. As members of Native American tribes, Chelsey and Thosh...