Sound Bites With Melissa Joy Dobbins

“Dinner is a great place to share a meal and so much more…I’m all about family and setting an example when I set the table. I teach people how to eat to make themselves feel good – emotionally and physically – and I truly believe that if you raise your kids to enjoy food because of the way it tastes and the way it makes them feel, you’re teaching them a lesson for life that’s more important than most of the subjects they learn in school.” – Bonnie Taub-Dix    Bonnie Taub-Dix is the author of Read It Before You Eat It, a media consultant to global companies and a freelance journalist for US News & World Report, TODAY, Everyday Health, and several other sites. Bonnie makes sense of science and proves that nutritious and delicious can coexist on the same plate at every meal and snack. She believes that food is fun, festive, and for promoting wellness. It’s not about deprivation, punishment or excess. The key is trying to find the balance YOU need for your particular body and lifestyle. You can read the full

In this episode, Sarah and I discuss the many ways we’ve done “MORE” with dinner since our last episode in June! We also reflect on the past year and how we want to #domorewithdinner in 2017.   Sarah and I have continued doing “MORE” with dinner over the past several months and we finally sit down to review everything and share our successes (and failures) with you. As always, life can get in the way of dinnertime plans, but we are happy to report that we are still doing our weekly meal planning, have tried a few new recipes, had some fun in the kitchen, and even more fun around the dinner table. We hope you enjoy hearing about our learnings and will share back with us how YOU are doing “MORE” with dinner! You can read the full show notes and access all the links and resources at www.soundbitesrd.com

“True confession: Despite the fact that I’m a registered dietitian, a food blogger and love to cook, my family of 3 isn’t always stellar about eating meals together… even “experts” aren’t perfect so you don’t have to beat yourself up if you think you’re failing in the family meal department. That’s why I love to share tips and tricks that might help YOUR family!” – Deanna Segrave-Daly Deanna Segrave-Daly is a Philadelphia-based, food-loving dietitian who co-owns Teaspoon Communications, a food–focused nutrition communications group that consults with a variety of health and food organizations. She blogs at Teaspoon of Spice, with her business partner, Serena Ball, sharing healthy recipes, delicious photography, kitchen hacks and even mishaps in the kitchen. Their motto is “two dietitians who love food as much as you do.”  You can read the full show notes and access all the links and resources at www.soundbitesrd.com  

“Raising healthy kids is one of the hardest jobs of parenthood – from picky eating, childhood obesity, food allergies, sports nutrition, and eating disorders to the endless doubts about what to feed your children.” – Jill Castle   Jill Castle is a registered dietitian and America’s Childhood Nutrition Expert. She is the author of Eat Like a Champion: Performance Nutrition for Your Young Athlete, co-author of Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School, founder of the blog Just the Right Byte, and creator of The Kids Healthy Weight Project, an online nutrition and feeding course for parents. Mealtime is not about what your kids eat; it’s about being together and HOW you feed them—this has an equal, if not stronger effect on overall eating. Dinner together in a positive setting and atmosphere not only helps kids and teens eat healthier, it may curtail negative behaviors like experimenting with drugs and alcohol and other risk-taking behavior. Communication and connection are the

“To change our habits, we first have to figure out ourselves…When we change our habits, we change our lives.” – Gretchen Rubin    Gretchen Rubin is the author of several books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. She has an enormous readership, both in print and online, and her books have sold more than two million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages. On her popular weekly podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, she discusses good habits and happiness with her sister Elizabeth Craft (who is a person living with Type 1 diabetes).   You can read the full show notes at www.soundbitesrd.com

“Gardening as a family becomes a place where no one is an expert. Instead, everyone teaches each other, enjoys each other, and works side by side together. Gardening is not only a place to grow vegetables, but it’s also a place to grow closer as a family.” – Jen Haugen’s mom    “Moms are craving simplicity and balance and I believe a family vegetable garden can not only grow healthy food that nourishes our families, but it can also nourish our souls. I learned this while I was a supermarket dietitian with an overloaded schedule and realized I needed to go back to my roots to achieve balance again with my family.” – Jen Haugen Jen Haugen, RDN, LD is a mom, an award-winning registered dietitian and a certified master gardener. She recently published her first book “The Mom’s Guide to a Nourishing Garden.”  Known as the Down To Earth Dietitian, Jen specializes in inspiring moms to create the recipe to a nourishing life through gardening, good food, family, and faith. Her TEDx Talk, “How Moms Can Change the World

Making family meals happen is easier than you think! Supermarkets offer shopper solutions to combat barriers that challenge the goal of having one more family meal per week. Discover how one small change per week can improve your family’s health and happiness. Susan Borra is a registered dietitian and a nationally recognized expert in nutrition, food and health.  Susan has built her career working with national and international organizations representing the food retailing and food processing industries. As the Chief Health and Wellness Officer at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), Susan leads the health and wellness initiatives recognizing the unique assets of a grocery store (food, nutrition experts and pharmacy) and food retail’s important role in helping customers lead healthy lives. Susan is also executive director of the FMI Foundation which supports research and education in the areas of food safety, nutrition and health. You can read the full show notes and access all the resources at www.soundbites

It’s not every day you get to hear about nutrition research straight from the expert himself! Dr. Taylor Wallace has a passion for food science and technology that creates a safer, healthier and more nutritious food supply, and a perspective on industry research that may surprise you. While attending the University of Kentucky, Taylor fell in love with the field of food science and the technology used to create a safer, healthy and more nutritious food supply in a world with a fast-growing population and diminishing natural resources.  He became particularly interested in the functional properties of foods, how different foods affect human health, and how specific diet patterns can be used to prevent the onset of chronic disease.  He spent the next few years focusing his doctorate research on the health-promoting properties of a group of compounds known as “anthocyanins,” the orange-red to blue-violet colors in many fruits and vegetables.  Today, Taylor focuses much of his professional career on nutrition and

“Healthy and wholesome can also be delicious! I embrace this philosophy and incorporate science-based principles to deliver up-to-date information and advice.” – Toby Amidor Toby is the founder of Toby Amidor Nutrition, where she provides nutrition and food safety consulting services for individuals, restaurants and food brands. She is also the author of The Greek Yogurt Kitchen: More Than 130 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Day.   Toby is a nutrition expert for FoodNetwork.com, and has been writing for their Healthy Eats Blog since it began about 9 years ago. She is also a regular contributor to U.S. News and World Report Eat + Run blog, Shape.com, MensFitness.com and is an adjunct professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. She also has her own “Ask the Expert” column in Today’s Dietitian Magazine.   Toby trained as a clinical dietitian at New York University. Previously, Toby was a consultant on Bobby Deen’s cooking show, “Not My Mama’s Meals.” Through ongoing consulting and facult

Our kids are bombarded every day with health and nutrition information and misinformation in the news. But what are they learning in the classroom? And are they able to digest this information and make their own, well-informed health and nutrition decisions? Andrew Milne, Illinois’ Health Teacher of the Year 2016, has traveled around the world in his 20 years as a teacher and coach. Originally from England, Andy taught physical education in London for 12 years before immigrating to America in 2008. Since that time he has worked in Special Education, written and taught a health curriculum and now teaches Kinetic Wellness and Health at a high school in the Chicagoland area. Andy received his BA (hon) in Sports & Recreation at Staffordshire University and his PGCE in Physical Education & English at Exeter University, both in England. Read the full show notes here: http://www.soundbitesrd.com/

 “The next 35 years are not only the most important 35 years there have ever been in the history of agriculture, they are the most important 35 years there will ever be in the history of agriculture.” – Jack A. Bobo   Jack Bobo is Chief Communications Officer for Intrexon Corporation. Prior to joining Intrexon last year, Jack spent 13 years at the U.S. Department of State working on global food policy. His education includes degrees in biology, chemistry, psychology, environmental science and law.   Jack is an expert in global food policy and spent the last decade trying to figure out how to sustainably feed the world in 2050. In many ways there is nothing we do that has a bigger, more negative impact on the planet than agriculture, but there is also nothing more critical for our daily survival.   You can read the full show notes and access all the resources at www.soundbitesrd.com

Preparing your own meals can help you be more mindful and appreciative of food and how it nourishes your body and spirit. Sarah-Jane Bedwell is a Nashville-based registered dietitian and the host of Cooking with Sarah-Jane video series, a consultant to the food and beverage industry, and frequently appears in the media sharing evidenced-based information on food and nutrition. Sarah-Jane’s mission is to help people achieve a higher quality of life through food and nutrition. She is the official food and nutrition blogger for SELF Magazine, has appeared on all the major Nashville news station affiliate channels, and several times nationally on NBC’s TODAY Show. You can read the full show notes and access all the resources at www.soundbitesrd.com

Today’s episode is about my progress with the 30 Day Protein Challenge and solutions for getting more protein at breakfast.   Lauren Harris-Pincus is a registered dietitian nutritionist and the owner of Nutrition Starring YOU. She’s a nutrition communications specialist and also has a private practice where she specializes in weight loss. Lauren grew up as an overweight child and draws on that experience, in addition to her degree in nutrition and years of counseling clients on weight management strategies, in her daily work as a nutrition communicator and educator. She develops recipes that not only taste great, but are calorie-controlled and pack a lot of nutritional power, and has a particular talent for creating breakfast recipes that are protein-rich because she knows that helps control hunger and support weight management efforts.   In this episode, Lauren helps Melissa with her 30 Day Protein Challenge with a focus on breakfast solutions. They also discuss various aspects of weight management including

Today’s episode is about hormones and antibiotics in dairy.   Carla Wardin and her husband Kris are dairy farmers in St. Johns, Michigan, where they milk 400 cows and raise corn and alfalfa to feed them.  Carla is also an agriculture representative for U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, which is a position that puts her in touch with consumers who have questions about how their food is produced. Carla has a master’s degree from MSU in English Literature and worked in corporate jobs and as an adjunct professor before deciding to become a dairy farmer nine years ago. In this episode, Carla discusses the most common questions she gets about hormones and antibiotics in milk and shares information about dairy farming practices, including her own experiences on her Michigan dairy farm.   You can read the full show notes and access all the resources at www.soundbitesrd.com

Today’s episode is about the importance of high-quality protein and exercise in healthy aging – preventing the loss of muscle associated with aging and therefore health-related adverse events.   In this episode, Dr. Phillips shares important information about how we can and should slow the aging process through diet and exercise. By exercising and consuming the right kind and amount of protein at the right time we can support muscle maintenance as we age which means we can reduce the risk of disease and death. Dr. Phillips discusses the types and amounts of protein, the most important amino acid for your muscles, and myths about protein consumption.  You can read the full show notes and access all the resources at www.soundbitesrd.com.

Today’s episode is about Do MORE with Dinner! This is the third episode in this series – my daughter Sarah and I are dishing about how we’ve been doing more with dinner, especially our recent experience with a meal delivery service and also about our upcoming summer plans!   In this episode, Sarah and I had a lot to catch up on since our last #domorewithdinner podcast. We really enjoyed trying out a local meal delivery service. We also talked about the ways we boost the nutrition in our meals and how we’re looking forward to doing our farmer’s market produce donation pickups again this summer for our local food pantry. You won't want to miss all the special things we have in store for you! We can't wait to hear how you are doing more with dinner! You can read the full show notes and access all the resources at www.soundbitesrd.com  

Today’s episode is about genetically engineered crops – their prevalence, safety, and regulation. What foods contain GMOs? Are they safe? Should they be labeled?   Gregory Jaffe is the Biotechnology Project Director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.  CSPI is a non-profit consumer organization that concentrates on food and nutrition issues.  They publish Nutrition Action Healthletter, which helps consumers understand the relationship between food, nutrition, and healthy eating.  Greg has been at CSPI for almost 15 years.  He has an undergraduate degree in biology and a law degree.  He has been following issues around biotechnology on and off for more than thirty years.  In this episode, Greg answers common questions about GMOs with the most fair and balanced approach I’ve ever heard. With a background in biotech and law, he understands the complex nature of the topic and shares important insights and resources.  You can read the full show notes and all the resources at www.soundbitesrd.com

Today’s episode is about how eating healthy doesn’t have to take a lot of time, work, or money. But it will transform how you look and feel.  Michelle Dudash is a registered dietitian and Cordon Bleu-certified chef who has run her culinary nutrition consultancy Chef Dudash Nutrition for 11 years, working with food companies and media. On the consumer side, she is a cookbook author and creator of her new online meal planning program Clean Eating Cooking School: Monthly Meal Plans Made Simple. You can read the full show notes at www.soundbitesrd.com.

Today’s episode is about arsenic, rice, and food safety –everything you need to know from a pediatrician and a mom.  Arsenic in rice sounds about as scary as it can get when it comes to something in your food that you’re not too keen on eating. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently released their risk assessment on arsenic levels in rice products, so I talked to Dr.Claire Chehrazi, pediatrician, to find out more about what this means for our food and our families. You can read the full show notes at www.soundbitesrd.com.

Today’s episode is about finding common ground in nutrition and connecting what we know with what we do.   Dr. David Katz is a well-recognized and regarded thought leader in nutrition, chronic disease prevention, weight management and integrative medicine. He is the founding director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center and a clinical instructor at the Yale School of Medicine. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Childhood Obesity, President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and medical director for the Integrative Medicine Center at Griffin Hospital in Derby, CT. You can read the full show notes at www.soundbitesrd.com.