Meet Me At the Table
My goal with this blog is to bring you perspectives from my past, peppered with insights and facts on the future of food, farming and health – providing “food for thought, action and personal responsibility.” As a registered dietitian and a sixth generation farm owner in Kentucky, the connection of farm to plate is part of my DNA. I have spent my career navigating the connections between food, health, agriculture and consumer behavior. Together, we will dig into the complex and ever-changing story of who grows our food, what’s in our food, and how food affects our health and ultimately our lives.
With the Rise of Plant-Based Milks, is it Time to Say “Move Over Cows”?
Think about the last time you walked into a grocery store to buy a carton of milk. How many options awaited you in the dairy aisle? Growing up on a dairy farm, I had two options for milk, whole milk with cream on top or without (Holstein style 3.5% butterfat). It was...
Food Allergies Are Real. Get the Facts During Food Allergy Awareness Week!
Each year in May, the food allergy community marks “Living Teal Food Allergy Awareness Week.” This year, the designation is being observed on May 9-15. If you are one of the 32 million Americans with a food allergy, or one of the additional 53 million who are part of...
Earth Day: We Can Make A Difference! Be Part of the Solution
It’s 1970. Peace, love, war and civil unrest dominate conversations in America. Earth Day appears on the scene and it’s recognized by few. For those of us on farms, we may have thought, “every day is earth day” and dismissed its significance beyond routine farming...
Gardening Has No Limitations — Plant What You Love And Love What You Cook!
One tomato plant may not a farmer make, but it certainly classifies you as a gardener! During 2020, the return of the “victory garden” became a reality as we endured the pandemic’s realities. With the limited ability to travel outside our homes, there was more time to...
Celebrating Women in Agriculture
During the month of March, we’ve had the opportunity to celebrate National Ag Day and Women’s History Month, which is only appropriate as we look at the family heritage of agriculture and particularly the influence women have had and are continuing to make in the...
Sustainability Starts At Home! It’s Time to Get Serious About Food Waste
Spring is in the air! This year, as we see snow melting in the mountains and tulips blooming in the south, we awaken with a new sense of purpose and hope. Our “normal” is starting to return as we receive our vaccines and begin to reunite with family and friends around...
Grocery Stores: The “Center of Our Universe” in a Sea of Uncertainty
Grocery stores will always play an important role in our quest for food but during this past year, they became the “center of our universe” whether we shopped online or in person. Grocery stores were our “go to” food source and according to my husband, his social...
What Will Be Our “Silver Linings” Post COVID?
As we start to see a “light at the end of the tunnel,” I thought it was only appropriate to explore the lessons we’ve learned. But after reading about the changes and realities resulting from the 1918 Spanish Flu, it seemed more appropriate to reflect on where we are...
From the Almond Groves to Our Hands
As with most things in our lives over the past year, our snacking habits have changed according to The Hartman Group. According to their research, “some (consumers) have taken the opportunity to clean up their snack diets, while others have slipped into less healthy...
Don’t Let Fresh Get in the Way of Eating Healthy
It was the middle of winter in Chicago with snow on the ground (sounds familiar?) and during a question-and-answer session following a presentation I had just given, an audience member asked “What is the one food or nutrition myth you would like to bust”? Without...