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.
Antibiotics — Cure or Curse?
When we walk into a grocery store to buy a package of chicken breast, pork or ground meat, we may search for an “antibiotic-free” label to confirm our comfort level of buying the best quality for our family. When we walk into a hospital for surgery, we hope the...
Committed to the Core: Farmers, Food & Our Future
Crisp colored leaves, pumpkins on the doorstep, apple orchards blazed in shades of red, vegetable soup on the stove…all signs of our idealistic fall scenario enjoyed with little thought of the challenges endured by farmers to produce these fall harvest delights....
Back to the Table: The Art of Enjoying Food
When I think about some of the most memorable and fun times over the past few months, I smile remembering the birthday dinner preparation with my niece and sister-in-law, the dinner and conversation around our table with long-time friends, the fishing experience with...
Is Milk by Any Other Name Still Milk?
When I grew up, the term “milk” meant it was from a cow (our cows) and my only decision was whether to drink “whole” milk direct from the Holstein herd or buy "our processor" skim milk from the grocery store (which did not sit well with my father). Luckily, none of...
Sustainability – More than a Trend
How many times do you see or use the word “sustainability”? We talk about sustainable diets, sustainable agriculture, eating sustainably, sustainable buildings, sustainable environment, and the list goes on and on. But what does it mean? For a word that is so overly...
Water: The “Juice of Life…and a Peach”
We’re in the middle of the summer harvest of fruits and vegetables all across the United States and one of the stars of the season is peaches! For those of us from the southern part of the U.S., we may argue that peaches from Georgia and surrounding states are the...
What’s Driving the Trend of Plant-Based Burgers? Personal or Planet Health?
With the recent celebration of July 4th, summer is in full swing and so is grilling season. What’s on your grill this summer may be different than previous years as the options for plant-based burgers now abound. We are past choosing between just a hot dog or burger...
This I Know To Be True: Five Facts About Dairy
June is National Dairy Month! For one who grew up on a dairy farm, I celebrate the dairy farmers of the past, reflecting on previous generations in my family and the instilled work ethic and values gained from my background. But this year, more importantly, I salute...
Through My Father’s Eyes – Beyond a City’s Doorstep
If you know me well, you know travel is a way of life for me whether it’s for business or pleasure. I believe passports should be used and planes are just another mode of transportation. Even though travel can be exhausting at times and coming home is always a...
When Did Pesticides Become Table Conversation? Injecting Common Sense into the Discussion About Glyphosate
You know it’s a “hot topic” when glyphosate comes up as a topic from a “friend of a friend” during a brunch conversation. With the recent media coverage of lawsuits in California and the annual release of the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list, it’s not...