OUR MISSION

Connecting you with our food system and its value in our daily lives — from dirt to dinner.

Hayley N. Philip

Hayley N. Philip

Can a diet mimic Ozempic's results?

Can a diet mimic Ozempic's results?

Exploring the power of nutrition reveals that diet can mimic Ozempic's effects, emphasizing that eating the right foods in a strategically nutritious way can lead to effective weight loss.

Diet

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The Ins & Outs of Mushroom Products

The Ins & Outs of Mushroom Products

Mushrooms have gained a lot of attention for a reported array of benefits. We're delving into how to assess supplement quality and the role of third-party verifiers in ensuring their authenticity and effectiveness.

Food Ingredients, Health

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Eat these foods to boost your mood

Eat these foods to boost your mood

In today's fast-paced and stressful world, adequate serotonin levels are crucial for maintaining mental and emotional health, among many other benefits. We pinpoint which foods can help boost this mood-regulating hormone.

Health

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Are You Deficient in Key Nutrients?

Are You Deficient in Key Nutrients?

Many of us in the U.S. suffer from nutrient deficiencies, leading to increased risk of various life-threatening diseases. Here are five common nutritional deficiencies and what you can do to boost your intake.

Diet, Health

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Can Stretching Help Nutrient Intake?

Can Stretching Help Nutrient Intake?

Stretching can help your body absorb nutrients from the foods you eat. You’ll have a whole new appreciation for touching your toes when you hear about all the benefits it can have on your nutrient intake!

Health

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Food as Protection from Air Pollution

Food as Protection from Air Pollution

Recent scientific research has revealed that diet may play a crucial role in mitigating the adverse effects of air pollution, including smoke from forest fires, on human health.

Health

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Suffer from allergies? Eat these foods!

Suffer from allergies? Eat these foods!

Many of us keep our seasonal allergies at bay with over-the-counter meds. What if you could eat certain foods to help fight your symptoms? Put down the decongestant and update your grocery list with these items...

Health

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A Guide to Time-Restricted Eating

A Guide to Time-Restricted Eating

We’ve compiled a list of the latest studies surrounding time-restricted eating covering sleep, brain health, chronic illness reduction, and weight loss research. Take a look to see if it's something you should consider!

Diet, Health

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Are snacks masking your body's protein needs?

Are snacks masking your body's protein needs?

Our bodies crave protein, so why do we try to satisfy this innate need with processed foods? A new study suggests we overeat because our protein needs are unmet. Could this be true?

Diet, Health

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Not All Fiber is Created Equal

Not All Fiber is Created Equal

Most of us are fiber deficient, which is a pity: fiber helps maintain digestive health, lowers cholesterol, and controls blood sugar levels. But we can't just add any fiber to our diets to reap all these benefits; we need to consider a few other things...

Diet, Health

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How does alcohol affect our health?

How does alcohol affect our health?

We wondered to what degree drinking alcohol detracts from our health. So we're digging into alcohol's effect on our brain & body so we can make informed lifestyle decisions.

Health

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The Ins & Outs of Climate-Conscious Eating

The Ins & Outs of Climate-Conscious Eating

Think you know what climate-conscious eating looks like? Think again. Its complexities extend far and wide, from effects on soil, water use, and farming practices, to just name a few...

Climate Change, Soil and Crop Management

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Milk: Should you go 'alternative'?

Milk: Should you go 'alternative'?

With so many substitutes for milk to choose from, it can be difficult to know which is best. How do mainstream milk alternatives compare nutritionally?

Food Ingredients, Health

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We're only as healthy as our soil

We're only as healthy as our soil

A new study concludes that soil quality via regenerative agriculture is the key to nutritious food.

Soil and Crop Management

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Should MCT Oil be in your diet?

Should MCT Oil be in your diet?

With a new influx of research surrounding MCT oil, we can now evaluate the claims and myths surrounding this fatty acid. Should you try it?

Food Ingredients, Health

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Eating for Healthy Mitochondria

Eating for Healthy Mitochondria

Our cells' mitochondria create energy to keep our hearts beating, recognize pathogens, and program cellular activity. Our diet has a direct effect on our mitochondrial function, impacting not only our immunity but our long-term health.

Diet, Health

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Heavy metal exposure: what to know

Heavy metal exposure: what to know

Heavy metals are present in everyday items and, if overexposed, can cause a variety of health problems. Knowing what foods to eat to fortify your body can provide a protective mechanism to combat these inevitable exposures.

Health

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Would a ‘traffic light’ label help prioritize your nutrition?

Would a ‘traffic light’ label help prioritize your nutrition?

A new food label proves European food manufacturers' commitment to consumer health. This stoplight-like label helps shoppers quickly determine a product's overall nutrition. How will U.S. food producers react?

Health

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Jupiter Ridge: Regenerative Stewards of the Land

Jupiter Ridge: Regenerative Stewards of the Land

Will Lorentzen and Adrian White of Jupiter Ridge Farm detail their experience with regeneratively-grown farming practices in Iowa. Their long-term objectives can shape our understanding of what regenerative ag really looks like.

Soil and Crop Management

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Study shows dairy's effect on heart health

Study shows dairy's effect on heart health

A long-term study just released results contradictory to previous guidance on dairy intake. This study, coupled with others of its kind, has provided new food for thought: cutting down on dairy might not be the best choice for your heart health.

Health

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Want to Save the Planet? 'Break Boundaries' at Home

Want to Save the Planet? 'Break Boundaries' at Home

Netflix documentary, Breaking Boundaries, has been criticized as another over-the-top and scary climate change film. But at its core, the message is simple – 'Be the Earth's Conscience.' But what does that mean, and how can I personally make a difference?

Climate Change, Conservation

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White Fat's Effect on Chronic Illness

White Fat's Effect on Chronic Illness

Our bodies need fat to function, but some types are better than others. This discovery can change our treatments for chronic issues like obesity and diabetes while improving health.

Health

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Serving Up Sustainability at Fast Food Restaurants

Serving Up Sustainability at Fast Food Restaurants

Fast-food chains have started to go public with their sustainability initiatives, but how are these efforts regulated? And are we willing to pay more for “greener” fast food? Experts in the space help us take a bite out of this topic.

Animal Welfare and Health, Soil and Crop Management

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7 Things to Know about Indoor Farming

7 Things to Know about Indoor Farming

There have been some big headlines lately regarding vertical farming. What is vertical farming, and what do we need to know about it?

Soil and Crop Management

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Postbiotics: You Are What You Digest

Postbiotics: You Are What You Digest

You've probably heard of probiotics, but what about postbiotics? And what role do these components play in the relationship between our gut and our immune system? It turns out - a big one...

Health

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Covid's Effect on New Tech in Our Food System

Covid's Effect on New Tech in Our Food System

Innovations in e-grocery services have made our lives easier, safer, and more efficient, but have also permanently impacted our food supply chains. How can these emerging technologies help transform our new food system?

Food Production, Food Technology, Food Trade

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Regenerative Ag: The New ‘Sustainable’

Regenerative Ag: The New ‘Sustainable’

Regenerative agriculture is a system of farming practices that promises to reduce the impact of carbon emissions. Each farming operation differs not only in the application of these practices but in their measurement process.

Agricultural Technology, Soil and Crop Management

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Blue Zones: Long & Healthy Living

Blue Zones: Long & Healthy Living

We all want to live long, healthy, happy lives…but how? “Blue Zones” are regions where populations live longer and healthier than the rest of the world. So what can we learn from them to improve our health?

Food Regulations & Policy, Health

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Functional Water: All fun, no function?

Functional Water: All fun, no function?

Marketing can obscure our sense of good science, especially at the grocery store. Let’s get to the bottom of what functional waters can achieve...and what they really can’t.

Diet, Health

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Will New Wheat and Barley Genomes Help Feed the World?

Will New Wheat and Barley Genomes Help Feed the World?

Scientists have discovered a new genetic variation in both barley and wheat through genetic sequencing. This global effort to breed higher-yielding crops can help feed a growing population.

Agricultural Technology, Food Production, Future of Food

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Nootropics: How to Eat for a Better Brain

Nootropics: How to Eat for a Better Brain

What if you could think better, faster, and have a stronger memory? Nootropics, found in foods and supplements, are believed to have a positive effect on our mental capabilities and brain health. Let’s see how they work and find some natural sources.

Diet, Health

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Protein Quality: Animal vs. Plant-based

Protein Quality: Animal vs. Plant-based

Recent films and fantastical food documentaries have confounded us about proteins by vilifying meat and painting a story of plants as the superior source. Are you as confused as we are? Let’s see what the science says about the quality of plant vs. animal protein.

Diet, Health

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Are We Eating Away our Covid Fears?

Are We Eating Away our Covid Fears?

COVID-19 has reshaped many things about our daily habits, including how we eat. So are we snacking more because we’re home all the time, or we’re stressed out, or a bit of both? And will these seemingly inconsequential shifts in our eating behavior affect our long-term health?

Diet, Health

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Cortisol: Our Body's Stress Response

Cortisol: Our Body's Stress Response

As stress levels rise from Covid and school reopenings, so do our cortisol levels. And too much can cause weight gain, high-blood pressure, diabetes, and insomnia. But don't fear: our diet can help manage these levels.

Health

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How to Lend Your Support During COVID

How to Lend Your Support During COVID

Looking for meaningful ways to help those affected by the pandemic? Check out our curated list of relief funds and volunteer programs, as well as small gestures while you shop, dine, and post on social media that go a surprisingly long way.

Food Security

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A Vitamin D-lemma: Sunscreen vs. Healthy Sun Exposure

A Vitamin D-lemma: Sunscreen vs. Healthy Sun Exposure

How can we get our much-needed vitamin D while protecting our bodies from the sun and potentially harmful chemicals in sunscreens?

Health

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Do I Eat it if I Can’t Pronounce It?

Do I Eat it if I Can’t Pronounce It?

We are told that steering clear of scary-sounding ingredients is a simple, healthy way to avoid potentially toxic chemicals. But it’s important now more than ever to understand how food can affect us, because myths like this bolster unneeded fear during an anxious time.

Food Ingredients, Health

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What's happening at our local grocers during COVID-19?

What's happening at our local grocers during COVID-19?

We have a bunch of questions about changes in product demand, managing supplier channels, and maintaining employee safety during this fragile time. So we turned to a local Midwest grocer for their insights...

Food Production, Food Safety

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Boosting Your Health with Mushrooms

Boosting Your Health with Mushrooms

Boost your immune system during COVID-19 with your diet. Mushrooms can strengthen your immunity, while also improving brain health and inhibiting cancer growth.

Food Ingredients, Health

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Personalized Nutrition & Our Unique Health Needs

Personalized Nutrition & Our Unique Health Needs

Which foods are best for you? Personalizing your diet can optimize your health and prevent illnesses like cancer and obesity. These programs create customized diets based on our personal data...but do they really work?

Diet, Health

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Superfoods: Super Healthy or Super Hype?

Superfoods: Super Healthy or Super Hype?

Blueberries, kale, and chia seeds are examples of "superfoods" -- magical foods believed to make us instantly healthier and stronger while getting rid of toxins. But can superfoods actually deliver? Or are we just being fooled?

Food Ingredients, Health

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Comparing Traditional & Alternative Burgers

Comparing Traditional & Alternative Burgers

Plant-based burgers are popping up everywhere! And while we've heard about their positive impact on our planet, what about the nutritional value? What are the differences between alt meat, beef, and veggie burgers?

Food Ingredients, Health

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Manuka Honey: Life Changer or Money Waster?

Manuka Honey: Life Changer or Money Waster?

Manuka honey’s antibacterial properties are said to help cure everything from wounds to tooth decay and even infections from cystic fibrosis. Can this supposed superfood really provide relief from these ailments?

Food Ingredients, Health

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Electromagnetic Fields: Protecting Yourself through Nutrition

Electromagnetic Fields: Protecting Yourself through Nutrition

Did you know the devices we depend on all day emit electromagnetic fields? We're taking a look at what these fields do to our bodies and which foods help us combat any ill effects.

Health

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#CeleryJuice: Based on Facts or Followers?

#CeleryJuice: Based on Facts or Followers?

What is the deal with celery juice? How did it become a viral sensation overnight? Is its rapid gain in popularity attributed to any scientific research, or is this an example of society's demand for quick fixes and social acceptance?

Diet, Food Ingredients, Health

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The MIND Diet: Healthy Eating for a Healthy Brain

The MIND Diet: Healthy Eating for a Healthy Brain

Every 65 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s. That means that in the time it takes you to read this article, five people will have developed the disease. Alarming? Yes, but what if there was a diet that could help slow cognitive decline by targeting brain protective foods that combat the causes of dementia-related diseases?

Diet, Health

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Coming Soon to Your Favorite Foods: The New Nutrition Facts Label

Coming Soon to Your Favorite Foods: The New Nutrition Facts Label

After 25 years, the nutrition facts panel is getting an update! Many businesses have already converted to the new label, which begs the question: what changes have been made and what do they mean to me?

Health

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