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Around the Table: Food Stories from Science to Everyday Life

Around the Table: Food Stories from Science to Everyday Life

By Dr. Tess Bird and Prof. Stanley Ulijaszek

Around the Table is a podcast from Stanley Ulijaszek, Professor of Human Ecology at the University of Oxford and Director of UBVO, and Dr. Tess Bird, an anthropologist of household uncertainty and wellbeing. We interview nutrition, food, and health experts as well as everyday households from around the world, filling in some of the gaps between scientific knowledge and everyday practice.
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Food Politics Expert Marion Nestle on Industry Influence on Food Research

Around the Table: Food Stories from Science to Everyday LifeJan 29, 2021

00:00
27:28
Food Politics Expert Marion Nestle on Industry Influence on Food Research

Food Politics Expert Marion Nestle on Industry Influence on Food Research

In this episode, Stanley interviews Professor Marion Nestle about her two latest books, Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat (2018) and Let’s Ask Marion: What You Need to Know about the Politics of Food, Nutrition, and Health (with Kerry Trueman) (2020). Prof. Nestle describes the various ways that food industries influence research, pay for their own experts, and avoid regulation, often following the infamous tobacco industry playbook. If you want to learn more, check out Prof. Nestle's regular blog (which we love) at https://www.foodpolitics.com/ and find her on Twitter @marionnestle.

Marion Nestle is Paulette Goddard Professor, of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University, which she chaired from 1988-2003 and from which she officially retired in September 2017.  She is also Visiting Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell.  She earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley, and has been awarded honorary degrees from Transylvania University in Kentucky (2012) and from the City University of New York’s Macaulay Honors College (2016).

Jan 29, 202127:28
Sociologist Anthony Ryan Hatch on Sugar's Legacy of Racism

Sociologist Anthony Ryan Hatch on Sugar's Legacy of Racism

In this interview with Tess, sociologist Prof. Anthony Hatch explains why the problem of sugar is much greater than just being bad for our bodies. As a colonial commodity, sugar carries a legacy of slavery and racism that is still with us today. He describes sugar's relationship to black bodies, metabolic syndrome, and global trade, calling for political action: a boycott of sugar. This podcast is an eye-opening take on sugar from an environmental, ecological, and social perspective. (Listeners take note: we had some sound tech issues with this one, so we hope you can forgive the clicking sound!)

Listener's may also be interested in Madeleine Power's discussion of food justice in the UK, Esther González-Padilla's description of sugar and micronutrient dilution, and Michael Goran and Emily Ventura's latest book on how to help children eat less sugar.

Anthony Ryan Hatch, Ph.D., is a sociologist and Associate Professor and Chair of the Science in Society Program at Wesleyan University where is he is also affiliated faculty in the Department of African American Studies, the College of the Environment, and the Department of Sociology. Dr. Hatch is an expert in health systems, medical technology, and social inequalities. He recently appeared in the PBS documentary Blood Sugar Rising and is the author of Silent Cells: The Secret Drugging of Captive America (2019) and Blood Sugar: Racial Pharmacology and Food Justice in Black America. He also mentions his co-authored article, “Sugar Ecologies and their Metabolic and Racial Effects” in the podcast.

Jan 18, 202125:44
Health Scientist Dr. Madeleine Power discusses Food Insecurity and Food Justice in the UK

Health Scientist Dr. Madeleine Power discusses Food Insecurity and Food Justice in the UK

Dr. Madeleine Power is an expert in UK food aid and food insecurity, in particular its relationship with wider economic and ethnic inequalities. In this interview with Stanley, she discusses her research into food insecurity amongst Pakistani, Muslim, and white British groups in Bradford, UK. Dr. Power describes the variations of food insecurity amongst these groups (it's more complicated than you might think, and different than in the US!) she then talks about the York Food Justice Alliance, which was started as a network to ally local organizations concerned about hunger in York and the Independent Food Aid Network is a national UK network that represents independent food banks around the UK. 

Dr. Power is Wellcome Fellow in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York, where she works on poverty and inequalities in access to food. She is Co-Chair of the Independent Food Aid Network, a representative body of independent food aid providers, and founder and former Chair of the York Food Justice Alliance, a cross-sector partnership addressing food insecurity at the local level. She is a regular commentator on food inequalities and food aid on local and national media. She has published widely on poverty and food, inequalities in food access according to ethnicity and gender, and food aid, including food banks.

Dec 03, 202013:02
Sociologist Lotte Holm on Food, Body-weight, and Income Disparity

Sociologist Lotte Holm on Food, Body-weight, and Income Disparity

In this interview with Stanley, Professor Lotte Holm explains why a sociological understanding of different people’s experiences around food, body-weight, and income is vital for implementing better policies around food. Much of her research focuses on populations in Denmark and the European Union, but understanding everyday struggles around food is a huge component of our global food and healthcare system.

Prof. Holm is a sociologist at the Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO) at the University of Copenhagen. Two of her recent publications include:

Nov 20, 202018:31
Nutrition and Exercise Physiologist Lars Holm on Diet in Later Life

Nutrition and Exercise Physiologist Lars Holm on Diet in Later Life

In this interview with Stanley, Prof. Lars Holm discusses the importance of protein in our diet as we age. As we get older, our sensitivity to amino acids begins to deteriorate, which prevents us from absorbing as much protein as we could earlier in life. He also explains why the uptake of amino acids is better when the protein is eaten with meals and how protein relates to exercise.

Lars Holm is Professor at the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK. 

Nov 05, 202016:59
At Home with Tess: Ashley Chard Dinella, a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, talks about intuitive, healthy eating
Oct 30, 202017:05
Health Scientist Anna Bach-Faig and Everything You Need To Know About the Mediterranean Diet

Health Scientist Anna Bach-Faig and Everything You Need To Know About the Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet has risen in popularity around the world. In this informative and inspiring episode, Stanley talks to Dr. Anna Bach-Faig, a leading scholar on the Mediterranean diet in Spain. As Prof. Bach-Faig explains, this diet is considered one of the healthiest diets out there, with strong evidence showing its role in preventing “cardiodiabesity,” or cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and type II diabetes. It’s also a unique diet because it tackles two key aspects of food: what-we-eat as well as the how-we-eat. She explains how the pleasure of preparing and sharing meals with significant people is associated with health promoting effects, such as contributing to less over-eating. The diet also is linked to brain function and the cognitive decline associated with aging. To top it all off, the Mediterranean diet is a very sustainable diet, with a significantly lower environmental impact than the standard Western diet.

Dr. Bach-Faig is Professor at the Health Sciences Faculty at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). She is a former Mediterranean Diet Foundation research group director for the Institute for Catalan Studies' Catalan Nutrition Centre (CCNIEC) and currently forms part of FoodLab, the UOC's food, nutrition, society and health interdisciplinary research group. You can follow Prof. Bach-Faig on Twitter at @Bach_Faig. 

Oct 15, 202023:40
Biological Anthropologist Cristina Giuliani on Taste Receptors (which are located all over the body!)

Biological Anthropologist Cristina Giuliani on Taste Receptors (which are located all over the body!)

Dr. Cristina Giuliani discusses the physiology of taste in this episode with Stanley. As Dr. Guiliana explains, taste is way more complicated than you think: "it's a sort of sensory modality to evaluate food toxicity, to select high energy foods, and to prepare the body to extract energy from foods." Taste receptors are actually located in many different areas of our body, far beyond the tongue. For instance, one bitter receptor (TAS2R38) is not only located in the oral cavity but in the upper respiratory airways. These receptors play a far greater role in sensing our environments than we've previously known. 

This is pretty cool stuff, but it may take a close listen. If you're interested in learning more, check out Dr. Guiliani's publication with Stanley Ulijaszek and other colleagues in Advances in Nutrition entitled, Ecological Sensing Through Taste and Chemosensation Mediates Inflammation: A Biological Anthropological Approach.

Dr. Cristina Giuliani is a biological anthropologist and senior assistant professor at the University of Bologna and Research Affiliate of Oxford University. For an overview of her research team and the activities they perform, visit the Molecular Anthropology Lab at the University of Bologna.


Oct 01, 202013:53
Anthropologist Amy McLennan on Redefining Lifestyle Diseases on the Pacific Island of Nauru

Anthropologist Amy McLennan on Redefining Lifestyle Diseases on the Pacific Island of Nauru

In this fascinating episode about Nauru, an island country in the central Pacific, anthropologist Dr. Amy McLennan discusses what it means to redefine the medical notion of "lifestyle" in a locally-contextualized way. In her own words: “In the world of medicine, lifestyle is often distilled into what you eat, what exercise you do, whether you sleep or not, if you smoke, and if you drink alcohol. [But] when you work with people on the ground in communities, “lifestyle” means something very different. It means who you’re related to and who you spend time with, what you like to do, where you learn, the habits you have, and the habits and social practices you have in your community. It’s the political leadership, it’s the economy, it’s the geography and the place that you live, and it’s your history. And all of these things really matter…” Listen to learn more about Nauru, its people, and their food.

Dr. McLennan is a Research Fellow at the Australian National University's 3A Institute (3Ai), where she works at the intersections of technology, society and wellbeing. 

You can also listen to Dr. McLennan talk about the meat industry during the Covid-19 global lock down in our first series, Lock Down Food. 

Sep 22, 202018:26
Anthropologist Sabine Parrish talks Coffee

Anthropologist Sabine Parrish talks Coffee

Sabine Parrish (www.sabine.coffee), a doctoral candidate and anthropologist at the University of Oxford, describes how an unsavory gendered comment while working as a barista triggered her research into coffee and coffee shops. She discusses coffee in relation to sociality and gender, nutrition, and coffee competitions in the US and Brazil. She also co-owns a coffee shop in Cardiff, Wales. Check it out at www.mec.coffee and follow @sabine.coffee and @mec.coffee on Instagram and @sabinebeans and @meccoffeeltd on Twitter! 


Sep 15, 202022:54
At Home with Tess: Can you really reduce your family's sugar consumption?

At Home with Tess: Can you really reduce your family's sugar consumption?

In this episode, Tess talks with Dr. Emily Ventura, co-author of the new book Sugarproof: The Hidden Dangers of Sugar That Are Putting Your Child’s Health at Risk and What You Can Do, and a mother and daughter in Washington state who have tested out some of the Sugarproof techniques and recipes. 

This episode follows Thursday's, where Stanley interviews Prof. Michael Goran and Dr. Emily Ventura about Sugarproof. If you haven't listened in, start there!

For more info, visit: www.sugarproofkids.com and www.goranlab.com. You can also follow them on Instagram @sugarproofkids; Facebook @sugarproofkids; and Prof. Goran on Twitter: @michaelgoran

Sep 05, 202023:55
Prof. Michael Goran and Dr. Emily Ventura on "Sugarproofing" the Family

Prof. Michael Goran and Dr. Emily Ventura on "Sugarproofing" the Family

In this episode, Stanley talks with Prof. Michael Goran and Dr. Emily Ventura, PhD, MPH, about their new book Sugarproof: The Hidden Dangers of Sugar That Are Putting Your Child’s Health at Risk and What You Can Do. They give a comprehensive overview of some of the risks of sugar consumption in childhood as well as practical tips and techniques for reducing sugar consumption in the family. Stay tuned for a follow-up episode, released over the weekend, where Tess and Dr. Emily Ventura interview a mother and daughter in Washington state who tried some of the Sugarproof techniques and recipes.

Dr. Goran is one of the world's most widely recognized experts in childhood nutrition and obesity research, with more than 30 years of experience as a researcher, mentor, and educator. He is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Co-Director of the USC Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute and leads the Program in Diabetes and Obesity at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Dr. Ventura is an experienced nutrition educator, public health advocate, writer, and cook. After working in writing and public relations in the arenas of environmental protection and food, she completed her Master's in Public Health and Doctorate of Philosophy in Health Behavior Research at the University of Southern California.

For more info, visit: www.sugarproofkids.com and www.goranlab.com. You can also follow them on Instagram @sugarproofkids; Facebook @sugarproofkids; and Prof. Goran on Twitter: @michaelgoran 


Sep 03, 202039:10
Nutritional Epidemiologist Esther González-Padilla on Sugar and Micronutrient Dilution
Aug 31, 202022:46
At Home with Tess: New Nordic Cuisine in Everyday Life
Aug 25, 202021:44
Anders Kristian Munk on New Nordic Cuisine

Anders Kristian Munk on New Nordic Cuisine

Anders Kristian Munk is an ethnologist and computational social scientist interested in cultural phenomena in Europe. He uses computational methods to study patterns in large amounts of data. In this interview with Stanley, Munk discusses one cultural phenomenon that he has been following for over 15 years: the New Nordic food movement. The New Nordic food movement was made famous by the restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, which focuses on fresh, local, seasonal foods and traditional cuisine re-made in new ways. The movement has since spread around the world. Munk talks about how New Nordic food compares to other local diets, such as the Mediterranean Diet, and speaks to the potential for food innovation present in Scandinavia. This recording is truly embedded in the local: you can hear the birds chirping throughout.

Stay tuned for a follow-up "Household Dynamics" podcast hosted by Tess about eating and experiencing New Nordic cuisine!

Aug 20, 202013:50
Neuroendocrinologist Giles Yeo on Covid-19 and Obesity

Neuroendocrinologist Giles Yeo on Covid-19 and Obesity

Giles Yeo is a neuroendocrinologist at the University of Cambridge with over 20 years experience researching  brain control and body-weight (learn more). He speaks in this episode about the relationship between Covid-19 and obesity. As this research is unfolding, Yeo gives us some potential hypotheses and explains what data is still needed. He also points to the socioeconomic inequalities evident in the pandemic.  [Note that this episode was recorded on May 29, 2020]

Aug 14, 202013:52
Sociologist Claude Fischler on Food Studies and Commensality

Sociologist Claude Fischler on Food Studies and Commensality

Stanley interviews Claude Fischler, a French social scientist, Senior Investigator Emeritus with CNRS, the French National Science Center, and a former director of the Interdisciplinary Institute for Contemporary Anthropology in Paris. In this episode, he talks about the importance of food to humans, beginning with why he decided to pursue the study of food. He defines commensality, explaining where this word comes from and how it manifests today. He also discusses the contemporary eating habits of the French and how they compare to other countries.

Aug 04, 202027:17
Season Two Introduction

Season Two Introduction

Season 2 is here! In this season, we have bite-sized interviews with experts in food and nutrition, and other issues that impact the biological body. We will pepper these with interviews with households on the topics discussed. Write to us! DM us on Instagram @aroundthetablepod or send us a message at anchor.fm/aroundthetablepod

Aug 04, 202004:31
Stanley and Tess in Conversation: Themes and Thoughts on Season 1: Lock Down Food

Stanley and Tess in Conversation: Themes and Thoughts on Season 1: Lock Down Food

We cover some of the themes that came out through our interviews, from creativity in the kitchen to inequality, obesity, and Covid-19. For those of you that don't know, Stanley is a nutritional anthropologist whose work centers on the evolutionary basis for, and cultural diversity in, nutritional health. This includes both undernutrition and obesity, and the diseases associated with them. Tess asks him a few questions about the future of food and science when it comes to obesity and Covid-19. Just a reminder that all thoughts are preliminary: we put this podcast out to think and muse as things unfold.

Jun 16, 202026:38
Interview with Dr. Amy McLennan, a human scientist and social researcher in Australia
Jun 09, 202018:51
Interview with Stephanie Morphew, Researcher and Writer

Interview with Stephanie Morphew, Researcher and Writer

Stanley talks to Steph Morphew, a food writer and service industry worker who discusses direct to consumer selling from the restaurant industry during lock down and what our future access to good food might look like.

Jun 05, 202014:36
Interview with Lou Chatey, co-owner of Westford Hill Distillers

Interview with Lou Chatey, co-owner of Westford Hill Distillers

Tess interviews Lou Chatey, the co-owner of Westford Hill Distillers in Ashford, CT. He talks about how the pandemic has impacted business, including answering the demand for hand sanitizer, as well as his spring forages and cocktail creations. 

Jun 05, 202013:56
Interview with Dr. Heather Hamill, Sociologist at the University of Oxford

Interview with Dr. Heather Hamill, Sociologist at the University of Oxford

Stanley interviews with Dr. Heather Hamill, a Sociologist at the University of Oxford and mother of three, who discusses having covid-19 symptoms and a loss of appetite, using up the over-supply of chickpeas at the bottom of the cupboard, and her children's growing confidence in cooking. She ends with an appreciation for neighborly kindness, recalling the reassurance that a loaf of bread left on the doorstep gave her in the early weeks of lock down.

Jun 02, 202017:32
Interview with Dr. Giles Yeo, Geneticist at the University of Cambridge

Interview with Dr. Giles Yeo, Geneticist at the University of Cambridge

Stanley interviews Dr. Giles Yeo, a Geneticist at the University of Cambridge and author of "Gene Eating: The Story of Human Appetite." He talks about food insecurity during Covid19, concerns for Brexit, and posting his cooking under #bringingchinatownhome, a London campaign to draw positive attention to Chinatown, which was one of the areas most devastated by the lock down. Check out his recipe for crispy aromatic duck, a "high impact, low effort" dish!

Jun 02, 202015:30
Interview with a couple in Beirut, Lebanon

Interview with a couple in Beirut, Lebanon

Tess interviews a couple in Beirut, Lebanon, who discuss having a baby during the pandemic, how the pandemic came during ongoing political and economic crisis in Lebanon, and the "micro-market of sweets" that's emerged during lockdown. 

May 28, 202019:36
Interview with Tim Herdon in Oxford, UK

Interview with Tim Herdon in Oxford, UK

Stanley speaks with Tim Herdon, an editor at Oxford University Press, who says he's eating healthier in lockdown, and making his kids chicken nuggets from scratch (we're impressed!). This episode makes us wonder, are many of us eating healthier in lockdown? 

May 28, 202011:32
Interview with Jon Bone, co-owner of Life Bowls in Connecticut, USA

Interview with Jon Bone, co-owner of Life Bowls in Connecticut, USA

Tess interviews Jon Bone, the co-owner of Life Bowls in Connecticut, known for its delicious and healthy açaí bowls. He talks about what it's like to run a food business during lockdown, the demand for healthy takeout, plant-based eating, and what the future of the restaurant industry might look like. 

May 26, 202017:43
Interview with Eden Henderson, a London Chef

Interview with Eden Henderson, a London Chef

Stanley interviews Eden Henderson, a chef at The River Cafe in London. He’s learning to appreciate the simple things about food during lockdown, like "cheese on toast with some obscene topping” (me too, Eden, 100% all about the cheese on sourdough). 

May 26, 202014:46
Interview with Pallavi Laxmikanth, a medical anthropologist, in lockdown in Hyderabad, India

Interview with Pallavi Laxmikanth, a medical anthropologist, in lockdown in Hyderabad, India

Tess interviews Pallavi Laxmikanth, a doctoral candidate at the University of Adelaide who discusses lockdown in Hyderabad, India, and how it has changed her life and the lives of her research participants. She researches metabolic health and food practices, particularly around new food apps, in households in India. "I've been thinking about the difference between restriction and refusal," she tells us, explaining the different ways people relate to both diabetes restrictions and government restrictions during covid-19.

May 21, 202026:36
Interview with Esther González-Padilla, a nutritional epidemiologist in the Canary Islands, Spain  
May 18, 202013:51
Interview with Alexandra Ulijaszek Scott, on creativity, food, and cocktails in London during lockdown

Interview with Alexandra Ulijaszek Scott, on creativity, food, and cocktails in London during lockdown

Stanley interviews Alexandra Ulijaszek Scott, a cocktail bartender in London who talks about the creativity coming from the food and beverage industry during lockdown.

May 14, 202018:30
Interview with Maddalena Borsato, a "messy pastry practitioner with a philosophical vein," in lockdown in Italy
May 14, 202019:11
Around the Virtual Table During COVID-19: Everyday Tales from Denmark, Switzerland, and the UK

Around the Virtual Table During COVID-19: Everyday Tales from Denmark, Switzerland, and the UK

Tess interviews Tanja Schneider (Switzerland), Anne Katrine Kleberg Hansen (Denmark), and Stanley Ulijaszek (UK) about how their everyday food lives have changed since the COVID-19 lock down.

May 14, 202025:17
Our Vision: Tess and Stanley in Conversation

Our Vision: Tess and Stanley in Conversation

In our first episode, we have a conversation about our vision for this podcast and for our first season called Lockdown Food.

May 13, 202013:14