🎧 Decoding Food's Hidden Secrets with Dr. Selena Ahmed
What makes food truly nutritious? Join us as Dr. Selena Ahmed talks about the Periodic Table of Food Initiative and its impact on understanding global food systems.
Have you ever wondered what’s really in your food—beyond just vitamins, minerals, carbs, proteins, and fats—but also the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that impact health? This week on the show, our guest is Dr. Selena Ahmed, Global Director of the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI) and Dean of Food EDU at the American Heart Association. With her expertise in food systems research and sustainable agriculture, Dr. Ahmed delves into PTFI’s mission to transform our understanding of food composition and quality.
We discuss the importance of biodiversity, nutritional yields, and sustainable farming practices like agroforestry, which support both healthier ecosystems and better human health. Plus, we explore how the fusion of traditional knowledge and cutting-edge science—including the role of AI in food analysis—is uncovering new insights into what we eat. Don’t miss this fascinating conversation about the future of food!
This podcast is sponsored by The Periodic Table of Food Initiative in association with the American Heart Association. The views and opinions in this podcast are those of the presenters and represent the synthesis of science. For more information on the Periodic Table of Food Initiative, please visit: https://foodperiodictable.org
About Selena
Selena Ahmed is the Global Director of the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI) and the Dean of Food EDU based at the American Heart Association. She has carried out food systems research and outreach for the past 20 years with the goals of informing solutions to enhance human and planetary health. Selena joined the PTFI from Montana State University where she was an Associate Professor of Sustainable Food Systems and Director of the Translational Biomarkers Core lab facility. She brings transdisciplinary training including a postdoctoral fellowship in chemical ecology and human clinical nutrition, PhD in biology / plant sciences, MSc in ethnobotany / cultural anthropology, and BA in economics. Selena lives with her family in Bozeman, Montana. Selena is a co-author of Tea Horse Road: China's Ancient Trade Road to Tibet as well as Botany at the Bar: The Art and Science of Making Bitters.
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Yours in health, Dr. Quave
Cassandra L. Quave, Ph.D. is a Guggenheim Fellow, CNN Champion for Change, Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, recipient of The National Academies Award for Excellence in Science Communication, and award-winning author of The Plant Hunter. Her day job is as professor and herbarium curator at Emory University School of Medicine, where she leads a group of research scientists studying medicinal plants to find new life-saving drugs from nature. She hosts the Foodie Pharmacology podcast and writes the Nature’s Pharmacy newsletter to share the science behind natural medicines. To support her effort, consider a paid or founding subscription to Nature’s Pharmacy or donation to her lab research.
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