Episode 22 – air date October 14, 2026

HOST: Betsy Miller, MS, CNS, RH(AHG), DCN-c

GUEST: Weston Bussler, PhD

Host Betsy Miller, MS, CNS, RH(AHG), DCN-c talks with Weston Bussler, PhD about the intersection of agricultural science and nutrition science, and how farming practices influence nutrient density in crops. They discuss the differences between conventionally, organically, and regeneratively grown food. Weston highlights the micronutrient shortfall in current US food supply, and how practitioners can help patients fill these nutrient gaps with diet and whole food supplementation.

Weston Bussler, Ph.D., is a product development manager at Standard Process Inc., where he works within the Nutrition Innovation Center (NIC). The NIC is Standard Process’s clinical research facility, designed to advance nutrition science specific to the whole-food health advantage.

Weston is passionate about helping physicians and patients support health and wellness by maximizing the nutritional density of whole foods. In his work, he is focused on conducting and adopting the latest scientific research and technologies into whole-food nutritional products and translating science into evidence-backed insights for healthcare practitioners.

Podcast Summary

• 1:50 The influence of farming practices on nutrient density: intersection of agricultural science and nutrition science
• 3:11 Crop choice, strain selection, environmental influences, soil quality and other factors that affect the nutrient content of crops
• 5:36 Nutrient density of plants grown conventionally versus organically and regeneratively
• 7:34 The importance of phytonutrient density and diversity of colorful plant compounds in fruits and vegetables
• 11:25 Stressors applied to plants during the growing process can influence the density of phytochemicals and nutrients produced in the plant
• 14:02 Discussion of studies that looked at yield-focused intensive agriculture and it’s affect on nutrient density in foods – decline in crop varieties’ nutrient uptake ability as compared to ancient varieties, and how we can remedy this decline
• 20:29 Sourcing ancient varieties for optimal nutrient content
• 25:16 Differentiation between genetic plant breeding versus genetically modified crops
• 28:17 Micronutrient shortfall in current US food supply: how practitioners can help patients fill these nutrient gaps
• 31:33 Whole food supplements as a bioavailable option to fill nutrient gaps
• 35:35 The importance of a healthy diet along with targeted whole food supplementation for optimal health

This podcast is sponsored by Standard Process

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