The first months of life are a special time for the health development and protection of infants. Breastfeeding is the natural and best way of feeding an infant, and positively influences their development and health. Human milk provides the ideal balance of nutrients for the infant and contains countless bioactive ingredients such as immunoglobulins, hormones, oligosaccharides and others. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a very important and interesting constituent of human milk, and are the third most abundant solid component after lactose and lipids. Dr. Lisa Renzi Hammond is the Leonard W. Poon Professor for Innovation in Public Health at the University of Georgia in the United States, interdisciplinary group lead for Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, and founder of the Human Biofactors Laboratory. She is also Director of the University of Georgia College of Public Health’s Institute of Gerontology, a research institute that studies lifespan development, from infancy through older adulthood. Her latest project is the development of the Cognitive Aging Research and Education (CARE) Center at the University of Georgia – a state of the art facility dedicated to lifespan neurodegenerative disease prevention, starting in infancy and early childhood, through behavioral intervention, neurodegenerative disease diagnosis and post-diagnosis support. She has presented this research in a wide variety of national and international venues, including the TED stage. This episode is sponsored by Abbott Nutrition.

Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing health challenges worldwide, affecting approximately 589 million adults between the ages of 20-79 years and shaping the way we think about diet, lifestyle, and long-term health. While advances in medicine have transformed treatment, nutrition remains one of the most powerful tools for both prevention and management. Dr. Hertzel Gerstein is an Endocrinologist and Professor at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences in Hamilton, where he holds the Population Health Research Institute Chair in Diabetes. He is also the Executive Director of the Population Health Research Institute, former Director of the Boris Clinic Diabetes Care and Research Program, and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and Royal Society of Canada. Dr. Gerstein pioneered and firmly established international long-term patient-important cardiovascular outcomes trials as the norm for clinical diabetes research. Throughout his career, he’s received many awards, including the 2012 Canadian Diabetes Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2022 American Diabetes Association’s Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Diabetes Research Award. Ms. Keri Howell is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator with Diabetes Care Guelph. She is also a member of the PEACH Sustainable Food Services Committee and has contributed to the Sustainable Food Services Business Case and Implementation Guide. She has dedicated her career to exploring the personal, cultural, and community-focused aspects of nutrition, emphasizing that nourishment extends beyond physical health to emotional and spiritual well-being. Ms. Howell believes that integrating nutrition into patient care requires an understanding of what food means to each individual and asserts that when patients see their cultural foods represented and have autonomy over their food choices, their health outcomes improve. In this episode, Dr. Gerstein and Ms. Howell discuss how nutrition shapes the prevention and management of diabetes. This episode is sponsored by CONTOUR NEXT.

Food security is a critical issue that affects communities worldwide, yet the challenges and solutions are deeply rooted in local contexts, cultures, and policies. Disadvantaged groups, including Indigenous Peoples in Canada, face unique barriers to food access, deeply tied to historical, environmental, and socioeconomic factors. Ensuring culturally relevant and sustainable food systems requires evidence-based policies and community-driven solutions. Lynn Blackwood is a Nunatsiavut beneficiary born and raised in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. She currently serves as Food Security Programs Manager with the Nunatsiavut Government, leading initiatives to improve food security in the region and is the first Inuk dietitian and one of the few Indigenous dietitians in Canada, with over 25 years of professional experience across the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Lynn has served as a jury member for the Canadian Space Agency’s Deep Space Food Challenge and as a past director on the boards of Dietitians of Canada and the Canadian Foundation of Dietetic Research. Dr. Farzaneh Barak is an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton and Waterloo Universities, where she conducts research on Canada’s and global food security. She also serves as Senior Policy Advisor and Food Security Lead at Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national representative organization for Inuit in Canada. She has over fifteen years of experience in national and international research and practice—including work in Uganda, Malawi, Canada, and Iran. With expertise in food policy, intersectional gender analysis, and public health nutrition, Dr. Barak is dedicated to addressing systemic barriers to food security and promoting policies that advance food sovereignty and sustainable community-driven food systems. In this episode, Lynn and Dr. Barak discuss food security in Inuit communities, highlighting the unique challenges they face and the culturally grounded, community-led solutions needed to support sustainable and equitable food systems.

The first 1,000 days—from conception to a child’s second birthday—represent a critical window for growth, development, and long-term health. Nutrition during this period lays the foundation for growth, cognitive development, immune function, and chronic disease risk. Research in this area helps inform global strategies to improve maternal and child health outcomes. Dr. Kyly Whitfield is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Human Nutrition at Mount Saint Vincent University and is passionate about international nutrition, with interests in identifying and combating micronutrient deficiencies during ‘the first thousand days’ window. Her research focuses on maternal thiamin deficiency and infantile beriberi, mainly in rural Cambodia, an area where thiamin-related infant mortality remains a major public health issue. Alongside a few fellow CNS members, Kyly also co-edited a book titled ’The biology of the first 1,000 days’ which is a cross-disciplinary deep dive that explores the biological underpinnings of this critical developmental window. In this episode, Dr. Whitfield discusses global micronutrient deficiencies in the first 1000 days with a focus on thiamin.

Les personnes âgées représentent le groupe démographique qui croît le plus rapidement au Canada, avec 19 ? la population âgée de 65 ans et plus, soit environ 7 millions de personnes. L’exercice, l’activité physique et la nutrition sont des éléments essentiels d’un vieillissement en santé, contribuant au maintien de la santé musculosquelettique et à la réduction du risque de sarcopénie. Dre Stéphanie Chevalier est diététiste, professeure agrégée à l'École de nutrition humaine de l’Université McGill et chercheuse à l’Institut de recherche du CUSM. Spécialiste du métabolisme des protéines, elle étudie le rôle des nutriments dans la perte musculaire liée au vieillissement et à certaines maladies comme le cancer et le diabète. Ses recherches récentes portent sur les liens entre nutrition, santé musculaire et cognition chez les aînés. Son programme est financé par les IRSC, le FRQS, la Société canadienne du cancer et la FCI. Elle est présidente de la Société canadienne de nutrition et membre du comité directeur de l’étude NuAge. Dans cet épisode, Dre Chevalier abordera le rôle de la nutrition dans le vieillissement, un sujet au cœur des préoccupations liées au vieillissement en santé. Please note that this podcast has been recorded in French; however, you may view the script in English here

Older adults represent the fastest-growing demographic group in Canada, with 19% of the population aged 65 and over—approximately 7 million people. Exercise, physical activity, and nutrition are essential components of healthy aging, helping to maintain musculoskeletal health and reduce the risk of sarcopenia. Dr. Stéphanie Chevalier is a registered dietitian, Associate Professor at the School of Human Nutrition at McGill University, and a researcher at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. A specialist in protein metabolism, she studies the role of nutrients in muscle loss associated with aging and certain diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Her recent research focuses on the links between nutrition, muscle health, and cognition in older adults. Her research program is funded by CIHR, FRQS, the Canadian Cancer Society, and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. She is President of the Canadian Nutrition Society and a member of the steering comity of the NuAge longitudinal study on nutrition and aging. In this episode, Dr. Chevalier will discuss the role of nutrition in aging—an issue at the heart of healthy aging concerns.

Digestive health plays a crucial role in overall well-being, impacting everything from nutrient absorption and immune function to mental health. At the heart of this system is the gut microbiome—a complex network of microorganisms that helps regulate inflammation, metabolism, and even the risk of chronic diseases. Despite its importance, digestive health is often misunderstood, with myths about probiotics, fibre, gluten, and conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and celiac disease continuing to circulate widely. Kelsey Moore is a Registered Dietitian with a retail nutrition background and experience in the digestive health space. Kelsey graduated from The University of British Columbia in 2019. She started her career as a sports dietitian and then moved into the retail space where she worked as a Nutrition Operations manager for a local BC food retailer. She is currently working as the Senior Account Manager of Nutrition for the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation where she works with food and supplement brands to help deliver digestive health resources to Canadians. Kelsey is passionate about providing evidence-based information on digestive health and is currently on track to becoming a Monash FODMAP-trained dietitian. In this episode, Kelsey discusses common myths and misconceptions around digestive health.

This podcast is in collaboration with the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation (https://cdhf.ca/en/).

Over the past decade, food and food systems have emerged as key to tackling non-communicable diseases, sustainability, and food security. This has spurred major investments in technologies that transform how we produce and consume food. Yet, regulation and policy remain major barriers to innovation, access, and identifying foods that support healthy diets. Dr. William Yan earned his Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from the University of Alberta and joined Health Canada in 1995. As Director of the Bureau of Nutritional Sciences (2010–2022), he led key Healthy Eating Strategy initiatives, including sodium reduction, trans fat elimination, and front-of-package labelling. Now retired, he is a CNS-SCN Fellow, and teaches at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Samuel Godefroy, former Director General of Health Canada’s Food Directorate and Vice Chair of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, has over 25 years of experience in food regulatory science and policy. He is President of both the International Union of Food Science and Technology and the Global Food Regulatory Science Society. Currently, he is a Full Professor at Laval University, where he leads the Food Risk Analysis and Regulatory Excellence Platform. In this episode, Dr. Yan and Dr. Godefroy discuss regulation and policy as a barrier and facilitator to addressing food system challenges, with a primary focus on food manufacturing and consumers as targets for food system modernization. This podcast is sponsored by Protein Industries Canada.

Research shows that adipose (fat) tissue isn’t just stored energy—it plays a critical role in metabolism, inflammation, and disease risk. Biological, environmental and nutritional factors contribute to differences in how people store fat and develop conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Dr. Kafi Ealey is an assistant professor in the School of Nutrition at Toronto Metropolitan University. Dr. Ealey obtained her MSc and PhD from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto and completed postdoctoral training at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences in Yokohama, Japan, as well as in the Department of Translational Medicine at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children Research Centre. Dr. Ealey’s research is focused on understanding the biological and cellular processes that govern the diverse functions of metabolic tissues to promote overall health. Her work employs a range of experimental models to determine how nutrition can affect fat storage, the immune system, and how the body uses energy, and helps us better understand how to prevent or manage chronic metabolic diseases. Dr. Ealey is particularly passionate about examining the biological variations in metabolic systems that contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in the prevalence of obesity-related conditions, including type 2 diabetes. In this episode, Dr. Ealey discusses how fat storage and metabolism vary across individuals and populations, and why these differences matter for health.