Plant-Based Canada Podcast: Recent Episodes
Plant-Based Canada
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. Join us as we talk with experts to explore the field of nutritional sciences and how our food choices impact our health and the environment. We sit down with Canadian doctors, dietitians, athletes, climate experts and others/more, to break down the evidence behind a Whole Food Plant-Based diet, and discuss the practical steps you can take in your efforts to shift toward a healthier lifestyle.The Plant-Based Canada Podcast is an initiative of the group Plant-Based Canada, which aims to educate the public and health professionals on the evidence-based benefits of plant-based whole food nutrition for individual and planetary health. To learn more about the show, visit our website www.plantbasedcanada.org and stay up to date by following us on Instagram and Facebook @plantbasedcanadaorg, and our Plant-based Canada YouTube channel. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. PBC is not responsible for any errors, omissions or opinions related to the content stated by the guests interviewed. All information in this podcast is provided "as is", with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the conclusions obtained from the use of this information. The podcast should not be considered professional advice. Listeners should seek their own individual healthcare advice as needed.
Our guest this week is Dr. Irina Ghenea. Dr. Ghenea was born in Romania and immigrated to Canada with her family at a young age. She grew up in Montreal, and her experience as a competitive swimmer and working as a lifeguard in her teenage years sparked her interest in health and fitness.
As a medical student at McGill University, and went on to do her Family Medicine residency at Memorial University in Newfoundland. She started her Family Practice in North Sydney in September, 2000.
In 2021 Dr. Ghenea discovered the field of lifestyle medicine. She learned how to support people in becoming as healthy as they can be, by improving lifestyle habits. Dr. Ghenea became certified with the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine in December 2025.
Dr. Ghenea was also among more than 160 healthcare professionals who signed an open letter calling for processed meats to be removed from institutional menus across Canada. They argue the move would better align hospital and school food policy with chronic disease prevention and dietary guidelines after processed meats like bacon, hot dogs, and deli meats were classified by the World Health Organization as Group 1 carcinogens.
RESOURCES
Facebook Page
Oceanview Family Practice and Lifestyle Medicine
CBC Interview
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr. Michael Klaper to discuss the importance of nutrition and the future of Modern Health Care.
Dr. Michael Klaper, MD, DipACLM, is a physician, educator, author, and internationally recognized advocate for lifestyle and nutrition-based medicine. A graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine, he has practiced acute care medicine for more than five decades in Hawaii, Canada, the United States, and New Zealand, with a career-long focus on preventing and reversing chronic disease through evidence-based nutrition and healthy lifestyle practices. Dr. Klaper is board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine and has served as a nutrition advisor to NASA, a clinician at leading nutrition-focused medical centers, and a sought-after speaker on plant-predominant nutrition. He is the founder and Executive Director of Moving Medicine Forward, a nonprofit initiative dedicated to advancing nutrition education in medical schools and empowering future healthcare professionals to incorporate lifestyle medicine into clinical practice.
Dr. Klaper is also the co-author of the newly released book Moving Medicine Forward: What More Doctors Should Know About Nutrition - and How It Can Save Your Life, which calls for a greater integration of nutrition and lifestyle medicine into modern healthcare.
Dr. Klaper's Websites:
www.DoctorKlaper.com
(Moving Medicine Forward: What More Doctors Should Know About Nutrition - and How It Can Save Your Life is available on Dr. Klaper's website.)
www.movingmedforward.org
Resources Discussed:
Book, ‘For Forks Sake’ by Rachel Brown: https://forforkssakebook.com/
Forks Over Knives: https://www.forksoverknives.com/the-film/
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2026 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr. Vasanti Malik to discuss sustainable, healthy diets and environmental impacts.
Dr. Vasanti Malik is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto and holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Nutrition and Chronic Disease Prevention. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Malik earned her MSc in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Toronto and a dual doctorate in Nutrition and Epidemiology from Harvard, where she also completed postdoctoral training.
Her research focuses on dietary and lifestyle determinants of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases across diverse populations and life stages, with additional expertise in environmental sustainability and food systems. Using epidemiological studies, clinical trials, and evidence synthesis, she has published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers that have informed dietary guidelines and health policy internationally. Dr. Malik has contributed to expert advisory initiatives with organizations including World Health Organization and American Heart Association, and collaborates on global nutrition and chronic disease prevention research in Canada, the United States, and internationally.
Website
Dr. Vasanti Malik: https://nutrisci.med.utoronto.ca/faculty/vasanti-malik
Resources:
TOsustain: https://utsc.utoronto.ca/foodandfarm/tosustain
TMU Urban Farm: https://www.torontomu.ca/sciencerendezvous/activity-booths/urbanfarm/
Lancet Planetary Health Abstract: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38632913/
Diabetes & Community Gardens: https://healthypopulationsnetwork.utoronto.ca/news/catalyst-grants-fund-projects-aimed-reducing-type-2-diabetes-risk-peel-region
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2026 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
Dr. Aleksandra Pikula is quadruple board-certified in Medicine, Neurology, Vascular Neurology, and Lifestyle Medicine… with Neurology and Vascular Neurology Fellowship and postdoctoral training at Boston University, Harvard University, and the Framingham Heart Study.
Dr. Pikula holds a status of an Associate Professor of Medicine, a Clinician-Investigator, and Co-Director of the Women’s Neurology Fellowship Program at the University of Toronto.
Since 2023, she had been appointed as the Inaugural Jay & Sari Sonshine Chair in Stroke Prevention and Cerebrovascular Brain Health at the University of Toronto, University Health Network, and Krembil Brain Institute… and serves as the founding director of the Jay and Sari Sonshine Centre at UHN.
Her clinical and research focus is on stroke prevention and outcomes in younger adults, particularly emphasizing women’s brain health during midlife. Dr. Pikula advocates for a holistic approach to brain care, targeting stroke and dementia prevention through evidence-based lifestyle medicine programs.
Plant-Based Canada was also privileged to feature her as a speaker for our 2026 Conference, where she discussed plant-forward nutrition for the brain across the lifespan. That talk will be available to participants for three months.
RESOURCES
Through HER Prism
Framingham Heart Study
Jay and Sari Sonshine Centre
Women’s Neurology Fellowship Program at the U of T
Support the show
Dr. Matthew Nagra makes his fourth appearance on the podcast. And this time he’s laser-focused on the social media-driven controversy around seed oils.
Dr. Nagra and his team put in the hours and reviewed the science around seed oils, examining three main, viral claims we bust down in this episode, including:
1. “Seed oils cause inflammation”,
2. “The RCTs prove harm”,
3. And “Heating or processing creates toxic compounds”.
Dr. Nagra is a Naturopathic Doctor devoted to bringing the most up-to-date, evidence-based nutrition information to his patients in his Vancouver-based practice, and to the public via social media, presentations, and scientific publications. He aims to correct mis- and disinformation in a way that is easily digestible, helping people make fully informed dietary choices.
He has also contributed to multiple nutrition textbooks, including Springer Nature's Handbook of Public Health Nutrition, and is a nutrition science advisor for the highly anticipated documentary, The Game Changers 2.
You can also catch him in Episode 84, where we look at evidence around swapping out animal and plant-based meat; Episode 47, focused on misinformation around the Food Compass System; and Episode 2, where we talk about nutrition myths and misinformation more broadly.
RESOURCES
Concerns about the health effects of industrially produced seed oils are without scientific foundation: a scoping narrative review of the clinical and observational evidence
Dr. Nagra’s Website
X
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re joined by Raymond Cruzzola to discuss ‘I’m Trying’ a film that documents Regan Russell - an animal rights activist killed in 2020 during a peaceful protest outside a slaughterhouse - and the ongoing fight for justice that she inspired.
Ray is a Toronto-based documentary filmmaker and video producer with over a decade of experience creating socially driven visual content. A graduate of Humber College’s Film and Television Production program, he has produced a range of short videos for nonprofit and grassroots campaigns focused on activism, justice, and environmental sustainability.
Ray’s work is grounded in the belief that if we have the power to reduce suffering, we have a moral responsibility to act, even when it’s uncomfortable. His films reflect a deep commitment to both humans and animal rights as well as environmental justice.
With a background in both digital strategy and grassroots storytelling, Ray brings a thoughtful, visually grounded approach to nonfiction filmmaking - one that centers the voices and movements most often overlooked, and that invites audiences to not just bear witness, but to respond.
I’m Trying: Instagram, Facebook
Raymond Cruzzola: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
World Change Media: Website, Instagram, Facebook
Anita Krajnc: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
Plant Based Treaty: Website, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
Animal Save Movement: Website, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
Toronto Pig Save: Website, Instagram, Facebook
PBC Conference - Get Tickets Here
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials: Instagram, Facebook, Website, X @PBC_org
Bonus Promotion: Explore the University of Guelph’s online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course covers key topics like health benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impact. It features expert-led, research-based learning and a supportive community. Use code PBC2026 to save 10% at uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
Support the show
In the latest episode of the Plant-Based Podcast, we breakdown some of the confusion generated by the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans with Dr. Kevin Klatt. Dr. Klatt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
He received his PhD in Molecular Nutrition from Cornell University and completed his clinical dietetic (RD) training at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. His research focuses on using both preclinical models as well as human intervention studies to better understand nutrient metabolism, signaling and requirements.
In addition to research, Dr. Klatt is a current Associate Editor at the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and a Section Editor of the graduate-level nutrition textbook, Biochemical Physiological and Molecular Aspects of Human Nutrition (fifth edition).
Dr. Klatt dissects some of the big ticket changes to the DGAs, including the recommendation to increase protein and saturated fat intake, confusion around processed foods, and inconsistencies between the revamped pyramid model and the actual recommendations.
Resources
Kevin’s Substack on the DGAs: The Influencer's DGAs & The Rancher's Pyramid
BlueSky
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2026 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re joined by Amy Ford to discuss sustainable food systems and planetary health in our hospitals and healthcare settings.
Amy Ford is the Director of Planetary Health at Nourish Leadership. She is a self-proclaimed intentional synergy seeker, with a career focused in sustainable in-patient food services. She is energized by bringing mission-aligned groups together to spark change and remove roadblocks, in service of improved planetary health. With a decade of health care food leadership, she is intimately aware of the enabling factors for teams to achieve improved procurement values, community collaboration, waste reduction, and menus that are culturally mindful and low-carbon. Amy lives on land that has long existed in reciprocity with the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee and Lūnaapéewak people. She is always ready to create in the kitchen, and believes that good food will usher in wonderful, radical changes to our world.
Nourish Leadership’s Socials:
Website: www.nourishleadership.ca
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nourishleadership/
Instagram: @nourishlead
Bluesky: @nourishlead.bsky.social
Amy Ford’s Socials:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyjoyford/
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram: @plantbasedcanadaorg
Facebook: Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/
Website: https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/
X: @PBC_org
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2026 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada podcast, we talk to an amazing duo who are putting their athletic endurance to the test for a first of its kind project they call Wings of Survival. A 30,000 km, 9-month cycling and packrafting traverse of the Pacific Americas Flyway, emulating the extraordinary journeys of migratory birds, from the remote reaches of Alaska’s High Arctic to the extreme lands of Patagonia.
Timm Döbert has a PhD in Global Change Ecology from University of Western Australia. He’s a lecturer at the University of Alberta. A Royal Canadian Geographical Society fellow. A Scientific Exploration Society fellow. A Global Sustainable Sport ambassador. And an Ironman athlete.
Leanna Carriere is Canada’s first female decathlete. She’s a former international track & field athlete. An Ironman athlete. A personal trainer. A Seven Summits Snacks co-founder. An EcoAthlete champion. A Global Sustainable Sport ambassador. And a mom.
Together, they’re embarking on a project called Wings of Survival in June of 2026.
Resources
On Wings of Survival
Canada30x30
“Energy balance in cyclists on plant-based diets during a 30-day, 4300-km ride across Canada: Two case studies”
GoFundMe
U of A Folio
UNCN
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2026 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Support the show
Dr. Samantha Green is currently a family physician at the St. Michael’s Hospital Sumac Creek Health Centre in Regent Park and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine under the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She is also Board Member at the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Dr. Green completed medical school at the University of Ottawa in 2011 and residency in Family Medicine residency at McMaster University in 2013.
We discuss her day-to-day with patients, her work with Canadian Family Physician on prioritizing sustainable primary care, the impact of hospital and food systems on the environment, and her advocacy work around climate and planetary health with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.
Resources
Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment
Dr. Green’s work with Canadian Family Physician:
“Sustainable Primary Care Toolkit”
“Planetary health lens for primary care”
“Reducing the environmental burden of unnecessary investigations”
“Climate-conscious inhaler prescribing for family physicians”
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2026 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re joined by Leslie Ewing to discuss Driving Change in Canada’s Plant-Based Industry: Insights from Plant Based Foods of Canada.
With over twenty-five years of experience in the consumer-packaged goods sector, Leslie Ewing has been instrumental in shaping Canada’s plant-based foods industry. As Executive Director of Plant-Based Foods of Canada (PBFC), she has built one of the first globally recognized plant-based organizations, creating a farm-to-fork membership that fosters collaboration, research, and industry growth. Under her leadership, PBFC has become a unified voice for manufacturers, ingredient companies, VCs, brokers, distributors, and retailers, driving market expansion and consumer adoption.
Leslie was key in establishing the Plant-Based Foods Global Alliance, working alongside international partners to align efforts and support the plant-based sector worldwide. She also led the launch of Canada’s first National Plant-Based Food Week, creating a platform to showcase the industry’s innovation and potential. A firm believer in data-driven decision-making, she champions the use of market insights and consumer research to inform industry strategies and strengthen advocacy efforts. In addition to her leadership in the plant-based sector, Leslie has extensive experience advising and driving strategic growth for small to mid-sized companies through her own consulting company. She has worked as both an outside expert and an executive for hire, helping businesses refine their strategic direction, navigate market challenges, and accelerate growth.
Her past leadership roles include Program Director for the Nutrition Facts Education Campaign, a pioneering public-private partnership with Health Canada, and Executive Director of the Confectionery Manufacturers Association of Canada. She is passionate about driving innovation, collaboration, and sustainable growth in the plant-based sector.
Plant Based Foods of Canada’s Socials:
Website: www.plantbasedfoodscanada.ca
Linkedin: Plant Based Foods of Canada
Instagram & Facebook: plantbasedcan
Leslie Ewing’s Socials:
LinkedIn: leslieeewing
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr. Linda Ho, Research Chair with NAIT’s Applied Research Centre for Culinary Innovation (@NAIT), to discuss food product innovations, in particular her knowledge and experience related to plant-based proteins.
Linda is a Research Chair and a Food Scientist whose experience has spanned from food quality assurance and control, to product development, to mentoring and lecturing students at post secondary institutions. Her primary product development focus has been with exploration of plant-based ingredients and understanding their functional inclusion in innovative food products, running sensory evaluation panels, and providing science-based solutions for food companies ranging from start-ups to large corporations.
Resources:
NAIT Applied Research website https://www.nait.ca/applied-research/home
Centre for Culinary Innovation https://www.nait.ca/applied-research/about/centres/centre-for-culinary-innovation
Dr. Linda Ho’s Socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-ho3/?originalSubdomain=ca
NAIT’s Socials:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NAIT
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/nait
X: https://x.com/NAIT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nait/
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re joined by Matt Noble to discuss basic income, food security, and the systemic changes needed to ensure that no one goes hungry.
Matt Noble is the founder and Executive Director of Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing nutritious plant-based food to individuals and families struggling with poverty and food insecurity across Toronto. Matt is a lead of the Put Food Banks Out Of Business (PFOB) initiative which is a national campaign advocating for a guaranteed, livable basic income—an income floor below which no Canadian can fall, as well as producer of the Plant-Based Subway Ad Toronto campaign , where in June & July of 2025, some of Toronto’s most inspiring vegan leaders were highlighted among 1100 TTC subway posters, illustrating how joyful and diverse plant-powered living can be.
Matt studied Journalism at Centennial College, and is a researcher in the areas of poverty alleviation, food insecurity, housing, economics, public policy, agriculture and is an avid gardener.
He works to advocate for a guaranteed liveable basic income as the most effective policy solution for addressing poverty and food insecurity.
Resources:
Plant-Based Canada Conference Talk: https://vimeo.com/ontariobarassociation/download/1088460575/f17705f09d
Put Food Banks Out Of Business: https://www.putfoodbanksoutofbusiness.com/
The Plant-Based Toronto Subway Ad Campaign: https://www.plantbasedtoronto.ca/
PROOF Report: https://proof.utoronto.ca/
Matt Noble’s Socials:
Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank
Plant-Based Toronto
Put Food Banks Out Of Business
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
Juliet Schor is an economist and Professor of Sociology at Boston College. Her research focuses on work, consumption, and climate change. She has been studying working time since the 1980s. Since 2021 she has been a lead researcher for Four Day Week Global’s work time reduction trials. She is particularly interested in barriers to work time reduction, the connections between working hours and carbon emissions, the well-being impacts of work time reduction, and how companies are implementing four-day weeks. Her book Four Days A Week, was published by HarperBusiness was published in June and is available now.
Resources
Juliet's TED Talk: The case for a 4-day work week
Julet's new book: Four Days a Week: The Life-Changing Solution for Reducing Employee Stress, Improving Well-Being, and Working Smarter
Juliet's Blue Sky
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2026 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re joined by Jason Fonger to chat about his experiences from being a plant based athlete, living in Thailand and his environmental observations, to professional speaking for schools.
Jason Fonger is a triathlon champion and professional speaker from Ontario, Canada. A vegan for more than 15 years, he combines evidence-based nutrition with elite endurance training to prove that plants fuel peak performance. He works primarily with secondary schools, delivering interactive workshops designed to empower students and professionals with the transformative benefits of plant-based eating. He is also in the process of collaborating with school boards to pilot plant-based cafeteria programs that bridge the gap between current school food offerings and Canada’s Food Guide, helping shape an aligned and inclusive National School Food Program.
Resources:
Book: The Plant Based Athlete by Matt Frazier & Robert Cheeke
Stories of world-class plant-powered athletes: https://www.greatveganathletes.com
Jason Fonger’s Socials:Website: https://www.jasonfonger.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonfonger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonfonger
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jasonfonger
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jasonfonger
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr. Joan Sabaté, a renowned physician and nutrition researcher, best known for his work on environmental and sustainable nutrition, and the health benefits of nuts and plant-based diets.
Dr. Joan Sabaté MD, PhD is a Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology. He directs the Environmental Nutrition research program at Loma Linda University School of Public Health and he is also a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine. He was the principal investigator of a nutrition intervention trial that directly linked the consumption of walnuts to significant reductions in serum cholesterol, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1993. He is a co-investigator of the Adventist Health Studies, the largest cohort of individuals following a vegetarian diet relating dietary intake with health outcomes. For the past 25 years, he has been the principal investigator of many human nutrition intervention trials investigating the health effects of nuts, avocados, and other plant foods. Dr. Sabaté has authored more than 200 high-impact research articles (with an h-index of 82 and >40,000 citations). Additionally, he was a member of the US 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.
Resources:
Adventist Health Study 2 Studies: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23836264/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30487555/
Whole-food, plant-based lifestyle intervention trial: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39305340/
Review of Plant-Based Milks: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36083996/
2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/resources/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines-online-materials
Nuts & Health: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8357360/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8269904/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15559025/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10479222/
Dr. Joan Sabaté’s Socials:
Faculty profile
International Congress of Vegetarian Nutrition
Environmental Nutrition
LLU Nutrition Center
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Website
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re joined by Eleanor Carrara, the Founder and President of the Canadian University Initiative and Co-Founder, President, and Board Director of the Plant-Based Cities Movement (PBCM).
At PBCM, together with her dedicated team of volunteers they lead national efforts to advance plant-forward food policies. PBCM has successfully advocated for plant-based food motions/policies in 6 Canadian municipalities to date, with others in the pipeline. Through the Canadian University Initiative, Eleanor and her campaign manager work with chefs, students, and sustainability staff to identify barriers and implement strategies that increase plant-based food on campuses. The initiative has conducted national surveys and convened steering committees to monitor and support institutional change. Eleanor brings over 25 years of global telecommunications experience, having held senior leadership roles at a major international provider of digital infrastructure and network services.
Resources:
PBCM Website: https://plantbasedcities.org/
PBCM Instagram: @plantbasedcitiesmovement
PBCM LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/plant-based-cities-
movement/posts/?feedView=all&viewAsMember=true
University Initiative Website: https://onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/defaultveg/canadian-
universities/
Eleanor Carrara’s Socials:
Emails:
eleanor@plantbasedcities.org
eleanor.carrara@gmail.com
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/eleanorcarrara
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
For more than 30 years, Dr. Christopher Gardner—Rehnborg Farquhar professor of medicine at Stanford, and nutrition scientist—has studied what to consume and to avoid for optimal health, and how best to motivate individuals to achieve healthy dietary behaviors. He recently completed a two-year term serving on the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and is the past chair of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee.
He has conducted and published dozens of human nutrition intervention trials, including trials of Mediterranean, Ketogenic, Vegan, Low-Fat and Low-Carb diets and their effects on cardiometabolic health. He was also the keynote speaker for the 6th Canadian Plant-Based Nutrition Conference this year, where he delved into his “Twin Study”, which was featured in a Netflix docuseries titled “You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment.”
Dr. Gardner joins the PBC Podcast to bust down some of the comments and criticism around his Twin Study, discuss how he weighs strength of evidence, and misinformation around plant-based meat alternatives.
Resources
Twitter/X
Website
You are What You Eat docuseries
Twins Study paper
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re joined by (soon to be Dr.) Amy Symington.
Amy Symington is a Toronto-based nutrition professor, researcher, and plant-focused chef with over 25 years in the food industry and more than 12 years of teaching experience. She holds a Master of Science in Applied Human Nutrition and is currently pursuing a PhD in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto. Amy leads culinary nutrition programming at Gilda’s Toronto, a not-for profit cancer support organization, and works with Humane World for Animals Canada’s Forward Food team, training executive chefs in hospitals and universities on plant-forward menu planning aligned with Canada’s Food Guide. She also supports the Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank as a chef, consultant, and instructor. An award-winning author, Amy wrote The Long Table Cookbook: Plant-based Recipes for Optimal Health and regularly contributes recipes and nutrition writing to national and international publications. A passionate advocate for evidence-based, sustainable eating, she is also the proud mother of two healthy vegan children. As part of her PhD she is currently working on a clinical trial investigating omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (also known as DHA). DHA is considered an important omega-3 fatty acid that research has shown to help support brain, eye, and heart health, reduce inflammation, and be important for fetal and infant development.
Amy Symington’s Socials:
Website: https://ameliaeats.com/home
Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amy-Symington-3
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ameliaeats/?hl=en
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
Jessica Scott-Reid returns to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. She’s a freelance journalist who has been covering animal rights topics in Canadian media for the last decade. Her work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Vancouver Province, Winnipeg Free Press, and more. She is also the culture and disinformation correspondent for Sentient Media.
She joins the podcast to debunk claims around the carnivore diet, as well as other misinformation spread online by influencers concerning seed oil, lectins, and plant-based meat alternatives. She also highlights the funding behind health and wellness misinformation campaigns.
Jessica first appeared on the Plant-Based Podcast on Episode 23, back in December of 2021, where she discussed the work she’s done highlighting laws and policies that are detrimental to animals in Canada.
Resources
Blue Sky
Sentient Media
The Vegan vs. Carnivore Narrative Distracts From Climate Action
No, Plants Aren’t Bad for You (and Other ‘Meatfluencer’ Claims, Fact-Checked)
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast! In today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr. Amar Lalia to discuss the upcoming EAT-Lancet Commission 2.0 report on the planetary health diet. We’ll explore key topics including food systems, justice, and environmental impacts, all set to be unveiled in Fall 2025.
Dr. Laila is a postdoctoral fellow at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Sweden, and the University of Guelph, Canada. Amar completed his PhD at the University of Guelph, where he explored the connection between food literacy and food waste among Canadian families with young children, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods. Amar is passionate about food systems justice and his goal is to contribute to just and sustainable food system transformation through improvements in food environments so that they are healthy and sustainable for everyone.
Resources:
EAT-Lancet Commission
A comment paper in the Lancet referring to the EL2 commission's focus on justice
High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition reports
FAO's State of food security and nutrition
Food System Economics Commission (to provide exact numbers referred to in the episode discussion):
The Food System Economics Commission estimates the hidden costs of global food systems at approximately $15 trillion USD per year. However, the net benefits of transforming the food system are valued between $5 to $10 trillion USD annually, which is equivalent to 4-8% of global GDP (2020).
In contrast, the cost of transforming the global food system is only 0.2-0.4% of global GDP, making it clearly affordable compared to the substantial global benefits—roughly $20-40 trillion USD.
For full details, check out the Executive Summary.
Dr. Amar Laila’s Socials:
ResearchGate
ORCID
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Rikin Patel to discuss the vital role of sleep in overall health, how it impacts children and families, and practical lifestyle strategies to improve sleep quality.
Dr. Rikin Patel is a consultant pediatrician and lifestyle medicine physician. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. He completed his pediatric residency at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and prior to medical school he completed a Masters in Health Policy Planning and Finance from the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Currently, Dr. Patel works for the Scarborough Health Network and is the founder of Reset Pediatric Lifestyle Medicine clinic, a virtual clinic aimed at empowering families to make the best lifestyle choices for their health. He is a member of the Medical Advisory Board for the Centre for Nutrition Studies. He is passionate about promoting a culture of wellness and resilience within physician and trainee communities through medical improv, meditation and plant-based nutrition. He is a certified yoga instructor and teaches Shaolin Kung Fu at the Waterloo Kung Fu Academy with over 35 years of experience.
Resources:
Book: ‘Forest Bathing’ by Dr. Qing Li https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/forest-bathing-how-trees-can-help-you-find-health-and-happiness/9780525559856.html
Effects of sleep duration on child neurocognitive development (Lancet Child Adolesc Health, 2022): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35914537/
Sleep Calculator: https://sleepopolis.com/calculators/
Dementia Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/dementia.html
Dr. Rikin Patel’s Socials:
Website: https://www.resetpediatrics.com/
IG: dr.rikinpatel and resetpediatrics
Facebook: thekungfudoc
TikTok: the.kungfudoc
Youtube: TheKungFuDoc
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
In the latest episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, we chat with Kati Cantrell. Katie is a social entrepreneur passionate about creating a healthy, sustainable, and just food system. As the founder of the New Roots Institute, Katie spent a decade leading food policy workshops at universities, government agencies, and Fortune 500 corporations.
She is now utilizing her expertise to implement plant-based defaults in institutional foodservice as the CEO and Co-Founder of Greener by Default. The organization offers strategies to institutions that serve food about how to incorporate plant-based defaults, and use behavioural economics research to help people lean toward healthier choices.
Katie holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from UC Berkeley. Her work with GBD was recently featured in the New York Times, and she was chosen for Vox’s Future Perfect 50 list of innovators, thinkers, and changemakers for 2024.
Resources
Greener by Default
“We're being nudged to eat meat. What if the tables were turned?”
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Michelle Pierce Hamilton to chat about her experiences and explore how she keeps her curiosity thriving.
Michelle is a Project Management Professional, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Certified Canadian Tea Sommelier, yoga teacher, and podcaster. She holds a certification in plant-based nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies through Cornell University and is committed to staying current with the latest research on nutrition, diet, disease prevention, and longevity.
With 21+ years of experience supporting complex change management in the private sector, Michelle transitioned to healthcare, where she has spent the last 15 years contributing to a wide range of clinical projects. As a teacher and facilitator, she has served as a faculty instructor at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, teaching both Project Management for the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business and the Tea Sommelier Certification. Additionally, Michelle taught at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition for seven years.
Michelle’s core philosophy is centered on a whole food, plant-based lifestyle and a holistic approach to human health. This belief underpins everything she does, from supporting her own family’s healthy lifestyle to providing nutrition coaching for clients, or even supporting her project team members and stakeholders.
As an entrepreneur for over a decade, Michelle founded and operated an ethically sourced, high-quality loose leaf tea business and boutique tea room in London, Ontario. There, she implemented a whole food, plant-based menu and hosted experience-based events and classes focused on “consciously delicious” food and drink—showing that healthy living can be both decadent and flavourful.
In her current role as Primary Care Transformation Lead for the Middlesex London Primary Care Network, Michelle continues to make an impact in healthcare. She also co-hosts and co-produces the Nutrition for Noobs podcast with her best friend Kevin. The podcast breaks down basic nutrition topics in an engaging, light-hearted, and no-nonsense format for everyone.
Michelle’s Socials
Podcast: Nutrition for Noobs
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials
Website
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus PromotionUniversity of Guelph online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
Please note that the views and opinions expressed by the guest on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast host or the podcast team. The content shared is for experiential sharing
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
Support the show
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, we sit down with Eleanor Boyle. She’s a long-time journalist and former college instructor, who has written many articles on ways to improve our diets and food systems. You can find her blog at eleanorboyle.com. Eleanor has written two books: 'High Steaks: Why and How to Eat Less Meat' and 'Mobilize Food: Wartime Inspiration for Environmental Victory Today'.
Eleanor and I pick up where we left off in Episode 79, catching up on the latest headlines involving outbreaks of avian flu on Canadian, American, and European farming operations. She breaks down why we’re seeing an uptick in these cases, the weaknesses in our food system, and why we need to consider a new approach to chicken farming—and animal agriculture at large.
Resources
Eleanor’s website and blog
Articles by Eleanor on avian flu:
“To Address Bird Flu, Reform Chicken Farming”
“We need a rethink of Big Poultry to stop avian flu”
“Avian Flu: Way More Than An Industry Problem”
CFIA updates on avian flu (province-by-province)
Details on how poultry production is subsidized by Canadian taxpayers
Mercy for Animals report on Canadian chicken production
World Animal Protection Canada reports on animal agriculture:
The Pecking Order 2024
Part II: Policies to Promote PlantBased Food Production and Consumption in Canada
Summary of global human cases of avian flu (1997-2025)
“This is how much longer you could live if you eat less meat, more plants”
Previous PBC Podcast interview with Eleanor
Bonus Promotion
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Meaghan Kavanagh to chat about diet-disease relationships and translating nutrition knowledge into action for cardiovascular health.
Meaghan is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto and the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital, mentored by Dr. John Sievenpiper. Her research explores diet-chronic disease relationships through clinical trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and epidemiology. Recipient of the CIHR-MSFSS award, she visited the CDC in Atlanta as a Guest Researcher to investigate the Portfolio Diet's cardiovascular benefits in the NHANES program.
Meaghan is dedicated to translating her research into practical tools, including the PortfolioDiet.app, developed for cardiovascular disease prevention.
Before her Ph.D., Meaghan was a project manager at the University of Toronto (2016-2020), researching dietary patterns and disease prevention with Dr. David Jenkins, and Clinical Coordinator for the STOP Sugars NOW Trial at St. Michael’s Hospital (2019-2020) with Dr. John Sievenpiper. She completed her M.Sc. at the University of Guelph with Drs. Lindsay Robinson and Amanda Wright and her B.Sc. thesis with Dr. Alison Duncan.
In 2025, Meaghan will continue as a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Frank Hu at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Resources:
Global Burden of Disease
Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors, Lancet 2024
Glenn A, et al., AJCN 2024
Portfolio Diet Meta-Analysis
BMJ Open - newspaper reliable reporting
Representation of statins in the British newsprint media
Dr. Meaghan Kavanagh’s Socials:
Twitter: @MeaghanKavanag1
Google Scholar
ResearchGate
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Content from University of Guelph
Do you want to take your plant-based knowledge to the next level? Stay tuned for a special promo code!
The online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate through Open Learning and Educational Support at the University of Guelph has everything you need to know about implementing a sustainable plant-based diet.
Each course is just four weeks long and will guide you through essential topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home.
As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Dana Gudelis to chat about her cancer experience, and how it led to a transformative career change.
Dana Gudelis is the founder of GÜDEhealth, a wellness platform focused on lifestyle medicine to help individuals achieve optimal health. Her passion for community wellness began in the 1970s at the University of British Columbia, where she studied Recreation. After a career in marketing, Dana's life took a transformative turn in the 1990s when she was diagnosed with a rare cancer, sparking her interest in food as medicine and healthier living.
A five-time cancer survivor, Dana has battled leiomyosarcoma and undergone treatments including a clinical trial for hepatitis C. Her personal health journey, coupled with a family history of cancer, solidified her belief in lifestyle medicine. She has also supported loved ones through serious health challenges, including her granddaughter’s recovery from adrenal cortisol carcinoma.
Dedicated to lifelong learning, Dana holds certifications in Nutritional Planning from Harvard, Whole Food Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell, Life Coaching from the Adler Institute, and is a Positive Intelligence® Certified Coach. Through GÜDEhealth, she empowers individuals to adopt habits that support both physical and mental well-being, focusing on the six pillars of lifestyle medicine and mental fitness. Dana’s mission is to guide others towards vibrant, fulfilling lives.
Resources
Saboteur Assessment
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: Cancer
Dana Gudelis’ Socials
Website
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials
Website
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Content from University of Guelph
Do you want to take your plant-based knowledge to the next level? Stay tuned for a special promo code!
The online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate through Open Learning and Educational Support at the University of Guelph has everything you need to know about implementing a sustainable plant-based diet.
Each course is just four weeks long and will guide you through essential topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home.
As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people.
Use our exclusive discount code PBC2025 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses! www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Nitu Bajekal, MD, to discuss women’s health—a health topic with insights that everyone can benefit from, regardless of gender.
Dr. Bajekal is a Senior Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in London with nearly 40 years of experience in women’s health. Specializing in Lifestyle Medicine, Menopause, PCOS, Endometriosis, and complex gynaecological issues, she is also a skilled laparoscopic and robotic surgeon. A Fellow of the Royal College and recipient of the Indian President’s Gold Medal, Dr. Bajekal is one of the UK’s first board-certified Lifestyle Medicine Physicians.
She has contributed to the UK’s first plant-based nutrition course at Winchester University and co-authored the chapter on women’s health for Plant Based Nutrition in Clinical Practice (2022). Dr. Bajekal has lectured globally and spoken at events such as Holistic Holiday at Sea. Passionate about educating women, she runs a voluntary service to promote healthier lifestyle choices among schoolgirls and women.
Dr. Bajekal is the co-author of Living PCOS Free (2022) and Finding Me in Menopause (2024), offering practical, lifestyle-based approaches to managing PCOS and menopause. For more information, visit www.nitubajekal.com and follow her on Instagram and TikTok (@drnitubajekal).
ResourcesBook: Living PCOS Free
Book: Finding Me in MenopauseFactsheets
Plant-Based Health Professionals UK PCOS factsheet
Rotterdam PCOS guidelines
PEN PCOS resource
Dr. Nitu Bajekal’s Socials
Website
Instagram
Tik Tok
Plant-Based Canada’s SocialsInstagram
Facebook
Website
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Content from University of Guelph
Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Jacquie Moore, the visionary behind Café Alexandra in Aurora and Happy Body Meals.
Jacquie Moore was the visionary behind Café Alexandra in Aurora, providing a dining experience centered on quick, healthy meals. Currently, she is expanding her culinary journey with Happy Body Meals, a specialized meal prep service dedicated to plant-based cuisine. Her lifelong passion for health and fitness is deeply intertwined with her heritage, coming from a family of farmers Jacquie shared that this cultivated in her a profound love for pure, field-to-table plant-based foods.
Jacquie Moore’s Socials:
Instagram: @happybodymealpreps
Email: happybodymealpreps@gmail.com
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Content from University of Guelph
Do you want to take your plant-based knowledge to the next level? Stay tuned for a special promo code!
The online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate through Open Learning and Educational Support at the University of Guelph has everything you need to know about implementing a sustainable plant-based diet.
Each course is just four weeks long and will guide you through essential topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home.
As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people.
Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses! www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Brigitte Gemme to chat about her initiative Vegan Family Kitchen as well as plant-based practices and dementia.
Brigitte is passionate about helping more people eat plants, empowering others to take charge of their health and live in alignment with their values. On her website VeganFamilyKitchen.com, she offers a meal planning service and teaches regular workshops about all aspects of healthy vegan cooking and nutrition. Brigitte previously worked in research management in the fields of education, sociology, and clean energy. She completed a Ph.D. in Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia and certificates in Plant-Based Nutrition from the universities of Winchester and Guelph. She lives in Vancouver (Canada) with her husband and two children.
Resources:
Book: Flow in the Kitchen: Practices for Healthy Stress-Free Vegan Cooking (link to Amazon.ca but can be ordered from any bookstore)
Dementia Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/dementia.html
Brigitte Gemme’s Socials:Website including a 1-week dinner plan that uses my batch cooking approach: https://veganfamilykitchen.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/vegan.family.kitchen
Facebook: https://facebook.com/veganfamilykitchen
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus PromotionCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
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In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada, we have a wide-ranging conversation with Doctor Matthew C. Halteman. Dr. Halteman is a professor of philosophy at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a fellow at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics in the UK. He is the author of 'Compassionate Eating as Care of Creation', and co-editor of 'Philosophy Comes to Dinner: Arguments about the Ethics of Eating'. His latest book, 'Hungry Beautiful Animals: the Joyful Case for Going Vegan', is a heartfelt, humane, and humorous exploration of how going vegan can bring abundance into our lives.
Resources
Dr. Halteman's website
Dr. Halteman's new book: 'Hungry Beautiful Animals'
Bonus PromotionCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
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In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, we talk to Dr. Robert Jackson -- one of the world’s leading climate scientists. Dr. Jackson is Douglas Provostial Professor, Chair of the Earth System Science Department, and Senior Fellow in the Woods Institute for the Environment and Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford. He and his lab study how people affect the Earth, and look for ways to reduce our environmental footprint and improve health and well-being. Dr. Jackson is a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union, and the Ecological Society of America. He currently chairs the Global Carbon Project, an international group of hundreds of scientists who track greenhouse gas emissions and communicate science to the public and policymakers.
Recently, the Global Carbon Project released a study that found methane concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere increased at record speed over the past five years. At least two-thirds of annual methane emissions now come from human activities, including fossil fuel use, agriculture, and landfills and other waste. Atmospheric concentrations of methane are now more than 2.6 times higher than in pre-industrial times – the highest they’ve been in at least 800-thousand years.
Dr. Jackson’s new book on climate solutions, Into the Clear Blue Sky: The Path to Restoring Our Atmosphere examines ways in which we can redefine our climate goals. He argues that instead of fixating on maintaining the Earth’s temperature at an arbitrary value, we should be working to restore the atmosphere itself. That means reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the air to pre-industrial levels — starting with super-potent methane.
Resources
Dr. Robert Jackson’s profile
Study: “Human activities now fuel two-thirds of global methane emissions”
Dr. Jackson’s book: Into the Clear Blue Sky: the Path to Restoring Our Atmosphere
Study: “Climate policies that achieved major emission reductions: Global evidence from two decades
Bonus PromotionCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
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In this episode of the PBC Podcast, we talk with Mike Parsram. He’s a Toronto-based vegan, straight-edge vocalist who performs in several hardcore and metalcore bands. He has a bachelor of science in animal biology from York University. When he’s not on stage performing with Street Justice, Rust, Laying Still, Heartless, or Wish You Death, he’s in the gym powerlifting.
Hardcore punk and punk subcultures have a rich history of supporting animal rights, animal liberation, and veganism. The connection can been traced back to the 1980s and the punk movement’s collective consciousness around issues of discrimination and racism, capitalism and economic disparity, and the commodification of animals as food.
Mike talks about his love for music, the intersectionality between veganism in hardcore and other socials issues, and how he uses his platform as a frontman to give a voice to the voiceless.
Resources
Street Justice
Laying Still
Rust
Heartless
Wish You Death
Cold Shoulder
Bonus PromotionCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Music courtesy of Bensounds.com and Street Justice/Mike Parsram.
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Prof. Andrew Knight to talk about the science behind plant-based diets for our animal companions.
Andrew Knight is a veterinary Professor of Animal Welfare affiliated with the Murdoch University School of Veterinary Medicine and Griffith University, both in Australia, and with the University of Winchester in the UK. An experienced small animal veterinarian, he’s also a UK, European, American and New Zealand Veterinary Specialist in animal welfare. In 2024 he received a PhD focused on vegan food for animal companions (including investigation on aspects health, behavioural and environmental implications). He has around 150 academic and 80 popular publications, and an extensive series of social media videos and several websites on vegan companion animal diets, climate change and the livestock sector, invasive animal research, educational animal use, humane clinical and surgical skills training, and other animal welfare issues. His studies on vegan food for out animal companions are regularly reported in news outlets globally. He often works with animal advocacy charities and is frequently interviewed by the media. To add to this, he has received over 20 awards and research grants for this work.
Resources:Prof. Knight’s recent publication
Vegan vs Meat-Based veterinary nutrition
Should dogs and cats be fed vegan diets?
More of Prof. Knight’s Articles
Infographic on environmentally sustainable diets for animal companions
Sustainable foods for animal companions
Prof. Andrew Knights’ Socials:
YouTube
Facebook
Website
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:Instagram
Facebook
Website
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus ContentCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
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Carolyn Scott-Hamilton is a plant-based chef, cook-book author, and television personality who specializes in how to stay healthy while travelling abroad. Carolyn has travelled the world for her show – the Healthy Voyager -- and offered her services as a health and nutrition expert, recipe developer, writer, speaker, consultant, and media spokesperson.
The Healthy Voyager show was born with the goal of helping people with dietary restrictions navigate international travel while also having fun and enjoying themselves. As of 2006, Carolyn has travelled and dined healthfully, all while documenting through her Healthy Voyager Web Series. The Healthy Voyager is also a one-stop-shop for all things green living –from travel and recipes, to fashion and relationships.
Her cookbook, The Healthy Voyager’s Global Kitchen, launched in 2012, with a cooking show of the same name launching in 2014. Her shows have won multiple awards and accolades over the years.
Carolyn is currently working on a food line, clothing line, travel kit line, and more. In fact, she launched her follow-up cookbook as a 10-year anniversary edition in December 2021, called The Healthy Voyager’s Global Kitchen: 175 Plant-Based Recipes from Across the Globe.
Meantime, Carolyn expertise has been a “go-to” source across the media landscape. She’s been featured on the Discovery Channel, CNN, USA Today, and Martha Stewart Radio. She is currently the travel correspondent for Hallmark Home & Family, while her shows are syndicated on MSN Travel, The Food Channel, AOL and more.
ResourcesThe Healthy Voyager
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
TikTok
YouTube
Bonus PromotionCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. uoguel.ph/pbn.
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Laura Wright to chat about scrumptious recipes, seasonal eating, and social media.
Laura Wright is a plant-based chef, gardener, and blogger from the Niagara region of Southern Ontario. Her website, The First Mess, was awarded Best Special Diets Blog by SAVEUR Magazine. She is the author and photographer of "The First Mess Cookbook: Vibrant Plant-Based Recipes for Living Well Through The Seasons," which is available internationally through Penguin and Avery publishers. Laura focuses on seasonal flavour combinations and produce-heavy recipes that appeal to all types of eaters.
Links:Website: https://thefirstmess.com/
Newsletter signup: https://thefirstmess.com/newsletter/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefirstmess/
Cookbook: https://thefirstmess.com/cookbook/the-first-mess-cookbook/
Laura Wright’s Socials:
Instagram: @thefirstmess
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/thefirstmess/
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Bonus Content from University of Guelph
Do you want to take your plant-based knowledge to the next level? Stay tuned for a special promo code!
The online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate through Open Learning and Educational Support at the University of Guelph has everything you need to know about implementing a sustainable plant-based diet.
Each course is just four weeks long and will guide you through essential topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home.
As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people.
Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses! www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
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In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, we talk to Dr. Neha Pathak. Dr. Pathak is board certified in both internal medicine and lifestyle medicine and works as Chief Physician Editor for Health and Lifestyle Medicine and host of WebMD’s Health Discovered podcast. She reports on topics related to lifestyle, climate change, and environmental impacts on health for WebMD and Medscape, and is a regular contributor to Yale Climate Connections.
She graduated with a BA in psychology and biology from Harvard University, and received her MD with honours in community service from Cornell University's Weill Medical College. She completed her primary care, internal medicine residency at New York Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College. She obtained her certificate in climate change and health communication from Yale School of Public Health.
She is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine board of directors and Chair of the Global Sustainability Committee. Dr. Pathak is also a lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health, where she facilitates coursework on climate change and health.
Through all of her work, she hopes to educate healthcare professionals and the public about the health impacts of climate change and environmental pollution, and the health benefits of climate action. Her research focuses on the intersection of lifestyle medicine and planetary health.
Additionally, Dr. Pathak is the Associate Program Director of the Atlanta VA Medical Center's Quality Scholars Program and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. She is a Primary Care Physician and was a designated women’s health provider at the VA, and continues to see patients at a community health center in Georgia.
Resources
Health Discovered Podcast
Instagram
Threads
Linkedin
Yale Climate Connections
WebMD Profile
Lifestyle Medicine Interventions for Personal and Planetary Health: The Urgent Need for Action
ACLM Commitment Statement to Address Climate Change, Health, and Equity
Bonus PromotionCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
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Dr. Matthew Nagra joins the Plant-Based Podcast again to break down a new review he and his colleagues recently published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology on plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) and their impact on heart health.
This review, which is linked in the show notes, is called “Animal vs. Plant-Based Meat: A Hearty Debate”, and looks at studies spanning from 1970 to 2023. It explores the nutritional profiles of PBMAs compared to their animal-based counterparts and explores their effects on markers of cardiovascular health.
They found that compared to meat, plant based meat alternatives were: generally lower in saturated fat, higher in polyunsaturated fat, and higher in dietary fibre. They also found improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors when meat was replaced with plant-based alternatives.
If you haven’t already, check out our other podcasts with Dr. Nagra on episode two when he debunked common nutrition myths and misinformation, and on episode 47 when he discussed misinformation around the “Food Compass System” designed by Tufts University researchers.
ResourcesDr. Nagra’s et al. review: Animal vs Plant-Based Meat: A Hearty Debate
Dr. Nagra's interview in Men’s Health: New Scientific Review Reveals That Vegan Meat Alternatives Lower Cardiovascular Risks
Dr. Nagra’s Website
Instagram
FaceBook
YouTube
Twitter
Bonus PromotionCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
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In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, we talk to Dr. Thomas Hedley – a certified lifestyle medicine doctor who also practices as a GP oncologist at BC Cancer in Vancouver, Canada. His interest in lifestyle medicine started while working in a research lab that showed eating ground flaxseed, which comes from the flax plant, could lower blood pressure as much as medication. Since then, he shifted toward a plant-based eating pattern and personally experienced increased vitality as a result.
As a lifestyle medicine doctor, Dr. Hedley has worked with patients wanting to adopt a plant-based diet to improve their health. Through his work, he has witnessed people of all ages experiencing the benefits of adding more plant-based foods into their life.
Dr. Hedley gives us a crash course in how, what, and when to eat when shifting to a healthier diet. From swapping foods out for healthier ones, to managing cravings, to easing into plant-based diets.
Resources
- Summary of study on the benefits of ground flaxseed for high blood pressure
- Calculator that estimates the impact of food choices on life expectancy, and original study used to create the tool
- Study on ultra-processed food addiction
- Study on GLP-1 levels in response to plant-based vs. beef burger
- Referenced study on morning loaded vs. evening loaded calories
- Dr. Hedley's Linkedin profile
Bonus PromotionCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
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Today’s episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast is Dr. Richard Twine. Dr. Twine is a Reader in Sociology and Co-Director of the Centre for Human-Animal Studies (CfHAS) at Edge Hill University, UK. His latest book is The Climate Crisis and Other Animals (Sydney University Press, 2024). He is also co-editor of The Rise of Critical Animal Studies – From the Margins to the Centre (Routledge, 2014), and author of Animals as Biotechnology – Ethics, Sustainability and Critical Animal Studies (Routledge, 2010). He has also published several articles on ecofeminism, vegan transition, the food system, and the animal-industrial complex.
Resources
- Dr. Twine’s book: The Climate Crisis and Other Animals
- Dr. Twine’s website
- Dr. Twine's Twitter
- The Vegan Society
- Dr. Twine's Google Scholar page
- Animal Studies: Key Concepts by Matthew Calarco
Bonus PromotionCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Prashant Jani to chat about his experiences in surgical pathology to community initiatives, including a food truck.
Dr. Prashant Jani is a Pathologist and Associate Professor at Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
He completed his MBBS (1994) and MD (1997) from Pune University, India. He then came to Canada and completed a residency in Anatomic Pathology, and FRCPC, from the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada (2001-2005).
Dr. Jani is the inaugural Clinical Sciences Division Faculty Wellness Lead at Northern Ontario Cancer Research Centre, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. He has been practicing as a Pathologist and an Associate Professor of Pathology for the past 15 years and has been dedicated to promoting wellness for over 25 years. More specifically, he is a dedicated yoga instructor who has provided mental, physical and spiritual well-being in Thunder Bay for nearly two decades.
Dr. Jani is the founder of the Superior Yoga Festival, Festival of India, Festival of Colours and Superior Veg Fest in Thunder Bay. He has launched a volunteer-run, low-cost vegetarian meal delivery service out of the Vedic Cultural Centre, and expanded this to include a food truck. Lastly, Dr. Jani has established NovaCare Health and Wellness Centre in Thunder Bay to rehabilitate patients with chronic diseases.
In this episode we discuss:
- Dr. Jani’s plant-based journey
- Typical day, plus tools and techniques in pathology
- Advocacy efforts and initiatives through the Vedic Cultural Centre
- Take home message
Episode Resources:
Festival of Colours
Vedic Cultural Centre
Nova Care Health and Wellness
Festival of India
Dr. Prashant Jani’s Socials:
Instagram
YouTube
Talk With Your Doc Facebook
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram
Facebook
Website
X / Twitter: @PBC_org
Bonus PromotionCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the Show.
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, we sit down with Eleanor Boyle. She’s a Vancouver-based writer who focuses on food policy and sustainable diets. A long-time journalist and former college instructor, she has written many articles on ways to improve our food systems. She has two book – “High Steaks: Why and How to Eat Less Meat”, and “Mobilize Food: Wartime Inspiration for Environmental Victory Today”.
In our conversation, Eleanor discusses the recent news that avian flu has been detected in dairy cows in the U.S., and how scientists here in Canada are now sounding the alarm about staying ahead of an outbreak here at home. She delves into the issues around factory farming, and how these kinds of zoonotic diseases can become larger threats with pandemic potential.
But besides highlighting the concerns, Eleanor also outlines the complicated path to alleviating the massive impacts our food systems have on everything from planetary health… to our own individual health.
Resources
- Eleanor’s article in the online National Observer, outlining evidence that poultry farming is a major factor in the rise and spread of bird flu
- Eleanor’s introductory 2024 blog post on avian flu
- Peer-reviewed scientific article showing that avian-flu viruses mutate into lethal form most often among poultry
- Comprehensive and expert bird-flu report (2023) from Compassion in World Farming, entitled Bird Flu: Only Major Farm Reforms Can End It
- Dr. Michael Greger’s Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching
- United Nation’s Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds
- Eleanor’s book “High Stakes: Why and How to Eat Less Meat”
Bonus PromotionCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Cass Warbeck to chat about her experiences in the martial arts and medicine.
Dr. Cass Warbeck is an avid martial arts athlete, having attained a black belt in Goju Ryu karate and black level in Kurama Yama kickboxing. After reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell in 2013, she went plant-based and never looked back. A plant-based diet fueled her amateur Muay Thai fighting career and in March 2019 won the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) North American Bantamweight Muay Thai Title. Since then, she has also competed in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Cass has always loved inspiring and educating others to achieve better personal health through physical movement and nutrition. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Health and Fitness Physiology at the University of Calgary and worked as a personal trainer before completing medical school at the University of Alberta. She is currently a first year family medicine resident in Edmonton, Alberta with plans to pursue a fellowship in Sports and Exercise Medicine. Cass looks forward to utilizing the power of lifestyle medicine and plant-based nutrition in her future medical practice. Cass has been featured in the book, Legends of Change, and the magazine Canadian Vegan. She is also a long term volunteer for the organization Nutritionfacts.org and is the host of The Plant Fueled Podcast.
In this episode we discuss:
- Cass’ plant-based journey
- Questions and concerns faced by plant-based athletes
- Disordered eating and “orthorexia”
- What an amateur Muay Thai career looks like
- Intentional imbalance
- Inspirations in lifestyle medicine
- Lifestyle medicine approach
- Take home message
Episode Resources2019 North American Muay Thai Title fight video
2019 kickboxing fight video
The China Study
Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier
NutritionFacts
SWAP-MEAT Trial
Microbiota & Interval Training
Dr. Cass Warbeck’s SocialsInstagram: @casswarbeck
Podcast: The Plant Fueled Podcast
ORCiD
Plant-Based Canada Conference (May 25th, 2024) link here.
BonusCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
Support the Show.
Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Michael Klaper to chat about his experiences in plant-based practices and Moving Medicine Forward.
Dr. Michael Klaper is an internationally-recognized clinician and teacher, and sought-after speaker on diet and health. He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, United States and served a medical internship at Vancouver General Hospital in British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Klaper received post-graduate training in surgery, anesthesiology and orthopedics at the University of British Columbia Hospitals in Vancouver, and obstetrics at the University of California Hospital, San Francisco.
After a fifty-year career as a primary care physician, Dr. Klaper’s full-time focus is the non-profit, Moving Medicine Forward, which provides education for medical students and physicians on the use of diet and lifestyle practices to prevent and, often, reverse chronic disease. In powerful, often “career-changing” lectures and discussion groups, Dr. Klaper presents effective, diet-based strategies to help resolve hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes and many inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.
A member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Klaper currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Plantrician Project and for the "International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention."
Dr. Klaper teaches that “health comes from healthy living” and he is dedicated to the healing and flourishing of all living beings on our planet.
In this episode we discuss:
- Dr. Klaper’s plant-based journey
- Concept of plant-based nutrition
- Key nutrition related considerations
- Health impacts
- Practical advice
- Aroga
Episode Resources
ACLM
Nutrition Facts
Dr. Neal Barnard
Plantrician Project
Moving Medicine Forward
Goodbye Autoimmune Disease by Dr. Goldner
University of Wisconsin course
Aroga
Dr. Klaper’s Socials
Website
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials
Instagram
Facebook
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Conference (May 25th, 2024)
BonusCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
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In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, we chat with Dr. Christine Gibson. She is a Family Medicine physician with academic expertise in medical education and holistic care, with twenty years of clinical experience. Through extensive additional specialty training, she has become a local and national leader in education and practice related to health inequity and trauma healing.
Dr. Gibson is a Mental Health Influencer on Tiktok as under the name “tiktok trauma doc”, and has published a book with Hachette Go/John Murray called The Modern Trauma Toolkit. It is an accessible, solutions-focused look at the stress of modern times.
As founder, Executive Director, and consultant through Global Familymed Foundation, she works with Universities in resource-poor environments in strengthening and building capacity for primary care postgraduate training. She also founded The Healing Centred Cooperative in 2020, which successfully ran a music and breath program for immigrants through the City of Calgary’s Change Can’t Wait Mental Health and Addiction grant, as well as Safer Spaces Training, which trains professionals to create psychological safety in professional work settings.
Dr. Gibson's ResourcesWebsite
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
TikTok
Instagram
Dr. Gibson's book: "The Modern Trauma Toolkit"
The Modern Trauma Toolkit Resources
Global FamilyMed
Safer Spaces Training
BonusCheck out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home. As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people. Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses. www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Prof Jordi Salas-Salvadó to chat about the Mediterranean diet.
Prof Jordi Salas-Salvadó is a medical doctor and a Distinguished Professor of Nutrition and research at Rovira i Virgili University, in Spain. He is the Director of the Food, Nutrition and Mental Health Research Group recognized by the Government of Catalonia; Principal Investigator of the CIBER Network Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn) of the Carlos III Health Institute; Director of the Catalan Nutrition Centre of the Institute of Catalan Studies; Chairman of the Professorship Tree Nut World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination; member of the Group of Experts of the Public Health Agency of Catalonia. Prof Salas-Salvadó is an expert in clinical trials evaluating the effect of diets and dietary compounds on cardiometabolic health. He was a lead researcher of the PREDIMED study, a landmark trial evaluating the effect of the Mediterranean Diet on the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. He is currently the Director and Chair of the Steering Committee of the PREDIMED-Plus trial. He has published >900 scientific articles (h-index 101; >30,000 citations; Clarivate Analytics “Highly Cited Researcher”) and has received multiple awards and recognitions. In addition to all the above, he has been a mentor to many researchers & health professionals, including the host of the podcast episode, and we are grateful to have him join the podcast and share his expertise as an honorary Canadian.
In this episode:
-History behind the Mediterranean diet
-PREDIMED Trial: development, findings, impact
-PREDIMED-Plus Trial: development, findings, impact
-The future of PREDIMED-Plus & nutrition research
Episode Resources:PREDIMED-Mediterranean Diet & Heart Disease
PREDIMED-Plus: Design & methods
PREDIMED-Plus: 1-Yr results
11 clinical trials that will shape medicine in 2023
Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó’s Socials:Website
X/ Twitter: @JordiSalasSalva & @nutrihumana_URV
Web of Science
ORCID
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:Instagram @plantbasedcanadaorg
Facebook
Website
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Conference-May 25, 2024
Bonus: Check out University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate.
Each 4-week course will guide you through essential plant-based topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home.
As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people.
Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses!www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
Thank you for tuning in!
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Dr. Margaret Robinson (she/her) is a Mi’kmaw scholar and a member of Lennox Island First Nation. She works as an Associate Professor at Dalhousie University in Mi’kma’ki, where she holds the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Reconciliation, Gender, and Identity. Dr. Robinson is two-spirit, bisexual, and queer, and her research examines how culture and identity support wellbeing.
In our conversation, we discuss on Dr. Robinson’s research into feminism and bisexuality, the work she did in developing a measure for microaggresions and microaffirmations experienced by bisexual women, racism experienced by Indigenous communities in the Canadian Health-Care system, navigating veganism as an Indigenous person, and ways to decolonize our food systems.
Resources
Cultural Continuity as a Protective Factor Against Suicide in First Nations Youth, Michael J. Chandler and Christopher Lalonde
Bi+ Women of Toronto
“Mental health and substance use among bisexual youth and non-youth in Ontario, Canada”, Co-authored by Margaret Robinson
“Prevalence and Mental Health Correlates of Illegal Cannabis Use Among Bisexual Women”, Co-Authored by Margaret Robinson
“Bisexual Women's Experience of Microaggressions and Microaffirmations: A Community-Based, Mixed-Methods Scale Development Project”, Co-authored by Margaret Robinson
“The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory”, Carol J. Adams
Victory Garden of Tomorrow
Margaret Robinson Google Scholar
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Do you want to take your plant-based knowledge to the next level?
The online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate through Open Learning and Educational Support at the University of Guelph has everything you need to know about implementing a sustainable plant-based diet. Each course is just four weeks long and will guide you through essential topics including nutritional benefits, disease prevention, and environmental impacts. You can also customize your learning with unique courses such as Plant-Based Diets for Athletes and Implementing a Plant-Based Diet at Home.
As the first university-level plant-based certificate in Canada, you’ll explore current research, learn from leading industry experts, and join a community of like-minded people.
Use our exclusive discount code PBC2024 to save 10% on all Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate courses! www.uoguel.ph/pbn.
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Dr. Amardeep Singh Mangat was born in Tanzania and moved to California when he was 2-years-old. His parents are originally from Punjab India, but he grew up in San Francisco. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency with honours of ‘Resident of the Year’ and was selected Chief Resident at the UCSF-affiliated Alameda County Medical Center.
He moved to Toronto in 2012 and has been working in the division of General Internal Medicine at North York General Hospital, which is the leading community academic hospital in all of Canada. Dr. Mangat serves as the GIM lead for the rapid referral Internal Medicine clinic and is also a lecturer at University of Toronto.
In addition to all of that, Dr. Mangat is now the medical director of the Aroga Lifestyle medicine clinic in the GTA. Aroga is a trail-blazing clinic with an multi-disciplinary team that believes that most, if not all, cardiac and metabolic illnesses can be prevented and treated with intensive lifestyle modifications. Their team uses evidenced-based therapies to empower patients to experience true healing and wellness.
ResourcesAroga.com
Aroga's Instagram
Dr. Mangat's Instagram
Perspective: Plant-Based Eating Pattern for Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Treatment: Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Practical Considerations
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by a Toronto-based hospitalist and emergency physician, Dr. Teela Johnson.
Dr. Teela Johnson MSc, MD, CCFP-EM is a hospitalist and emergency room physician with a keen interest in the intersection of health, nutrition, and the climate-- and how they relate to equity issues. Through her work as a member of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment Agri-Food Working Group and as a Board Director of the climate policy think tank Canadians for Responsible Food Policy, she brings to bear the extensive scientific evidence on how a transition to a plant-based food system can prevent and treat chronic disease, and simultaneously curtail the most detrimental greenhouse gas emissions that are propelling the climate crisis, while also giving voice and restoration to groups systematically oppressed across these intersecting realms.
In this episode we discuss:
- Dr. Johnson’s medical practice
- Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment Agri-Food Working Group
- Climate change impacts, targets, and recommendations
- Paris Agreement on Climate Change
- Canadians for Responsible Food Policy
- Impact of transitioning to a plant-based food system
- Future research and actions
- Advice to health professionals / the public
Episode Resources:
Canadians for Responsible Food Policy: https://responsiblefoodpolicy.ca/
Lancet Countdown: https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Lancet-Countdown-Policy-Brief-Canada_ENG.pdf
Consultation on the future of competition policy in Canada: https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/CompetitionActConsultation_CQDE_CAPE_EQT_ISED.pdf
Recommendations from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment for Amendments to Bill C-12, the Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act: https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAPE-C-12-briefing-note-EN-final.pdf
Paris Agreement on Climate Change: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:Instagram: @plantbasedcanadaorg
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/
Website: https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/
X/Twitter: @PBC_org
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Kate Hanneman to chat about climate change and environmental sustainability in health care practices, particularly medical imaging/radiology, as well as improving health outcomes for patients using cardiac imaging.
Kate Hanneman MD MPH, is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and a Clinician Scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute. She is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed papers and leads an active research program focused on sustainability and improving health outcomes for patients using cardiac imaging. She is Co-Chair of the Canadian Association of Radiologists Sustainability Working Group and Deputy Lead for Sustainability and University Medical Imaging Toronto at the University of Toronto. She has followed a plant-based diet for over a decade.
In this episode we discuss:
- Climate change and environmental sustainability in medical imaging/radiology
- Current and future research
- Tips for sustainable medical and personal practices
- Take home message
Episode Resources:Environmental Sustainability and MRI: Challenges, Opportunities, and a Call for Action
Letter to the Editor: Radiology Action for Climate Change
Climate Change and Sustainability. Radiology
Climate Change and Radiology: Impetus for Change and a Toolkit for Action
University of Toronto, Medical Imaging
Canadian Association of Radiologists Sustainability Working Group
Dr. Kate Hanneman's Socials:
Instagram: @katehanneman X/ Twitter: @katehanneman,@imagingtoronto & @UofTMedIm
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
X / Twitter @PBC_org
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
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Dr. Simran Malhotra is a triple board-certified physician in internal medicine, hospice and palliative care, and lifestyle medicine. She practices part time as an inpatient palliative care physician at Medstar Health. She completed her internal medicine residency at Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center where she also served as chief resident in 2015. She completed her fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2016.
Dr. Malhotra is a mother of two and a BRCA 1 previvor with a strong family history of breast and female reproductive cancers. She underwent a risk reducing bilateral mastectomy and total hysterectomy in 2020.
After her own experience as a patient and her professional experiences in palliative care, she founded Wellness By LifestyleMD, a platform where she works with and educates women on the powerful impact that positive lifestyle changes can have on their quality of life and longevity.
ResourcesDr. Malhotra’s Website
Facebook
Instagram
Dr. Malhotra’s book: “How Healers Heal: Lifestyle Medicine Physicians Transforming Healthcare and Their Own Health”
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Natalie Pelto to chat about parenting kids with autism and ADHD.
Natalie has many years of experience in the healthcare field, with lifestyle-based practices being a more recent endeavour. She was previously a Medical Radiation Technologist in diagnostic imaging specialising in CT, Trauma and bone mineral density for over 20 years, but following a personnel experience, which she shares with us later in the episode, has changed her career perspective and purpose. As part of this transition, she has become a self-declared life-long learner, completing multiple certifications in lifestyle medicine and nutrition including advanced child brain development with nutrition, and more. Natalie´s main area of interest focuses on working with children with severe autism and Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their families. From her personal experiences and learnings, she works to support all members of families with children with autism and ADHD. Her mission and vision are to see our future generations change and shape the world from a space of health and well-being.
In this episode we discuss:
- What are autism and ADHD?
- Diet/nutrition in autism and ADHD
- Plant-Based diet and autism and ADHD related concerns, myths, and misconceptions.
- Strategies to support children with autism or ADHD in achieving independence
- Supports for parents with children with autism or ADHD
Episode Resources:
Autism Canada
Autism Statistics Canada
ADHD Statistics Canada
Scientific Articles:
Truths, Myths and Needs of Special Diets: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27356007/
Clinician guidelines for the treatment of psychiatric disorders with nutraceuticals and phytoceuticals: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35311615/
Micronutrients in ADHD: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35311615/
App:
ThinkDirty app (has a cost): https://www.thinkdirtyapp.com/
Free alternative -> Environmental Working Group (EWG): https://www.ewg.org/
Books:
“Fiber Fueled” By: W. Bulsiewicz
“Power of Habits” By: C. Duhigg
Natalie Pelto´s Socials
Website: www.blueliferx.com
Webinar: www.blueliferx.com/autismwebinar
Instagram: @rebellespectrum (for free resources)
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram: @plantbasedcanadaorg
Facebook: Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/
Website: https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/
X (formerly Twitter): @PBC_org
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
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Ed and Natasha Tatton are the co-founders of BReD, a B Corp certified vegan sourdough bakery located in the premier ski and mountain bike resort of Whistler, BC, Canada. The bakery specializes in sourdough and vegan baked goods. Plus, Ed and Natasha’s new book, “BReD: Sourdough Loaves, Small Breads, and Other Plant-Based Baking” is available for purchase TODAY. The BReD cookbook is an homage to the Tattons' bakery and mission to inform and provide their community with cruelty-free food.
In our conversation we discuss how the couple, originally from the UK, ended up in Canada; Ed’s classic training as a chef; Ed and Natasha’s journey toward veganism; the inspiration and process to opening their own bakery; and their new book, which contains 100 recipes, and is available through their website.
ResourcesEd’s Bred Website
Facebook
Instagram
“BReD: Sourdough Loaves, Small Breads, and Other Plant-Based Baking”
Penguin Random House Canada
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In this episode of the Plant-Based Podcast, we chat with Lucy Luong -- a Californian turned Canadian registered dietitian and weight loss coach. She is passionate about people and wants to help everyone she can break free from ill-health, excess weight, and food addiction.
Lucy identifies as a volume eater – and has a big appetite. So she loves that eating a plant-based diet allows her and her clients to eat large portions of nutritious foods. She has a virtual private practice in Alberta, and an international, virtual 12-Week Lifestyle Improvement Program that’s open to anyone who needs help learning how to eat plant-based for weight loss and disease management.
In this episode, Lucy and I discuss the science behind weight loss… the differences between Canada and the U-S when it comes to their food guides and public health policies… how approach with clients and how she incorporates plant-based eating into her practice… and her approach to online misinformation around weight loss and other dangers that often accompany dieting culture.
Podcast Resources
Lucy’s website
Facebook
Instagram
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In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, we talk to Dr. Sachin Shah -- CEO of VeganMed and a Professor of Pharmacy at the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.
Dr. Shah founded VeganMed in 2018. He was inspired by the challenges faced by patients when finding animal-free medications. The company is dedicated to assisting consumers and healthcare providers in identifying medications, supplements, and other health products that are free from animal-derived ingredients.
At Pacific, he is Director of the Fellowship in Industry Program (FIP), and the Innovative Clinical and Outcomes Research (iCOR) group. With over 50 peer-reviewed publications, his research has garnered over one billion media impressions – including with CNN, NPR, and BBC News — and featured in multiple video documentaries globally.
Podcast Resources
VeganMed
VeganMed IG
Dr. Shah’s LinkedIN
Dr. Shah’s Twitter/X profile
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In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, we talk to chef Ikeila Wright, former owner of the long-standing vegan Caribbean restaurant One Love Vegetarian in Toronto.
When Ikeila decided to leave the world of meat behind and enter the plant kingdom, her Life changed. Everything she learned about cooking and the restaurant industry went totally out the window. In the process, Ikeila not only had to learn to emphasize taste… but also manipulate texture, timing, and temperature to create food that was pleasing to the palette without the aid of meat, dairy, eggs, or refined products.
In between raising children and catering, Ikeila and her family became known as food vendors at many major Toronto outdoor festivals. They spent many summers vending at The Harbourfront Centre where their One Love Corn Soup and Seasoned Corn received rave reviews. This included two appearances on The Food Network courtesy of ‘The Christine Cushing Live Show’.
In 2009, with the support of her children, the One Love Vegetarian Restaurant was born.
One Love Vegetarian remained at the forefront of the Toronto Vegetarian scene for over a decade before shutting down in 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ikeila is now cooking up extraordinary meals as a private chef and caterer.
Podcast ResourcesIkeila's Website
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Anita Krajnc to chat about the animal protection movement.
Dr. Anita Krajnc is the Executive Director of the Animal Save Movement, a worldwide network of Save groups bearing witness to farmed animals and promoting veganism and love-based, grassroots activism. Anita also helps coordinate the global Plant Based Treaty campaign. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto and is a follower of Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi and Cesar Chavez. Anita has also been an assistant professor at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada and has published extensively on social movements and environmental politics and is co-author of the book, "The Secret Life of Pigs: Stories of Compassion and the Animal Save Movement".
In this episode we discuss:
- What happened on the the infamous date of June 22 2015
- What is bearing witness
- About the initial court case and media campaign
- The Save Movements
- The Plant Based Treaty
Episode Resources:United Nations Climate Change: https://unfccc.int/cop28
The Paris Agreement: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/paris-agreement
A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12419.A_Calendar_of_Wisdom
The Secret Life of Pigs: Stories of Compassion and the Animal Save Movement by Richard Hoyle & Anita Krajnc: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60485052-the-secret-life-of-pigs
Animal Save Movement:Website: https://thesavemovement.org/
TikTok: @animalsavemovement
Twitter: @animalsavemvmt
Instagram: @thesavemovement
Linkedin: Animal Save Movement
Plant Based Treaty:Website: https://plantbasedtreaty.org/canada-city/
TikTok: @plantbasedtreaty
Twitter: @Plant_Treaty
Instagram: @plantbasedtreaty
To sign the Plant-Based Treaty: https://plantbasedtreaty.org/individual-endorse/
Dr. Anita Krajnc´s Socials:Instagram: @anita.krajnc
Twitter: @animalrightsyay
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-krajnc-105170116/?originalSubdomain=ca
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:Instagram: @plantbasedcanadaorg
Facebook: Plant-Based Canada
Website: https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Ben Hagerty from “It’s Bree and Ben” to chat about plant-based entrepreneurs and businesses, with a focus on initiatives in the west coast of Canada.
Benjamin Hagerty is a vegan essayist and travel writer for the website, It's Bree and Ben, which he co-founded with his wife, Brianne Nemiroff.
Ben’s vegan journey began in 2015, and from 2017 through 2019, he and Brianne embarked on a trans-continental road trip in which they visited and wrote about vegan businesses in more than 60 destinations throughout Canada and the U.S.
In 2020, he and Brianne relocated to Vancouver, BC, where he began his thesis project, which explores how vegan entrepreneurs in Kitsilano and Mt. Pleasant operationalize and experience the vegan philosophy. The findings of his project may be found in his academic blog series called, Ben's Vegan Vancouver. This year he earned his Masters degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies from the University of Northern British Columbia.
Ben currently works with organisations like the Canadians for Responsible Food Policy, Earthsave Canada, and the Plant-Based Cities Movement to bolster vegan businesses to municipal governments. For leisure, he still enjoys adventurous road trips with Brianne and learning new coffee-making techniques.
In this episode we discuss:
- Plant-based practices and businesses from travels across North America
- Specific examples of plant-based businesses from Kitsilano and Mount Pleasant in Vancouver, B.C.
- What motivates and inspires vegan entrepreneurship and how vegan businesses operate?
- What is vegan entrepreneurship and what makes it vegan?
- What makes a successful plant-based business?
- Challenges facing vegan entrepreneurship
- Perspective transformation
Episode Resources:Canadians for Responsible Food Policy
Earthsave Canada
Plant-Based Cities Movement
University of Northern British Columbia, Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Program
Ben Hagerty’s Socials:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsbreeandben/?ref=embed_page Instagram: @itsbreeandben
Website: https://itsbreeandben.com/
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Mylène Juneau.
Dr Mylène Juneau was born and raised in Montréal, Quebec and completed her honours degree in biology at Concordia University followed by medical school and a family medicine residency program at Université de Montréal. She then moved to Northern Ontario on the shores of Georgian Bay where she started working primarily in the emergency department and as a hospitalist.
Her interest for holistic health and longevity led to her certification as a lifestyle medicine practitioner from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. With the help of a strong, knowledgeable, motivated and enthusiastic team, she is co-creating a soon-to-be-launched lifestyle medicine program for the community.
Dr. Juneau faced first hand some of the challenges of implementing the core pillars of lifestyle medicine in her own life and in her practice of medicine, which included a transition towards a whole-foods, plant-based diet. The benefits and the lessons learned were well worth it, however.
When she is not sharing her enthusiasm for a whole-person care model, she enjoys spending time outdoors with friends and family.
In this episode we discuss:
- Lifestyle Medicine
- Blue Lifers
- Comprehensive Lifestyle Medicine Intervention Program (CLIP)
Episode Resources:American College of Lifestyle Medicine: https://lifestylemedicine.org/
Lifestyle Medicine & Health Review: https://www.elsevier.es/en-revista-revista-psiquiatria-salud-mental-486-articulo-lifestyle-medicine-the-importance-considering-S2173505012000180
Blue Zones: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30202288/
Dr. Mylène Juneau’s Socials:Facebook: www.facebook.com/mylene.juneau
Instagram: @mylenejuneau
Website: Blueliferx.com
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
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Dr. Bhiku Jethalal is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He graduated from the University of Natal Medical School in South Africa in 1968. He completed his Internal Medicine and Allergy training in 1978 in Canada. He was appointed Chief of Staff at the Bowmanville Memorial Hospital in 1984 and subsequently on staff as Consultant in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Scarborough Grace Hospital in 1985. He has almost 45 years of experience in internal medicine and allergies.
You can also check out Dr. Jethalal’s son – Nital – in Episode 45 of the Plant-Based Canada podcast, in which we discuss Plant-based Eating patterns in the GTA.
In this episode we discuss:
- Dr. Jethalal’s medical background and what inspired his interest in Lifestyle Medicine
- Why Dr. Jethalal left South Africa for Canada.
- His association with the Toronto Star and his sour relationship with Ontario dairy farmers
- How Dr. Jethalal incorporates Lifestyle Medicine into his practice
- The biggest obstacles he's encountered in medical community
Podcast Resources
Dr. Bhiku Jethalal's Website
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How safe and healthful is a plant-based diet for children?
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we are joined by Dr. Rikin Patel to chat about raising kids following a plant-strong dietary pattern.
Dr. Rikin Patel is a consultant pediatrician and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. He completed his pediatric residency at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and prior to medical school he completed a Masters in Health Policy Planning and Finance from the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Currently, Dr. Patel works for the Scarborough Health Network and is a founding member of Markham Kids Clinic. He recently completed the Plant Based Certificate program through the T Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell University. He is passionate about promoting a culture of wellness and resilience within physician and trainee communities through medical improv, meditation and plant-based nutrition. Dr. Patel has worked with numerous families and is passionate and confident in giving children and their families the best fuel for their wellbeing to maximize their potential. He is a certified yoga instructor and teaches Shaolin Kung Fu at the Waterloo Kung Fu Academy with over 30 years of experience
Also, stay tuned for more initiatives from Dr. Patel, as he is currently in the process of opening a new virtual clinic in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) called Reset Pediatric Lifestyle Medicine that aims at treating and reversing chronic diseases among children using lifestyle-based interventions.
In this episode we discuss:
- Being a plant-strong Pediatrician at a Kids Clinic
- The safety & nutrition of plant-strong dietary patterns for children
- Micronutrients of interest
- Macronutrients of interest
- Milk alternatives
- Recommendations for different ages or stages of growth
- Myths & misconceptions
Episode Resources:
Ellyn Satter: https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/
E. Satter Resources: https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/product-category/books-videos/
Plant-based milk alternatives in child nutrition: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37048365/
Safety of vegetarian diets for children: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37242126/
Dr. Rikin Patel´s Socials
Website: https://www.resetpediatrics.com/
Instagram: @dr.rikinpatel.
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
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In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we are joined by vegan chef Roni Zaide. Roni became vegetarian on her 11th birthday. Years later she made the transition to a full vegan, plant-based lifestyle. Roni has been cooking in kitchens around the world since 2004. She worked at The Coup in Calgary for seven years, before opening her business -- Roni's Kitchen -- in 2014. Roni loves to share her passion for delicious, healthy eats through a variety of plant-based cooking classes, and her catering services.
In December 2019, Roni published her first cookbook -- Roni’s Kitchen Cookbook -- which contains 100 plant-based recipes and the stories behind them. The book features recipes from the different projects of Roni’s Kitchen in the past few years: a brunch pop-up, weekly meal service, and the cooking classes, as well as some family recipes and recipes Roni discovered.
In This Episode We Discuss
- Roni's long history in the kitchen and her catalyst for going plant-based.
- Her journey to open her own businesses.
- Her cookbook and some of the stories that inspired her recipes.
- Roni's approach to putting together a meal and how every dish is its own piece of art.
- The plant-based community in Calgary and how it's evolved over time.
- Tip for those interested in picking up plant-based cooking.
Podcast Resources
Roni’s LinkTree
Roni’s Kitchen
Cooking classes
Cookbook author
Food blog
Roniskitchen.com
Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Brighde Reed from World Vegan Travel.
World Vegan Travel was founded by life-and-travel partners Sebastien and Brighde, two nomads who spent nearly 2 decades living and working overseas in a myriad of countries: France, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand. With backgrounds in tour leading and film and TV production, they spend at least three months each year travelling the world to find new and exciting destinations for vegans to experience.
Brighde spent her formative years in the UK and Australia before her desire to travel took over. The next five years were spent leading group tours for an Australian company around Southeast Asia, France and Morocco. She met fellow tour guide Seb in Marrakech, they fell in love and a couple of years later they discovered veganism together. She became passionate about promoting the vegan message as an activist while living in Thailand. These days Brighde currently make their home amongst the mountains, bears, and eagles of beautiful Squamish, BC, Canada. Living in Squamish she enjoys hiking in the mountains and spending time with her kittens between the trips she runs with Seb.
In this episode we discuss:
- World Vegan Travel Trips & Experiences
- Travel Tips & Resources
Episode Resources:
Happy Cow: https://www.happycow.net/
VegOresto (France website): https://vegoresto.fr/
Veggie Hotels: https://www.veggie-hotels.com/1-1-Home.html
Vegan Welcome: https://www.vegan-welcome.com/en/home.html
Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/
Veg Visits: https://www.vegvisits.com/
The Vegan Stay: https://www.theveganstay.com/
World Vegan Travel´s Socials:
Websitel: www.worldvegantravel.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbD9lX2V7-cQogVfBlSMe8A
Instagram: @worldvegantravel
Twitter: @WorldVeganTrav1
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by the award-winning filmmaker and director Tom Pickering to chat about his upcoming documentary called “I Could Never Go Vegan” and initiative this June called “Running on Plants”.
Tom Pickering is a filmmaker and long-time vegan based in the UK. In his words, he was raised on a diet of genre cinema, and from a young age wanted nothing more than to work in the film industry. A decade after graduating film at university, Tom had a number of successful corporate and narrative films under his belt, collecting a string of awards and establishing himself as a director, eventually founding his production company Lock the Tent Productions.
But something was missing.
Tom’s parents raised him as a vegetarian, and later in life after discovering horrors of the egg and dairy industries, Tom turned vegan. At some point it dawned on Tom that these two huge passions he had in filmmaking and veganism could be combined, and that he could start telling stories that had the power to change lives.
This is where the idea to bring the feature documentary “I Could Never Go Vegan” to the big screen was born. With the help of his brother, Tom set out to capture the various arguments that face the vegan movement and find whether these are justified or not.
A lifelong runner, Tom has also recently launched the new health and fitness campaign called “Running On Plants”, which enables participants to take control of their health by adopting a whole food plant-based diet for the month of June and taking up running. Tom is happily married (listen to this episode and you will know that this is of particular note ;), and when not working he’ll usually be with his wife and cocker spaniel, Chan, out on the trails.
In this episode we discuss:
- Creating documentaries
- I Could Never Go Vegan Documentary
- Running on Plants Initiative
Episode Resources:
Nutrients 2019 Article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30634559/
NURMI Study :https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35277039/
Strava: https://www.strava.com/
Switch4Good: https://switch4good.org/plant-based-nutrition-for-athletes/
The Happy Pear: https://thehappypear.ie/about/
Plant-Based Health Professionals UK: https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/
Tom Pickering´s Socials
Documentary Website: https://icouldnevergovegan.co.uk/
Instagram: @thetommypick
Running On Plants
Website: https://runningonplants.org/
Instagram: @runningonplants1
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/runningonplantspage/
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we are joined Desiree Nielsen, a Registered Dietitian with a focus on plant-based nutrition and digestive health. She is the author of two Canadian bestselling plant-based cookbooks – “Eat More Plants” and “Good For Your Gut”. She is also the host of an evidence-informed wellness podcast, The Allsorts Podcast. She lives in Vancouver, Canada… where she owns a private practice with a non-diet, weight-neutral approach to nutrition and health. Desiree is a mom of two and a sometimes neglectful gardener.
In This Episode We Discuss
- What inspired her to study nutrition and become a registered dietician
- How Desiree incorporates plant-based eating into her practice
- Her book "Good For Your Gut" and emerging data on gut health
- Desiree's nuanced approach to probiotics for those with gut issues
- The role protein plays in gut health
- Her unique voice on social media amid a sea of health misinformation
- Her podcast "Allsorts Podcast"
Episode ResourcesWebsite
Instagram
Podcasts
Blog
“Good for Your Gut”
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
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Welcome to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In this episode we are joined by Rohini Bajekal to chat about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Rohini is a nutritionist and board-certified Lifestyle Medicine professional. Prior to becoming a nutritionist, she studied theology at Oxford University. Having previously worked in India and Singapore, Rohini is now based in London and provides evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle advice to her clients around the world.
Rohini leads communications at Plant-Based Health Professionals UK, a community interest group that provides education and advocacy on whole food plant-based nutrition for the prevention and treatment of chronic disease, as well as for supporting planetary health. An avid recipe developer, Rohini is passionate about making delicious and nourishing plant- based meals. In her spare time, she volunteers as a cooking teacher at Made in Hackney, the UK's only plant-based cooking school and charity.
Rohini co-authored her first book Living PCOS Free: How to Regain Your Hormonal Health with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome which was published in April 2022. Rohini has personal experience of PCOS after a diagnosis in her 20s. In this episode she shares her experience in addition to delving into the lifestyle medicine related evidence for PCOS available to date.
In this episode we discuss:
- What is PCOS?
- Signs and symptoms
- Long-term consequences
- Plant-Based and PCOS
- Plant-based PCOS pantry
- Common misinformation and misconceptions
- Self-care activities
- “it is never too late – what we eat is bigger than just personal health”
Episode Resources
Plant Health Professionals UK PCOS factsheet
Plant Health Professionals UK Soy factsheet
Rotterdam PCOS guidelines
PEN PCOS resource
Article: What can be done for those with PCOS?
Rohini’s Book, Living PCOS Free
Rohini’s Mother´s website
Rohini Bajekal´s Socials
Website: www.rohinibajekal.com
Instagram: @rohinibajekal
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we are joined again by Dr. Jenkins. Dr. Jenkins is moderating the University of Toronto’s ongoing Environmental Lecture Series called “Health and the Existential Threat of the Anthropocene”. The first part of the series aims to draw attention to the destructive force of the Anthropocene and its impact on species loss, climate change, human health, and planetary health… while the second series will explore answers to these problems.
Dr. Jenkins is joined by academics and leaders in journalism, advocacy, and beyond who offer unique perspectives… shedding light on the environmental and health consequences caused by the current rate of resource loss, overpopulation, overconsumption, and industrialization.
And the lectures are freely open to the public, so everyone can get involved.
In This Episode We Discuss
- What the Anthropocene is, and why urgent action is needed to address the issues stemming from it
- Various guest speakers involved with the lecture series
- Some of the biggest human-caused problems contributing to the climate crisis
- The disproportion impact the climate crisis has on already vulnerable populations
- A preview of part two of the series, addressing solutions to the climate crisis
Episode ResourcesHealth (human and planetary) and the Existential Threat of the AnthropoceneLecture RecordingsDr. David JenkinsThank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
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In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we are joined by dietitian and author Lisa Simon. Lisa is a registered dietitian with a wide range of clinical experience. She splits her time working in the NHS as dietetic lead in child and adolescent mental health, and working at CQC (Care Quality Commission) registered health care service, Plant Based Health Online, running individual and group consultations and delivering educational webinars. Lisa has written a clinical update on diet and fertility for the British Dietetic Association (BDA), and has written the book ‘The Plant-Based Dietitian’s Guide to Fertility: From Pre-conception to Healthy Birth’. Check out the podcast episode for more information and the episode´s show notes for more details about Lisa´s book.
In this episode we discuss:
- What is infertility?
- Role of plant-based practices in fertility
- The various stages and recommendations from preconception to birth
- LGTBQ+ considerations
- Specific dietary recommendations for fertility
- Myths and misconceptions
- Lisa´s Book, ‘The Plant-Based Dietitian’s Guide to Fertility’
- Take home message
Episode Resources:
Lisa Simon´s Book, ‘The Plant-Based Dietitian’s Guide to Fertility’
Barnard et al. Review on Nutrition & Endometriosis
Canada´s Food Guide, Healthy Eating When Pregnant and Breastfeeding
EatRight.org, Foods that Can Affect Fertility Article
Lisa Simon´s Socials:
Website: www.plantbasedhealthonline.com
Instagram (Lisa Simon): @rd_plant.based
Instagram (Plant Based Health Online): @plantbased_healthonline
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
First, a quick note, the Plant-Based Canada Nutrition Conference is back again this year! For more info, check out: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/4th-canadian-plant-based-nutrition-conference-2023-tickets-555842027467
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we are joined by Dr. Helen Voronina. Dr Voronina is a principal dentist at Dr Helen's Dental & Implant Studio - an implant focused practice in Melbourne, Australia. She advocates for a whole food plant-based diet for optimal health, as well as ecological and compassionate reasons, and believes that prevention is the most important aspect of medicine. Her clinic utilizes waste conscious technology, and uses non-animal derived materials where possible.
In this episode we discuss:
- Incorporating plant-based practices into personal and professional practices
- Dentistry tools and techniques
- Plant-based sugars & dental decay
- Beverages & dental health
- Oral health microbiome & overall health
- Acidic erosion & brushing
- Myths & misconceptions
Episode Resources:
Do vegans get more cavities?
Vegetarian Diet & Dental Health Review
Dr. Helen Voronina´s Socials:
Website:https://drhelen.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drhelensdental/?hl=en
Facebook: Dr Helen's Dental & Implant Studio
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi PhD, RD.
Support the show
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada podcast, we talk to Dr. Akhtar. Dr. Akhtar is a double Board-certified neurologist and preventive medicine specialist. She is the Co-founder, President, and CEO of the Center for Contemporary Sciences – a non-profit that is catalyzing the replacement of unreliable animal testing with more effective human-specific research techniques.
Dr. Akhtar is a U-S veteran. She previously served as Deputy Director of the U.S. Army Traumatic Brain Injury Program developing the Army’s brain injury prevention and treatment strategies for soldiers. As a Commander in the U-S Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Akhtar frequently deployed to assist with national public health emergencies.
For a decade, Dr. Akhtar was a Medical Officer at the Food and Drug Administration, most recently in the Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats, implementing studies on vaccine effectiveness and safety and using her Top Secret Security clearance to develop national preparedness strategies for public health threats.
Dr. Akhtar is a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. She is the author of the two books, Our Symphony With Animals. On Health, Empathy and Our Shared Destinies and Animals and Public Health, which argues for the need for health institutions to include animals as part of the “public” in public health. More recently, her non-profit -- the Center for Contemporary Sciences – was instrumental in the U-S Congress passing the FDA Modernization Act – a bill which allows the FDA to consider non-animal drug testing methods, instead of requiring animal tests for approval
**If you enjoy this episode please consider supporting our show through the link at the bottom of the show notes… or you can donate directly through our website.
Socials**Center for Contemporary Sciences
CCS Facebook
CCS Instagram
CCS Twitter
Links and ReferencesOur Symphony with Animals: On Health, Empathy, and Our Shared Destinies
Support the show
What does a cardiologist recommend for a heart healthy life?
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we are joined by Dr. Shane Williams. Dr. Williams is a medical doctor with a private practice in Cardiology and Internal Medicine located in Muskoka, Ontario. He was born and raised in Newfoundland, attending Memorial University in St. John´s and then completed his Doctor of Medicine degree and post-graduate fellowship program in Internal Medicine at Memorial as well, followed by a Cardiology Subspecialty Fellowship at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Dr. Williams has both personal and professional experience assessing the science and implementing nutritional approaches, following a whole-foods, plant-based diet. Since 2010, he has been incorporating nutritional education and training into his own everyday life as well as the care of his patients. He is the founder of Williams Cardiology & Wellness Medical Centre and has empowered thousands of his patients with plant-based nutrition and helped them avoid invasive cardiac procedures. Check out the episode for more information.
In this episode we discuss:
- Incorporating plant-based practices into personal and professional practices
- Risk factors for heart disease
- Cardiovascular disease prevalence & current research
- Williams Cardiology “Lunch and Learn” programs
Episode Resources:Canadian Cardiovascular Society: https://ccs.ca/
Williams Cardiology Lunch & Learn Programs:https://www.williamscardiology.com/programs/lunch-learn/
Dr. Shane Williams´ Socials:Website: Williams Cardiology & Wellness Medical Center: www.williamscardiology.com
Instagram: @drwswilliams
Twitter: @drwswilliams
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
Listen here (https://plantbasedcanadapodcast.buzzsprout.com/) or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi PhD, RD.
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Are you an animal lover? Do you have or wonder about how animal companions may be fed in a plant-based home?
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we are joined by Mikhail Goussev to chat about the considerations and science surrounding the alternative plant-based options available for feeding animal companions.
Mikhail graduated from University of Toronto as a mechanical engineer, then several years later received an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. Mikhail became vegan in 2014 and channelled his compassion for animals into Vecado, a vegan pet food company. This came with a lot of thought and consideration as Mikhail explored in-depth the suitability of vegan pet food for dogs and cats through research and speaking with leading veterinarians in Canada and in the United Kingdom. Outside of work Mikhail is a big volleyball enthusiast and likes spending time in Thailand and other tropical countries. He was actually in Thailand when we recorded this episode and he is always on the lookout for delicious vegan restaurants and cafes.
In this episode we discuss:
- The controversies surrounding plant-based pet food
- The science behind plant-based compared to controversial pet food
- The safety & nutrition of plant-based pet food
- Vecado Plant-Based Pet Foods
Episode Resources:
Vegan-vs Conventional Pet Food & Health: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35417464
Palatability of Vegan-Pet Food for Animals: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34133456/
Nutrient Deficiencies in Cats: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33656761/
Pet Owners Plant-Based Pet Food Perceptions & Practices: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6333351/
Mikhail Goussev´s Socials:
Website: Vecado: https://vecado.ca/
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
Listen here (https://plantbasedcanadapodcast.buzzsprout.com/) or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we are joined by Sasha Coleman, ND.
Dr. Coleman completed her doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Arizona and stayed in the States for almost 10 years. She is originally from Toronto, Ontario and attended McMaster University where she obtained her BSc. She recently moved back home to fulfil a lifelong dream of working alongside her sister, Dr. Tenisha Mitchell-Lambert who is a family physician with an emphasis in Lifestyle Medicine. (You may remember Dr. Tenisha from Episode 38 of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, if not, check it out after this episode 🙂.) Together they work at Integrative Interactive Health in Mississauga, Ontario.
Dr. Coleman was introduced to vegan and vegetarian cooking at a young age and made the decision to adopt this lifestyle for herself. Shortly after making those changes, her father became ill and began working with a Naturopathic doctor. After witnessing her father’s health improve by implementing a more plant forward diet in conjunction with other Naturopathic therapies, she decided to pursue Naturopathy for herself. Due to her personal and professional experiences, Dr. Coleman shares that she is delighted to educate and treat people using the tools of natural medicine and dietary modification to positively impact health and overcome disease.
In this episode we discuss:
- Lifestyle Practices
- Gut Health & The Microbiome
- Food sensitivity*
- Food sensitivity vs. Food allergy
- Impact of Inflammation
- Integrative Interactive Health Clinic and Clients
*Disclaimer: the sensitivity tests discussed in this episode are administered in a clinical setting under medical supervision. For more information on food allergies, intolerances or sensitivities please consult with your healthcare professional.
Episode Resources:
What is Lifestyle Medicine? Resource & Article
Food Allergies and Intolerances Health Canada Resource
Diet & Gut Microbiota Review
Dietary Patterns & Gut Microbiota Article
Vegan Diet & Gut Microbiota Review
Sasha Coleman´s Socials
Website: Integrative Interactive Health (Clinic)
Instagram: @i2health
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
Listen here (https://plantbasedcanadapodcast.buzzsprout.com/) or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Support the show
Recently, several large social media platforms known for spreading misinformation shared a post alleging a new nutrient profile system developed by Tufts University -- called the Food Compass System (FCS) -- suggested “Lucky Charms” were healthier than steak.
While there have been legitimate criticisms of the system, there are many false narratives and inaccuracies that have proliferated online.
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, Dr. Matthew Nagra joins us to deep dive into some of that misinformation.
This is Dr. Nagra’s second time on the Plant-Based Canada podcast. If you enjoy this episode, check out our first episode with Dr. Nagra, Episode 2, which covered a wide-range of nutrition myths and misinformation.
In this episode we discuss:
- What the Food Compass System is and how it scores food
- Misrepresentations of the FCS by The Good Ranchers and Joe Rogan
- How misinformation actors manipulate data
- The damage large platforms can cause by spreading misinformation
- Dr. Nagra's misinformation red flags
SocialsDr. Nagra’s website
Dr. Nagra’s Instagram
Dr. Nagra’s Facebook
Dr. Nagra’s YouTube
Dr. Nagra's Guide to Optimal Cholesterol Levels
Join Dr. Nagra's Nutrition Community
Links and ReferencesTufts University Food Compass System
Food Compass FAQ
Support the show
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, we talk to Atlanta Grant -- an Iroquois woman with mixed Huron-Wendat and German ancestry, originally from the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Ojibwe, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. She is a present guest on the traditional territories of the xwməθkwəýəm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.
Atlanta is a Masters candidate at the University of British Columbia in the Institute of Resources, Environment, and Sustainability. Her research focuses on Indigenous Food Systems, Indigenous Food Sovereignty, Decolonized Research Methodologies, Cultural Preservation and Cross-Cultural Collaborations.
In this episode we discuss:
- Indigenous Food Sovereignty
- Food cycling practices, and how it differs from the Western concept of food waste
- The decolonization of our food systems, and the reinstatement of Indigenous Natural Law
- The inappropriate integrations of Indigenous Knowledge into Western systems
- Food insecurity and accessibility in Indigenous communities
- How non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples can collaborate within environmental movements in the climate change sector
Socials
UBC Food Sovereignty Lab
Email: atlantagrnt@gmail.com
Links and References
Deborah McGregor (Two Row Wampum) – “Survivance: Narratives of Native Presence” and “Traditional ecological knowledge and the two—row wampum”
Ross Neasloss (Two Spirit, Kitasoo/Xai’xais) – “Food Reconciliation”
Georges E. Sioui (Wendat) – “Huron-Wendat: The Heritage of the Circle”
Kyle Whyte (Potawatomi)
Max Liboiron (Red River Métis/Michif ) – “Pollution is Colonialism”
Support the show
In this episode we talk to Nital Jethalal -- a plant-based policy analyst and economist with Plant-Based Data and the president of VegTO, a Toronto-based non-profit that seeks to inspire people to choose healthier, greener, and more compassionate lifestyles. Nital is also the co-founder and chair of the Veg Climate Network and sits on the board of directors for the Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank.
In our conversation, we talk about a recent survey conducted by VegTO and the Angus Reid Institute that looked at food choices and awareness in the G-T-A. It found two in three residents want to reduce their meat consumption and that over 85 percent say they are aware of the impacts of animal products on the environment. We get into these findings and many others… and what they mean moving forward.
SocialsPlant Based Data
VegTO
TO Veg Food Bank
Veg Climate Network
Studies/Links“Food Choices & Awareness in the Greater Toronto Area” (2022)
“Will People Cut Down the Amount of Meat They Eat for the Planet? For many the answer is no” (2022)
“Survey Finds that 77% of Canadians Understand the Harmful Impacts of Eating Meat” (2020)
“Food Politics: How the food industry influences nutrition and health” Marion Nestle (2008)
“Regenesis: Feeding the world without devouring the planet” (2022) - George Monbiot
“A Menu for Change: Using behavioural science to promote sustainable diets around the world” (2020)
“The Economic Burden of Not Meeting the Canada Food Guide Recommendations” (2018) - Lieffers et al
Food Empowerment Project
Apex Advocacy
“Can Lifestyle Changes Reverse Coronary Heart Disease?” - Dean Ornish (1990)
“Geography, International Trade & Political Mobilization in US Industries” - Marc
Busch (2001)
“Bloodless Revolution” - Tristan Stuart (2008)
Doug Evans “The Sprout Book” (2020)
“Nudge” (2008)
The China Study
C40 Good Food Cities Declaration
Canadian Institute for Health Information
“Sapiens” - Yuval Noah Harari (2011)
“Animal Liberation” - Peter Singer (1975)
Sacred Economics (2011) - Charles Eisenstein
Support the show
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we are joined by Jane Thurnell-Read.
Jane is an independent author & blogger with more than 10 published books and a blog that aims to provide scientific information about health and wellness to the public. Jane is in her seventies and loves inspiring others, especially as it relates to achieving good health and happiness regardless of your age. She has been vegan for 7 years and vegetarian for over 40 years before that, and regularly goes to the gym and enjoys lifting weights. She posts gym videos on Instagram to encourage other older people. However, it wasn’t always like this. Earlier in life, Jane shares she hated exercise and her diet was half a bottle of scotch, 40 cigarettes, chocolate, toast and orange juice. Now she is a passionate vegan and committed to staying healthy and strong as she gets older.
In this episode we discuss:
- Menopause & symptom reduction
- Weight loss/management strategies
- Staying healthy as we age
- Exercising / deadlifting
- Misconceptions about health in older age
- Role models
Episode Resources:Menopause knowledge article
Menopause symptom management article
Impact of exercise on menopause symptoms article
Weight management in midlife for women article
Harvard Medical School - Menopause Symptoms
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Health and Soul Fitness
Jane´s Books
Jane Thurnell-Read´s Socials:Website
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:Instagram
Facebook
Website
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Correction: Please note the quote from the Harvard Medical School should refer to 40,000 meals and not the 4,000 meals that was said in this episode. Thanks for your understanding!
Thank you for tuning in!
Support the show
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada we chat with Dr Alfonsi. Dr. Jeffrey Alfonsi is an engineer and physician specializing in Internal Medicine, Obesity Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology. He serves as the Chief Product and Medical Officers of RX Food. He currently practices at Trillium Health Partners, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and London Health Sciences Centre.
Dr. Alfonsi has an interest in the delivery of personalized medicine, and is actively involved in research to develop a model to deliver personalized medicine across Ontario and Canada. He also believes in the power of diet and lifestyle medicine – helping his patients build healthy and sustainable habits when it comes to what they put on their plates.
He has maintained his passion for engineering over the years, creating multiple mobile health applications – including RX Food, an app using A.I. to assess patients’ daily eating habits – and is currently developing image-processing technologies to identify the nutritional content of foods to better manage chronic diseases.
In this episode we discuss:
- Dr. Alfonsi’s interest in engineering and nutrition and how he merges the two
- How he utilizes lifestyle medicine and plant-based diets with his patients
- How sustainability and personalized medicine plays into his approach
- How Dr. Alfonsi developed RX Food, how it works, and how it helps his patients
- The biggest challenges when it comes to educating physicians and patients about the power of lifestyle medicine
Socials
Dr. Alfonsi's Twitter
RX Food
AI Twitter
Studies
Carbohydrate-last meal pattern lowers postprandial glucose and insulin excursions in type 2 diabetes
Fermented-food diet increases microbiome diversity, decreases inflammatory proteins, study finds
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we chat with Tara Gallimore, Registered Dietitian and Canadian expert in plant-based sports nutrition. She earned a bachelor’s of Kinesiology; played soccer for 10 years; is certified by Excellence Sportive de l’île de Montréal (ESIM); and teaches sports nutrition at a couple of different circus schools across Canada and the United States.
Tara founded Plantae Nutrition to help vegan, vegetarian, and veggie-curious active people and athletes of all levels achieve their performance goals while maintaining a healthy relationship with food.
In this episode we discuss:Common questions and misconceptions around eating plant-based as an athlete
Barriers athletes face, including eating disorders
Supplements including BCAAs and Creatine
Fasting and timed eating
How athletes who are training can meet energy needs on a whole-foods plant-based diet
SOCIALSWebsite
Instagram
Facebook
Linkedin
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we are joined by Margaux Khoury.
Margaux Khoury is a Business Founder, Start up Advisor, Artist, Environmental activist, Certified in Plant-Based Nutrition, and language lover.
She has started a wide range of companies and eco brands, including founding a global, 100% plastic-free, vegan company. She is also a corporate advisor for ethical start-ups, especially those wanting to be vegan for the environment, human health, and animal welfare. She is now working with the Plant Futures Initiative, especially the chapter at Harvard University where she mentors students on their mission towards a plant-based future at Harvard and beyond. Stay tuned for our conversation where we hear exciting updates about her work with this team. Margaux is certified in holistic plant-based nutrition, with a focus on longevity. She has studied what the longest living people on earth have in common and loves helping families like hers. As demonstrated by the initiative Rising Mothers, where her aim is to create a community of parents raising their children on plants and who want to live healthier, longer.
She has been a guest speaker at both Saint Thomas and Harvard University, and a frequent lecturer on animal rights, environmental issues, animal agriculture, ethics and true human health. Margaux has worked with leaders on helping farms switch from farming animals to farming plants. She believes that authenticity is paramount, especially in the professional landscape. She loves finding ways to truly add value to people’s lives.
In this episode we discuss:
- Becoming a Business Founder
- Experience Starting Plant-Based Companies
- Being a Corporate Advisor
- Plant Futures Initiative
Episode Resources:
Rising Mothers: https://rising-mothers.com/
Plant Futures Initiative: https://www.plantfuturesinitiative.org/
Margaux Khoury’s Socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corporate-advisor-margaux-khoury-start-up-advisor/
FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/risingmotherssummit/
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram (@plantbasedcanadaorg)
Facebook (Plant-Based Canada, https://m.facebook.com/plantbasedcanadaorg/)
Website (https://www.plantbasedcanada.org/)
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we chat with Dr. Jade Dittaro, a lifestyle medicine physician in the Okanagan. She is certified with the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine, has a certification in plant-based nutrition from eCornell University, and has completed Dr. Michael Klaper’s Master Class in Nutrition.
Dr. Dittaro now plans to challenge the American Boards of Obesity next year, and recently completed the Obesity: Etiology, Prevention, and Treatment course through Columbia University’s Institute of Human Nutrition. She is enrolled in the Clinicians Culinary Health Education Fundamentals (CHEF) coaching from the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School.
Originally family medicine trained and traveling rurally to practice both family and emergency medicine, Dr. Dittaro settled in Kelowna and holds positions as a Hospitalist, Site Director for both the UBC Kelowna Rural and Regional Family Practice sites, and as a Clinical Instructor with the UBC Southern Medical Program.
Dr. Dittaro has not only reviewed the evidence, but experienced personally the benefits of a whole food plant-based diet, and truly sees its potential to revolutionize our idea of “healthcare”. She joined Aroga Lifestyle Medicine Clinic based out of Victoria, BC in 2020, and it has been life changing for her and so many patients.
In this episode we discuss:
- A day in Dr. Dittaro's life working at Aroga and Kelowna General
- The six pillars of lifestyle medicine
- Helping patients choose attainable goals on their path to better health
- Animal welfare and environmental concerns
- Tips and tricks on raising children on a plant-based diet
- Her battle with Lupus and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
SOCIALS
Facebook
Instagram
Aroga
STUDIESNurses Health Study
Dr. Brooke Goldner
The China Study
Team SherzaiNutrition Facts
Game Changers
The Proof Podcast with Simon Hill
Plantrician Pediatric Plant-Based Nutrition Quick Start Guide
Atherosclerosis in Young Children
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Beginning in Childhood
Fiber Fuelled by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz
Blue Zones
Dr. Matthew Nagra
Michelle Tree is our special guest for this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast.
Michelle Tree (@treelivity) is a PlantPure Communities Pod Leader and member of the PlantPure Pod Advisory Committee. She started her group, Plant Based Living Winnipeg in 2016 after watching the food documentary PlantPure Nation, from which the PlantPure Communities grew. With her background as an event manager, Michelle organised potlucks and get-togethers designed to create friendships and help people thrive on whole foods. The group has grown to over 1500 members and continues to encourage people to make the switch to a plant-based lifestyle.
In 2021, Michelle jumped at the chance to join the PlantPure Pod Advisory Committee, taking on a more impactful role within the Pod Network by collaborating with pod leaders around the world.
In this episode we discuss:
- How PlantPure Communities (PPC) Pod Network emerged
- What it means to be a “Pod Leader”
- Building Community
- Using & Developing the Skills We Have
- Global Learnings
- Edible gardening
- Reinventing and rebuilding how to connect during the past 2 years
Episode Resources:
PlantPure Nation
Plant Pure Communities
Pod Advisory Committee
PAC member video interview series
Read more about the 2021 PAC in this press release
Dr. Michael Gregor, NutritionFacts
Moving Medicine Forward, Dr. Michael Klaper
T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies & The China Study
Forks over Knives
The Pleasure Trap (book)
Square Foot Gardening
American College of Lifestyle Medicine Certification
Michelle’s Socials
Websites:
Treelivity: http://www.treelivity.com/
Plant Based Living Winnipeg: https://www.plantbasedwpg.com/
Plant Pure Communities: https://plantpurecommunities.org/pac/
Instagram:
@plantbasedwpg
@treelivity
Twitter:
@Treelivity
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Website
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
plantbased #health #diet #nutrition
PlantBasedLiving #Winnipeg #PlantBasedlivingWinnipeg
PlantPureNation #PlantPureCommunities #PodLeader
PodAdvisoryCommittee #PodNetwork
squarefootgarden #ediblegardening
urbanagriculture #community
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we chat with Lee Satveit, BA, JD -- a writer and an advocate for a whole foods, plant-based diet. He is a former corporate executive, human rights lawyer, and litigator whose stressful career and poor diet lead to obesity.
After a heart attack at age 41, Lee radically changed his diet, eliminating his type 2 diabetes, losing more than 80 pounds. He now seeks to demystify how people can affect and maintain the same changes he made. Lee believes if he can do it, anyone can.
Lee uses social media accounts like twitter where you can find him under the handle @SilverbackDiet, and provides advice on how to lose weight. He plans to publish a career guide for law students and undergraduate students, as well as a compilation of tips and tricks for weight loss with a focus on keeping food flavorful -- and satiating – in addition to being healthy.
In this episode we discuss:
- Lee's switch to a whole foods, plant-based diet as a method to improve his health
- His weight loss, and improved BMI, A1C, and cholesterol levels
- How he navigated social life after making the change
- Reading nutrition labels and meal prepping
- Tips and tricks on sticking to a weight loss plan including caloric density and macro tracking
SOCIALS
Twitter
Instagram
STUDIES
China study
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease
Dr. Tenisha Mitchell-Lambert, Lifestyle Medicine Physician and Founder of the clinic Integrative Interactive Health, is our special guest for this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast.
Dr. Tenisha Mitchell-Lambert, also affectionately known online as Dr. Tenisha, received her Medical degree from Loma Linda University and is a Family Physician with a Masters in Lifestyle Medicine. This dual training allows her to not only focus on the pharmaceutical treatments for chronic illness, but also the impact of lifestyle factors like diet and exercise. She is passionate about promoting good health through dietary choices, exercise and stress management, which she does in the office as well as in the community. She is a strong believer in people-care, recognizing that health conditions encompass physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual aspects.
In this episode we discuss:
- Introduction to Plant-Based Practices
- Making S.M.A.R.T. Goals
- Resources for Evidence-Based Practice
- Dr. Tenisha´s Lifestyle Medicine Consultation & Practice
- Engaging Community
-
SharetheMedicalMic Campaign
Episode Resources:
What is Lifestyle Medicine?: https://www.lifestylemedicine.org/ACLM/ACLM/About/What_is_Lifestyle_Medicine_/Lifestyle_Medicine.aspx?hkey=26f3eb6b-8294-4a63-83de-35d429c3bb88
What is Lifestyle Medicine? (article): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30283259/
Loma Linda University about Seventh-day Adventists: https://home.llu.edu/about-llu/history/about-seventh-day-adventists
Nutrition Facts: https://nutritionfacts.org/
UptoDate, Evidence-Based Medicine: www.uptodate.com/contents/evidence-based-medicine
Making S.M.A.R.T. Goals (from Unlock Food): https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Menu-Planning/Your-Guide-to-Setting-Healthy-Living-Goals
American College of Lifestyle Medicine Certification: https://www.lifestylemedicine.org/ACLM/Certification/Become_Certified.aspx
Dr. Tenisha’s Socials
Website: Integrative Interactive Health (Clinic): https://www.i2healthclinic.com/
Instagram:
@i2health
@dr10isha
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Website
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
plantbased #health #diet #nutrition
LifestyleMedicine #6pillarsofhealth #plantbasedlifestyle
CommunityExercise #SMARTgoals
IntegrativeInteractiveHealth #I2Health
podcast
Can you think of one single moment that has influenced your life?
For this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast, we are joined by special guests, twin brothers, George and Daniel Cho, as they share one moment that has had a profound influence on their lives and discuss how it led them to their spirituality and where they are today.
Daniel Cho, MPH is President of Lifestyle Is Medicine, a non-profit organisation that helps people prevent and reverse today's most common health conditions through community health programs. Daniel embraced plant-based eating after becoming a Seventh-day Adventist christian at the age of 16 and has dedicated his life to helping others experience the healing power of plant-based nutrition and healthy lifestyles. Daniel completed his bachelors in nutrition at the University of Toronto and his Masters in Public Health at Loma Linda University.
George Cho ND MFSc CEP is a plant-based naturopathic doctor at Pathways Lifestyle Medicine Clinic and Energy Shack Juice Bar in Toronto as well as Paradise Fields in Hamilton. His clinical practice focuses on treating lifestyle-related diseases using a unique combination of natural therapies and lifestyle medicine. He has been plant-based for nearly 20 years and lectures widely on lifestyle as medicine and plant-based nutrition. He completed his undergraduate in kinesiology and Masters in Fitness Science at York University and his naturopathic degree at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine.
Both Daniel and George are directors for the plant-based lifestyle medicine immersion program called One Week In Paradise and help lead Compassion Health Toronto, a non-profit that provides free health services to the less fortunate in Toronto.
In this episode George & Daniel discuss:
- Their path to plant-based practices
- Naturopathic practices
- Their plant-based and lifestyle initiatives
- Being Seventh-day Adventist
Episode Resources:
What is Lifestyle Medicine?
What is Lifestyle Medicine? (article)
Loma Linda University about Seventh-day Adventists
What is Naturopathic Medicine?
American College of Lifestyle Medicine Certification
George & Daniel’s Socials
Related Websites:
Lifestyle is Medicine: www.lifestylemed.org
Pathways to Wholeness: https://www.pathwaystowholeness.ca
One Week in Paradise: https://www.paradisefields.ca/oneweekinparadise
Compassion Health Toronto: https://www.compassionhealthtoronto.com/
George Cho: https://drgeorgecho.com/
Instagram:
@drgeorgecho
@lifestyleismed
@paradise_fields
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Website
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
In the latest episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we chat with Dan and Sheanne Moskaluk. The duo, known as the Indian Rock Vegans on social media, have been whole-food plant-based vegan lifestyle health advocates since 2013.
As Keynote Speakers at Health Conferences, Vegfests, and on podcasts, they share their life-changing health recovery stories after making the shift.
A veteran police officer of 33 years, Dan attributes his plant-based diet to helping him survive a bout with stage four kidney cancer. And after years of trying various diet regimes, switching to a plant-based lifestyle resulted in Sheanne losing 133lbs – and keeping the weight off.
The duo is also featured in the critically acclaimed health documentary film “Eating You Alive” where they detail their amazing journeys.
They’re now dedicated to helping others by rolling up their sleeves and promoting the benefits of a whole-foods plant-based lifestyle.
SOCIALS
Eating You Alive: Sheanne’s Story
ARTICLES
Vancouver Sun: B.C. Cop Crosses Protest Lines for Animal Rights
Eating You Alive: Sheanne’s story
Vancouver Sun: B.C. Cop Crosses Protest Lines for Animal Rights
STUDIES
China study
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
Dr. Hana Kahleova is our special guest in this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast!
Dr. Kahleova is director of clinical research for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. She has conducted several clinical trials, using a plant-based diet in the treatment of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disease. Her research showed that a plant-based diet leads to a greater weight loss and improvement in metabolism, and addresses multiple mechanisms behind diabetes.
Her research proved that eating a large breakfast and lunch is more beneficial than eating six smaller meals a day for patients with type 2 diabetes. Her research on meal frequency and timing showed that eating less frequently, no snacking, consuming breakfast, and eating the largest meal in the morning may be effective methods for preventing long-term weight gain.
As a member of the American Diabetes Association and as a board member of the Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group, Dr. Kahleova is directly involved in the process of updating the nutritional recommendations for patients with diabetes.
In this episode Hana shares:
- Her “Plant-Based” story
- Meal Timing & Frequency
- Body Weight Management
- Healthy vs. Unhealthy PBD
- Future Research
Episode Resources:
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Crosby L et al. Changes in Food and Nutrient Intake and Diet Quality on a Low-Fat Vegan Diet Are Associated with Changes in Body Weight, Body Composition, and Insulin Sensitivity in Overweight Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2022.
Kahleova H, Barnard ND. Can a plant-based diet help mitigate Covid-19? Eur J Clin Nutr. 2022.
Malinska H, et al. A plant-based meal reduces postprandial oxidative and dicarbonyl stress in men with diabetes or obesity compared with an energy- and macronutrient-matched conventional meal in a randomized crossover study. Nutr Metab. 2021.
Kahleova H, et al. A plant-based diet in overweight adults in a 16-week randomized clinical trial: The role of dietary acid load. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2021.
Barnard ND, et al. The Women's Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms (WAVS): a randomized, controlled trial of a plant-based diet and whole soybeans for postmenopausal women. Menopause. 2021.
Jardine MA, et al. Perspective: Plant-Based Eating Pattern for Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Treatment: Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Practical Considerations. Adv Nutr. 2021.
Barnard ND, et al. A Mediterranean Diet and Low-Fat Vegan Diet to Improve Body Weight and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Randomized, Cross-over Trial. J Am Nutr Assoc. 2022.
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram
Facebook
Website
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast to get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
plantbased #health #diet #nutrition
intermittenfasting #mealtiming #mealfrequency #healthyplantbased
nutritionresearch #diabetes #weightloss #endometriosis
healthguidelines #evidencedbasedplantbased #evidencebasedhealth
podcast
Dr. Sheila Lakhoo is our special guest for this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast on Lifestyle Medicine.
Dr. Lakhoo studied medicine at the University of Alberta and completed her residency training in family medicine at the University of Calgary. She moved to Toronto in 2008 to complete a Master’s Degree in Health Sciences in Family and Community Medicine with a concentration in global health at the Dalla Lana School of Public health. In 2010 Dr. Lakhoo started an academic family practice at St. Michael’s Hospital. During her 10 years at St. Michael’s Hospital, she treated many individuals facing poverty, marginalization, significant mental health challenges and addiction.
After recovering from postpartum depression, herself, Dr. Lakhoo decided that it was time to change directions in her career as she first hand realized the importance of holistic care and healthier lifestyle choices to help support her own recovery. She recently received her diploma with the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine and is passionate about empowering individuals to reach their optimal health and wellbeing through proven lifestyle changes. Dr. Lakhoo is also involved in teaching, research, and advocacy for Lifestyle Medicine within Canada.
In this episode Dr. Lakhoo covers:
- What is “Lifestyle Medicine”?
- Overcoming challenges related to Lifestyle Medicine
- LM curriculum development
- 6 Key Aspects of Lifestyle Medicine
- Lifestyle Medicine program at Emkiro
Episode Resources:
What is Lifestyle Medicine?: https://www.lifestylemedicine.org/ACLM/ACLM/About/What_is_Lifestyle_Medicine_/Lifestyle_Medicine.aspx?hkey=26f3eb6b-8294-4a63-83de-35d429c3bb88
What is Lifestyle Medicine? (article): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30283259/
Physician Burnout & LM: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33790702/
American College of Lifestyle Medicine Certification: https://www.lifestylemedicine.org/ACLM/Certification/Become_Certified.aspx
Emkiro website: https://emkiro.ca/team-member/dr-sheila-lakhoo/
Dr. Sheila Lakhoo’s Socials:
Website: http://sheilalakhoo.com/
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Website
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Bonus Episode! In this Plant-Based Canada Podcast episode we are joined by two special guests, Dr. Shireen Kassam & Dr. Zahra Kassam, two medical doctors, sisters, plant-based organisation founders, & authors of the new book Eating Plant-Based: Scientific answers to your nutrition questions!
Dr. Shireen Kassam MB BS, FRCPath, PhD, DipIBLM is a Consultant Haematologist & Honorary Senior Lecturer at King’s College Hospital, London, with a specialist interest in the management of lymphoma. She is a certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician, as well as Founder & Director of Plant-Based Health Professionals UK, a community interest company whose mission is to provide evidence-based education on healthy plant-based diets. In 2021 she co-founded Plant Based Health Online, the UK's first Care QC-regulated, lifestyle medicine healthcare service.
Dr. Zahra Kassam MB BS, FRCPC, MSc, DipABLM is a Radiation Oncologist at the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre, a certified Lifestyle Medicine physician, and an Assistant Professor in the Dept of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto. In 2019, she co-founded Plant-Based Canada, a non-profit organisation with the mission to promote plant-based whole food nutrition that is healthy and sustainable & which supports the well-being of the planet & all its inhabitants.
In this episode:
- Why did they become “Plant-Based”?
- Their medical practices
- Their new book: Eating Plant-Based: Scientific answers to your nutrition questions
- Their foundation of Plant-Based Communities & Resources
- New Initiatives to stay tuned for
- Family Connections & Rethinking Food and Agriculture: New Ways forward?
Episode Resources:Plant-Based Health Professionals UKPlant Based Health OnlinePlant-Based Canada BOOKS:Eating Plant-Based: Scientific answers to your nutrition questions Available here. Rethinking Food and Agriculture: New Ways forward? Available here.Plant-Based Nutrition in Clinical Practice Pre-order here.
COURSE: Plant-Based Nutrition at Winchester University
Dr Shireen Kassam:FacebookInstagramTwitter
Dr. Zahra Kassam:WebsiteFacebookInstagram
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
Dr. Laura Chiavaroli is a Clinical Trialist & a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital. Laura has 15 years of experience in the field of nutrition & cardiometabolic health. Alongside her MSc & PhD mentor, Dr. David Jenkins, Laura became skilled at conducting randomized controlled trials & working with dietary patterns, including the Portfolio Diet which is a cholesterol-lowering plant-based diet. Laura also has extensive experience in nutritional epidemiology, specifically in the conduct of systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMAs), from her work with Dr. John Sievenpiper. In the past few years of her postdoctoral fellowship, Laura has expanded her experience in knowledge translation strategies, including patient- & physician-facing resource development and web-based mobile app development. Laura also has a great interest in education & elucidating how important public health concerns regarding dietary patterns and cardiometabolic health interconnect with planetary health, while highlighting the importance of equity, diversity and inclusivity.
Laura is a member of the Plant-Based Canada team, & we are all currently working on organizing the upcoming virtual conference.
Tickets are now available for the upcoming virtual Canadian Plant Based Nutrition Conference on May 28-29, 2022. This annual conference provides evidence-based education by experts on plant-based nutrition for individual health, as well as highlighting the environmental and social concerns of our food system.
Sign up to our newsletter on our website or stay tuned on our social media to be kept up to date on the content and ticket sales.
In this episode Laura covers:
- What does “Plant-Based” mean?
- A sneak peek at a novel new research project
- A Portfolio Diet mHealth Application
- (Note: given the research on the mHealth Application is ongoing, details are not fully available at this time to ensure the trial is conducted without bias, but stay tuned to ClinicalTrials.gov, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, & Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit websites for future details.)
- Dietary Patterns in Health Guidelines
- Dietary Values & Needs of University Students
- University of Guelph Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate
- Process of Designing a Virtual Course
- How to Evaluate Evidence
- Being Eco-conscience
Episode ResourcesPortfolio Diet Infographic
Canadian Cardiovascular Society
Research Trial Registration Site (ClinicalTrials.gov)
Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis & Clinical Trials Unit
Portfolio Dietary Pattern & Cardiovascular Health
DASH Dietary Pattern & Cardiometabolic Health
Dietary Patterns & Cardiometabolic Health in Diabetes
Forward Food
University of Guelph, Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate
Plant-Based Canada’s SocialsInstagram
Facebook
Website
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD
Thank you for tuning in!
Dr. Ian Gillespie is a consultant psychiatrist, with a practice in his hometown of Victoria since completing specialty training at UBC and Mayo Clinic.
His role at Aroga Lifestyle Medicine is to provide consultation services to the team and assessments focusing on the role of how Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), ADHD, and PTSD may contribute to the chronic illnesses people may have experienced. He also provides compassionate Motivational Interviewing concepts, CHIP training principles, and current information about the evolving field of Lifestyle Psychiatry treatment.
He’s also passionate about the role diet plays in mental health and mood, and is a proponent of a whole foods plant-based eating pattern. With continuing education in Lifestyle Medicine since 2013, he was among the first 7 physicians in Canada to earn the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine diplomate certification in the 2017 inaugural examination. Dr. Gillespie is also a founding member and current Secretary of the Canadian Lifestyle Medicine Advocacy Group.
In this episode we discuss:
Dr. Gillespie's path to psychiatry and role at Aroga Lifestyle Medicine
His experience in Lifestyle Psychiatry
How he incorporates Lifestyle Medicine and Plant-based eating into his practice
What kind of evidence we have when it comes to dietary patterns and depression
How certain foods can impact mood
The six pillars of lifestyle medicine
Food insecurity and other socio-economic obstacles to eating better
Studies/Articles/Books:Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart DiseaseLifestyle Medicine: Tools for Promoting Healthy Change (Harvard Program)
Lifestyle Psychiatry (Noordsy, 2019)
The Six Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine
A meta-review of "lifestyle psychiatry"Diet and depression: exploring the biological mechanisms of action Dr. Michael Greger's Daily Dozen Challenge
Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome(Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, 2020)
Prevent And Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure (Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, 2008)
The role of inflammation and the gut microbiome in depression and anxiety The Gut Microbiome and Mental Health: Implications for Anxiety- and Trauma-Related Disorders comment
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we chat with Dr. Jules Cormier. Dr. Cormier is based out of Dieppe, New Brunswick where he practices Family Medicine. He completed his premed training in Moncton, New Brunswick, and then went on to earn his Ph.D in medicine at the Universite de Sherbrooke medical school.
In 2007, he was offered a spot at Dieppe'sUnite de Medecine Familiale -- a group and teaching practice where interns and medical students do their training. He also teaches part-time at his local medical school, where he’s taught everything from endocrinology, lifestyle medicine, and medical interviewing skills to skin surgery techniques.
Dr. Cormier chose family medicine as his specialty because it gives him the opportunity to form lifelong relationships with his patients, as well as the time and resources to discuss plant-based diets and lifestyle medicine.
Dr. Cormier has an active online presence, where he writes blog posts about the benefits of plant-based eating, weight loss, plant-based diets for athletes, and even his own passion for fitness by documenting his workouts on Instagram and YouTube.
In this episode we discuss:
- Why Dr. Cormier chose family medicine as his specialty
- Why he chooses to identify as vegan
- How he approaches the topic of plant-based eating with patients
- How documenting his fitness journey helps him engage with patients online
- Plant-based diets and kids
- Eating for different types of training: endurance vs. body building
- Dr. Cormier's path to qualifying for the World Ninja Championships
- Protein quality and plant vs. animal protein
Socials/Links:Website
YouTube
Studies/Articles:
THE PROTEIN PANIC
PROTEIN- THE BASICS
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR PROTEIN?
ARE PLANT-BASED MEATS HEALTHIER THAN REAL MEAT?
PERFORMANCE ENHANCING FOODS
FOODS THAT ACCELERATE RECOVERY
BUILDING MUSCLE
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we interview Marianne Trevorrow. Marianne is a naturopathic doctor registered with College of Naturopaths of Ontario who has been in practice since 2006. She focuses on the care of identified women with chronic complex pain and reproductive issues, including patients with endometriosis, PCOS, infertility, and problems associated with menopause, as well as pelvic pain pre and post-menopause.
She supports and practices plant based eating as a foundation to good health, as well as being more sustainable for our planet.
Since 2018, Marianne has also taken on a new role as Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors Journal (CANDJ) -- the professional journal of the Canadian ND Association. She has published in her areas of clinical expertise in several peer-reviewed Integrative Medical journals, and maintains an active social media presence and blog.
In this episode we discuss:
- Dr. Trevorrow’s path to naturopathic medicine.
- How she incorporates evidence-based medicine into her practice.
- Her work with the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors Journal.
- CANDJ’s mission to promote conversations around plant-based eating.
- How diet can impact menopause, PCOS, fertility, and pregnancy.
- Advice for identified women interesting in adopting a plant-based diet.
- Misinformation in the health and wellness space.
Socials/Links:Website
CANDJ
Studies/Articles:
Eat Lancet Report
Seventh Day Adventist Health Study
Harvard Fertility Study
The Crossroads of the Planetary Health Paradigm: An Indigenous Perspective
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich.
Meet “Dr. Plant-Based”! Our latest Plant Based Canada Podcast episode is with Muzammil Ahmad, a fourth year medical student with a masters in psychology, certification in nutrition and a bachelor’s in business. He believes more times than not, we should be prescribing our patients with a healthy lifestyle over prescribed medications. And he believes a healthy lifestyle starts with a healthy diet rich in whole plant-foods. On his Instagram (@dr.plantbased) and on his website (www.drplantbased.ca), he shares evidence-based nutrition and showcases what a healthy diet looks like, how to incorporate a healthy diet in one's lifestyle and the role of diet in prevention, treatment and in certain cases reversal of chronic lifestyle diseases. He is also passionate about living a sustainable and conscious life that reduces our carbon footprint on the planet and living with compassion and kindness.
We also have an exciting update to share, Muzammil will be speaking at our upcoming virtual Canadian Plant Based Nutrition Conference on May 28th and 29th 2022 where he will be sharing more about a #plant-based #lifestyle in relation to #athletics.
Our annual conference provides #evidence-based education by Canadian experts on plant-based nutrition for individual health, as well as highlighting the environmental and social concerns of our food system.
Sign up to our newsletter on our website or stay tuned on our social media to be kept up to date on the content and ticket sales.
In this episode Muzammil covers:
- His plant-based experience and lifestyle as a medical student
- How “Dr. Plant-Based” began
- Blue Zones
- Transforming a reactionary approach to medicine
- Current and surprising plant-based evidence
- Social Media Use as a Platform
- Content development
- Future plans
Episode Resources (Articles):
Blue Zones: Lessons From the World’s Longest Lived
Dietary Patterns and Longevity: Expanding the Blue Zones
Ten Years of Life: A Matter of Choice?
Vegetarian Dietary Patterns and Mortality in Adventist Health Study 2
Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: A systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies
Vegetarian diets, circulating miRNA expression and health span in subjects living in the Blue Zone
Determinants of All-Cause Mortality and Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease (2009 to 2013) in Older Adults: The Ikaria Study of the Blue Zones
Muzammil Ahmad’s Socials:
IG handle: @dr.plantbased
TikTok: @muzammil_med
Website: www.drplantbased.ca
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Website
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD & Cassandra Carey, MSc, and edited by Clint Stamatovich.
Diabetes. Blindness. A Terminal Disease… Our guest on this episode of the Plant-Based Canada podcast is Kate McGoey-Smith. Faced with a very rare, no cause-no cure terminal diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, described as high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries of the lungs) along with type 2 Diabetes, Kate McGoey-Smith became legally blind and on continuous oxygen within months. Dizzy and fainting spells left this mother of three school aged children out of work, immobilized and recording good-bye stories to her kids, who were unknowingly destined to live without her within 2-5 years.
Find out how Kate, a former registered nurse and a clinically trained social work therapist became more psychologically flexible to turn this imposed tragedy into triumph - re-gaining her sight, reducing her blood sugar to no longer having diabetes, and even reversing her fatal disease from level 3 to level 1! Most importantly, giving her now adult children the legacy of better health!
In this episode Kate covers:
- Her life-changing story of overcoming a very rare, no cure terminal diagnosis.
- Her insights related to behavioural change around plant-based eating.
- Psychological flexibility and how it can be incorporated into everyday thinking.
Episode Resources:
If you would like to hear more from Kate, you can find her talk from the 2021 Plant-Based Canada Conference on the Plant-Based Canada YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/VpKtMHATwVk
McGoey-Smith et al., 2019 article in International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention titled, “Reversal of Pulmonary Hypertension, Diabetes, and Retinopathy after Adoption of a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet”: https://doi.org/10.22230/ijdrp.2019v1n2a41
To read about how psychological flexibility is defined and measured: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33550157/
To learn more about the impact of psychological flexibility on psychological well-being in adults with obesity: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33828505/
The ACT model of health and treatment processes that is a way of thinking about and engendering psychological flexibility.
Kate McGoey-Smith is also a Food for Life Instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Plant-Based Canada’s Socials:
Instagram
Facebook
Website
Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant-Based Canada Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published.
This episode was hosted by Stephanie Nishi RD, PhD.
*Please appreciate that the views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. PBC is not responsible for any errors, omissions or opinions related to the content stated by the guests interviewed. The podcast should not be considered professional advice. Listeners should seek their own individual healthcare advice as needed.
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada podcast we interview ecologist and co-founder of PlantBasedData.org, Nicholas Carter. He is the Communications Lead for a Canadian Centre for Climate Services data hub & serves as an advisory board member to several food- and environment-focused organizations.
He's also a science writer on the interconnections between agriculture and planetary health. He completed a Master's degree in Environmental Practice from Royal Roads University, where his research focused on the global greenhouse gas emissions that are attributed to animal agriculture.
Nicolas will be speaking at our upcoming virtual Canadian plant based nutrition conference on may 28th and 29th.
In this episode we discuss:
- How our food systems contribute to carbon and methane emissions
- Water and land use required for animal agriculture
- Environmental runoffs and dead zones
- Calories in versus calories out: why animal agriculture is not an efficient system
- Big meat disinformation campaigns
- The outcome of the COP26 Climate Conference
- The lack of evidence behind the holistic grazing movement
- Alternative farming practices versus traditional
- The impact of industrial fishing on the oceans and sea life
- How a shift to plant-based diets can help ameliorate many environmental issues we face today
Socials/Links:
PlantBasedData.org
Twitter
Instagram
LinkTree
Studies/Articles:
- Food is responsible for 25-42% of all global emissions
- Animal Agriculture's contributions could be as high as 37%
- Animal agriculture & methane
- The key to reducing biodiversity loss
- Today, only 4% of mammals are wild animals, 34% are humans, & 62% are livestock
- Food systems have caused: 70% of biodiversity loss on land, 50% biodiversity loss in water, & 80% global deforestation
- Human impact on oceans
- Tyson has spent double what Exxon has on political campaigns
- Chicken: calories in, calories out
- Livestock exclusion increased abundance and diversity of animals
- A critical review of Allan Savory's grazing method
- Beef cattle use ~60% of the world’s agricultural land but account for less than 2% of global calories & 5% of global protein consumed
- Oxford University: Grazed & Confused
- Beyond Burger water, land, energy usage
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich
What is holistic empathy? Do you know how the arts can bring awareness to social justice issues? Hear from Zehra Abbas in the latest Plant-Based Canada Podcast episode to find out and more!
Zehra has had a keen interest in exploring how to make the world a kinder place ever since her time volunteering for organizations like War Against Rape and The Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture in her youth. Zehra is the Executive Director of Umano.org, a US-based organization supporting initiatives worldwide that foster holistic empathy for humans, animals, and the environment.
Zehra is also the founder and volunteer President of Youth Troopers for Global Awareness and its social enterprise, Studio.89, a non-profit community hub and fair trade vegan cafe providing a free space for events, workshops, and resources with a specific focus on social justice activism and youth leadership development. Studio.89 also aims to benefit humans, animals, and the environment.
Zehra has extensive experience in operating and developing non-profit initiatives, building organizational capacity, and establishing social enterprises.
While travelling, Zehra enjoys narrow cobblestone streets, ancient architecture, cuddling street animals, and volunteering with various charity organizations to advance her knowledge about community care from a holistic lens.
In this episode we discuss:
Social Justice
Holistic Empathy
Storytelling to Spread a Message
Umano International Short Film Festival
Starting a Business & Outreach / Building Organizational Capacity
Take Home Message
plantbased #health #socialjustice #socialjusticeactivism
holisticempathy #storytelling #storytellingtospreadamessage
Umano #UmanoInternationalShortFilmFestival
Startup #CommunityCare
StartingaBusiness #Outreach #NonProfit #youthleadership
Studio89 #YouthTroopersforGlobalAwareness
evidencedbasedplantbased #evidencebasedhealth
vegan #vegetarian #plantbasedlifestyle
podcast
Zehra Abbas´ Socials
Instagram: @zee.hra
Studio.89
Umano
Umano International Short Film Festival
Plant-Based Canada´s Socials
Instagram : @plantbasedcanadaorg
Facebook
Website
Podcast Episodes
This Podcast was edited by Clinton Stamatovich
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada podcast we interview Canadian photojournalist, animal rights activist, and author Jo-Anne McArthur.
She is known for the We Animals project, a photography project documenting human relationships with animals. Through the We Animals Archive, she provides photographs and other media for those working to help animals.
Her first book, We Animals, was published in 2013; her second, Captive, was published in 2017; and a third, Hidden, which featured a foreword by Joaquin Phoenix, was published in 2020.
McArthur has won several awards for her work, including the 2018 Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice award for a photo of a lowland gorilla rescued from poachers… And more recently 3 of her photos made the top 10 in the Earth Project’s COP26 photography competition.
She has been working as a photojournalist for decades… and sometimes navigates extremely dangerous environments – from bushfires in Australia to factory farm operations in Turkey and Italy – to help shine a light on the plight of a wide-range of animals, as well as the downstream effects our treatment of animals has on out environment.
In this episode we discuss:
- Jo-Anne’s interest in photojournalism and her path to animal rights activism.
- Her work documenting our relationship with animals and how we exploit them.
- Her photography awards, including her winning images in the Earth Project’s COP26 photography competition.
- Her work as the founder of the “Unbound Project” and her photography project We Animals.
- The oftentimes dangerous situations she finds herself in her line of work.
- Her focus on protecting mental health and staying hopeful while documenting difficult subjects.
- How to get involved in animal rights advocacy work.
Studies/Articles:
tEP COP26 Competition UpdateCOP26 Earth Project photography competitionNature under threat: a Cop26 photographic competition – in picturesCanadian photojournalist wins COP26 photography competition
Socials/Links:
Jo-Anne’s Website
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
We Animals Media
Unbound Project
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich
Drs. Arjun and Shobha Rayapudi joined the Plant-Based Canada Podcast (@plantbasedcanadaorg) to share their plant-based medical insights for this episode. They are co-founders of Gift of Health, a nonprofit organization based in Newfoundland, Canada, dedicated to revolutionizing lives through lifestyle medicine. Through in-person and online workshops, they have helped hundreds of people prevent and reverse chronic diseases, end the frustrating dieting cycle, lose weight and get off medications.
Both Drs. Arjun and Shobha Rayapudi obtained their medical degrees from Rangaraya Medical College and are certified by the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine and hold Plant Based Nutrition Certificates from Cornell University.
Dr. Arjun Rayapudi is also certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He did his surgical residency training at University of Florida and University of Illinois. He is working as a General Surgeon at Burin Peninsula Health Care Center.
Dr. Shobha Rayapudi is a physician, epidemiologist and researcher. In addition to her medical training, she holds a Master of Science degree in Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Rayapudi says she loves helping people discover the power that they have within themselves, in their own kitchen to revolutionize their health completely.
Through the Gift of Health their mission is to raise awareness about the connection between food/lifestyle choices and health. Help you reach your highest health. Create and Foster healthy environment for our children. Decrease unnecessary suffering on our planet.
In this episode we discuss:
medical and research training
cultural practices
healing with a chef's knife vs a surgical knife
lifestyle coaching program
Gift of Health
Take Home Message
**#plantbased #health #diet #lifestylemedicine
nutritionresearch #medicalpractice
Newfoundland #PlantBasedNutritionCertificate #CornellUniversity
lifetylecoaching #chefsknifevssurgeonsknife #giftofhealth
evidencedbasedplantbased #evidencebasedhealth
preventativemedicine #vegan #vegetarian #plantbasedlifestyle
podcast**
Drs. Arjun & Shobha Rayapudi´s SocialsGift of Health Website
Plant-Based Canada´s SocialsInstagramFacebookWebsite
This Podcast was edited by Clinton Stamatovich
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we talk with Jessica Scott-Reid. She is an award-winning freelance writer and animal advocate covering animal rights and welfare, plant-based food topics, the environment and vegan culture for the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Sentient Media, Planet Friendly News and others. She is also a co-host of Canada's animal law podcast, Paw & Order.
In this episode we discuss:
· Jessica's path to journalism and covering animal welfare topics.
· Her focus on the legal side of things and how to protect animals from a systemic approach.
· The work she's done highlighting laws and policies that are detrimental to animals in Canada.
· The thousands of animals affected by the recent flooding in regions of British Columbia.
· Jessica's advocate work with the Animal Justice Academy.
· The outcome of the COP26 Climate Change Conference.
· The most exciting future plant-based/vegan trends Jessica is following.
Studies/Articles:
Animal Justice Files Legal Challenge to Ontario "Ag Gag" Law
Ontario’s ag-gag law hides animal cruelty and must be overturned
Drowned animals in B.C. are a further facet of a flawed farming system
Socials:
Podcast
Animal Justice Academy
Nation Rising
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we speak with Dr. Silvia Odorcic about eye health and empowerment in a plant-based lifestyle. Dr. Silvia Odorcic is a Toronto-based double board certified MD, certified in Lifestyle Medicine & Ophthalmology. She is also an author & speaker whose soul mission is to revolutionize the current healthcare paradigm through plant-based nutrition & healthy lifestyle habits. Dr. Silvia transitioned to a plant-based lifestyle 4 years ago after feeling burned out and it completely changed her life trajectory! She is a conscious leader who believes that health is our ultimate portal into spirituality & self-fulfillment.
In this episode we discuss:
what is ophthalmology?
lifestyle medicine & eye health
lifestyle coaching programs
empowerment & our health
*take home message
plantbased #health #diet #lifestylemedicine
eyehealth #ophthalmology #empowerment
inspiration #lifetylecoaching
evidencedbasedplantbased #evidencebasedhealth #preventativemedicine #vegan #vegetarian #plantbasedlifestyle #podcast #dietetics
Dr. Silvia Odorcic's SocialsInstagram
Website
Plant-Based Canada´s Socials
Instagram
Facebook
Website
This Podcast was edited by Clinton Stamatovich
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we talk with Dr. Pamela Fergusson -- Registered Dietitian with a PhD in nutrition, and more than 15 years of experience with changing lives through better nutrition. She earned her PhD at the University of Liverpool and her Master’s in International Health at Sweden’s Uppsala University.
Dr. Fergusson currently has a private practice in British Columbia where she works with clients who want to transition to a more plant-based lifestyle. She is the busy mom of four children, and also a marathon and half-marathon runner and speed-walker. She believes in the power of plants to promote mental and physical health.
Recently she published her new book, Going Vegan for Beginners: The Essential Nutrition Guide to Transitioning to a Vegan Diet, which explores what it means to be vegan, the movement's roots in social justice, and what makes the diet a healthy choice for the long-term.
In this episode we discuss:
- Dr. Fergusson's work in Europe, Africa, and Asia for organizations such as UNICEF and the World Food program.
- A day in the life as a Registered Dietitian.
- Dr. Fergusson's new book Going Vegan for Beginners.
- The nuanced conversation around the term 'vegan', and why Dr. Fergusson embraces it.
- The top nutrients of concern for people hoping to shift to a more plant-based diet.
- The nutritional value for meat analogs.
- The history behind unethical nutritional experiments that took place in Residential Schools across Canada and the direct links between those experiments and the Canadian Food Guide.
- Food insecurity and other issues facing marginalized communities in Canada.
- The tips and tricks Dr. Fergusson wish she knew before going vegan.
Socials:Website
Facebook
Instagram
Studies/Articles:Going Vegan for Beginners: The Essential Nutrition Guide to Transitioning to a Vegan DietCanada's shameful history of nutrition research on residential school children: the need for strong medical ethics in Aboriginal health research Canada used hungry indigenous children to study malnutritionNutrition researchers saw malnourished children at Indian Residential Schools as perfect test subjects PROOF REPORT: food insecurity policy research
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich.
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we talk with Dr. Kathleen Kevany -- Associate Professor and Director of Rural Research Collaboration with Dalhousie University, Faculty of Agriculture. Dr. Kevany is a certified counsellor, psychotherapist and offers free webinars on living with greater health, happiness and mindfulness through her virtual office of Eating a vibrant life.
In her book, Plant-based Diets for Succulence and Sustainability (2020), Dr. Kevany and her co-authors detail the first systems analysis of plant-rich living. She applies her knowledge of social psychology and decades of experience in business, government and community development to fostering conscious consumption and compassionate leadership for the highest quality of life.
She applies her knowledge of social psychology and decades of experience in business, government and community development to fostering conscious consumption and compassionate leadership for the highest quality of life.
In this episode we discuss:
Dr. Kevany's path to studying human relations & environmental sustainability.
How our food choices impact the environment both directly and indirectly.
Environmental racism and issues of animal welfare with our current food systems.
The role regenerative agriculture can play in the fight against climate change.
How a plant-based diet can help lower carbon emissions and elevate well-being.
Dr. Kevany's book Plant-Based Diets for Succulence & Sustainability, & strategies for achieving sustainable food systems.
Socials:Website
Dalhousie
Facebook
Twitter
Studies/Articles:Dr. Kevany's book - Plant-Based Diets for Succulence & SustainabilityEAT Lancet ReportThe Climate Emergency: a Last Chance to Act?Scientists 'potty train' cows Civilization Critical: Energy, Food, Nature, and the Future by Darrin Qualman
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich.
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast (@plantbasedcanadaorg) we speak with Dr. Linda Plowright about mental health and a plant-based lifestyle.
Dr. Plowright is a psychiatrist working in London, Ontario. She completed her medical training and psychiatry specialization at McMaster University and completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine through the University of Arizona College of Medicine. She is an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Western University. She is on staff at the Child and Parent Resource Institute with the Dual Diagnosis Behaviour and Anxiety Clinic. She also provides telemedicine consultation to children and adults and works closely with a group providing humanitarian medical care in the Dominican Republic. Her professional interests include Dual Diagnosis, Integrative Medicine, mindfulness, clinical hypnosis, and cross-cultural health.
In this episode we discuss:
*impact of a plant-based lifestyle on mental health
*mental health in Canada
*nutrition and mental health
*the microbiome
*take home message
Resources
Canadian Mental Health Support
Provincial and Territorial Helplines and Websites
Plant-Based Canada´s Socials
Instagram
Facebook
Website
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we talk with Canadian Registered Dietician Lauren McNeill. Lauren has a Masters of Public Health in Nutrition and Dietetics and specializes in plant-based nutrition and women’s health. She graduated from the University of Guelph, and completed her dietetic internship with the Nova Scotia Health Authority where she gained experience in acute-care, nutrition education, public health, diabetes, and much more.
Lauren runs her own private practice, Tasting to Thrive, where she offers both one-on-one virtual nutrition counselling sessions anywhere in Canada…. and her online program, Thriving on Plant-Based Fundamentals. Her goal is helping people from all walks of life succeed on a healthy, whole foods diet -- whether they’re vegan, vegetarian, or simply want to incorporate more plant-based foods onto their plate. She also has a dedicated social media following where she shares healthy and affordable recipes, busts nutrition myths, and provides evidence-based nutrition information.
In this episode we discuss:
- Lauren's path to becoming a Registered Dietician with a focus on plant-based diets.
- How Lauren helps clients make health, sustainable choices for the long-term.
- How a healthy, whole foods eating pattern can help cut the risk of all-cause mortality.
- Tackling misinformation about vegan diets, but also in the health and wellness space.
- How diet and lifestyle can impact women's health issues like PCOS and endometriosis.
- What Lauren eats in a day and how she takes a plant-based diet on the go.
- The issue of food insecurity and food justice in Canada.
Socials:Website
Facebook
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
Studies/Articles:The Adventist Health Study
EPIC-Oxford study (iron levels and other nutrient intake among vegans and vegetarians)
Iron Deficiency Anemia: A Common and Curable Disease (iron deficiency is concern for everyone – not just plant-based eaters)
Dietary intake and iron status of Australian vegetarian women
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich.
Looking for new plant-based recipes to try?
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast (@plantbasedcanadaorg) we speak with Amy Symington (@ameliaeats). Amy is a nutrition professor, researcher and plant-based chef at George Brown College (@gbcchca @gbcnutrition) in Toronto, Canada. In addition to having a Masters in Applied Human Nutrition with a focus on functional foods and their health benefits, Amy has 20+ years of experience in the food industry including in restaurants, cafes, large quantity and catering, private events and galas and as well as volunteering in community kitchens. Amy is the Culinary Nutrition Program Coordinator at Gilda's Club Greater Toronto (@gildasclubtoronto), a not-for-profit cancer organization, she is the Culinary Specialist for Humane Society International Canada (@hsi_canada), she volunteers with the Toronto Veg Food Bank (@vegfoodbank, check out our interview with Matt Nobel for more on this initiative!) as a chef and nutrition consultant and does recipe development and food writing for various publications in Toronto and worldwide. Amy believes in the evidence-based health and environmental benefits of plant-based diets and is the recent author of The Long Table Cookbook: Plant-based recipes for optimal health (@the_long_table_cookbook).
In this episode we discuss:
*plant-based from a culinary perspective
*Cancer Nutrition Guide & Nutrition Programming at Gilda's Club
*The Long-Table Cookbook: Plant-Based Recipes for Optimal Health
*plant-based recipe development
plantbased #health #diet #lifestylemedicine #nutritionforcancer #plantbasedcookbook #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedchefs #GeorgeBrownCollege #GBCChefSchool #evidencedbasedplantbased #evidencebasedhealth #preventativemedicine #vegan #vegetarian #plantbasedlifestyle #podcast #dietetics
Amy Symington´s WebsiteAmeliaeats
Plant-Based Canada´s Socials
Instagram
Website
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcasat, we talk with Emma Levez Larocque. Emma is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, a Certified Plant-Based Chef, and a Food For Life instructor with the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine.
She specializes in working with people who are interested in a plant-based diet as a means to improve their health, lessen their impact on the environment, and reduce the suffering of animals. She runs Plant-Based RHN where she meets people wherever they are on their health journey and finds common ground to build from.
In this episode we discuss:
Emma’s path to a plant-based diet and what it means to be a Registered Holistic Nutritionist
How Emma works with communities through Plant-Based RHN
Working as a Food for Life instructions with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Debunking common health and nutrition misinformation as a holistic nutritionist
Tips on sticking with a whole foods plant-based diet for the long-term
How the pandemic has impacted Emma’s community outreach work
Socials:
Plant-Based RHN
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich.
In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we speak with Dr. Jennifer Purdy. Dr. Purdy is a medical doctor practicing evidence-based Lifestyle Medicine in Ottawa, Ontario. Additionally, she is a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, having served over 23 years. She attended the Royal Military College of Canada for her undergraduate studies, and the University of Ottawa for her medical degree and family medicine residency. She is also a diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Furthermore, Dr. Purdy has been involved with the Green Party of Canada in the Kanata-Carleton riding and she is the Health Critic in the Green Shadow Cabinet.
In this episode hear about...
- Plant-based nutrition & lifestyle medicine in medical training
- Lifestyle Medicine in Canada
- Opening a lifestyle medicine practice
- Perceptions and misconceptions
- Key counseling recommendations
- Being a leader in lifestyle medicine and beyond
Dr. Jennifer Purdy´s SocialsInstagram
Private Practice Website
Plant-Based Canada´s Socials
Website
Ever wonder about plant-based practices in different countries? In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast we speak with Didem Varol. Didem has experience with Plant-Based Practice in both Canada and Turkey. She completed her dietetic training at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and is a Registered Dietitian and, as such, is registered with the College of Dietitians of Ontario. After spending almost 10 years working at Toronto Public Health, as a Public Health Dietitian in the field of chronic disease prevention, she moved to Istanbul, Turkey and currently runs her own private practice (@plantgevity). She has completed a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies & eCornell. She is also a “Food For Life” Instructor, which is an evidence-based nutrition and cooking program developed by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
In this episode we discuss:
*dietetic practice in Canada & Turkey
*plant-based counseling
*food culture
*culture shocks
*vegan communities in Canada & Turkey
*plant-based misconceptions
*take home message
Please note, in the beginning of this episode there is some background noise that unfortunately could not be removed. This background noise does not persist throughout the episode. We hope that you enjoy the discussion with Didem.
Didem Varol´s SocialsInstagram
Private Practice Website, Plantgevity Nutrition
Plant-Based Canada´s Socials
Website
In this episode we talk to Dr. Chana Davis, a scientist and science advocate who loves helping people make healthy choices. She founded Fueled by Science in 2018 to fight health misinformation, share digestible science resources, and teach others how to think like a scientist. Dr. Davis covers a wide range of topics, from food, to sustainability, toxins, public health, disease prevention, COVID-19, and vaccines.
Dr. Davis is also passionate about helping others get more plants on their plate. She debunks common myths around plant-based diets, highlights exciting new plant-based alternatives, and even shares some of her family’s favourite recipes.
During graduate school, Dr. Davis focused on studying the human gut microbiome. She then spent a decade working in cancer research, diagnostics, and personalized medicine across non-profit and biotech sectors.
In this episode we discuss:
Dr. Davis' mission to fight misinformation with her website Fueled by Science
What proteins are and how they're utilized in the body
Getting enough protein on a plant-based diet
Protein powders
The misinformation behind protein combining
The claims around collagen and it's 'de-aging' benefits
Plant-based protein versus animal-based protein
Meat alternatives like Beyond Meat and Impossible
Socials:
Website
Medium
Dear Pandemic
Articles:
What are Proteins and What do They do?
From Bite to Bicep: How Proteins are Made
How Much Protein do You Need?
Busting the Myth of Incomplete Plant Proteins
Setting the Record Straight on Soy and Health
Dear Pandemic: Engaging with Conspiracy Theorists
Studies:
SWAP Meat Study (Crimarco et al, 2020)
Plant-Based Diet vs Omnivorous for Strength Training (Hevia-Larrain et al, 2021)
Protein Amount vs Source for Strength Training (Morton et al, 2018)
Soy vs Animal Protein for Strength Training (Messina et al, 2015)
Development of High-Lysine Rice (Liu et al, 2016)
Protein Powders and Toxicity (Bandara et al, 2020)
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich.
In this episode we talk with Valerie Trew, the Director at the University of Guelph Child Care and Learning Centre in Guelph, Ontario. Valerie is a Registered Early Childhood Educator with a Master of Arts in Leadership. She also teaches in the Bachelor of Applied Science program at the University of Guelph and Guelph-Humbe applying a lens of social and environmental justice to studies in policy, administration, and leadership.
Valerie views teaching from early learning to post-secondary as a political act and does so with a view to provoke radical social transformation towards a post-colonial world. She has spent 20 years working in children’s services through postsecondary education, regional government, early intervention, and early learning and child care.
In this episode we discuss:Early childhood education
Whole-food, Plant-based nutrition for children
Valerie’s path to implementing a plant-based menu at the Guelph Child Care and Learning Centre
The importance of teaching children where our food comes from
Putting Indigenous outlooks in perspective
How coloniality and our food systems intersect
Socials:
Twitter
Linkedin
Studies and Resources:
Child Care Food Sustainability Report
Family-focused, plant-based recipes and cookbooks
Plant-based Pediatrician resources
Positive mealtime for child and parent
Veganism and Indigenous perspectives
Veganism and Mi’Kmaw teachings
Margaret Robinson - Indigenous veganism: YouTube lecture, Article
The Honorable Harvest - Robin Kimmerer
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich.
Paulina Araujo is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, Ontario.
She counsels clients with type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. Paulina has a passion for helping people improve their health through better nutrition and other lifestyle therapies… and uses a variety of dietary and behavioural approaches with her clients.
She is a strong believer in the power of plants and plant based nutrition to improve overall health and diabetes management.
In this episode we discuss:
The role diet plays in diabetes.
Energy density vs. nutrient density.
The role of energy density and weight loss.
Helping clients improve their health through sustainable changes.
Fear of carbohydrates in the dieting world.
Common sense tips for weight loss.
Socials:Facebook
Studies and Resources:Paulina's talk: Caloric Density: A Simple and Powerful Concept
Barbara Rolls review paper on Energy Density
BROAD Study
Kevin Hall’s plant-based vs ketogenic study
Neal Barnard’s Mediterranean vs low-fat vegan diet study
David Jenkin’s portfolio diet study
Jeff Novick’s talk on calorie density
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich.
Check out our latest podcast with fitness coach, and vegan athlete Luckie Sigouin (@luckiesigouin). Luckie combines his experience and background to help guide the Fit Vegan Community, which helps people lose weight and build lean muscles on a plant-based diet.
By focusing on mindset and education, Luckie helps his clients make sustainable changes that lead to successful results for the long-term.
In this episode we discuss:
- Luckie’s long history as an athlete – from power lifter to model to ironman.
- His transition to a plant-based diet, and what he eats in a day.
- His journey to helping people lose weight and stay strong through his coaching plans.
- Common misconceptions around eating plant-based.
- The biggest challenges in making the shift to a plant-based diet for the long-term.
Socials:
Facebook
Fit Vegan App
Podcast
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich.
Dr. David J.A. Jenkins is an University Professor, and Canada Research Chair, in the Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Medicine, at the University of Toronto and Medicine, and the Director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center, and a Scientist in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, with Unity Health Toronto. Dr. Jenkins has been a mentor to many researchers and health professionals, including myself (the host of this episode) and other members of the Plant-Based Canada team.
His research area investigates the use of diet in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic diseases. He has over 350 original publications on these and related topics. His team was the first to define and explore the concept of the glycemic index of foods, as well as develop the cholesterol lowering dietary portfolio ("Portfolio Diet") that has entered guidelines in many jurisdictions (e.g. CCS, Heart UK etc.).
He believes in the therapeutic value of plant based diets and that diets have to be environmentally sustainable.
For more information on the Dietary Portfolio and the cookbook mentioned in this episode check out the links below:
Online Resources:
Canadian Cardiovascular Society website: https://ccs.ca/companion-resources/
Dietary Portfolio Infographic: https://ccs.ca/app/uploads/2020/11/Portfolio_Diet_Scroll_editable_eng.pdf
Cookbook: https://www.amazon.es/Portfolio-Diet-Cardiovascular-Disease-Reduction-ebook/dp/B0823MXD4P
Debbie Fong, MBA, RD is a clinically-trained registered dietitian who’s passionate about making sustainable and healthy food choices.
She promotes whole foods plant-based diets to help her clientslose weight for the long-term without counting calories, as well as to help prevent or manage various lifestyle diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
In this episode we discuss:
- The impact a plant-based diet can have on common lifestyle diseases.
- The important role fibre plays in a healthy diet.
- The recent results from the PURE study linking processed meats to higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Plant-based diets and children.
- Plant-based ketogenic diets.
- How to get started on a whole foods plant-based diet.
Socials:
Website
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich.
Adriana Wild is a Vice Principal with the Calgary Catholic School District, who's also a plant-based marathon runner and ultra-athlete in her spare time. She loves sharing her passion for running with her colleagues and students, and has led various Girls Run For It programs and run clubs at schools.
Her running accomplishments include winning the 2018 Calgary Marathon 50K, becoming the 2018 ACU National 50K Female Champion, and winning the 2018 Banff Marathon — setting a new women’s course record that year. In 2018, she was also a member of the #TSPYYC Speed Project Team and, along with her team, ran from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in just over 39 hours. Not to mention she holds two Guinness Book of World Records!
In this episode we discuss:
Adriana Wild's athletic accomplishments, including her Guinness World records.
What it means to be an 'ultra-athlete' and how Adriana prepares for intense running events.
What a day of training and eating looks like for Adriana, and how to transition to a more plant-based diet as an athlete.
Common myths around eating a plant-based diet and training as an athlete.
Socials:
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich.
In this podcast episode from @Plant-Based Canada we chat with Dr. Nanci Guest, PhD, RD who is a sport focused registered dietitian, personal trainer and a strength and conditioning coach, who completed her doctorate in nutrigenomics and athletic performance and has been working in private practice for over two decades.
She has been a global consultant to professional and amateur athletes and teams, including serving as the head dietitian at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Toronto 2015 PanAm games and prepared several athletes for the last four London, Sochi, Rio and PyeongChang Olympics!
In this episode we learn about what a plant-based diet looks like for the elite and everyday athlete, including Dr. Guest´s recommendations for high-athletic performance.
In this episode we talk to Dr. Julie Chan, a plant-based Naturopathic Doctor, Registered Acupuncturist, and Founder of Liberty Wellness Clinic in Markham, Ontario.
The focus of her practice is to provide individualized, functional, integrative medicine to her patients. Combining modern medical diagnostics, her extensive knowledge in pharmacology, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, Homeopathy, and Nutrition, she provides evidence-based therapies to help promote optimal wellness and disease prevention. Julie is also a passionate food, climate and animal activist and spends much of her spare time doing non-profit work as she believes human health is intricately connected to planetary health.
We hear about Julie's personal health journey, and explore her evolution to being a plant-based health practitioner. We talk about her passion for education, her on-line course on plant-based nutrition at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, and her upcoming talk at our conference, the Canadian Plant-Based Nutrition Conference in May 2021. We discuss Julie's philosophy on the interconnected of individual health, planetary health and our treatment of non-human animals, and her non-profit Peace Fur Paws. Finally we talk about Julie's love of baking and volunteering at one of our favourites, the Vegan Danish Bakery. Julie's passion , clarity of purpose, and compassion shine through.
You can find details of Julie's practice and contact at: www.libertywellness.ca and the non-profit Peace for Paws at https://peacefurpaws.org/
The episode is hosted by Dr. Zahra Kassam, co-founder of Plant-Based Canada
In this episode we talk to Matt Noble, the founder of Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank, a volunteer-powered charity that has served over 250,000 meals worth of whole-food plant-based groceries to people struggling with poverty and food insecurity.
We learn about the importance and operation of a vegetarian food bank and delve into a deeper discussion on social justice, food insecurity and policy. Food security represents a state in which food is available, accessible, and affordable such that there is physical and economic access to sufficient food to meet dietary needs for a productive and healthy life. There is often the concern that a vegetarian or vegan dietary pattern is expensive and out of the price range for those with food insecurity. Matt discusses these concerns, the challenges, the current situation, and what he believes could help potentially address these issues.
Matt also shares some news about exciting initiatives, he and his team are working on, such as veganic agriculture and education. Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank will be breaking ground on a new project – The Veg Food Bank Farm – in partnership with Piebird Farm Sanctuary in the Summer of 2021.
You can find details about Matt’s work and the Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank on Instagram and Twitter @vegfoodbank and on Facebook at Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank.
The episode is hosted by Dr. Stephanie Nishi and Cassandra Carey, of Plant-Based Canada.
We sit down with Dr. Tushar Mehta to talk about the global impact of animal agriculture. Dr. Mehta is an ER physician working in Brampton and Georgetown, Ontario, and has practiced family and addictions medicine in the past. Over the years he has worked with Project Canoe - a Toronto-based organization serving youth. He's also conducted medical outreach with village schools in India, and works with health education Project Haiti.
Along with a small team, Dr. Mehta founded Plant Based Data (plantbaseddata.org), an online database which collects and organizes the most important academic and institutional literature regarding the impact plant diet on health, environment and food security, including the role of animal agriculture in creating pandemics.
In this episode we also discuss:
- How our food choices impact our environment, and how our food systems work.
- The amount of resources like land use ad fresh water usage that go into raising animals and growing crops.
- How does animal agriculture stack up to other greenhouse gas emitters and other side-effects like ocean dead zones, water pollution, species extinction, and biodiversity loss.
- Food insecurity, poverty, and environmental racism.
- How our treatment of and relationship to animals can lead to zoonotic disease like COVID-19.
- What we can learn from past zoonotic diseases like SARs and MERs that can help us better understand COVID-19 and potential future diseases.
Socials:
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Plantbaseddata.org
Dr. Matthew Nagra is a Naturopathic Doctor devoted to bringing the most up-to-date evidence-based nutrition information to his patients at his clinic in Vancouver. In 2018 he graduated from the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine after completing his bachelor’s of Science in Microbiology at the University of Victoria.
He’s certified in plant-based nutrition through Cornell University and has written articles for Dr. T Coln Campbell’s Center for Nutrition Studies. He also volunteers for nutritionfacts.org – a science-based public service providing free updates in nutrition research through bite-sized videos.
Dr. Nagra is known for his social media platforms, where he often tackles misinformation around diet and nutrition, and deep dives into the latest nutrition studies.
In this episode we discuss:
How he incorporates evidence-based medicine into his practice.
The biggest advantages to following a plant-based diet.
Myths around the consumption of soy products.
Getting enough vitamin K2 on a plant-based diet.
The debate over whether vegetables oils are healthy.
Recent results from the prospective EPIC-Oxford study suggesting non-meat eaters might be at a higher risk of bone fracture.
The science behind fad diets, like keto, paleo, and carnivore.
The importance of tacking misinformation online, including from plant-based circles.
Whether a healthy diet can ward off infectious diseases like COVID-19.
Socials:Dr. Nagra's website
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich.
In this inaugural episode of the Plant-Based Canada podcast, the co-founders of Plant-Based Canada, Dr. Zahra Kassam and Michelle Fedele RD talk about their personal journeys, why they co-founded Plant-Based Canada, and what they hope to achieve.