Nutrition Conversations

Sugar-sweetened beverages are one of the most widely consumed sources of added sugars in our diets, and their impact on health has become a major focus of nutrition research and public policy. Governments around the world are exploring tools like taxation to curb intake, but how well do these strategies work—and for whom? Dr. Scott Harding is an Associate Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Memorial University in Newfoundland. His research interests include glucose metabolism, cholesterol biochemistry, and the effects of public health policies on reducing obesity and chronic disease, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador. Dr. Harding's research lab focuses on cardiometabolic diseases, using animal and in vitro models, human trials, and population studies. His team studies public health initiatives like sugar taxes and the metabolic impacts of dietary sugars and fats under varying intake levels. They also investigate how diet and lifestyle factors, such as short or disrupted sleep, activity, and dietary patterns, affect disease risk and nutrient metabolism. Dr. Harding earned his PhD in Human Nutrition from McGill University and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Manitoba and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He has previously held an academic position at King’s College London before joining Memorial University and is currently the Co-Editor of the Journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. In this episode, Dr. Harding discusses the evidence behind sugar-sweetened beverages, what drives consumptions, and what policies including taxation might actually move the needle.

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

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

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

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