Plant-Based Canada Podcast

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/)

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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 

Instagram

Facebook

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.

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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 Resources

Website
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 Resources

Health (human and planetary) and the Existential Threat of the Anthropocene
Lecture Recordings
Dr. David Jenkins

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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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