Food for Thought: How What we Eat Impacts our Physical and Cognitive Health
- S2E28
- 59:00
- November 22nd 2021
Food. It fuels us, brings us together, and makes up a large part of our cultural heritage. As we age, food and nutrition play an even more important role in our lives by helping to support cognitive and physical health. On this episode of CABHI’s Community of Innovation podcast, guests Dr. Carol Greenwood, Senior Scientist Emeritus at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, and Toronto Chef Nuit Regular come together to discuss all the ways food impacts our sense of well-being and quality of life and how our relationship with food changes across our lifespan.
Learn more about our guests
Chef Nuit Regular
Chef Nuit Regular is the Executive Chef and co-owner of PAI; Kiin, By Chef Nuit; Sabai Sabai; and Sukhothai. It all began when Chef Nuit opened the humble Curry Shack in the small town of Pai, in Northern Thailand. She made the decision to leave her career as a nurse so that she could share her passion and life experiences through family recipes, street market dishes, and Royal Thai cuisine in Canada. The first Thai SELECT Ambassador for Canada, Chef Nuit has been recognized by the government of Thailand for the authenticity of her Thai cooking and was awarded the prestigious Thai SELECT Signature designation for her restaurants. She is a resident judge on Food Network Canada's Wall of Chefs, the author of Kiin: Recipes and Stories from Northern Thailand, winner of a 2021 International Association of Culinary Professional’s Cookbook Award, as well as the gold medal winner of the 2021 Taste Canada Award. Chef Regular recently celebrated the opening of her brand-new restaurant, Selva.
Dr. Carol Greenwood
Dr. Carol Greenwood is a Nutritional Scientist who joined Baycrest’s Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit in 1994. She later became a member of the Rotman Research Institute (RRI). Her work examined the links between diet, physiology, cognition, and dementia with a focus on developing nutrition strategies for brain health. Her work, spanning basic (rodent) research to cognitive neuroscience and applied intervention research, helped pave the way for the evidence-based Brain Health Food Guide. She is currently Professor Emeritus, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, and Senior Scientist Emeritus, RRI.
Resources
- The Brain Health Food Guide – Dr. Carol Greenwood
- Kiin: Recipes and Stories from Northern Thailand – Chef Nuit Regular
CABHI's Community of Innovation Podcast
CABHI’s Community of Innovation podcast is where topics on ingenuity, aging and brain health collide. Join us as we talk to experts in healthcare, research, technology and business, as well as older adults and their caregivers, about the innovative practices and healthtech solutions helping us all lead longer, healthier lives.
Dr. Allison Sekuler (FSEP, FPsyS, FAPS) is President and Chief Scientist at the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI). A graduate of Pomona College (BA, Mathematics and Psychology) and the University of California, Berkeley (PhD, Psychology), Dr. Sekuler is also President and Chief Scientist and the Sandra A. Rotman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Professor at the University of Toronto, and Professor Emerita at McMaster University.
Dr. Sekuler has a notable record of scientific achievements in aging, vision science, cognitive neuroscience, and neurotechnology; and her translational research aims to develop methods to prevent, detect, and treat age-related sensory and cognitive decline. She has won numerous research and innovation leadership awards, including being the first Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience (2001-2011) and one of WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada (2019). Dr. Sekuler has a long record of executive leadership, and currently chairs the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council’s Public Impact Value Proposition committee; serves on the Board of Governors for Hamilton Health Sciences and BrainsCAN; is a founding Steering Committee member of the Canadian Brain Research Strategy, a Scientific Mentor in CDL’s Neuro stream, and advisor for SXSW Pitch.
In her spare time, she is proving that you’re never too old to learn: Dr. Sekuler picked up her first drumsticks a few years ago, and recently earned her Professional Drums Certificate from the Berklee College of Music.
Dr. Rosanne Aleong is the Director of Research, Innovation, and Translation at CABHI. She also serves as the Executive Director of Research, Innovation, and Translation at the Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. She received her MSc and PhD in Neurological Sciences from McGill University, with her research focusing on inflammatory models of neurodegenerative disease; and body image and visual perception among adolescents and young adults. She has 20+ years of experience in neuroscience and brain health research across the lifespan.
In her current role at CABHI, she: (1) manages a support and services hub, enabling healthcare professionals, researchers, educators, not-for-profit organizations, and industry in conducting applied and evaluative research as well as innovation implementation and validation; (2) focuses on CABHI knowledge translation and knowledge mobilization initiatives; and 3) executive produces and co-hosts the CABHI Community of Innovation Podcast.