Obesity is one of North America’s biggest health concerns. According to Statistics Canada, 63% of Canadian adults were classed as overweight or obese in 2018. The pressure to lose weight is intense, particularly in the New Year - a time when new beginnings and resolutions are heralded following a period of hyperconsumption over the holidays.
With vowing to lose weight one of the most common New Year’s resolutions and so many diets touted as the most effective way to lose weight, how do we know what’s healthy, what’s potentially dangerous and what’s sustainable?
Dr. Jessica Mudry moderates our discussion and explains how critical nutrition studies objectify the body and eater and don’t necessarily lead to us having a healthy attitude towards food.
Dr. Amy Botta shows us how our diets have changed and breaks down some of the research behind the trending keto diet, intermittent fasting and the turn to veganism in the wake of documentaries like The Game Changers.
PhD candidate Laura Vergeer walks us through the state of the food environment in Canada and highlights how making healthy choices isn’t always easy (or equitable).
Dr. Lindsay Bodell outlines some of the psychological and biological perspectives that lead to eating disorders, explains how weight suppression is a risk factor and busts some myths along the way.
About the Speakers
Moderator
Dr. Jessica Mudry is an Assistant Professor in Professional Communication at Ryerson University in Toronto. She is the author of Measured Meals: Nutrition in America, published by SUNY Press, that focussed on the history of the relationship between quantitative scientific language and federal nutrition policy. Her essays have been published in Gastronomica, International Journal of Communication, Material Culture Review and Food, Culture and Society among other venues. She is currently working on a cultural history of the calorie.
Panellists
Dr. Amy Botta completed her PhD in biology at the University of British Columbia, where she investigated the role of dietary fatty acids on the development of cardiovascular disease. She has also published extensively on the role of diet in influencing exercise in both young and old populations. Since coming to York University 2 years ago she has been working under the supervision of Dr. Gary Sweeney investigating how iron excess leads to heart failure. For this work, she previously held a CIHR Postdoctoral Research award, and currently holds a York University Scholars Award. During her PhD she received a doctoral research award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and a P.E.O. Scholar Award. In addition to her academic work, Amy is passionate about science communication and currently runs an Instagram account focused on making scientific information more accessible to the general public.
Dr. Lindsay Bodell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Western University. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Florida State University and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh (Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic) and at the University of Chicago. Her research is broadly focused on understanding psychological and biological processes that may lead to the development and maintenance of eating disorders.
Laura Vergeer is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, supervised by Dr. Mary L’Abbé. Laura’s primary research focus is on evaluating food company policies, commitments and actions shaping the food environment. Her doctoral thesis aims to assess and compare the nutritional quality and price of products offered by major packaged food and beverage companies in Canada. Laura’s work is supported by a Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Outside of research, Laura serves as Co-President of the Nutritional Sciences Graduate Students’ Association, Vice President of the Department of Nutritional Sciences Alumni Association, Chair of the Obesity Canada National Student Executive and a Child Life Volunteer at The Hospital for Sick Children. Laura holds an Honours BSc with High Distinction from the University of Toronto.