Put healthy fats on your menu

Laurie Barker Jackman, RD

Laurie Barker Jackman is a registered dietitian who is passionate about helping people understand healthy eating. She has been practicing as a professional dietitian for eight years, teaching and coaching thousands of people on how to lead a healthier lifestyle, clean up their eating plan to achieve their goals.

You can watch Laurie every second Wednesday morning on CTV's Breakfast Television for informative healthy eating tips and great recipe ideas. Also featured on CTV's Live at 5, Good Morning Canada, Today's Parent magazine, Canadian Living and News 95-7.

Chantal Blais, RD

Chantal Blais is a nutritionist who holds a bachelor’s degree in sports science. She has been in charge of the nutritional clinic services department at the Institute of clinical research in Montreal since 1997. She has been a member of the executive committee of the Société québécoise de lipidologie, nutrition et métabolisme since 2001, and of the consulting commitee of the Health Check program for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada since 2000. She participated in the scientific committee 'Cholestaction' a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec advisory group that ran from 1993 until 2002. She plays an active role in the current cardiovascular health primary prevention project. She has written numerous articles on nutrition that have appeared in medical journals and other publications and has recently published, with three other nutritionists, a nutritional guide for the treatment and prevention of hypertension for the Société québécoise d’hypertension artérielle.

Samara Felesky-Hunt, RD

Samara Felesky-Hunt is a registered dietitian in private practice. She holds degrees in clinical nutrition and human biology from the University of Western Ontario. Since 1994, Samara has developed a successful nutrition consulting practice. She works with her clients at The Downtown Sports Clinics specializing in weight management, heart disease, intestinal concerns, vitamin supplementation and sports nutrition.

Samara contracts her services to The University of Calgary, The Grace Hospital-Women’s Health Resources, Centrum vitamins, So Good soymilk co. and the Prostate Cancer Institute. Samara is well- known in corporate Calgary and the community, as a nutrition expert, nutrition educator and an accomplished speaker.

Samara has a newspaper column entitled “Ask the Expert”, which appears monthly in the Calgary Herald. She also has a monthly segment on Global TV and can be seen often on City TV. Samara is frequently quoted in the Calgary Sun, and often is interviewed by Chatelaine magazine and local radio.

Samara is a co-author with the University of Calgary of two books, "Stress Mastery" and "Bridging Health Care with Self Care".

Sosan Hua, Honours BSc., RD

Sosan Hua is a consulting dietitian working in a primary healthcare and community diabetes setting. She is also a part time consulting dietitian for a spa clinic in Markham and operates a private business providing one on one counseling, workshops and seminars to different ethnic individuals and groups. Her client-centred and holistic approach combining practical advice and evidence based practice has helped many clients achieve their health and fitness goals. She is actively involved with different ethno-cultural communities and often invited to speak at churches, profit and non-profit organizations on variety of topics including and not limited to healthy eating, menopause, cancer, diabetes, weight management, osteoporosis, and food labeling. Her previous experience working as instructor at Centennial College teaching Food Safety and Nutrition & Health for three years further strengthened her skills in adult teaching. In addition, Sosan is often interviewed by Ming Pao and Sing Tao Chinese newspapers and has appeared on OMNI television, Fairchild and Toronto Chinese radio as the expert in the area of nutrition and food issues.

Sosan Hua graduated from the University of Toronto and completed her dietetic internship at the Winnipeg Health Science Centre. She is a member of Dietitians of Canada, the College of Dietitians of Ontario, the Consulting Dietitians of Canada, Diabetes, Obesity and Cardiovascular Network and Diabetes Educator of Canadian Diabetes Association, Canadian Obesity Network, and Chinese Advisory Council for Canadian Cancer Society. Currently, she is taking courses at Seneca College to obtain her fitness leadership certificate and working towards getting her Certified Diabetes Educator designation.

In her free time, she enjoys working out at the gym, rollerblading, snowboarding, cooking, photography, painting and pottery.

Supriya Gupta, B.Sc., RD

Supriya Gupta, B.Sc., RD has over 20 years experience counselling individuals on weight management, healthy eating, managing high cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and sports nutrition. Supriya is dedicated to helping her clients reach their nutrition goals. Supriya has been involved in various fundraising events including planning, organizing, and training committee volunteers.

Supriya serves as an advisor on several health committees, including the Canadian Cancer Society and the Breast Health Project. In addition to doing many body break episodes for HAL & JOANNE, she is also the registered dietitian for their clients. She delivers nutrition seminars to doctors and other professionals throughout Ontario. As a consulting dietitian, Supriya has conducted Nutrition Health Clinics in cooperation with Toronto Public Health. Supriya keeps active through tennis, yoga, Pilates and fitness programs.

Supriya provides services in several languages.

Supriya received her Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Food and Nutrition, from the University of Alberta and completed her internship at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

Shauna Ratner, RD

Shauna Ratner received her Bachelor of Applied Arts in dietetics from Ryerson Polytechnical University in 1990. She completed a clinical dietetic internship at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre in 1991.

Shauna Ratner has worked with the Lipid Clinic at Shaughnessy Hospital and the Healthy Heart Program at St. Paul’s Hospital since 1992. Shauna acts as a resource sourcer for both health professionals and the general public regarding diet, cardiac rehabilitation and lipid management. She writes monthly articles on nutrition and healthy eating for a major grocery chain. She co-authored two heart healthy cookbooks "Eating Light and Loving It" and "Eating Light Eating Right."

Rema Rajeeta Sangera, RD

Rema Rajeeta Sangera is a clinical dietitian at BC Women’s Hospital. For more than 15 years, she has been responsible for nutrition counselling and staff education in the Diabetes in Pregnancy Service. During this time, she was also a clinical dietitian for other hospitals and programs, including the South Asian Diabetes Education Program at Mount Saint Joseph’s Hospital and the Punjabi Diabetes Education Program, a community based program.

She holds a Masters of Arts in adult education from the University of British Columbia and is certified for diabetes education by the Canadian Diabetes Educators Certification Board. She is well-known in Vancouver as a nutrition expert, educator and accomplished speaker.

Rema is frequently interviewed by the media, and has been quoted in the Vancouver Sun, City TV, Channel M and Global TV.

Rema has co-authored articles that have appeared in the Canadian Journal of Diabetes Care and the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Maria Ricupero, RD

Maria Ricupero is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She obtained her degree from the School of Nutrition at Ryerson University in Toronto. She has several years of experience working in cardiac rehabilitation. Maria currently works at the Toronto Rehab Institute in the cardiac program, where she provides both group and individual nutrition counseling to high-risk heart clients and people living with diabetes. She is a co-author of a recently written review article, "What’s the Skinny on Trans Fats," which appeared in the medical journal, Geriatrics and Aging, May 2006. Maria has been invited as a guest speaker to present evidence-based nutrition information at various symposiums for health professionals. Recently, she co-presented and participated in a panel at the Heart & Stroke Clinical Update 2006.

Maria also works as a consulting dietitian, offering nutrition seminars to corporate groups, as well as individual consultations specializing in the prevention and management of heart disease, diabetes, weight management, and sports nutrition.

She provides nutrition education sessions for marathon clinics at Running Free and has written several training articles on sports nutrition that appear in Running Free.com. Her interest in sports nutrition is a result of her passion for long distance running. She has successfully run seven marathons, including the prestigious Boston Marathon. Maria also enjoys cycling and regularly practices yoga. Maria is an active member of Dietitians of Canada and the College of Dietitians of Ontario.

Melodie Yong, RD

Melodie Yong is a registered dietitian in Vancouver, British Columbia. She currently works with the Healthy Heart Program at St. Paul’s Hospital, a program dedicated to reducing cardiovascular disease risks and maintaining and enhancing the health of British Columbians.

In addition, Ms. Yong provides private nutrition consultation to individuals, groups and companies. She has developed and implemented effective nutrition education tools for client education. She has expertise in a number of specialized clinical areas including weight management, diabetes, kidney disease, nutrition support, geriatrics and outpatients.

Throughout her career, Ms. Yong has presented lectures, seminars and workshops to a variety of audiences including health care professionals, patients, and the general public. Yong is active in doing media work and has appeared on the CBC – The National with Peter Mansbridge, Global TV, CityTV (including Breakfast TV), CKNW Radio, CBC Radio, the Vancouver Sun, Reader’s Digest, Chatelaine, Glow, etc.

Ms. Yong is a firm believer of eating healthy as a way of life – making positive changes one small step at a time.