Canada’s dietary landscape is rapidly evolving, shaped by shifting food choices, growing attention to excess nutrient intakes, and heightened interest in planetary health. Yet nutrient inadequacies remain prevalent in Canada, particularly for several essential vitamins and minerals, across the population. Beyond filling nutrient gaps, dietary patterns and diet quality play a critical role in long-term health and reducing the risk of chronic conditions. The session opens with a focus on the latest data on Canadian nutrient intakes and status, across life stages, with particular emphasis on shortfall nutrients such as iron, calcium, and vitamin D. Recent analyses offer new insight into nutrient intakes and distribution, providing evidence into the extent to which Canadians are meeting recommendations for essential nutrients. Building on this Canadian context, the session will also examine how overall diet quality and flexible dietary patterns – such as those highlighted in the recent PURE study - can promote optimal nourishment, nutrient adequacy and cardiometabolic health and longevity. These findings underscore the importance for evidence-based dietary guidance across the lifespan. By highlighting national and international research, this session will underscore the necessity to bridge evidence on nutrient shortfalls with emerging insights into optimal dietary patterns to inform evidence-based dietary guidance, and clinical practice in Canada. Learning Objectives: 1.Examine nutrient intakes and status to identify micronutrient inadequacies in the Canadian population, with a focus on shortfall nutrients. 2. Explore how dietary patterns influence both nutrient adequacy and long-term outcomes, including cardiometabolic disease risk and mortality. 3. Discuss implications of findings
School of Human Nutrition
McGill University
Stéphanie Chevalier, RD, PhD, is an Associate Professor and the Graduate Program Director of the School of Human Nutrition, McGill University, an Associate Member in the Department of Medicine, and Medical Scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. A registered dietitian, she earned her Ph.D. degree in nutrition from University of Montreal and completed postdoctoral studies in nutrition and metabolism at the former McGill Nutrition and Food Science Centre. Her main area of expertise is protein metabolism and the role of dietary protein, amino acids and other nutrients in muscle and function loss observed in aging and metabolic disorders such as cancer and type 2 diabetes. She also investigates the interplay between nutrition, muscle health and cognition in older individuals from observational studies and clinical trials. Her research program is funded by the CIHR, CFI/JELF, FRQS and the Canadian Cancer Society. Dr. Chevalier is the President of the Canadian Nutrition Society (2025-27). She also serves on the Québec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Aging (NuAge) – Steering Committee and the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging – Lifestyle Working Group.