Welcome Episode: Meet our new co-hosts, Manahil & Heemani !
October 7th, 2025
We’re kicking off a brand-new season with fresh voices and exciting conversations! In this welcome episode, meet our new co-hosts, Manahil Zaid and Heemani Bhatt, both Masters students in Applied Nutrition. Get to know them, hear about their journeys, and learn what inspires their approach to health and wellness.
We also chat about the vision for this season and what listeners can look forward to as we continue exploring the science (and stories!) behind healthy living.
Tune in for a fun, heartfelt conversation that sets the stage for an inspiring season ahead!
Transcript
[Natalia] (0:00 – 0:35)
Welcome to Season Eight of the Healthy Habits Happy Homes podcast hosted by the Guelph Family Health Study.
As you may remember, last season we said goodbye to Tamara and Marcienne.
This season, we’re very excited to welcome two new co-hosts, Heemani and Manahil.
In today’s episode, we’ll take some time to get to know them and a little bit how we see the future of the podcast going.
…
Welcome back, everyone. My name is Natalia. I’m the new podcast manager and I’m so excited to be here today with our two wonderful co-hosts.
[Manahil] (0:35 – 0:49)
Thanks, Natalia. Thanks for sitting down with us today and interviewing us for the first episode of this season. Heemani and I are super excited to be the new co-hosts and obviously to be working with you as our podcast manager.
[Natalia] (0:49 – 1:29)
We’ll start off with the basics. I’ll go first. As I said before, my name is Natalia. I have been at Guelph for quite some time. I did my bachelor there in Biomedical Sciences and Nutrition. I also swam for the University of Guelph on the varsity team for my undergrad.
I then continued with Guelph for my master’s in Human Health and Nutritional Sciences. Now, I’m currently working as a research assistant with the Guelph Family Study, which is how I got involved with the podcast.
For fun — I do a lot of things for fun, I feel like. I love pottery. I recently got those air dry clay kits.
[Manahil] (1:29 – 1:33)
Oh my god, I’ve seen those all over social media. I really want one, too.
[Natalia] (1:33 – 1:49)
I’m obsessed. If anyone has gone for a health assessment recently, there’s actually — I made a jewelry dish for the kids’ room at Guelph Family Health Study and I painted it and everything. That was me crafting one day.
[Manahil] (1:49 – 1:50)
I need to—
[Natalia] (1:50 – 1:52)
You have to check it out.
[Manahil] (1:52 – 1:54)
I need to see this dish. Yeah, you’re gonna have to show us.
[Natalia] (1:54 – 1:55)
It’s signed. It’s a professional work of art there.
[Manahil] (1:54 – 1:55)
Oh my god.
[Natalia] (1:55 – 2:13)
I would say that’s one of my top hobbies. I love TV. I love books. Anything to really be horizontal. Just zone out for a little bit. That’s where I like to spend a lot of my time.
[Manahil] (2:13 – 2:14)
Completely valid.
[Natalia] (2:14 – 2:17)
That’s a good summary of myself. [laughter]
[Heemani] (2:17 – 2:43)
I can go next. Hi everyone. My name is Heemani. I recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences and a Minor in Nutrition from the University of Guelph. Now I’m starting the first year of my master’s in Applied Human Nutrition. Some of my research interests include the relationship between stress, sleep, and body mass index.
And some of my hobbies are reading, painting and going on nature walks.
[Manahil] (2:43 – 3:26)
Guelph is a good spot to go for nature walks on. So, that’s definitely a good hobby to have here.
I’ll go last. I’m Manahil and I am also starting my master’s in Applied Human Nutrition at the University of Guelph. Before this, I also did my undergrad at the University of Guelph also in nutrition.
I am originally from Toronto but I’ve been living in Guelph for the last five years now. It feels like it’s a long time.
My hobbies include: I also love reading and watching movies and shows, like Natalia. But I also really like trying new food and restaurants. Toronto has some really good restaurants but Guelph has some good restaurants, too.
[Natalia] (3:27 – 3:34)
I completely agree. I feel like Guelph has got some hidden gems. What’s your favourite right now? What’s your favourite restaurant in Guelph?
[Manahil] (3:34 – 3:47)
That’s a tough question but I would say the Thai food here is really really good. I really like Na ha Thai, of course, but Makin Thai, I live close to it, and that is also really really good.
[Natalia] (3:48 – 4:10)
Nice. Me and my boyfriend, we love going to Bardo simply because they’re — I don’t know what it’s called but I think it’s called loaded fries which is just like truffle fries. And, they do it with skinny fries. Oh, it’s so good. We frequent there way too often but it’s very much worth it. Very much worth it.
What about you Heemani? You got a favourite restaurant in Guelph?
[Heemani] (4:11 – 4:21)
Actually, I do. If you guys are into Indian food my favourite Indian restaurant at Guelph is Bollywood Bistro. They have some really good food there.
[Natalia] (4:21 – 4:24)
I think I’ve seen it. I’ve never been in but I’ve seen it.
[Manahil] (4:24- 4:25)
That’s the one I haven’t been to yet, so I’ve I gotta add that to my list.
[Natalia] (4:25 – 4:40)
We got some recommendations going.
All right, sounds like you guys will be an awesome fit for the podcast. I want to know what specifically brought you guys to the podcast. Why did you decide to do it? How did your interests align?
[Manahil] (4:41 – 6:00)
So, in my undergrad I was involved with the Student Nutrition Awareness Program which is an initiative on campus that encourages university students to improve their eating habits but also just generally have healthier habits, and, through this role, I really enjoyed the knowledge translation piece of it— making scientific information more accessible and more engaging to university students. And then, in my fourth year, I took the nutrition education class where I had to work with a group to make a podcast episode and that was the first time that I had done anything like that, and I just remember thinking that it was such a cool process, just doing the research, coming up with an idea, finding a guest and then obviously interviewing the guest. It was just such a cool process to see, and I think that podcasts are just such a good way also for nutrition knowledge translation. So, I remember our podcast was one of the ones that was picked to be featured on Healthy Habits, Happy Homes and then when I found out that there was an opportunity to get involved with the podcast in my master’s as a co-host, I obviously had to say “yes” just because of how much I enjoyed working on a podcast in my undergrad, but also like how cool of a project I think it is.
[Natalia] (6:00 – 6:02)
Sounds like it was meant to be.
[Manahil] (6:02 – 6:03)
The stars aligned.
[Natalia] (6:03 – 6:09)
Exactly. It sounds like you already have experience. What was the podcast on, the one that you submitted?
[Manahil] (6:09 – 6:21)
So, our podcast episode was about caffeinated energy drinks, so Red Bull and Monster, and how the end consumption of that and how to, I guess, consume them safely.
[Natalia] (6:21 – 6:24)
Nice, that’s relevant. I’ve heard some scary stories about that so I feel like that’s…
[Manahil] (6:24 – 6:32)
It is terrifying. It was in the news recently as well.
[Natalia] (6:32 – 6:39)
Yeah, I remember hearing.
[Manahil] (6:39 – 6:40)
Yeah, like the danger of it at all that, I think, we don’t really consider.
[Natalia] (6:40 – 6:41)
Yeah, I agree. What about you, Heemani? Do you have any past secret podcast experience?
[Heemani] (6:41 – 8:02)
Um, no, I don’t have any podcast experience but in my fourth year undergraduate research assistantship I actually had the chance to work on a scoping review on retail food environments which pretty much refers to the geographical location of food outlets and their impact on population health in Canada. And so, that work was really interesting to see how where you live if you live closer to fast food places or if you’re closer to a grocery store, how that affects what you choose to eat and therefore your health as well. But this research also did show me that it’s not just one factor, there are so many factors that determine healthy eating including things, like price and quality of foods and, so, overall there is a lot to consider when thinking about eating healthy and this is also something that made me acknowledge that we’re constantly surrounded by unhealthy environments and unhealthy choices. And so, it’s really important to have the knowledge and the information to make healthy decisions for both adults and children which is exactly something that this podcast aims to do. And so, with this podcast we get to speak with a wide variety of guests to help share practical tips for building healthy habits, so I’m really looking forward to being able to help out with this podcast and help encourage families to make healthy choices.
[Natalia] (8:03 – 8:37)
I think what’s also really important is, I find, even now being on social media, there’s this large nutrition misinformation or even health misinformation and as kids are growing up and stuff, even for myself as someone who does have a background with nutrition and science and research, I find it pretty hard to navigate that myself, so I think with podcasts like this it’s also really important that we are evidence-based and we do have the experts and stuff. So, I think just to add to what you were saying about how important that is.
[Heemani] (8:37- 8:39)
Yes. Yes. Definitely
[Natalia (8:39 – 8:49)
Yeah. To build off this comment I know we know that the health and nutrition podcast world is pretty saturated. What do you guys think makes our podcast unique? What makes them different from other podcasts?
[Manahil] (8:50 – 9:30)
That’s a really good question. I think one thing that stands out to me about this podcast is that it’s student-led and student-run, which I think really differentiates it from other podcasts from on the level that we bring a fresh perspective but also that we’re going into the episode as a learner, as a student ourselves, rather than being an expert already. And, I think that that perspective allows for the episodes to be, hopefully, more accessible and more engaging to our audience who might not be experts on the nutrition or health topics.
[Heemani] (9:30 – 9:52)
And, adding on to what Manahil has said, something else that makes our podcast unique is that it’s been running for quite a while and every couple of years there’s a new set of co-hosts that come in, and so each new group brings in different perspectives and different ideas and, so, in a way the podcast style evolves over time, and, so, it’s not the same every single year which really, kind of, sets it apart from other podcasts which may feel a little bit repetitive.
[Natalia] (9:52 – 10:38)
I completely agree. I love how it’s run by students and what Manahil was saying that we are coming in from a learner’s perspective. I think that’s very unique because our listeners are learners and then we’re learners so you’re just seeing that process as we are integrating with the research and evidence and talking with these guests. And, I agree the new co-hosts keep it fresh everyone has their own perspective and stuff. And, I think even as we were drafting out this season — which I’m super excited about — I think we each have different interests and I think the proposed schedule we have so far is a good mix of a lot of different topics and I think it will make a lot of people happy and excited.
My next question for you guys is a little bit more fun: if you could sum up the season in three words, what would they be?
[Manahil] (10:38 – 11:36)
Okay, so the three words I would use, and I guess they reflect my goals and the hopes for the podcast, as well, this season, but three words I’d use: “engaging.” We obviously want our episodes to be engaging so that our audience is interested in listening and learning more about the topics that we’re discussing.
And, speaking of topics, we also want them to be “timely.” So, I remember when we were sitting down and drafting out the schedule, we did a lot of shifting around of the topics to reflect the time of the year and reflect the topics that our audience might be thinking about at that time. So, that’s something that I’m really excited about.
And then, lastly, I would say that we want them to be “relevant” to our audience. We want our audience to be able to, you know, listen to these podcasts, learn this information but to be able to actually apply them to their own daily lives.
[Natalia] (11:36 – 11:41)
I feel like that was beautifully said. I completely agree. I don’t know, Heemani, do you have one word to add on to that?
[Heemani] (11:41 – 11:55)
Yeah, so another word that I would just add would be “diverse.” I feel like we have a huge array of topics that span quite a bit. So, yeah, I’m really excited for this season.
[Natalia] (11:56 – 12:08)
Since we are really knowledge-translation based and everything, what do you guys want listeners to take away from each episode or as the season as a whole?
[Heemani] (12:08 – 12:31)
So, I hope that listeners walk away with at least one helpful tip that they could use in their own lives, or even just share with someone else that might benefit from it. The topics that we are going to be covering, like Manahil said, are very relevant and our guests are experts in their field, so the episodes are definitely going to be very informative and even just one small takeaway could make a big difference.
[Manahil] (12:31 – 13:04)
I agree with that on the episode level. Yeah, we want them to have takeaways that they can apply to their daily lives. But, as a whole for the season, I hope that we’re able to break down these health topics that might seem complex or complicated into something that’s more digestible and easier to understand for our audience, because I know there’s just a lot out there and it can get super overwhelming. So, I just hope that we’re able to relieve some of that stress when it comes to navigating, trying to make healthier habits for yourself or for your family.
[Natalia] (13:04 – 13:33)
Yeah. I think that’s a great overview of what we really want this season to look like. Again, we’re all very new to this, we’ll see how it goes but we’re going to be trying our best for everyone.
So, hopefully you guys enjoy, and, on that note, keeping with tradition, whether or not you are a listener who has been listening for a while or you are new, we always finish off an episode with some take-home tips. So, to finish off this episode, what is one surprising or weird healthy habit you’ve tried that works?
[Heemani] (13:33 – 14:07)
So, my weird habit is that I get my clothes and my backpack ready the night before and I put them right by my door, and so when I wake up everything’s ready right in front of me, and so I wake up with that feeling, “Oh I’m ready to go to campus,” and this prevents me from scrolling on my phone for too long in the mornings and it also does ease the stress of having to get everything ready in the morning, since it’s already ready. So, yeah.
[Natalia] (14:07 – 14:10)
That’s so smart, very smart. I’m assuming you’re very much a morning person.
[Heemani] (14:10 – 14:12)
Yes. Yes, I am.
[Natalia] (14:12 – 14:58)
I also feel like it cuts down your time because then you can just wake up, grab your bag and go in pyjamas if you want. Quick. When I was swimming, we’d wake up at 4:45 a.m. to get to the pool at 5:15 a.m. in very questionable outfits. I feel like maybe packing my bag before would have been helpful or even, like, I’m so glad no one else is up at that hour to see what I was wearing. It’s when you’re leaving the pool at like 7:30 that people are up and about but you’re still dressed in that outfit you chose when you were still asleep. So, it would have been a good habit to have when I was swimming, for sure.
What about you, Manahil?
[Manahil] (14:59 – 15:42)
Um, okay, so my weird healthy habit is that I love listening to audiobooks, also podcasts. I only listen to them though when I’m walking. I feel like when I’m like working from home or maybe just on campus it can be hard to get that physical activity in your day and to take breaks to walk around, but I think that having an audiobook or podcast to look forward to that I only let myself listen to on walks encourages me to get up and go like walk for 20 to 30 minutes, however long it takes for me to, you know, finish that chapter and find out what what happens. So, that’s something that I found that always really motivates me to get my steps in.
[Natalia] (15:42 – 16:07)
Well, I think that was a great get to know everyone and I’m think we’re all collectively very excited for everyone to listen to this upcoming season and everything that we’re going to plan and the guests that we’re going to see. I’m, myself, interested to interact — I’m not going to be the one talking to them — but interact with them, and I’m interested to hear the topics, and I’m excited to see what the conversations you guys are going to be having with some of the guests.
[Manahil] (16:07 – 16:18)
For sure, yeah, I feel like we were obviously excited before this but I feel like talking about it again on this episode has made me feel even more excited for what’s next. I guess everyone will have to stay tuned to find out what topics we’ll be discussing.
[Natalia] (16:18 – 16:42)
Yeah, thank you everyone who listened in. We hope you enjoyed the episode. Don’t forget to follow us on instagram @familyhealthstudy or on Facebook at The Guelph Family Health Study to stay up to date on our upcoming episodes, and we’ll always post it on there before we release it. In the meantime, have an awesome week and we’ll see you next time.
Yay!!
[Manahil] (16:42-16:45)
I think we did good.
[laughter]