Dr. Maria Stewart is the Director of Global Nutrition R&D at Ingredion Incorporated. She oversees nutritional ingredient innovation and translational research program to document health benefits. Dr. Stewart has published 24 peer-reviewed scientific papers on the benefits of dietary fiber and carbohydrates. She co-authored the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ position paper on the health benefits of dietary fiber, which is the authoritative document for registered dietitians on the topic of fiber. Most recently she chaired a scientific session at the Dietary Fibre 2018 conference, entitled Fibers and Metabolic Health.