The expert: Figueroa, who is of Guatemalan descent, is an advocate for human rights and universal access to nutrition support, health services, and wholesome foods for all segments of society. "I've conducted nutrition research and policy development in Guatemala to address child malnutrition in indigenous Mayan communities," she says. Having witnessed firsthand how children in Mexico and Guatemala lack food, education, and clean water, Figueroa was inspired to pursue a career that would allow her to bring health services and food security to underserved populations. She's also spent most of her career providing nutrition services in Harlem and the Bronx for BIPOC communities.
Her anti-diet philosophy: "We grew up in a society that idolizes weight loss and that convinced us that there is something wrong with our bodies' shapes and sizes that needs to be fixed," she explains. As a result, it's the norm for most people to have weight-loss thoughts and desires. "Diet culture is defined by harmful, unrealistic expectations to lose weight or to eat a perfect diet that requires a person to restrict foods in a way that triggers disordered eating and engag[ing] in behavior that is harmful to mental wellness, physical health, and body image," Figueroa elaborates.
Some of these behaviors include: moralizing food as good or bad, restricting food groups (which may lead to binging), excessive exercise to compensate for eating, comparison to others in before and after pictures, taking unproven supplements for weight loss, fasting, wearing waist trainers, and even editing pictures to look thinner. "My nutrition philosophy is not focused on weight loss or restriction, but it champions adding nutritious, diverse foods to your meals while honoring your food preferences and culture, listening to your hunger and fullness cues," states Figueroa. She also believes in empowering clients to find forms of exercise that they enjoy, and practicing stress reduction and mindfulness techniques.
Fighting food shaming: "It is important to honor the diversity and richness of Latinx culture, and to recognize that while Latinx share many cultural traditions, societal values, food preferences, and family structures, we are also a very diverse community," Nuñez points out. She embraces the differences of each Latin American country and acknowledges that each group has its own set of health values and traditions. She says this is an essential step in providing culturally humble nutrition and health support.
"One of my missions is to advocate against cultural appropriation of Latinx food and racist rhetoric toward Latin American food traditions," she explains. For example, she points out how offensive it is when people in the wellness or food industry say that they are going to healthify a Guatemalan dish, elevate a Dominican dish, or make 'clean' Mexican food.
"Latinx food is health-supportive, clean, sophisticated, and not dirty! With my clients and readers, I take the time to bust wellness myths that shame our food traditions," she says pointing out that many of the foods that are admired by the "modern wellness" industry are Latin American. Foods such as chia seeds, avocado, moringa, quinoa, cacao, amaranth, tortillas, arepas, plantains, and empanadas are delicious, nutritious, and native to Latinx cultures. With this in mind, she affirms that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition. We can create balanced, satisfying meals that fulfill our physical, mental, and emotional needs by eating food that is traditional to our culture," she adds.
Where to follow her: @aliceinfoodieland
