Meet the expert: Medina became a dietitian because she knew healthcare was a safe choice and would provide financial security. "I knew my single mother was doing her best to provide for us, but after four years my scholarships would be done for and I would be on my own," she says. She gravitated toward the study of dietetics because she naturally enjoyed the art of cooking and wanted to be in the best health possible. "Now, 7 years later, it's provided me financial security and I get to be creative in my own space and help people in their own health journeys, which is very gratifying for me."
Her anti-diet philosophy: "In my practice, I help bring awareness to my clients by figuring out together how they've been affected by diet culture in the past," Medina says. In addition to discussing this, she details that they also cover how BMI should not be the standard of health, she asks what health and wellness influencers they follow, and what food rules they implement into their everyday life. "Asking these questions brings awareness to diet culture and then it's up to us to decide what we accept or reject from what we're being fed in society," she concludes.
Fighting food shaming: Medina aims to support Latinx people by encouraging them to embrace and normalize our foods, our culture, and our bodies. "The worst dieting myth I've heard is that there are 'good' and 'bad' foods," she says, shunning the idea that foods have a moral complex. "In reality, when has black-and-white thinking ever gotten us far in society? Not one food will make or break you, despite what social media and influencers might have you believe," she asserts. Medina points out that Latinxs have foods and cuisines that are nutritious, and it's what our strong and resilient ancestors were raised on, as well as what many of us Latinx people ate as well. "It's funny how rice and beans were a staple in my household when I was a little girl, and how chia seeds were part of my Nicaraguan mother's childhood growing up, and now they're the "trendy" foods. This shows how society picks what's "good" in our culture based off trends. "One of the messages I drill into my clients is that all foods fit." She says. "Once they've rejected diet culture, learned the physical cues their bodies give them, and allowed themselves to have the foods they naturally enjoy without any guilt, things become much easier and they don't feel pressured to eat a certain way because they learned to trust themselves, once again."
Where to follow her: @latina.nutritionista
