Meet the expert: Vaca-Flores expressed interest in nutrition while she was a college student, but she realized she had no guidance on how to eat well. "Consequently, I fell into dieting behaviors such as overdoing the protein bars and shakes, buying overpriced green drinks at my campus juicery, and avoiding bread at all costs," she says. As a result, she realized this wasn't her idea of feeling healthy and it led her to pursue a career in nutrition and learn about what it really meant to be healthy. "Moreover, I knew I wanted to share this information with like-minded women who have also felt lost or doubtful in their health journey," she adds.
Her anti-diet philosophy: Vaca-Flores understands that the reality is that diet culture is all around us. "I speak openly with my clients about whether they've tried a fad diet, what about it appealed to them, what worked, and what didn't work," she explains detailing her approach. By using this technique, she believes it helps ensure that her clients feel comfortable sharing with her and don't feel judged for falling into diet culture. "I use it as an opportunity to help my client reinvent what healthy means for them," she says. Vaca-Flores describes her practice as a holistic, personalized approach with her clients, with an emphasis on food freedom. "I understand that food is so much more than a means to a health or fitness goal," she says. "Food is very personal, which is why I tailor my approach to meet my clients where they are at this point in their life."
Fighting food shaming: The RDN, who is of Mexican descent, thinks it's important to ask clients about the traditional foods they find special and enjoy. "Validating these foods is extremely important, since so many of us are taught to avoid cultural foods out of fear," she says. The truth is many of these foods have high nutritional value. Vaca Flores points out that just because their benefits may not be published in a textbook or article, it doesn't mean that they can't add value to your diet. " Traditional foods bring us joy, which makes them that much more important to defend, and my goal is to empower my clients to feel good in their body while also learning how to make better eating choices without restriction or judgment," she concludes.
Where to follow her: @glowandgreens
