Meet the expert: Mesa became a dietitian because she loved everything about food and enjoys helping people. "I was in the food service industry for over a decade and it just made sense to transition into a career where food and health intersect," she says. Throughout her years of experience, she has educated medical professionals, adults, and children on how to cook and enjoy a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing flavor. The bilingual Cubana is based out of Miami, Florida, and runs her own nutrition and wellness business known as En La Mesa Nutrition.
Her anti-diet philosophy: "It takes a lot of unlearning what diet culture has done to us to break through and really get in touch with what our bodies need," she says. In her care, clients don't receive a meal plan or a list of "good" and "bad" foods. Instead, she has an "all foods fit" approach and says her goal is to guide them through their journey of reconnecting to intuitive and mindful eating, while equipping them with the knowledge they need to combat nutrition misinformation. "I encourage them to add foods in instead of taking foods out because I want them to know that they can enjoy their rice and beans and STILL honor their health," she discloses. One example of a dieting myth she comes across a lot is the idea that fat is bad and should be avoided at all times. She points out, "Fat is an essential component of our diet that can be found in avocados, olives, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds, and is needed in order to absorb vitamins, fight inflammation, have better cognition, and hormonal balance."
Fighting food shaming: "Most of my clients are Latinxs, like myself, and our foods have a horrible reputation for being 'unhealthy,'" she says. Mesa explains that modern wellness presents our traditional foods as too greasy or too starchy. "I combat this misinformation by educating on how nutritious our foods are," she elaborates, stating how beans, for example, are fiber-dense and rich in folate, iron, and protein. "I also highlight the fact that we ultimately decide which cooking preparation is best to honor our health, and we are in control of our portion sizes, so there is nothing inherently 'unhealthy' about our foods," she adds. Ultimately she wants to show that we can enjoy our cultural foods as well as a balanced diet without adding shame to it.
Where to follow her: @enlamesanutrition
