Chula, ven con gusto

In the Your Latina Nutrition blog, we help you learn to nourish & respect your body without harsh food rules, overcome cycles of bingeing and restriction, and embrace your here-and-now body.

You can do this all while keeping your cultural foods alive & adopting health-promoting behaviors.

Enjoy our research-backed articles written by registered dietitians Isabel and Dalina!

Food Habituation: The Case for Eating Whatever You Want
Gentle Nutrition, Intuitive Eating Isabel Vasquez Gentle Nutrition, Intuitive Eating Isabel Vasquez

Food Habituation: The Case for Eating Whatever You Want

Have you ever avoided keeping a specific food in the house out of fear you’ll eat the whole package in one sitting? Many people avoid keeping chips, cake, cookies, or ice cream around for this very reason.

But what if I told you that keeping these foods around could actually heal your relationship with them?

We think the issue is the food itself and that the solution is simply to avoid it. We end up depriving ourselves of foods we really enjoy! Or we don’t give ourselves the chance to neutrally observe whether or not we even like the food. Food habituation can help.

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What Are The Four Types Of Hunger In Intuitive Eating?
Intuitive Eating Isabel Vasquez Intuitive Eating Isabel Vasquez

What Are The Four Types Of Hunger In Intuitive Eating?

Our bodies are set up to combat starvation. When your body is being underfed (like when you’re dieting), it sets into motion biological hunger signals to get you to eat. If these signals are ignored long enough, like through chronic dieting or an eating disorder, your body may stop sending these hunger cues. It may try to adjust to working on less energy.

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How to Use the Hunger Fullness Scale for Intuitive Eating
Intuitive Eating, Gentle Nutrition Isabel Vasquez Intuitive Eating, Gentle Nutrition Isabel Vasquez

How to Use the Hunger Fullness Scale for Intuitive Eating

With the prevalence of diet culture in our society, it’s no wonder so many people feel disconnected from their hunger and fullness cues. According to the CDC, as of 2013-2016, about half of Americans reported trying to lose weight in the last 12 months. And the majority of people reported eating less food to do so.

When you’re ready to ditch diets and embrace a healthier relationship to food and your body, one step can be relearning to honor your body’s hunger and fullness cues. That’s where the hunger fullness scale comes into play.

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What is the Binge Restrict Cycle?
Intuitive Eating Isabel Vasquez Intuitive Eating Isabel Vasquez

What is the Binge Restrict Cycle?

The binge-restrict cycle happens when periods of restriction are followed by binges or periods of eating beyond comfortable fullness. The “binge” part can also include feeling out of control around food. Oftentimes, the restriction may be due to some sort of diet, which then leads to feelings of deprivation and obsession with food. Then comes the binge, which is often followed by guilt or shame. The guilt and shame can make you want to start restricting again, maybe in the form of “I’ll get back on track on Monday!” and thus begins the cycle all over again.

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