Raise Your Hand If You’re Ready To Start Feeling Good In Your Body, Today!!
Not when you finally lose those ten pounds…
Not when you finally figure out how to replace all your Abuela’s delicious recipes with cauliflower rice…
Not when you finally fit into those white girl skinny jeans…
Finally is now
And the best part is… you don’t need to change a damn thing about your amazing bod to get there.
What you really need is some freaking fun, Chula!
And Chula, you need support.
You need to shed the shame, not the weight.
You need to ditch dieting, not carbs.
You need to remember the joy and fun of Full Flavor Living and stop putting your life off until “someday.”
Diet Culture is designed to keep us hungry and isolated. It tells us we have to earn our enjoyment of life by restricting and denying ourselves. For Latina women, Diet Culture also erases our connection to our cultural cuisine, feeding us lies that the nourishing rice and beans we grew up eating are somehow “unhealthy.”
Well, we Chulas are changing the channel on all of this.
Around here, we get to decide what feels nourishing and fun to us. And we've decided it doesn’t have to be so hard. We’ve decided to stop wasting our time with the heavy, boring, isolating stories of weight loss and diet culture and start living—full flavor, today!
Your Resident Chula
Dalina Soto MA, RD, LDN
Hi, I’m Dalina Soto, I’m a registered dietitian and positive health advocate and I’m here to help you reclaim the joy and pleasure of diet-free living.
I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences from PennState University, then went on to Immaculata University to complete my Dietetic Internship and Masters Degree in Nutrition Education. I love nutrition because frankly, I LOVE food! I was inspired to be on the “preventative” side of health—and since food is such a foundational building block of True Wellness, nutrition became my passion.
Food is meant to nourish and give us energy, but our relationship to it goes much deeper. So many of our daily activities, social engagements, cultural connections and important life celebrations revolve around food. Food is such a basic component of how we care for ourselves and each other. In Latina culture, even more so. As you know, our relationship with food is baked into our sense of family, connection, and joy. Which is why the harmful narratives of restriction and denial prevalent in our faux “Health and Wellness” culture, are so particularly damaging to Chulas like us.
These stories restrict and deny us our heritage.
I founded Your Latina Nutritionist because I’m passionate about building nourishing new narratives for us that don’t include depriving ourselves of the foods we grew up eating. My work is about supporting you to reclaim the flavor and enjoyment of your life by celebrating the foods you love and incorporating them into your daily life with education and awareness.
Follow me @your.latina.nutritionist
As your dietitian, my goal is for you to never diet again!
I know firsthand how managing a family, working, and having a social life can be exhausting. What time is there left in the day to plan, meal prep, cook, and clean the kitchen? I know this feeling well, and consequently I am very honest with my approach to nutrition. In every session with me, I trust that you will leave with a tool you can use to reach an achievable goal.
Meet the Team
Being second-generation American, I grew up influenced both by American culture and by the Puerto Rican and Dominican cultures passed down to me through my family. This has shaped who I am today and influences how I approach nutrition. I love being able to connect with other Latines through our common culture - a big part of that being our cultural foods.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from La Salle University, completing my dietetic internship, becoming a Registered Dietitian, and healing from my own food and body struggles, I knew I wanted to utilize my career to help others break free from the harsh rules of diet culture and tune in to their own bodies’ unique desires and needs. I strive to help my clients make empowered decisions about their health and well-being.
Food is a central part of all of our lives. It serves many different purposes, none of which should be ignored or devalued. Yet so many of us have very rocky relationships with food and our bodies. As an anti-diet dietitian, I am committed to helping you improve your relationship with food by helping you tune into your own body and cultivate behaviors for long-term health. Health is more than just physical, it is also emotional and mental. I consider all of these components of health in my work.
I also write our weekly blogs and contribute health and nutrition articles for various publications including Health.com, and EatingWell, Well+Good. I am also active on Instagram. Be sure to follow me at @isabelvasquezrd!
Isabel Vasquez, RD, LDN
ZARIEL GRULLÓN, RDN, CDN
Saludos, I’m Zariel! A first generation Dominican American dietitian who grew as the family’s gordita. Growing up there were two things for certain, I was going to be surrounded by amazing food and my body was going to be a point of conversation. It's because of these two dynamics I pursued nutrition to learn more about our cultural foods and the impact they have on our well being.
After graduating from Ramapo College of New Jersey and Montclair State University, and completing my Dietetic Internship at the CUNY School of Public health, I learned of our cultural foods as something to avoid or limit because of the misbeliefs we’ve been taught about food. In learning and exploring the nuances of nutrition I know how our foods and culture should be celebrated and recognize the roles they play beyond nutrition.
I feel that it’s my job as your dietitian to help you reclaim not only the foods you love, but feel empowered by them and supported on your journey to ditching la dieta and loving your chichos. I find the most joy in my work when I get to support folks on their journey, especially when I can extend it to my Spanglish speaking community.
When working with folks I take a weight neutral approach, because there’s so much more to your health besides the scale. In sessions I like to focus on helping you reestablish the connection and trust within your body, to ditch la dieta for good.
I’m so excited to help you on your journey of coming home to yourself! You can find me on social media @loveyourchichos everywhere.
MITZI DE MAA, RD, LDN
¡Hola! I'm Mitzi, a registered dietitian born and raised in beautiful Mexico. My educational journey includes a Bachelor's degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from Florida International University, complemented by a dietetic internship at Larkin Community Hospital in Miami, FL.
Some of my dearest memories of growing up in Mexico are the moments I spent around the table with my entire family, where conversations flowed, and the shared enjoyment of our traditional foods was a source of joy for all of us. Food was always a central theme in our get-togethers, creating bonds and memories. However, as time passed, my relationship with food took a different turn. Enjoyment faded, and concerns about every bite took over. I found myself in an unhealthy dynamic with food and my body, which hurt my view of life, interactions with others, and how I saw myself.
Thankfully, my journey took a transformative turn as I began to heal this relationship and from that pivotal moment, everything changed. Today, my life is vastly different, and I am driven to help you rediscover that same joy and peace that await you.
I believe that by healing our relationship with food and our bodies, we’ll regain the energy to enjoy life and appreciate its beauty once more. Our 'yes' to healing can positively impact us and those near us and shape the lives of our future generations.
Looking forward to supporting you on your personal journey with food and your body. Let's connect on social media! You can find me as @mitzidemaa everywhere.
kelsy camilo, ms, RDN
Hey! I’m Kelsy, a New Yorker with cultural roots from the Dominican Republic. During my tween years I began getting the message that there was something wrong with my weight. This became apparent through family greetings like “tu estas llenita” or nicknames like “rulo”, because just like this type of green banana, I too, was short and plump. As I transitioned into a private boarding school where diversity was sparse, I found myself questioning my Latine identity, particularly my cultural foods, traditions, body shape, and body size. These experiences led me to pursue a degree in Nutrition. Afterall, with all the uncertainty on how to maneuver on a daily basis, I yearned to learn how to do things right.
Through completing my Bachelor of Science in Dietetics, Food, and Nutrition from CUNY-Lehman College and my Dietetic Internship and Master of Science in Nutrition from Saint Elizabeth University, it became apparent how nuanced and individualized health and wellness truly is. When collaborating with clients I strive to hold space for their circumstances while supporting them in fostering self-acceptance, self-trust, and self-love. As a Registered Dietitian, my goal is to help you develop and nurture a healthy relationship with food and your body, while considering all facets of wellness. This journey may include confronting foods you feel guilty about eating, unlearning ingrained societal beliefs on health, and honoring your culture and your ancestors for days to come.
You are worthy of health. You deserve to enjoy your life, without food and nutrition holding you back. Let’s work together to cultivate the healthiest physical, mental, and emotional YOU! Hangout with me on social media @kelsyknowswellness.
Maria Castro, RD
Hola! I'm Maria, a registered dietitian and board-certified Health Coach. Born in Bogota, Colombia, and raised in the US, my bicultural identity is at the forefront of my practice. I grew up in a single-parent household, raised by my dad and brother. It was challenging to always have a home-cooked nutritious meal, though my dad always made sure there was food on the table. He and I bonded over food and cooking; it was also how we celebrated and connected with Latine cultures and communities. I know how important and special traditional foods are, and I'll never ask you to give them up because I know they can be part of a thriving lifestyle.
I grew up in the 90's, a time characterized by an overwhelming focus on weight and size. The foods I ate growing up became "unacceptable" as I fell deep into diet culture and the pursuit of thinness compounded by the pressures embedded in the Latine culture. After dealing with acute health issues, I began to understand how food made me feel in my body AND soul. As I slowly crawled out of the diet culture hole, I became a health coach, learning the hows and whys of behavior change. Through these experiences, I've become committed to helping others redefine their relationship with food and their bodies, emphasizing empowerment and behavior change. In the words of the great Lauryn Hill, "How you gonna win when you ain't right within?" I know not every day will be great, but small, consistent steps lead to lasting change.
Isabel Garcia, RD
Hi, I'm Isa, a proud first-gen Mexican-American from Los Angeles. Growing up, food was more than sustenance; it was the heartbeat of our community, a source of connection, and a celebration of culture.
I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where I received my Bachelor of Arts researching the healing practices of curanderas in Mexico. This experience ignited my passion for an integrative and holistic approach to wellness and nutrition. Following this, I pursued a Master of Science in Nutritional Science at the California State University of Los Angeles, and later completed my dietetic internship with Sodexo.
My journey has shaped my belief in a holistic approach to nutrition. I am not just a dietitian; I am an advocate for a way of life that respects the body, honors cultural diversity, and acknowledges the profound connection between food and well-being. As an anti-diet dietitian, I stand against the restrictive norms of diet culture. I champion a weight-neutral and culturally inclusive approach to wellness. Food is not just fuel; it's a source of comfort, community, and coexistence. My mission is to guide others in reclaiming a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. I understand the emotional rollercoaster of deconstructing diet culture and my role is to hold space for individuals as they rediscover the joy in eating without the constant worry about body size. Together, we'll embrace the richness of life beyond the constraints of societal expectations.
In the spirit of my dad's post-meal wisdom, "¡Panza llena, corazón contento!" - A full belly brings a content heart. Let's work towards nourishing not just our bodies but also our spirits, finding joy in every bite and celebrating the diverse flavors that make life delicious.