Giving Back To The Latinx Community L E DA M E D I N A RDN, LDN POLICY ADVOCACY LEADER
Over the last year, I developed a platform called Latina Nutritionista. I help the Latinx community thrive by helping them quit chronic dieting, honor their health, and embrace their bodies, culture and authentic selves. The entire reason for this project was to help dismantle the stereotypical, diet-culture trends which tend to villainize ethnic foods and bodies. After seeing this throughout my career in dietetics, I wanted to do something about it. It is my passion project, but it is also a way that I pay it forward to Latinas who struggle with their body images and diet culture as I once did.
I remember having a mentor in college who helped me through the journey of becoming a dietitian. She was a Latina, a dietitian and a professor at a top university. As a first-generation college student and a child of immigrants this meant the world to me. Later through my platform I connected with an RD-to-be who was also Latina and first-generation college student like myself. As a mentor for her I paid it forward to the next
generation of Latina dietitians. Along this journey of helping my mentee, I gained a friend and a colleague. Sometimes we forget how far we have come along in our dietetic careers. We may take for granted our learning experiences and the many people who have helped us get to where we are today. I hope this inspires you to pay it forward to others who may be going through the same challenges you once faced in your career.
Leda Medina, RDN, LDN, is the proud owner of LatinaNutritionista.com, a blog dedicated to help the Latinx community quit chronic dieting, honor their health and embrace their cultures and bodies. In her spare time, you can find her in the kitchen whipping up a new recipe or cooking a meal for her all-time best friend, Capone, her English bulldog.
DEFINITION OF LATINX
( M E R R I A M - W E B ST E R )
: of, relating to, or marked by Latin American heritage - used as a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina
In the process of supporting the Latinx community I have gained friends and colleagues. It has opened up a world of networks that I did not belong to before my platform. These dietitians support one another, understand each other and are always willing to help. Through the power of social media, Latina Nutritionista was listed on PopSugar’s “8 Latinx Nutritionists and Dietitians Fighting Dieting Myths on Instagram.” It was amazing to see how many other dietitians were fighting the same battle. I have been an RD for seven years, but I had not met anyone with the same mindset or background until I started Latina Nutritionista. I am genuinely grateful for these professional relationships as they have helped me continue to grow on a personal level as well as on a business level.
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