And just like that, Hello June. May flew by with work, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day. May was/is also busy and exciting because I’ve been officially named an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) Media Spokesperson. I’ve known since the end of March, however, my term started June 1st. Beyond excited and grateful for this opportunity over the next three years. The AND ‘s mission is to accelerate improvements in global health and well-being through food and nutrition and as an official Academy Spokesperson I am the face and voice of the organization. I’ll help contribute to print, broadcast, and electronic media interviews to help highlight Registered Dietitian Nutritionists as the nutrition experts.
I thought I’d kick the blog and my term of being an Academy Media Spokesperson off with 5 fun facts about me. I have been writing my blog for the last 6 years, so some of this might not be new to those that have been following me. But for those new followers, welcome, and for those long-time followers, you might just learn something new.
5 Fun Facts About Me
- Born and raised in Miami, I am a Miamian. I’ve lived in Tallahassee, Fort Myers, Dallas, and San Diego, but returned to Miami in 2005. The Miami New Times wrote an article about “How You Know If You’re A Miamian”. You do need to understand Spanglish, chancletas are my #1 form of footwear, & yes, I do use my horn. Miami drivers are horrible! Also, cafecito is a must and meant to be shared. Heat and humidity provide tropical fruit, so no complaining. We live where people vacation and I feel lucky and blessed to call Miami home.
- Leftie aka a South Paw! Being left-handed defines me in a lot of things I do. Horrible at directions. If it says left, I go right. Yes, I blame that on being left-handed. This world is made for right handed people: numbers on the keyboard, computer mouse, stick shift for cars, I could keep going. Subtle maybe but for me I’ve always had to adjust. Lefties are more creative and my creative outlet is food. Food art.
- Challenging myself to make most thing homemade: ketchup and mayonnaise, graham crackers and marshmallows, bread, the list goes on. Documenting the journey not for people to think, “oh I could never do that” but rather to show some things are actually simple to do homemade. Homemade salad dressing, perfect brown rice. Michael Pollan says, “Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” Not everything has to be homemade, but will challenge people to try and make a few more home-cooked meals, and maybe along the way pick up a few new healthy habits.
- Movement is medicine. Never one to call myself a runner, but after running a marathon I’m pretty sure that qualifies myself as a runner. Running never came easy, however, after walking a full marathon, running intervals was my next step. Running can teach you a lot. You can read about it here. Exercise/movement for me is one of the best stress relievers, ever. While training for the marathon I always said I was doing it for my friend Marcela, however, training saved me from a really stressful time in my life. Find whatever joyful movement you like. Movement is like medicine and helps me manage my stress and makes me a nicer person.
- Love food. Not initially the reason why I entered into the field of nutrition, however, it is an added benefit. If you were to ask me what my favorite foods are, how can you narrow it down to just a few? Going by categories might be helpful, otherwise the list might go on forever. Here are a few random ones, none of which go together, although I’d eat in a heartbeat.
A Few Favorite Foods
- Tacos. Many variations and many toppings, it’s like you’ll never end up repeating. Pickled onions, cabbage slaw, pico de gallo. Seriously, endless possibilities.
- Fruit – if I have to narrow it down, my favorites would be passion fruit, mango, and lychees. Definitely love strawberries and Cara Cara oranges, however, if I only was able to eat 3 fruits for the rest of my life, that’d be passion fruit, mango (there are over 500 varieties), and lychees. Lucky to live in South Florida where we grow them all.
- Chimichurri – While known to pair well with meat, Chimichurri is actually a great sauce to add to many foods. While I picked chimichurri, the idea here is that sauces make foods better. They can take your food from good to great!
- Desserts. Normally my favorite is the latest one I’ve made homemade. Just made homemade French Vanilla ice cream with ice cream sandwich cookies, but panna cotta is a really quick and easy dessert that looks super fancy, however, is quite easy to make. Not a fan of cookies, but I doughnuts and cake are my jam. As a diabetes educator it’s important to show how foods can fit, and not be off limits ever. Food is celebratory, cultural, social, and so much more than just fuel. I love food.
There you go. 5 fun facts about moi, with extra commentary to boot. As I mentioned, if you’re a long-time follower, thanks for all your loyalty and reading the blog over the years. If you’re a new follower, welcome, thanks for coming, and hope you come back. Leave a comment if there’s something you’d like to see. Happy June!
