I was four when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. From then on, my family tried to change our lives through food. Information was limited and the advice often conflicted, so that sometimes meant restrictive diets and a lot of confusion. I faced my own health struggles too. Looking for answers is how I fell in love with nutrition, and it showed me how little research there is on women’s reproductive health.
I found IIN while studying far from home. The Health Coach Training Program™ showed me it’s okay to start again, so I moved home and began a new degree in nutrition and food science. Ideas like Primary Food and the Roseto Effect changed how I see health. I even opened my TED Talk with the Roseto story.
Today I share what I’m learning about hormonal health, mental wellness, and mindful eating with a growing online community. My hope is to help women understand their bodies, be patient with themselves, and know they’re not alone.
WHAT FIRST SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN NUTRITION AND WELLNESS, AND WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU BEGAN EXPLORING THIS PATH?
A: When I was a little girl, my family made the decision to change our lives through nutrition due to her breast cancer diagnosis. They didn’t have much information at the time, and I saw my mom struggle so much with her habits, like doing “detox” diets, restriction, keto. The doctors said one thing and the nutritionist said other things. I saw myself struggling as well. I had an eating disorder that led me to amenorrhea, PCOS, and panic attacks. I was a runner at the time because it was “trendy” on social media, but I went to the extreme, and my health was not great. I started researching and found love through food and nutrition. Then I found out that there is not enough research around women’s reproductive health, and that’s when I wanted to make a change.
HOW DID GROWING UP AROUND YOUR FAMILY’S TRADITIONS, FOOD, AND APPROACH TO CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER SHAPE THE WAY YOU CAME TO UNDERSTAND HEALTH AND WELLNESS?
A: Here in Mexico, everything is about food. We see food as our way to love. I remember my mom making cinnamon tea every time we were decorating our house near Christmas Eve, the way we had coffee every morning with our “huevitos con tortilla” and some salsita, the “mangonadas” every time summer arrived. My family made every moment so special, and food makes me remember those moments. That is why I know for sure that food is more important and special than we think. We do not just eat; we share, we enjoy, we appreciate what we have on the table.
WHAT LED YOU TO IIN, AND WHAT WERE YOU HOPING TO UNDERSTAND OR EXPLORE WHEN YOU BEGAN THE PROGRAM?
A: At the time, I was studying nutrition away from home in a really big city. Those were hard times, and I felt like I was not connecting with the school I was in. That’s when I found IIN through social media. I did not quit school, but I started IIN at the same time I was studying… I fell so in love with the program that I made the decision to go back home. It was the best decision I ever made. IIN made me see more areas of my life and realize that it is okay to start again. So I did. I started studying for a bachelor’s in nutrition and food science at a new university. I started again, and it was definitely the best decision I ever made.
WAS THERE A PARTICULAR CONCEPT, LESSON, OR MOMENT DURING YOUR IIN EXPERIENCE THAT CHANGED THE WAY YOU THOUGHT ABOUT NUTRITION OR WELLNESS?
A: Oh, definitely the Roseto Effect. That definitely changed the way I see health. I even started my TEDx Talk with that story!! It was the key to engaging people and helping them understand that other areas of life also matter.
WHAT DID YOUR IIN EXPERIENCE HELP YOU SEE ABOUT FOOD AND HEALTH THAT YOU HADN’T CONSIDERED BEFORE?
A: Primary and Secondary Food. I fell in love with that way of seeing food. Also, just eating slowly and being present.
HOW HAS WHAT YOU LEARNED THROUGH IIN COMPLEMENTED WHAT YOU’RE NOW LEARNING THROUGH YOUR STUDIES IN NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCE?
A: Phytonutrients, definitely. It’s something I talk about all the time in class: the colors and their impact, how special food is, the colors on the plate.
AS YOU’VE CONTINUED LEARNING AND WORKING IN HEALTH AND NUTRITION, WHAT LED YOU TO BECOME PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN WOMEN’S HORMONAL HEALTH?
A: Like I said earlier, definitely looking at my mom’s experience through her disease. She now has hypothyroidism, and it has been a journey. Her body is way different from the average person’s.
WHAT HAVE YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES AND THE EXPERIENCES OF THE PEOPLE YOU’VE WORKED WITH TAUGHT YOU ABOUT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN NUTRITION, MENTAL WELL-BEING, AND HORMONAL HEALTH?
A: My family and I have always been really faithful. I believe that my mom has healed through nutrition, but also through faith. I am a lover of science, but my family has this phrase: “Not everything needs to have an explanation; some things are just meant to be.” I also always say that nutrient dense is not the same as healthy. For me, healthy is eating an ice cream with your best friend. Even though it may not be very nutritious, the context is healthy, and that’s what matters the most.
HOW HAS YOUR BELIEF THAT HEALTH CAN LOOK DIFFERENT FOR EVERY PERSON SHAPED THE WAY YOU SUPPORT AND EDUCATE OTHERS?
A: I feel so grateful and blessed to be surrounded by people with beautiful hearts. I feel so happy to receive so many opportunities. The world needs more empathy and love, and the health care sector is definitely looking forward to that.
WHAT IS A MOMENT OR EXPERIENCE THAT TAUGHT YOU THE IMPORTANCE OF LOOKING BEYOND THE OBVIOUS WHEN IT COMES TO SOMEONE’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING?
A: My best friend’s grandmother is such an active woman. She is in her 60s. One day she reached out to me because her lab results showed that her LDL cholesterol was really high, even though she is an active woman… I started to talk to her. Alma used to wake up every morning at 4:00 a.m., drink some coffee, and have fruit for breakfast. Then she went to the gym like she used to, went back home, and had lunch at 12:00 p.m. Sometimes she didn’t have dinner. I recommended that she change the way she started her mornings: instead of just coffee and fruit, she could have a fulfilling breakfast with some veggies, protein, and healthy fats, and have the coffee last. And so she did. Her LDL drastically lowered, and surprisingly, so did her coronary risk. I was impressed. It was something so simple that changed her life!
YOU BEGAN SHARING WHAT YOU WERE LEARNING ABOUT NUTRITION, WELLNESS, AND WOMEN’S HEALTH ONLINE. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START CREATING AND SHARING THAT CONTENT, AND WHAT DID YOU HOPE IT COULD OFFER PEOPLE?
A: Since I was a little girl, I loved making videos and speaking, so I took social media as my safe space to share everything I was learning. I was so impressed by and passionate about everything that I knew I wanted to share it. I never thought I would grow this much, but I have definitely worked so hard and believed in myself, with the support of the people around me and so much love.
AS YOUR COMMUNITY HAS GROWN, WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW YOUR WORK AND THE CONVERSATIONS THAT HAPPEN AROUND YOUR CONTENT?
A: That if you can help just one person, that is everything. I have connected with people all over the world who have the same interests as me, and it is beyond beautiful.
WHEN YOU SHARE HEALTH AND NUTRITION INFORMATION, HOW DO YOU BALANCE EVIDENCE-BASED EDUCATION WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCES, CULTURES, AND NEEDS CAN BE VERY DIFFERENT?
A: It can be very hard, but I always remember the pillars of health: mind, body, and spirit. We are not just science; we are more than that. Also, science is really hard to understand, but I always try to find something very familiar from people’s daily lives that makes sense to them.
AS YOU CONTINUE EXPLORING WOMEN’S HEALTH, NUTRITION, AND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCIENCE AND LIVED EXPERIENCE, WHAT KIND OF WORK DO YOU HOPE TO BE DOING IN THE YEARS AHEAD?
A: I hope to be working with women who need help in their lives. Our menstrual cycle is our fifth vital sign. I want to empathize with them and help them in whatever they need.
WHAT DO YOU WISH MORE PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD ABOUT WOMEN’S HEALTH AND NUTRITION?
A: It’s really complicated and important. There was not enough research around women’s reproductive health until now, and we are still working on that. Definitely be patient with your body. You are not alone.
WHAT’S A RANDOM FACT ABOUT YOU THAT PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS SURPRISED TO LEARN?
A: That I’m an introvert and struggle with anxiety. If you see me in person, I am probably laughing and trying to connect with you. I love to share, love to help, love to talk, but when it comes to my free time, I just love to be at home in my PJs with hot chocolate, watching Disney movies.
IF YOU COULD LIVE IN ANY MOVIE OR TV SHOW FOR A WEEK, WHICH WOULD YOU PICK?
A: Bridgerton!! Oh, I love the dresses!! The aesthetic of those times, and there was no internet. I’m a fan of that cozy, warm, elegant, vintage feeling.