Content warning: Discussion of diet culture, eating disorders, and self-harm.
Hi, hello, and welcome to my first ever blog post! Selecting a new healthcare provider can be daunting so I am going to share some information about my positionality, my qualifications, and why I became a weight-inclusive nutritionist so you can make a decision that is best for you. Let's get into it, shall we?
Positionality Statement
As a 2nd generation Canadian cis-woman of Indo-Guyanese descent, I am both colonized and colonizer. I am located in Vaughan, Kanadario, the unceded lands belonging to the Anishinaabek, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Metis Nation. While I consider myself a fat person, I do experience thin privilege. I am heterosexual, able-bodied, and come from a middle-class family. I am mindful of the privilege I experience due to my identities and am dedicated to working with and uplifting people belonging to equity-seeking groups.
Qualifications
From 2014-2019, I studied at Ryerson University to obtain my Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in Nutrition and Food. During this time, I also completed a Certificate in Entrepreneurship and a Certificate in Urban Farming.
I am currently in the process of completing my internships as part of the combined Master of Health Science (MHSc) in Nutrition Communication at Ryerson. I plan to become a registered dietitian (RD) within the next year, wish me luck!
Why I Am a Body Liberator
As a "chubby" child, my body was the center of a number of conversations among family and friends. Like most chubby children, I was bullied for my appearance. The constant stigmatization of my body was a source of extreme stress for me. It led me to engage in a number of harmful behaviours including following various restrictive diets and orthorexia. My restriction was a boomerang and resulted in me compensating for what I was avoiding, turning into binge eating disorder.
I was "successful" in my quest to lose weight a handful of times, but I was never happy with my body. I always found something else to criticize and change. Despite all of these efforts, it was unsustainable which led to weight regain and even more despair. This vicious cycle led to severe depression, anxiety, and self-harm. In my journey to healing, I started challenging the diet culture norms and beauty standards that are projected onto all of us as a big "F-you" to the patriarchy and capitalism. If there was one thing I could go back in time and do, it would be to tell myself "You are more than your appearance and you are going to take the world by storm!"
I am fortunate to be in a much better place now, and I want to use my experience and skill set to help people who are dealing with the same struggles like body image, redefining health, and recovery from eating disorders. I do this all within an anti-racist framework that provides culturally-relevant nutrition information.
Interested in working with me? Visit the Booking section to schedule your free discovery call!