Growing Through The Madness

S1 E9: Growing Through Diet Culture: Food, Culture, Healing

• Abi Tobi • Season 1 • Episode 9

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A glass of Apothic, a lot of laughter, and a conversation that goes exactly where it needs to: how body ideals form, how assimilation pressures can tip kids into disordered eating, and how compassion (not restriction), brings us back to balance. 

On this episode, I am sat with Chisom, a Registered Dietitian who works with children and teens, to unpack the myths we still carry about “healthy,” the reality of diet culture, and the difference between expert guidance and internet noise.

Chisom shares her personal journey from over‑exercising and rigid food rules to healing through science‑based training and practice. We get clear on what Registered Dietitians actually do, why the RD title is protected, and the many places they show up: paediatrics, hospitals, schools, public health, policy, sports nutrition, and private practice. 

Culture isn’t a barrier; it’s a resource. We explore Nigerian meals—rice and stew, yam and egg stew, plantain, and how Western nutrition advice is from a Western cultural lens. So, it misses the point of dense, sustaining foods. Instead of cutting everything out, Chisom champions an “add‑in” approach: more plants, adequate protein, smart starches, enough water, and better sleep to steady hunger, mood, and energy. We talk practical, bite‑size changes you can keep, how to help kids buy in without battles, and why comfort foods and celebration have a place at the table without guilt.

If you’re raising kids, healing your own relationship with food, or trying to make sense of conflicting nutrition advice, this one will land. Subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a gentler path to health, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show.

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SPEAKER_01:

Thinking about going down the line of eating disorders, disordered eating, which is definitely what happened to me. But one of the risk factors is not only age, but it could happen to anyone at any point in time, but especially with the younger you are, the more impressionable. But another thing that puts you at risk is assimilation. So essentially, when somebody has to is put in a situation they feel like they have to assimilate to, you can also use maybe somebody immigrating coming from a different country to a new place. That your thing that you're faced with, like, okay, I have to conform to what's around me, is actually a very high risk factor of developing disordered eating and eating disorders.

SPEAKER_00:

My name is Abby, and I'm your host. Today we have the amazing Cheese.

unknown:

Woo!

SPEAKER_00:

Hello. How are you doing? I'm good. Wait, we have to cheers to you. Yes, being on the podcast. Let's cheers to that. Cheers. Clink, click, click.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, that's actually good.

SPEAKER_00:

It's good. Like this. Abby introduced me to this.

SPEAKER_01:

It's nice. Yeah. Imagine if it was bad. You could immediately tell on my face.

SPEAKER_00:

No, it's good. It's great. It's good wine. I think I can't remember it. It's apathetic.

SPEAKER_01:

Apothic, yeah. It's a popular one. Apothic. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

That's what it's called. Yeah. So how are you? How's your weekend? Oh, what day is it?

SPEAKER_01:

What is a weekend? Oh my goodness. Everything just blurs, honestly. It was great. What did we do? On Saturday, I went for a like a nice long walk with a friend, which is something I haven't done in a while. I used to like be a walking girly out in the city on the weekends. And yeah, I haven't done that in a long time. So that was nice. We went for like a two-hour walk. Oh two hours. Yeah, yeah. Like two hours walk. Just being catching up. Yeah, that was the highlight.

SPEAKER_00:

And the weather was nice, right? This weekend. Was it nice?

SPEAKER_01:

Not on Saturday. It was actually a bit. It was supposed to, it said it was gonna rain, and I was like, we should cancel these plans. And they're like, nope, we're pressing on, and it was good. It didn't rain, so that's good.

SPEAKER_00:

How about you? Me, I traveled to Calgary. Oh, right. Yeah. That's what I did. But on Saturday, I did this makeup class. Oh, yeah, you were saying. Yes. And it was her name is Tanisha. Tanisha Beauty. Okay. I think I'll plug it in. Where's she based? Toronto. Okay. She's in Toronto. She's Caribbean, Canadian. Um, very good. Very. I met her because she did bridesmaid makeup for some of my friends. But I was with them, and that's how I met her. And she said, Oh, I do this makeup classes, it's fun. I was like, you know what? Sign me up.

SPEAKER_01:

I would actually do it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Because it saves you money.

SPEAKER_01:

Saves you money and saves you time on me on TikTok. I'm just like saving things that I know I'll never get back to. But I'm like, that bronzer, that looks good. I'm trying to piece things together.

SPEAKER_00:

And even like techniques, like some setting things. Okay, so don't judge me.

SPEAKER_01:

No judgment.

SPEAKER_00:

But I didn't know that when you apply liquid foundation, you put you don't put the the foundation on your face directly, you uh or on the brush.

SPEAKER_01:

You put it on the brush.

SPEAKER_00:

You don't put it on the brush, or you put it on your the back of your hand, and then apply like apply from so you put it at the back of your hand, and then you just apply it, and that way it's it it's smoother, it's nicer when you put it on the brush.

SPEAKER_01:

The brush is sucking, like it's not gonna be too, but you just use your hand, no no, with your brush, oh be with the brush, but from here, yeah, and then you just like you.

SPEAKER_00:

And I was like, it made a difference. It was so it was maybe it warms it up too, okay, and then you just apply it.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I would not have known that. You're like, don't judge me.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm like, hmm, maybe take notes because I didn't and then oh, she was asking, and uh me, I even put it on the brush, and then I'm yeah, I'm just thinking on the brush, I'll press this thing on the brush and just apply not to see that that's that's helpful.

SPEAKER_01:

I think I would do I would benefit from something like that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so she was really good. Like, I I had a good time.

SPEAKER_01:

And you're working out some of your new skills.

SPEAKER_00:

Can you see the bronzer?

SPEAKER_01:

The cheeks are popping.

SPEAKER_00:

Can you see it's giving cut if you guys cannot see?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, she's looking flying now, though.

SPEAKER_00:

But you can see the feel it through the screen, feel it. Yeah, feel it. So that's what I did, and I came to my my flight here. My trip here was stressful. I missed my flight. It wasn't my fault, it was Uber's fault. Oh because Uber didn't show up for 30 minutes.

SPEAKER_01:

No way, and then Toronto Airport, you can't play around. No dang, I hate missing flights, and it wasn't my fault.

SPEAKER_00:

I think that's the worst part. If I missed it and it was my fault, you can swallow it, but I'll be like, I'm grateful they could get me on another plane.

SPEAKER_01:

But no, and then how long did you have to wait for the next one?

SPEAKER_00:

Like two hours.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, but still.

SPEAKER_00:

But I was tired because it was supposed to be an eight o'clock five. Okay, so I was up so early to catch it. That sucks. Anyways, like you got here. I got here.

SPEAKER_01:

The city's always well happy to see you.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm always happy to be in the city too. I love Calgary.

SPEAKER_01:

I miss Calgary, but yeah, we miss you on Calgary. But I know Toronto's your city, so it's okay.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm a sort of girl.

SPEAKER_01:

So do you remember how we met? You know, I was thinking about this. I I didn't we it was a U of A. Yeah. Yeah, I think it was a U of A, and then we connected more when we lived in the same apartment building, not too far from where we are right now. Yeah, so actually As I was driving here, I'm like, did she no? That would be crazy. That was a go.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's like a little walk. Yeah, yeah, so far at all. Yeah, okay. I'll tell you what I remember.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, what do you remember?

SPEAKER_00:

I remember seeing you at the URA campus. Okay, and I used to look at you as this girl, this girl just been running. I feel like you were a runner. Oh, it's true. She was like always dressed in her spot, she was ready to work. I was like, who is this girl?

SPEAKER_01:

The funny thing was, I was I was probably always heading to the gym after or what or whatnot, but I also lived on campus.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Like, and then I would be late. Like part of the running was literally like the way I timed it. My time management skills have improved since then. But I would my call, my peers would always just be like looking for the clock because it would be literally to the minute before that class starts, and then I'd I'd I'd like to go to the city. Well, you're there. I'm there.

SPEAKER_00:

You made it.

SPEAKER_01:

I maybe I may have a light sweat, but I made it.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, this reminds me of when I was living at home after university, and me too. I need to work on my time management skills. Okay. Um, and this the funny thing is that my parents are so to time. Same mom and dad. No. My mom, my parents are usually one of the first people at parties. So you just decided I don't know where I got this from. I've been thinking about it. Because both mom and dad on time, I don't know. It's okay. You're just a girl. I'm just a girl. You're just we're just a we're just girls. But don't stress me too much. So then I'll I'll I'll you know, first job right after university, and always want to catch. And back in the day, it wasn't people were not as flexible. Walk starts at eight. You better be there at eight because somebody's looking at the time.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

And every day I'm running to catch the bus. And my dad is very like, my father, he's very like, he would not like come for you and start like telling you what to do. No, but he would come for you by digging at you. I don't know how to make it will he'll make fun of you, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's painful. So one day you're like, I'm not laughing at the joke. Yeah, I know. One day you said to you said something about every day. You're always ready for the bus. I think he started laughing, and I said, No, it's an exercise.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm just kidding, my steps.

SPEAKER_00:

I was like, Yeah, it's a way for me to exercise the morning. This person is not serious. And then I used to get a lot of when I just started driving, I would get a lot of um speeding tickets.

SPEAKER_01:

Ooh, yours is bad. I don't I don't speed. I mean, but I can't say I have a track record of speeding.

SPEAKER_00:

No, I use because but like admitting is is notorious though. Like if you're if you whatever, they're always checking. So you know my parents are not paying those tickets for me. I'm paying myself. So and my dad checks the my dad is the one that checks the mail, and you see it, and you see it, and one day said, I tell mommy was really happy. It's like your best friends are here again. I was so upset. It's like Abby, your people they've come again.

SPEAKER_01:

So, what's what is your driving like in Toronto? I'm okay, I'm good.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, I learned because I I was I was a broke ass child. So I'll get the tickets and I'll cry because I was like, Oh my god, I'll spend$90 to pay.

SPEAKER_01:

And that$90 is big when you don't have I know it was I will start crying, painful, but my parents will never say no you next time, yeah, you won't speed.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, let it pain you because didn't I learn? I learned, I learned so growth, growth, we're growing through the madness. Okay, so let's get back to the episode.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00:

What's something you think is surprising that people don't know about you? What will surprise people about you?

SPEAKER_01:

I think if you're like a stranger and you just meeting me, I don't know how surprising this is, but I love to sing and dance all the time. But if you're around me long enough, like let's say we have to take like a trip together, you're gonna find out because yeah, I'm just I always find a reason to sing or sing a verse of a song or something comes into my mind. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I do know this.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, oh my gosh, yeah. Actually, do yeah, I'll constantly, constantly singing.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you have like a Beyoncé level voice? Girl.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I can I can self-reflect and say no, no words of that quality. I don't think I'm not trained in any way. I just enjoy, I just enjoy singing. I enjoy music. I danced like I I didn't do like you know, ballet, those kinds of things, but like the Nigerian Association here had a children's dance group that so I started really young there, and then as we grew up, we kind of formed our own, like we were young adults, so we did our own dancing, yeah, yeah. So, you know, I can I have a I have a group or two, you know. No, you can dance.

SPEAKER_00:

I remember that. You can dance. I think you can dance, you can dance, but I've not heard you sing.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Now I know what we'll do next time I can see.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, absolutely. I can't turn karaoke down.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so something I haven't said about Chisum is Chisum is a dietitian, she's a registered dietitian, yeah, and she focuses on children, especially children from African families, mostly immigrant kids. She f she focused, but she does everything. But I always wondered that if you were a dietitian, what do you think you'd be doing?

SPEAKER_01:

I think I would still end up in healthcare. I'm sure my parents would love to have me be a doctor of some sorts, and I mean, who knows? But I think, yeah, oh, in healthcare, I think I have just that natural, like caretaking personality, uh wanting to help people, and I think through their health is you know a very powerful way to show up for people. So yeah, some in some capacity, something healthcare.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Is that always what you're wanting to be when you were a kid? So when you were a child, I'd like to be a good one. You know what?

SPEAKER_01:

I know I didn't really know. I like you can think how many Nigerian do you know that you you heard of a dietitian? Like it wasn't in my realm, like it wasn't something I really thought of or considered as a career. But and I'm not sure how much we're gonna get into this now or later, but I somehow I found myself just I've always been naturally athletic. I played a lot of sports, and then the higher up you go in sports, you start to like have to focus on like okay, you can't just eat anything, you know, nutrition is important. And then I fell in love with food, really, like cooking food. Like, man, I used to watch hours of Food Network. And yeah, and even I think even start having my first foods class, and so in seventh in junior high here, you start like you do food. Well, not nutrition, just like literally cooking. Yeah, so we'd call this called foods, and yeah, so you like cook and make things, and then I I yeah, that really like clicked my kickstarted my love of like wanting to create in the kitchen and cooking. So the the combination of like you know, health, wellness, interest in food, and like just living a healthy lifestyle was yeah, always in my forefront. And so when I I did finally stumble upon what is what is a dietitian and what does that do? What do they do? I was like, okay, I think this actually fits. And I was 16. Oh yeah, I was 16 when I was like, I think I could do this job.

SPEAKER_00:

I think a popholes.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I was like, This sounds interesting. To be fair, I think what I had in my mind at the time of what I thought a dietitian did and when I came to understand were different, not extremely different, but different enough.

SPEAKER_00:

What did you think?

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I have to say I was definitely influenced heavily by just general diet culture, right? Which at the time, okay, so this would probably be mid-20s, like twenty. I kind of I don't want to date myself. It's fine. But let's just say like 2000s ish and and onwards, right? Like, you know, I think as a society in the West is here, especially there's always a focus on diets and dieting and that kind of stuff, and being interested in food and looking up recipes you'd always hear and see, like, oh, follow this diet, or you know, this is how you should eat, or diet advice. And one thing I actually started subscribing to these, like I'd say magazines that like probably a middle-aged white white woman would probably be subscribing to. Oh, okay for the subscription. Me, there it wasn't that much at the time, but it was like Mary Claire, Canadian living. Wow. Because I would pour over like the recipes, and then of course, they're targeting like the issues a middle-aged woman might have. So they're like talking about how to manage your weight and all these kinds of things. But I'd always read the columns, the health columns, and they're I'd always see written by the person's name, followed by RD at the end of their name. So I was like, RD, RD, what what is it? So then I looked up what a registered dietitian was, and that's when I was like, okay, I could see myself doing this. Like I I love, I kind of breathe and live this already. But back to your question, what did what I think they did? I really thought it was about like how to get people to lose weight. Like I thought dietitians hold some master key and that like, okay, like, yes, we we practice this thing, we live this thing, and then we preach this thing and how people shed pounds, which is funny because till today, that's what a a lot of people think a dietitian does is like we are specialists in weight loss, which is not not necessarily the case, but but yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

That's interesting. Wait, that's interesting because you believe that that dietitian is just gonna say, oh yeah, lose weight.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, because again, that's what I was that that was the environment I was in. I could also probably back up and say at the time, and this has a lot more to do with like my upbringing, my experience being raised as a first-generation Canadian. So I'll I'll mention that I'm the youngest of four, and in my family of six, including my parents, I'm the only Canadian born. And where we lived in Calgary was very predominantly white. Like there wasn't even a lot of other cultures or ethnicities. It was like most mostly white, sprinkle of Asians, and then literally just my family in one entire school of like an elementary school of like a thousand with just my my siblings, me and my siblings, so the only black people. And so I'm mentioning it because it gave me a perspective of like, you know, as black women, people of African descent, we go through puberty earlier. So I do know that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, definitely. We actually do.

SPEAKER_01:

We actually go through puberty a couple, sometimes one, two, sometimes a little bit earlier. Yeah, but statistically, we go through these changes earlier. So already I wasn't seeing other people reflecting with my body, and then I'm going through puberty and my body's changing in the ways I don't see anyone else going through these changes and being reinforced, like there's something wrong with me, you know? Like, how do I conform my body to these people? Because I didn't know that information earlier. I I didn't know what was happening, I just was comparing myself to my peers. Needless to say, I think it gave me a reference point as health, being healthy is being thin, is being smaller. And then, of course, the materials, reading materials I was looking into, like I said, pouring over these magazines, and it was all like, here's how to lose weight, here's how to lose weight, and then written by registered dietitians. So I just kind of thought, okay, this is what they help people do. Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_00:

It was very narrow-sided.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

That's interesting because like God actually turned that out for your good, and you're now changing people's lives. It's exactly an impacting people.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's one of the reasons why I wanted to work with youth, is because I wanted to be a voice for them when I think and there was so much I needed to hear at that time that I didn't have someone giving me these this kind of information and advice, and it would have saved me a lot of challenge. Yeah, yeah, it would have saved me from a lot.

SPEAKER_00:

Is there something that when you were I have two questions, but I'll ask this first. Is there something that when you were a kid or when you were a teenager in your early 20s that you were doing that you think were maybe other people like someone like me or look at you and I no, I used to look at you and be like that, and you had a your body's hot, like sorry, buddy. I was just like really that is so funny because I'm looking at you with your curves, and yeah, I'm like, whoo. Thank you. But still, but that's another thing. We're all like I think women are just beautiful in different ways in different forms, yes, yeah. But like, do you think that there's something or what's something that you did in those younger years that were super unhealthy? But when we looked at you, we just felt like yeah, we didn't see those. We're like, wow, yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, so yeah, this is related to my My last point about like taking into context my upbringing, being you know, not having other people that can see around me to to reflect, see myself in, right? Being the only, literally the only black person. And that was the same through even high school. I think I was the only black person in my whole graduating year. Sorry, there must have been maybe one mixed mixed person, maybe one other, but either way, like numbers to count on one hand, right? So that was my point of reference all this time growing up. And what it did for me was tell me that what is valuable is to be is to be thin, is to be smaller. And you know, at that young, impressionable age, you're not you're not really thinking, oh, what are my parents telling me? You're thinking, what do my peers think of me? How can I conform myself to be more like them? So I I didn't have the language for that at that time, but I just knew I I wanted to fit in. I felt always outcast or somehow, even if I was involved or around, I just still wasn't, wasn't, you know, it was like that thing that's unsaid that's like, okay, but you're over. You're different, you're different, right? And so very early, I remember being quite concerned about my weight and and having gone through puberty early. It made me early think that there's something wrong. When I've always naturally been small, I've always naturally been athletic, you know, and yeah, so it just tells you the psychology of the mind and how how powerful that is. Fun fact too is that, you know, as in our field as in studying nutrition and well-being, you know, we also talk about like what goes what can happen when your eating relationship, your food relationship goes wrong. So thinking about going down the line of eating disorders, disordered eating, which is definitely what happened to me. But one of the risk factors is not only age, but it can happen to anyone at any point in time, but especially with the younger you are, the more impressionable. But another thing that puts you at risk is assimilation. So essentially, when somebody has to is put in a situation they feel like they have to assimilate to, you can also use maybe somebody immigrating, coming from a different country to a new place. That your thing that you're faced with, like, okay, I have to conform to what's around me, is actually a very high risk factor of developing disordered eating and eating disorders.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, wow. I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah. So that was that was my story. I didn't obviously have the words and the language for it at the time, but it definitely put me on a path. What I thought was healthy was really just trying to attain the smallest possible body that I could. And in my efforts to do that, I actually was very unhealthy. So that that running that you were seeing that I was doing, which I did love running, but there's always you learn to find a balance with even things that can be healthy if done too often, incorrectly, through pain, you know, not in good form, can be unhealthy. And I definitely had an unhealthy relationship with exercise, just doing too much, doing doing way more. I mean, I'd work out five, six days a week. Sometimes I'd work out and run on those same days, but a lot of the times I would just go for these long runs. I just take put my shoes on and just be going. The thing is, I had knee issues throughout most of my life, but I ran through the pain, I ran through all of those things, and then I was not eating nearly enough to replenish. And so I was not eating enough calorically to replenish, right? And that was more the disordered eating came, like you know, just like fear of you know, weighing food, measuring food, thinking tabulating calories of everything that you're eating, like really just in a way to control every aspect of what you're taking in and what you're burning in efforts to maintain a small, the smallest body.

SPEAKER_00:

That's crazy. Yeah, that's I haven't feel like you did you went on to this profession for you too. Because I'm sure that, oh, I think that going into being a diet, or studying to be a dietitian, you start to pick up on all the unhealthy habits. And you're like, oh, I need to self-correct this. I need to what can I do?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, actually, it's kind of the inverse because most people who are going into the nutrition profession, and let's say, let's say going in younger, right? Like right from high school to, you know, university, that stage when you're like, okay, what should I do? What are my interests? I think I can't remember what the statistic statistic is, but a large percentage of people going into the nutrition program have some type of disordered eating or unhealthy relationship with food in the sense of not unhealthy, like eating lots of junk food, but in the opposite. The opposite, in sense of being like very restrictive, very regimented, very rigid, right? Because when you think about it, uh most people were like me, you know, oh, they stumbled upon something around health, they like to stay fit, they figured out ways to kind of manipulate food to keep a certain body frame. And you know, you just think, oh, this is perfect for me. And so why I say it's kind of the inverse is because it I didn't think I needed help, really. I didn't think I was like anything was no, I was like, this is I'm gonna go spread the gospel to all the people in the land. Not spread the gospel. No, this really um you you feel like oh I figured it out, you know? Yeah, and it was through going through the nutrition program and did the degree, which focuses on core science principles of like what the body needs to thrive, what nutrients and vitamins you need, how does that change during different stages of life? And it actually helped heal me because I realized oh, this is not this isn't a tool to manipulate your body. This is something that is a part of thriving and being being well, right? So, so yeah, it actually helped me when I didn't think.

SPEAKER_00:

And that's good though. Like I said, like God really took something and made it for your good. Absolutely, everything was ended up being for your good.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely, yeah. Everything down to even my knee injuries and over exercising to the point that I needed surgeries and stuff like that to correct my knees. That's come up back up in my life now as well. Just like, you know, finding balance, figuring out how to care for your body while you're trying to maintain an active lifestyle. Just certainly.

SPEAKER_00:

Because you still like to be active, you still like to run, and there's nothing wrong with that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. But like just But now I can I can do it in a way that I can sustain it for a long time.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, whereas, you know, maybe it's common, right? Somebody who just decides, like, oh, I'm just gonna get into Pilates or working out or whatever. Everybody does this. You go you go so hard the first few weeks, you you hurt yourself. And then you're like, oh my god, this isn't for me, or you know what I mean? So I think through that earlier experience in my life, it's let me led me to have have longevity with being able to move my body in ways that are enjoyable and also good for me.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, that's awesome! Yeah, I really like this. Thank you for being open. Yes, absolutely. So when you told your so yeah, I always want to ask parents, Nigerian parents, are their reactions. Yes. So when you told your parents, what do they want you to be? What was your vision? Or when you told them I wanted to be, I want to be a dietitian. Mommy, I want to be a deity. Okay, what was that?

SPEAKER_01:

You're taking me back. That's so funny. So, yeah, typical Nigerian parents, same thing. I mean, to be fair, I didn't really hear that, let me not lie. Yeah, it was definitely like, oh, you could be a doctor, especially I'd always shown interest in sciences, biology, that kind of thing. So I'm sure there was, you know, oh, you should try to be a doctor, but you know what? I'm the fourth last born of four. I think by the time they got to me, they're just like, you know, do what you want. No, not not like that, but I I know for sure that like, and you know what it probably was is that I knew. Remember from 16, I was already talking about you know, entering into this field. So they could see I was interested, they could see I was passionate. So I think they were like, okay, but it definitely took some convincing because yeah, both of them are like, what is what is that? Right. So you're just gonna be coming up with diets for people, you're gonna be telling people what to eat. And um, yeah, and then my mom's a nurse, a registered nurse, and so she would work, she she's seen dietitians work, but in her mind, she doesn't really know what happened. She's just like, she remembers, you know, seeing a dietitian in like a long-term care facility for seniors, you know, handing handing somebody a bottle of NSH or something like that. So she's like, what is it and what does it pay? But but yeah, I think they came to know, like, yeah, it is a respected field. It's I think it's especially grown more in the years as you know, you know, we get more recognition as I don't want to say nutrition experts. I'd never call myself an expert simply because there's so many different ways to look at nutrition. But yeah, I think they are happy that I found something that connects with me, like you said, fits with my life story, and I find purpose in it.

SPEAKER_00:

So you find purpose and you're helping and you're helping people. Wait, I have a I have a question. Ask what is the difference between a nutritionist?

SPEAKER_01:

This is a good question. Actually, I told myself I should bring this up. Okay, good. Yeah, because it's a common common nutrition. Yeah, it's a common question. So, really the difference is so uh being a registered dietitian is a protected title, meaning that to be able to call yourself a registered dietitian, and and the qualifications are pretty much similar a lot of places, but I'll talk about like in Alberta where I'm licensed. You have to have gone through a four-year nutrition and food science degree. Following that, completing a one-year internship, and then have written an exam, our licensing exam that gains you access into our professional college. And then this is the college that you have to maintain competency to. So you have to prove year after year that you are remaining competent, you are remaining relevant, up to date on you know, on your practice.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And so those are the stipulations. So that's why it's regulated term because it diff distinct distinguishes you from somebody that might just have taken a six-week online course for you know some type of thing and is calling themselves a nutritionist, right? But actually, some years ago now, they actually the call, our college, the dietitians of colleges of Alberta, also protected the term nutritionist. So in in Alberta, actually, if you are a nutritionist, that is a protected term for registered dietitians to use. I think they wanted to make sure people weren't misusing the term. But yeah, that's that's essentially the difference. So what you find is that a registered dietitian is more likely to also work in a clinical capacity. Yes, you know, with doctors as part of a team in hospitals, whereas, you know, that wouldn't be a nutritionist who would who would do that. Yeah. But dietitians can work in every other capacity too, working on developing menus, working with chefs, working, you know, with restaurants. That's so cool. Yeah, yeah. Working with schools, I guess. Yeah, schools, like every kind of institution. There's food, food is a big part of you know, so much of day-to-day life. So there's private practice dietitians who run their own practice, there's dietitians that work in public health. So working in policy development around food, food access.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I didn't think about it. Yeah, yeah, actually, yeah. You just opened my whole mind to something that I've never thought about. I was just thinking of hospitals. Like, I think when I think of dietitians, I think of hospitals, I think of like maybe individuals that are trying to do better with your diet in a more healthy way, yeah, more sustainable way. Yes, yeah. I think about um highest schools. I was just thinking of kids, yeah, yeah, making sure that they have the nice nutrends and you're not giving them nonsense and pizza and fries in school.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

That's all I think about.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, oops, I hope I didn't shift anything. Are you okay?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I think we're okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think we're friends.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, okay. Yeah, that, but also like sports dietitians, like I would love to be LeBron's. Like, that's a whole nother level of, and so of course, when you walk out of your degree, you have like the base. You come out of your program, you really have like just like base level knowledge that can and like the skills that you can probably transfer to different areas, but there's a lot of different streams you can take. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh wow. That's I don't know. I feel like I'm being educated. That's what I'm here for. Yeah, and you mentioned that you like food. Yes. I think you mentioned that you like cooking. So, what's your personal story with food when it comes to having fun with food?

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, I like this question. Oh, so I think in the beginning, I was just excited to try everything. Because I think you're learning foundational skills, right? Like how to saute, how to boil, how to steam. My poor mom, because I would I love her cooking. She cooks down her rice and stew, chop notch. But I would come back and be like from school or wherever I learned things and be like, this is how you boil broccoli and make it still still green, or this is how like you should be making. Luckily, it was a collaborative process, and she's she still kept some of those skills. But yeah, so I think it was just like the foundations, basics, trying different cuisines. And yeah, I think I got to the point. I think that journeying with food, you know, the more comfortable you that you get, like, and also like now being a pref being a professional, meal prepping was something I had to do. You know what I mean? Like a lot of us figuring out like how to batch cook, or you know, so I think things try to keep it fun, but sometimes it's just like okay, we're just gonna eat these two, three meals and rotate them. Yeah, so maybe there's not as much fun there.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, but you had fun as a kid though, coming home and telling your mom, okay, mommy, no, this is what we're going to do, and then bring those ingredients and then all of those.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yes. I like I remember each time I was like, wow, I can make pasta sauce from scratch, I can make pizza dough. Like the idea that you can take something like from nothing and create it to be something. Yeah, okay. I I still I still love that. I still find wonder in that, but now I'm a mom, I don't know. I don't have time with time, we'll get back there. With time, you'll get back there. Yeah, I think we'll get back there.

SPEAKER_00:

So you're talking, and I'm just thinking when you're saying that I'm making these things from scratch, and I'm just like having a bit of anxiety.

SPEAKER_01:

Really? To me, like talking about it, I'm like, oh yeah, no, like I love I love that stuff. I love that.

SPEAKER_00:

But I I think I'm in a place right now where I'm trying my best. Oh, I have been. You did a good one. You bet you, I bet you have too. I'm trying to like cook more, I'm cooking for myself more. I'm enjoying, low-key enjoying that. I'm not, I'm eating what I want. Because I don't necessarily always like I realize that my value system is not to eat out all the time. When I say eat out all the time, if I want to eat out, I want to eat out good. Yes, like I want it to be tasty, same.

SPEAKER_01:

Something I can't make it myself at home. Like I want it to be, yeah, something different.

SPEAKER_00:

Or even if I can make it at home, I want to make sure that it's worth it. Yeah, yeah, I'm with you. When I order in, half of the time I'm throwing the food in because I don't like it. Yeah, it's like a waste of my money, and then things like that. But like something that I'm yeah, I'm embracing. That's great because we all still have those struggles, and you showed me, or you thought, oh, yes, I have to say this. So like disclaimer. No, there's no disclaimer. I'm saying so like years ago, I got because I I had like um issue, issues with my diet, my digestive digestion. Yeah, so there was a lot going on, and nobody could help me. I was like, I have a friend as a day. What are we doing? So I called to someone's like, hey, this is what is happening. Can you help me? And then we did some sessions and then I think you and one of the things I shared with you was I really don't like cooking. Yeah, and you thought me, but I do like making things beautiful. I actually do, yeah. So you thought me plating, yes, you do like I know you on my Instagram's like, Abby, I can see your platform. I'm always like, Oh, get it, girl.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, because we do we eat with our eyes, yeah. And I think that's one nice thing when you have the chance to make a meal. It could literally be indomet and egg and you know, vegetables cut in it, but like make it pretty, you know what I mean? It helps you slow down, it helps you savor, I think.

SPEAKER_00:

And that's why I cook. I that's that's something I look forward to after I cook. Right. Because I enjoy playing and I like to make every I like to make anything beautiful. I love that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so that was you took that still. Yeah, I always still have to rate it when I see you posting.

SPEAKER_00:

Or another thing I learned from you was a little voice in my head about just a little bit of maybe you should just have a yogurt. Because I think I told you that sometimes I skip meals.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. I just it's so common.

SPEAKER_00:

Skip meals at least. It's so common. We're busy, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

We're busy, we're distracted, we have 10 things on the go.

SPEAKER_00:

Like, oh, just take a banana, or when you finish working out, um if it's just a banana, just have it because it helps your body recover better. So I have all those little voices.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm saying you just hear cheese, I'm just being like, okay, okay. So I think you're subconscious.

SPEAKER_00:

No, yes, I'm not in play. Uh no, I'm happy. So, growing up in an African household, how did that shape your view on food and healthy living? Because we have this, I feel like there's a personal feeling or opinion that there's a misconception that our food is not healthy. How did living in an African household and living in a place that's predominantly white shape your view on food and our food as well?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So you can probably guess like I used to eat everything, all of our food. We've always predominantly eating Nigerian food at home. And but then, of course, the second you get to like okay, you're packing, you're taking your packed lunch stage, you're eating, you're bringing your lunch to school. People are like, What's that? Whatever. That's when I started to have a complex. Because after a few, like, what's that smell? What is that kind of thing? And then also me too, no noticing that, like, my parents really didn't pack any packaged snacks, not a not a single juice box, not a single, you know, cookies, crackers. It was like, here's your restaurant stew, these are fruit, and you drink water, you'll be fine. And you know, which is actually quite healthy. But in my mind, I wasn't concerned about health. I was just like, I want dunkaroots too. You know, I don't want that at all. I want gushers, I want these packaged snacks. But yeah, I think so. Initially, that was just like what looking at food as like, okay, this is not appetizing, our food is not good. I would, I would be shy. I remember especially if like, because you know, when we cook soup or use anything like stockfish or those kinds of things, it smells up the whole house. And I'd be so embarrassed if any of my friends came to knock on the door. I'd be like, oh my god, and we enter the ground. And yeah, it's really quite sad. So I think I shied away from our foods and was just like try to, you know, embrace more Western, you know, white people food. Yeah. I'm thinking that, and then you get into nutrition, and it's you know, the what you're being taught is from a Western lens. So I remember seeing the like, you know, in in years, the early years of my degree, even my degree, still learning, bringing back some principles that I've learned and now looking at critically at our diet. And so, for example, one of the things you can even look it up now, like the new, the most recent Canada's food guide is a just shows you a plate and it shows half the plate that's fruits and vegetables, a quarter that's grains and starches, and then the other quarter is like proteins. And you know, we call this like the healthy plate. This is a plate that you know is helpful to regulate blood sugars, weight, all those kinds of things. And I remember coming home and showing my dad, like, this is this the portion of rice that you should have in a plate. When I tell you, this man cackled, like, he didn't just laugh. He was like, What? What are you talking about? What are you talking about? No, he's good. He was like, Are you mad? Are you crazy? And then I'm thinking here too, I'm like, you know what? This man eats like twice a day. He has like two meals a day. He's not like, you know, whereas I think in the West, the Western world, it's like frequent snacks, frequent meals, regular meals, snacks in between. And so that was when I started to challenge that idea of like, is it wrong? You know, is it necessarily wrong? And now when you think back to the lifestyle of where this type of pattern of eating heavier meals, you know, and fewer in between came, like our people were, you know, doing manual labor. They were farming, they're in a hot climate. You know, that idea of like, oh, I'll just eat small, small food is not gonna cut it when you have to be out, you know, on the road in the heat or doing whatever you're doing.

SPEAKER_00:

And you don't have time to snap.

SPEAKER_01:

You don't have time to snack. And even like, you know, maybe more modern days, it's just not as part of the culture. Our foods are dense and nutritious and filling. I was gonna say it carries you a longer. It colors you a longer. You can't tell me that you know, some yam and egg stew is you can't compare it to, you know, yeah, a donut and coffee. You know what I mean? Yeah, so yeah, I think I've that knowing and experiencing the this culture and then being taught nutrition in a Western culture, I see that dichotomy, and it helps me practice better because I'm able to like cut through the BS, the stuff that's like, no, I don't, I don't believe that you you you have to, you know, can't cook with palm oil, or you can't, you know, um, you can't you can only have this small portion of starch. I don't, I don't, I know that to not be true, and so it helps me focus on the individual.

SPEAKER_00:

How do you help because I know you focus on kid um teenagers? How do you help parents? And how do you help the kids? Because I assume that the parent okay, make correct me from yes, yeah. Do the parents have to be there in the room?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yes, yeah. So so yeah, so for reference, yeah, my training and my current practice, my full-time job, daytime job, I work as a pediatrician. Sorry, I'm calling myself a whole physician. No, no, a pediatric dietitian. Dietician, yeah. So that's where the bulk of my training and my specialty is. And so in here, a child is anywhere 17, like under 18, right? So I can see kids as young as two all the way up to 17, 18. So lots of different lifestyle stages, right? So I would say, like, typically for the most part, I'm always having the parent and the family because the child can't really control their groceries, who's cooking, you know what I mean? And so we always make it family friendly, especially that kid likely has siblings, and so you have to think, you know, can are you gonna go tell this child to go eat something or eat in a different way than the rest of the family? So it really is a family focus without trying to like isolate the child, and yeah. So, but in some cases, yeah, if there's like an older teenager and you know, I've met with the parents once, then sometimes, yeah, I do see with them, meet with them one-on-one.

SPEAKER_00:

So, okay. So, knowing that, how do you because I wasn't sure if it was like you meet the mom or you meet the dad and then you meet the kids separately, but if it's together, yeah. How do you convince the parents? Because some parents come, I imagine that some parents will come from an aggressive perspective for the child, and some kids have their own idea of what like it's kind of you go through like a therapic thing with the children, like okay, what is happening? What's the real issue? You ask me some certain questions, I remember them and I realize that oh, actually, certain things stress me out, and this is why I miss my meals, right? And this is what's causing XYZ. Yes. So, how do you help to manage that?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, well, in general, I think like one of the easiest ways to get to know some, not everything about a person is just like, tell me what you eat in a day. And it's not because I think most people think I'm judging them, thinking like, okay, how much sugar are you eating, how much takeout are you having? But no, it's just like everything from like, oh, well, I I have three kids, and so I have to wake up in the morning and make all their breakfasts and lunches, and so I don't eat until noon. You know, something like a small detail like that gets you know no idea like of their lifestyle. So when I sit with families and we talk about, okay, what would a typical day of eating look like? Who eats where? Do you guys eat together? You know, when it comes to accessing or deciding what is prepared, who decides what, certain things like that. Are there any rules? Does do they have to clean their plate and eat everything? Do you know a lot of those kind of questions gives you context clues to kind of understand the dynamic of food and nutrition in that household?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. And so how do I convince them?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, how do you like get the parent to buy in? Buy into the what the child really needs. Yeah. And also, how do you get the child to buy in to what they really need?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, well, it's it's difficult. Like again, so we're now talking about behavior change because most people think, oh, if I know different, I will do different. But knowledge is like 10% of what you know helps people form a behavior or change. And the rest of it is so has to do with so much. So I always from the beginning explain to families that like my role here is like I'm I I can be your coach in the sense that we're we're on the same team, we might have the same mission, but we might draw up a plan and kind of collaborate to see how we're going to get to that goal, but I'm not going to take steps ahead of you. Okay. Right? So I think it's helpful to meet people where they're at because I won't say like, hey kid, you need to start doing X, Y, and Z, right? Sometimes the parents are like, Can you please mention to them about their vegetables?

unknown:

Please tell them.

SPEAKER_01:

Please tell them to eat these. But even in that case, like I'm not gonna follow them home, right? So it's a recurrence job. Yeah, exactly. So it's really about like, I think building rapport is huge, you know, coming from a non-judgmental angle, providing education, but letting them know they can lead and take things in bite-sized pieces. And I think once they do that, it removes the armor because most people come thinking that I am going to judge them, that I'm going to roll out the list of things that they shouldn't have, or you know, like all these diet shows and TVs where they go and take a garbage bag and and still throwing out violently all the packages of chips and junk food and everything like that. Like sometimes it's sometimes me daddy. I don't know, you won't catch me. That's not the kind of dietitian I am. But no, um, low-key, that's sometimes what people are thinking that I'm going to say or do. And then when I'm like, oh no, we're not here to make drastic changes that I'm gonna sustain. Like, let's talk about making small steps that can add up to more, and they're usually a bit more agreeable.

SPEAKER_00:

So, do you think that our diet or relationship with food changes as we get older?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, absolutely. You could probably even ask yourself, like, what did you think was important to you when you were younger? When you're like, yeah, let's say like even university days, like what did you think of?

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know if I thought a lot of I don't think I thought a lot about things because for most of my life, not most of my life, for most of my I think up until 22 or 20, 22, I was on. I used to forget to eat a lot. I'll just forget compared to now. Oh, and oh, what that did to me is now I'll get hungry, yeah. And if I forget, I will I get a very bad headache.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, yeah, yeah, your body will tell you.

SPEAKER_00:

That's still with you now. So like I think it was from childhood where I forget to eat, and then now it's like sometimes I don't even get hungry, I just get a headache. Oh, like so now I don't want to get a headache. Right. So like I have to eat something, yeah, and I do like food. Yeah, I think I enjoy, oh, I enjoy flavors, yeah. I don't like to cook, but I love to eat right. So I think the dream. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I think absolutely, like I I also know that our relationship to food is very linked with our relationship to our bodies, and I think you know, we all have one body we're traveling through life with, and that that body changes. And sometimes, you know, when that body changes, that you know, that can shift how we're thinking about food, how we're thinking about how we should be eating, and those kinds of things. And then, yeah, lifestyle. It's a lot different when you have all the time in your world, you know what I mean, versus when you're like you know, a busy corporate life working plus or minus a partner or spouse or kids?

SPEAKER_00:

That's a lot, you can't even think about just yourself anymore.

SPEAKER_01:

It's not easy, and I like it. Like, I I like I like cooking, I like thinking about food, I I like I like nutrition, and it's still hard, still hard. So, man, yeah, we all need to find our ways. Better ways, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So, okay, what would be an advice? So, like realistic small steps that we could take to do better and also not obsess over the qualities.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yeah, okay. I think a big thing I always like to ask people, because I think the instinct is to what can I cut out on my diet? Most people are like, what can I stop eating? What can I fast from? Because of all the influence we have, whether intermittent fasting, keto, whatever you name it. I think that's most people's first thought. But I always like to ask, like, what can you add in? So what's what's missing? You know, like are you eating frequently enough, right? Are you because the truth is is that if our body isn't being well fed or nourished, that can be one of the triggers of a lot of like appetite ups and downs and you know, difficulty managing your portions and cravings, fatigue, and things like that. So, yeah, so I'd say, like, what can I add in? Maybe that's you know, are you having enough fruits and vegetables? Maybe add that to a meal or your snacks, making sure your meal has a little bit of protein, a little bit of grain or starch, some some some vegetables, maybe fruits, things like that. Yeah, and yeah, the body responds well when it's well nourished.

SPEAKER_00:

So less pain to like you're drinking enough water.

SPEAKER_01:

That one too. Yeah, adding to adding in, yeah. Think about what you need to do. Add, yeah, exactly. Adding movement, adding sleep. Man, that's an important one, especially the older we get.

SPEAKER_00:

Sleep is a hard one for me these days, hard one for me, and so I I was listening, I was watching something, and they said that one of the best ways to prevent this wine is actually so nice. Yeah, it is, it is one of the best ways to avoid or reduce your chances of getting dementia is sleep, and Alzheimer's sleep.

SPEAKER_01:

Is it true? Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So you were saying I was like, Oh shit, I haven't slept enough this week.

SPEAKER_01:

You've been working, you've been putting in time, girl.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, but I'm gonna sleep well this weekend.

SPEAKER_01:

I hope so.

SPEAKER_00:

But like, yeah, I was just saying that it was saying that like you need to sleep. Somebody even said sleep seven hours or eight hours or ten hours or nine hours. I was like, I wake up, but just sleep enough.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, it's yeah, it's hard to do all the all the pieces. I think if somebody literally like did all the things, slept really well, ate well, you know, was active well, had a great social life and mental health. I'm just like, yeah, it's hard to jump with all of them, I think realistically.

SPEAKER_00:

Something sometimes has to give, but we hope God just gives us long life so we can keep trying again. But when you look at like when we look at older people, so people a parents' generation or older than them, yeah, or maybe a bit younger than our parents, when we look at them, the people that you're looking at and they're like, oh, they look healthy, they look this. When you ask them things, and when you ask your kids, like, oh, daddy always ran, daddy always tried, daddy doesn't eat after this time. Yes, you hear them. So you hear all those things, and those are things I hear. I'm like, oh yeah, you know what? I'm gonna try to copy this. Yeah. We have comfort food. Is there anything that comforts the comfort food?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, I have, I really can only think of ah Knote. I can think of three. The first one is rice and stew.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, you said rice and stew like three thousand times. Never said it again, oh you said like, oh, your mom makes best rice and stew. Yeah. Stew to school.

SPEAKER_01:

No, honestly, I'm one of those, like, okay, if I had to choose Jolov or Rice and Stew, no, actually, let me not even put those up here.

SPEAKER_00:

No, but rice and stew is low-key underrated. Is that still bangs? Is that steel bangs?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm telling you, and with some fried plantain, like the perfect kind, like you know, where it's ripe, but not too much.

SPEAKER_00:

So not too ripe. Yeah, I'm just like golden and thick. Just sprinkle some salt on this.

SPEAKER_01:

No, that is like a meal. I could have I could have rice and stew.

SPEAKER_00:

And it can be rice and stew with any protein.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yeah. Turkey, chicken. Actually, yeah, that'd probably stick between turkey. Beef, yeah. You can beef beef. But I'm not a bummer. You'll leave all those. I like bomb.

SPEAKER_00:

I like bombard, but I don't like shaky.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I'm not I would eat it. No, I don't like shaky. No, I don't like it. Just no no no no no no, just give me chicken. That's my Canadian side. I'll be like, just give me chicken. I'll eat it, but no, I'll eat it. But that's a comfort food, fries.

unknown:

Oh, I like it.

SPEAKER_01:

I can always eat fries. McDonald's fries, yeah. McDonald's fries. Always eat fries. And then, oh, there was there's something that came to my mind and it's gone. Yeah, can't think of everyone. No, no, okay. Grilled a grilled cheese. Like, if I'm having like a low appetite, I'm not feeling great. Maybe it's not comfort, but it's like a food I can consistently have if I'm like not feeling. Yeah, like it's quick. Yeah, it's cheese and bread.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, what can you say? Yeah, it's comfort. What's mine? What's yours? Yeah, what do I like? I love fries.

SPEAKER_01:

I think fries is my number one thing. If I'm eating at a restaurant, fries must be there. Yeah, like I must have fries.

SPEAKER_00:

Can I get a side of fries?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, exactly. They're like next two years, sushi, okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, none of your business. Fries. I love cupcakes. I like I like cakes.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, cake too.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, so if I'm having a sad day, if I'm feeling really low, yeah, I want a little piece of cake. What kind? Uh I don't like chocolate.

SPEAKER_01:

No, neither.

SPEAKER_00:

Carrot cake, red velvet, red velvet. But I think carrot cake would be like the one I go to the most. Um it's moist, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

With a little nuts in it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, and then they sometimes they put raisins in it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yeah. Yeah, you like a complex layered type of perfection.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yes, and then I think those are my two to go comfort. Yeah, but I think fries is the fastest for me because I also don't I have it more salty to it than sweet. Ah, okay, okay. So fries is like by oh, sometimes if I'm feeling really bad, yeah, I'll go get a cake to make myself feel better.

SPEAKER_01:

And it usually works for a little bit.

SPEAKER_00:

Sometimes if I want to celebrate my life. I don't get it. Sometimes you what? If I want to celebrate my life.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I thought you said you want to salad.

SPEAKER_00:

I was like, celebrate if I want to go celebrate my life, I'll get a cake.

SPEAKER_01:

Cake, cake to celebrate or to drown your sorrows.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Either one, depending on the day.

SPEAKER_00:

Either one, yes.

SPEAKER_01:

It's funny.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I know that you're really busy, you're a new mom. How is the transition?

SPEAKER_01:

To being a mom. To being a mom and working mom, because that girl, that's a whole

SPEAKER_00:

Between a mom and also your you just got back to work. How is the transition? Yeah, okay. Do you feel guilty?

SPEAKER_01:

No. No, I I I don't for me personally, I didn't have that thought, and I kept thinking that I would. You know, a lot of moms will feel like their their their brain is split or their body is split, like you you you're with your child, but then you're physically at work. I didn't have that feeling. Maybe because he got adjusted to daycare really well before I started work. I think that was key because I was like, okay, he's good. Yeah, yeah, he's good. I can go in and do my thing. But I think let's let's fast forward. So your first question about transition to motherhood. Yes. It's been the most sorry, whirlwind, but the most beautiful thing in my life.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh yeah. Yeah, it's actually gonna be and you're gonna love being a mom.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh yeah, I really love being a I love being a mom, particularly to my boy. He is the best, he's the best boy. And yeah, and then transition to work life and mom life is hard. It's hard. But I think I'm still kind of easing in. So I think some things will get easy easier, but if you ask any parent, it's hard. It's hard. That's the truth. That's the thing, but you know, anything worth doing in life is what is hard. So you gotta figure out ways to do it.

SPEAKER_00:

So I know last year my mantra was you can do hard things.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yes, and as a and as a parent, especially, or in any situation where you're kind of pushed to rise above, you're surprised at what you can do. You can do, right? And it's definitely been that. I'm like, I've been up since six. How am I still not today? Not today, but you know, no, no, no, no, not today, thankfully. But yeah, you just find a way to keep going, and I think that's been beautiful.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, it's awesome. Yeah, but thank you so much. This was actually I I found this very interesting. Good. I did learn a lot about what it is to be a dietitian, like what you need to be a dietitian.

SPEAKER_01:

I'll quiz you on it later to see if you can remember all this. I still remember.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm teasing you, I'm teasing you, and then also like thank you for being open about your journey with food, how you got into your profession, and I think it's inspiring that you're also giving back to communities by helping. If people wanted to yes, and if people wanted to find you, say somebody wanted to because you do have a I do have yeah, you could say that.

SPEAKER_01:

But the funny thing is that one, I'm not accepting new clients right now because sorry guys, uh because yeah, still trying to figure out full-time work and mom life, so I'm not actively taking new clients, and I don't actually have I think the fact that I'm truly the only, unless unless somebody out there can tell me different, the only African dietitian in Calgary that I know of. Yeah, that it's word of mouth. I really haven't had to really market too much, and so yeah, I wish I had like a website or something to refer people to, but it's really just been word of mouth.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

So they should not try to find you, they should not try to find me. No, I think you know, I am working on some things. I guess stay tuned. I'm working on some things. I think there's a couple things I want to, couple, couple projects, couple things I wanna work on, and that would involve me putting myself out there a bit more. Yes, and hope hopefully this year, but we'll see how it goes.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm going to follow up with you.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, don't be on my case, please.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm gonna be like, Chisum. Oh what's going on?

SPEAKER_01:

No, okay, I wouldn't, I wouldn't. Yeah, no, no, I'm joking. Yeah, no, yeah, no, but uh yeah, I think there's some projects, things that I'm interested in doing and the future.

SPEAKER_00:

So thank you so much, chisel, for joining and also for being open and being honest and sharing your journey and your story with food, about your profession, and how you've overcome everything.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you so much for having me. Honestly, this was fun. I was looking forward to it, and it did not disappoint. You are a great interviewer. Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

I felt so comfortable. You're gonna have to kick me out. Thank you, thank you so much. And guys, thank you for staying to the end. Again, my name is Abby, I'm your host on growing through the madness. Madness. Please do not forget to support me. Support, support, support, support, support. She's doing great things. Thank you. And the handle is growing through the madness or growing ttm on YouTube and on Instagram. That's where that those are the only places you can find me. YouTube and Instagram. Thank you. And let's cheers again. Cheers.

unknown:

Awesome. Bye. Bye.

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Abi Sanni

Host