Fellow anti-diet dietitian Veronica Garnett joins us to discuss how weight stigma in dietetics affected her health and career, the emotional effects of restriction, the importance of representation and community in body liberation, how she’s finally realizing her childhood dream of hosting a cooking show, and so much more. Plus, Christy discusses why you don’t need to panic about “healthy eating” and fitness during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Veronica is a Health at Every Size®, fat-positive, and culinary registered dietitian with over 16 years of experience in the food and nutrition field. She provides individual and group culinary, nutrition and dietetics services that are culturally sensitive, weight-inclusive, and grounded in social justice. She is the creator and host of the forthcoming online cooking show, Diasporadical Kitchen, which aims to dismantle fatphobia, diet culture, and other oppressive systems using liberating conversations and highlighting foods from the African Diaspora. Veronica received her bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences from Howard University, her master’s degree in nutrition education from Columbia University, and most recently, her associate’s degree in culinary arts from Hudson County Community College.

In addition to her work as a dietitian and culinarian, Veronica is a plus-sized and body positive model. She is also an avid adventurista. She is the founder of Black Adventuristas, LLC, an organization with a mission to support the well being of Black women by connecting them to one another and adventure experiences in their local communities and beyond!

When Veronica is not dietitian-ing, cooking delicious food, jumping out of planes, or walking the runway, she can be found spending quality time with her family, friends, and dogs, Chewy and Pepper. Find her online at VeronicaGarnett.com.

We Discuss:

• How Veronica’s parents influenced her relationship with food growing up

• When she first became self-conscious of her body

• The long-lasting effects of trauma

• What motivated Veronica to pursue a career in dietetics

• How the dietetics field can contribute to disordered eating

• The emotional effects of restriction

• When she first learned about Health At Every Size

• Representation and community, and their importance in body liberation

• Why it can be difficult to practice as a HAES® dietitian

• Fatphobia in the dietetics field

• Weight stigma as a barrier to getting hired

• Why Veronica left her career as a dietitian, and her eventual return

• Her experiences in culinary school

• Her thoughts on Christy’s book, Anti-Diet

• Her plans to start a private practice and her upcoming online cooking show, Diasporadical Kitchen

Resources Mentioned

Some of the links below are affiliate links. Affiliates or not, we only recommend products and services that align with our values.

• Submit your questions for a chance to have them answered on the podcast!

• My online course, Intuitive Eating Fundamentals

• My book, Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating

• Help spread the anti-diet message by subscribing to the podcast

• Health At Every Size by Lindo Bacon (Lindo no longer recommends this book and prefers that people read Body Respect) 

• Christyna Johnson’s work, and her Food Psych® episode

• Ayana Habtemariam’s work, and her Food Psych episode

• Veronica’s website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

• Diasporadical Kitchen website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

Listener Question of the Week

Can exercise and healthy eating prevent COVID-19? Why might focusing on “wellness” during the pandemic be harmful? What are some strategies for people to prevent getting or spreading the virus?