Interview with dietician Kalifa Rodriguez

Dietician Kalifa Rodriguez, M.Sc, RD, CBS, joins me today to chat about her new children’s non-fiction, Eating These Foods Makes Me….

During her virtual book tour, Kalifa will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:
Kalifa Rodriguez is a registered dietitian and certified breastfeeding specialist. She currently works as a clinical nutritionist in Montreal, Canada. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in nutritional biochemistry, she went on to complete a master’s degree in human nutrition and dietetics at McGill University. Kalifa is passionate about promoting healthy lifestyle choices through nutrition, exercise, and mindfulness. She also hopes to positively impact the community through her work by giving nutrition education sessions to community groups and organizations. Kalifa and her husband are parents to their delightful toddler, who is the inspiration for this book.

Welcome, Kalifa. Please tell us about your current release.
Eating These Foods Makes Me… is a children’s non-fiction book about nutrition and wellness. It is designed to introduce little ones to a variety of healthy foods and explain how their key nutrients benefit the body in a manner suitable for young readers and pre-readers (being read to). It also includes 2 bonus activity pages to help solidify their learning. Aside from the educational aspect, the book celebrates diversity and inclusivity and as kids read Eating These Foods Makes Me… the positive affirmations throughout the book help to empower their self-esteem and build a healthy relationship with food.

What inspired you to write this book?
I was inspired to write this book by my 2-year-old daughter, a picky eater who has faced many feeding/nutrition challenges since being born very prematurely. Back then, I would spend my days and nights in the NICU singing, praying, and reading to her, and this sparked my dream to write my own children’s book. Also, after searching for a nutrition-related children’s book that encompassed the values and concepts I wanted to share with my daughter, I noticed there weren’t many available, and since I’m a practicing registered dietitian I figured what better way to share my passion for nutrition than to fulfill that need and write a credible nutrition book for kids.

As a clinical nutritionist who works with an adult population, I see firsthand how many of the health issues people face – from self-esteem and mental health challenges to chronic diseases- could be prevented or at least reduced if they had some prior nutrition-related knowledge and developed healthy eating habits earlier in life. I also know that food is so much more than just the basic nutrition it provides. The foods we eat are tied to our family traditions, our values, and our identity, they significantly impact not only our physical but mental wellbeing.

Excerpt from Eating These Foods Makes Me…:
Fun Learning Activities to Promote Healthy Nutrition

Using paper and crayons or coloured pencils, draw a rainbow, and then draw a fruit or vegetable that is the same colour as each colour of the rainbow. You can even use this book for ideas. Remember to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables (at least 5 servings) each day! How many have you eaten today?
Do you like to play any sports or games? Do you like to walk to the park? Help your parents choose and prepare an energizing snack before the next game or walk to the park.
Eat your water? That sounds silly! Did you know that some fruits and veggies such as celery are mostly made up of water and can also help to keep you hydrated? Can you think of any others? Now try adding those slices of fruit or even cucumber to your water bottle to give it some pizazz.
Try introducing interactive sensory play for preschoolers (age 3 and older). Gather a variety of beans, nuts, or seeds on a tray or in a bowl with a spoon. Under adult supervision, let the preschooler feel, grab, and scoop the legumes, nuts, and seeds. See if the toddler can separate them based on different colours, sizes, and textures while the adult names each food and talks about how these foods make us strong from the proteins and smart from the healthy omega fats.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I have so many great ideas it’s just a matter of putting them down on paper. One, in particular, is to write a fictional story about a child who gets to go on a magical adventure to the West Indies and taste traditional culinary dishes and foods at each stop, the book would aim to highlight the nutritional aspects of Caribbean cuisine.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I guess writing has always been a special part of me that I never took seriously, or that I chose to ignore. While becoming an author has been a dream of mine for a while, it still feels strange at times to refer to myself as a writer, given that I only recently published my book a few months ago.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I am motivated by the sun, so I choose to do my writing outdoors or next to windows where lots of natural sunlight shines in. I also cannot start working on an empty stomach, so always make sure to have a satisfying meal or healthy snack right before I start and then take frequent snack breaks to recharge.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a doctor. From a very young age I was always fascinated by the human body and I knew I wanted to help people. I looked forward to biology class and I naturally excelled in the field of science. My family always supported my dream. It was only in college that I became more intrigued by the field of nutrition. Now I’m a clinical nutritionist, basically, the food doctor, while doctors primarily treat medical conditions with medicine, I treat them with food!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Yes, I make a conscious decision to take every opportunity to show gratitude! Thank you for showing interest in learning about me and my book Eating These Foods Makes Me… Nutrition is truly my passion and I feel blessed to be able to share it with you and your kids!