Episode 17 - Starla Garcia, Registered Dietitian & Olympic Trials Qualifier

“It is so healing when people get back to their ancestral foods…those are always going to give us much more connection, not just to ourselves but when we’re out there, we’re going to feel more like ourselves. And that’s why people go for a run, right? To feel more like themselves.” Starla Garcia is a Registered Dietitian, owner of The Healthy Shine, LLC, 2020 Olympic Trials Qualifier, and body and cultural diversity advocate. She was also my dietitian and worked with me closely for 6 months on how to properly fuel and stay energized. Her journey to wellness came after battling an eating disorder as a Latina student-athlete during her collegiate years so we reflect on how displacement from culture, home, and community impacted her recovery and overall well-being. That experience was the catalyst that set her on the path of intuitive eating and developing a healthy relationship with cultural foods and exercise. Now her story is what fuels her mission to dismantle the restrictive mindset and rules that runners create around diets, exercise, and body image to help them align their nutrition with their performance goals. In this conversation, we tackle big topics like food sovereignty and explore the intersection of nutrition, community, and cultural traditions.   In This Episode: Starla Garcia on the Ali on the Run Show Ya no Estoy Aqui on Netflix (Mentioned by Dustin Martin in Grounded Pod Episode #13) The Boy From Medellín - Official Trailer (J Balvin’s Documentary) Casamigos Tequila   Follow Starla Garcia: Instagram: @starla_shines Twitter: @starla_shines Website: The Healthy Shine   Follow Grounded Pod: Instagram: @groundedpod Twitter: @groundedpod Facebook: facebook.com/groundedpodwithdinee   Subscribe, Listen, & Review on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Soundcloud | Stitcher   Music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM). This podcast was made possible through the Tracksmith Fellowship Program.