A story shared by Registered Dietitian, Victoria Fabbo:
WELLness to me means: getting enough sleep, eating 3 vegetables, 2 fruits, and exercising at least 30 minutes a day. How one achieves all of this is WELLness. To be conscious of our body’s needs and acknowledging and accepting that these actions must be completed for me to feel WELL. We are not completing these things to just complete; we are doing it to feel WELL, bliss, happy and peaceful.
Food is meant to be played with in the kitchen. Spend time cooking and playing in the kitchen. Turn on your favorite music genre or TV show. My favorite is to “have music going and call a loved one to cook together” and enjoy the process of cooking. Like any life skill, it does not come naturally always, but practicing this skill will help you become greater. My biggest fault is not always adding salt to my meals because of seeing my grandparents and their health. That hinders my dishes. So, I have had to practice adding salt to my meals to “enhance the flavor”. That is Salt’s essential value.
I wanted to become a dietitian after I finished my A.S in Baking & Pastry Arts at Johnson & Wales. After I spent 3 months in France studying, I was faced with helping my grandparents as they aged with their comorbidities and seeing how they were unable to perform their essential daily needs without assistance. I said, “I cannot cause others to have comorbidities: Diabetes, Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and Hypertension (HTN).” By seeing the actions of eating poorly and continuing to choose this behavior and how it deteriorates one’s body; I said I want to help educate the public on nutrition and fueling their bodies.
Nutrition is important to me because it is the very essence of life. What was life prior to technology, to commercial farming to supermarkets? If we acknowledge where food comes from, how it is grown, the details needed to create crops, then we can train our bodies to feel what the earth is able to provide. Nutrition is feeding our bodies to be lean, in working condition. When we train our bodies to crave and desire processed foods then we have lost nutrition. Nutrition means, I can walk to work, walk up the stairs with my groceries, exercise and if I do not eat a well- balanced diet then I will not be able to perform life's essential tasks. Nutrition is important, at times throughout the year, I may become anemic, this is a reminder that I am not focusing on what my body needs to be whole, to feel 100%.
If I had to think of my favorite nutritious recipe, oh, I would always say my mom’s sauce recipe. As of late it has been whatever fruits are nearby and how I can incorporate them into my dishes. Making a date dish sweet with peanut butter or adding cranberries to my rice. If I acknowledge that I had my fruits and vegetables in all my dishes, it helps me feel mentally better. Trying new seasonings helps spark a happy hope in my heart. This feeling I thoroughly enjoy helps me get through the difficult times. Trying new things during difficult times helps me re-center into remembering that new skills are being created and are improving on. Take it slow and easy in any new recipe.
Thank you for your kindness, support and smiles,
Victoria
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