Do the Change with Nike Omomukuyo

Part 1: Do the Change with Nike Omomukuyo

TYRA PARRISH: Hi everyone! Welcome to the Do The Change podcast where we're challenging and reimagining OEHS. In this podcast we focus on highlighting upcoming leaders in their field and how they got to where they are today with the special focus on the field of Occupational Environmental Health but we're also touching on other topics as well. So we're going to be talking about all the hills and valleys of their journeys, get some insight into some non-traditional paths into the field. So my name is Tyra Parrish and I'm a recent graduate from the MPH program here at Cal and our guest for this episode is Nike Omomukuyo.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Omomukuyo.

TYRA PARRISH: Yes, close enough. I am so sorry.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: It's okay.

TYRA PARRISH: Just, full transparency, I practiced, but.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: She did. We appreciate it. Thank you.

TYRA PARRISH: Thank you so much. So Nike is a current third year Masters in Public Health student at UC Berkeley School of Public Health. She's concentrating in Maternal and Child Health Nutrition. After graduating from Cornell with her BS in Human Biology Health and Society, she has spent the past five years working in Public Health Nutrition, sorry, in the Public Health Nutrition field as an anti-racist health policy innovator, implementation science researcher, and recovery coach. Her special areas of interest center on eating behaviors around socioecological stress and trauma, and food as medicine reformation? Reformation. Sorry, y'all my stutter is catching up with me right now. An aspiring pediatric dietitian, she aims to transform the nutrition care process of vulnerable BIPOC youth through a health equitable lens that constructs racial- racially international models with treatment settings, offers language for strengths-based trauma-informed feeding approaches and ultimately prioritizes community, inclusivity, sustainability, and healing. So Nike, welcome to our podcast and thank you for sitting with me as I go through those words.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Oh my gosh.

TYRA PARRISH: I know, all that-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Thank you for that. Oh my gosh, thanks for that introduction goodness. It is such an honor to be here thank you for making the space. I think this is a really like powerful thing to be doing as we like uplift each other's voices. so I'm excited to be here.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, I'm so glad to have you here and we're gonna jump into our first question which is actually a check-in question. So what was the last book that you read, what was it about, who was it by and if you could rate it out of 10 what would it be?

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah, so I love this question. I've actually, this summer have been trying to get back into reading. I used to love reading especially when I was younger but, life. But this summer the last thing I read was Summer on the Bluffs. It's a non-fiction novel by- sorry, fiction novel, my bad by Sunny Hostin. And it's kind of just giving tea behind like black wealth and black luxury in Oak Bluffs. And Oak Bluffs is one of the most exclusive black communities- black beach communities in Martha's Vineyard. Which is in like the Northeast, so very juicy. I would probably give it a good eight, eight out of 10.

TYRA PARRISH: Oh, cool.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah it's been nice of a summer read for sure.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, okay cool. And I feel like that's timely because Martha's Vineyard's where people or particularly black people go to during the summer so that's very timely.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah, for sure I've also like- I've always wanted to go to, I guess I kind of wanted to go to Martha's Vineyard, I never got- I've never been able to. For many reasons, because it's expensive. So it felt like I was there just from reading the book and then I think a lot of like black women also in this generation have been trying to lean into like black luxury, in like little but big ways. So I just love like reading about it and just like seeing the drama and the story, the stories behind it. So, recommend for sure.

TYRA PARRISH: Okay, I'll definitely check it out because I've been looking for new books, which is why I really like this question. So I think the last book that I read, I did finish this other book so I'm into like crime like novels or actually mysteries like Sherlock Holmes.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes.

TYRA PARRISH: I just recently read this book, it's called, I think it's called A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Sounds crazy, but it's just about this girl where for a high school project she decides to like investigate a town like murder. Essentially, she found out that the person who was accused of doing it was completely innocent and she actually finds the actual person who did it. But it's like a class capstone project, so it was super cool because I really appreciated one, the book also had images in it so you can kind of follow along with her, but then she also typed like capstone entries so you felt like you were-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: No way.

TYRA PARRISH: Felt like you were investigating with her, and it was super cool.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: That is so cool.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, it was really good, an easy binge read. And that was actually the first book that I've read for fun since high school because college made everything not fun.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Talk about that, talk about that.

TYRA PARRISH: So, yes I think now I'm trying to venture, I'm like okay, I got one now let me ventured into different genres again.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah, that is so cool. Do you feel like, I'm curious is like what inspired you to want to pick a mystery based novel?

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, I feel like I'm always for like even with movies, I enjoy movies and books where I'm kind of confused for like majority of the book, and then at the end-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: It makes you think.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, and everything's like makes sense, and like that just keeps my mind engaged. I'm trying to figure out who did it like or whodunit type of thing and so I feel like I was- I was thinking like if I'm gonna start off with a book, a new book or like a new kind of re-finding my love for books, why not do it- why not find a genre that's close to what I love watching? So-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes.

TYRA PARRISH: So I chose it, yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: That is so exciting I can't wait to hear what genre you explore, you explore next.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, I have the Michelle Obama books. Maybe, Michelle I don't know if Michelle's a genre but Michelle Obama is a vibe.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: We can make it a genre. She should honestly have her own genre.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah. Just Michelle.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Just Michelle, yep.

TYRA PARRISH: Okay, so I'm just gonna jump into the, now the first official question of the podcast. So walk us through your journey into the field of nutrition, was there any defining moments or experience kind of in your life that made you choose nutrition or do you feel like it was more like a collection of experiences and moments that pushed you into the field of nutrition?

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah. this is a great question, I think it helps me in the present, after going through so much already in the space to have some like important reflection. I think I would say that my journey in the field was a collection of experiences and moments for sure. I think my first, first introduction into like food and foodscapes came from like birth. I'm, I am Nigerian American ethnically, so that just exposed me to a very unique plate of different kinds of rich spices and rich foods and just very traditional Nigerian dishes from childhood. I grew up mainly having Nigerian dishes and then, my parents are immigrants and so in trying to assimilate to American culture also having experiences of them trying to like Nigerianize or Americanize, like American dishes. There's one thing my mom used to do, is sometimes she tried to make us spaghetti, like traditional American style spaghetti. And she would make Nigerian stew, which if you've ever had Nigerians do it's extremely spicy. So she's making this Nigerian stew to be the tomato sauce base for the spaghetti and then she mixes it with the spaghetti and so it's like you're supposed to be eating spaghetti-

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Like the American style which is a lot more like potable, not as like heat, you know you don't have as much heat in your mouth. But in her effort to like make it like assimilate, you know to the style, the food styles of America that's something that I experienced a lot. So that was my first introduction into just like understanding my own unique foundation in nutrition. Like my own unique nutrition landscape, and then I also, born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. So that was another very unique experience in a cent- like the center or the epicenter I would say of like black food geography.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: In the South. So,exposed to traditional southern style foods most of my life, mixed in with being Nigerian. And then, when I moved to Seattle and I was a teen, I started going to high school there and that was my first time being in a food geography that was a stark contrast to how I grew up. Like fully. And I think honestly that was probably my first introduction into diet culture. Because I did not grow up on that. At least within my own like southern hub, Nigerian American hub. And I had a hard time understanding it. A lot of my peers in my high school would like eat predominantly solids, you know or just very like very eurocentric style lunches and things that I wasn't used to. So I think it made me like hyper aware of how I stood out, and then also just I was the only black woman, black person in a lot of my classroom spaces so I was having a hard time just like trying to understand this new environment. And then just seeing like a difference, being very stark with diet culture, like my first introduction to diet culture. Unfortunately, I went through a lot of other, I also just you know grew up having to overcome a lot of trials and tribulations in my life. And I don't think I understood how much those things were impacting me, again being Nigerian American, being a child of immigrants, and then also now, when I entered by undergrad, I would be like first generation. So I was also now a first generation college student. I am the youngest and only daughter in my family and so kind of just like kind of feels like you're like the first daughter a little bit-

TYRA PARRISH: Yes.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: At times, and that can be a lot of pressure and expectation. I think I had to grow up really fast very young. And so I was and also again just having overcome a lot of severe trauma as a child, and so I was just trying to do a lot of things. Essentially trying to control a lot of things and manage what I think was like underlying anxiety.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And I think that once I got into college I was- I got into it an Ivy league Institution, and I was working multiple jobs to help with my school, and I was pre-med and again all these other things, and so I think I just got very overwhelmed. And in my effort to like manage that anxiety I started to hyper-focus on food, and I think something that I could control, I thought I could control to fit in and assimilate in these spaces that were triggering my anxiety was like my body. And so I unfortunately went through a really hard time where I developed an eating disorder, you know from like my time- That I've had I think most of my life, but I don't think really manifested fully physically until I got into college. That led me into an even deeper relationship with understanding my connection to my body and then how I interact with food. I went through treatment, was really lucky and privileged to have been able to undergo intensive treatment to help me with my recovery process. And within the treatment space I also was just seeing lack of representation. From the screening process of me being diagnosed with you know my condition, and then also to just the treatment and the intervention and the space. Eating disorders are the number one cause of death for mental disorders- oh sorry the second cause of death for mental health disorders, second only to the opioid overdose.

TYRA PARRISH: Yes.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: A lot of people don't know that. And also a lot of BIPOC and queer folks are likely more, are more likely to be experiencing disorder eating symptoms, but they're half as likely to be asked about it or screened at their, by their by their physician. So I was just seeing a lot of inequities and invisibility I felt like, in the space. So that kind of got me thinking even deeper about what it means to be a black woman, what it means to be a Nigerian American, what it means to be first generation, what it means to be a child of immigrants, trying to understand the relationship with their body and with food.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And trying to bring those things together. I got really interested and once my recovery got better and I you know was able to be more fully recovered, I felt comfortable actually putting myself in the nutrition space more as like an advocate. Especially with movements that were celebrating body, you know body liberation. And initially at the spaces that, the organizations that I was working with on my campus in undergrad, I was really excited, I was like: oh my god like this is important, you know representation is important. And I feel so, I feel much more confident in myself and you know I feel like I can really advocate and support for increasing representation, also encouraging screening and access and all kinds of stuff for other black women who look like me, who struggle with things that I go through but just don't have the language, the support, the access understanding, all kinds of stuff. But even in those spaces there was still a lack of diversity and representation and it felt like the intentionality around how we were trying to really incorp- like bring in marginalized groups was lacking. That got me so frustrated.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And I think, I was trying to think of, think through more ways again to help with like really advocating for marginalized communities who were in the space, who I know were struggling similar to how I struggled. And I thought that was going to be medicine, I came into undergrad being pre-med. I wanted to be a doctor, but that changed. And then thinking through it more after going through my experiences, I think I was leaning more so into like how could I think about like the nutrition-dietetics space as someone who can like provide care. Having the understandings that I have that are intersectional and nuanced. And that got me into- try and understand research. And trying to think through ways that I could use my mind and my experience to help build language and disseminate information about representation and symptoms and just like the uniqueness of it that a lot of communities of color, especially black communities don't have. So all in all, this urgency I would say just kind of like sparked for me. And then that helped me feel more comfortable in placing myself in more nutrition kind of related spaces with organ- partnering with organizations to help just like highlight the intersectionality of it all, and also just speak to the harms that are being done by the lack thereof. And that's kind of what led me to, that's kind of what helped us facilitate most of my career journey, so far.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, so-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: That was a long rant but-

TYRA PARRISH: It wasn't long girl no, it wasn't a rant.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: I hope it made sense.
TYRA PARRISH: It was your story.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: I just want to pause and say just thank you for sharing that, because all of that is particularly just- I know you as a friend, where that's just, one it's super awesome just hearing kind of how you got to where you are in nutrition. This is actually my first time hearing it, so thanks so much for sharing, and I think that it's just amazing that what you're doing is essentially like- I'm trying to find the word, but essentially what you're doing is you are showing up for people who look like you in the space of nutrition. Which is awesome because you were in it yourself and you yourself was talking about how like there's a lack of you and there's a lack of people like you in those spaces, so it's really awesome that where you're at now is like: okay, well now I'm here in this space so that when someone shows up, you know what I mean?

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Absolutely. Thank you for-

TYRA PARRISH: But that's really awesome, and I just want to acknowledge that because that's just just another level of just being present and showing up for folks. nd so thank you so much for for sharing that and bringing just, yeah that's just awesome. that's all I want to say, it's just like you're amazing.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Oh my god, thank you that's so sweet. I appreciate the affirmation.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And the encouragement, I think representation and visibility is so powerful and I think over the years as I've like continued to understand my story, I think I've been like empowered by it.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And I found more strength in it and just like owning it. Which can be hard especially being in the nutrition and dietetics field because that lack of visibility is an ongoing thing in the space

TYRA PARRISH: Right.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: So it can feel even at like, it's an ongoing I think internal, mental battle. So I think it's important it's so important and it's a lot of power in owning your story and hopefully helping others feel connected to it and feel seen. That's all, all that I'm about in the nutrition dietetics space.

TYRA PARRISH: That's amazing.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Thank you.

TYRA PARRISH: Like I wish, I need to find more synonyms for amazing but that's the, that's what I'm, that's the word that's coming out of my spirit.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah. I'm receiving all the love and support.

TYRA PARRISH: Thanks, okay.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Thank you.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, so I'm gonna jump to- well it's, it's actually in connection to what you just shared, but were there any mentors or folks who had showed up for you kind of during that journey as you're kind of getting into the field of nutrition, so were there any folks who provided that guidance and support and how did they contribute to your growth and just development as a leader and advocate in that space?

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah, absolutely. So, again, the whole like within nutrition and dietetics there, it's barely, there's barely in any representation of BIPOC folk, the black folk, a black woman. And I think at the time that I was going through recovery, my recovery journey, like almost five-ish years ago, I didn't see anybody. And I was trying to heal through, unlearn, relearn, learn new ways of self-discovery and understanding of myself and feel empowered, but also struggling to do that because I just felt really isolated and really alone. And I don't even know how I stumbled across this person and her work, but I came across Sonya Renee Taylor's book, The Body is Not an Apology. Which is written by the amazing Sonya Renee Taylor, another phenomenal black woman, who wrote this book talking about the act of radical self-love, as it relates to blackness and fatness. And how as it relates to being big bodied, and reading that during, as I was like, during my recovery period was like super enriching. And I felt like it helped me reconnect with myself in ways that the traditional like treatment that I was getting wasn't really giving me. Just from her words alone, I felt like solidarity. And the way that she talks about it in the book is like, surrendering to the internal war that we have within ourselves. And she talks about radical self-love as being more than like a truce or a ceasefire but like our very existence. And just offering empathy to ourselves, and that was like so beautiful for me to read during my recovery. So that was probably the first I would say like mentor/role model that I saw on my journey. And then as I was trying to understand ways to con- like really amplify language and information and see if there was any research that was being done around this like problem, I came across Sabrina Strings-

TYRA PARRISH: Okay.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Who wrote Fearing the Black Body. And she actually was a Berkeley Alum herself.

TYRA PARRISH: Go girl.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And yeah, exactly. And again speaking to the racial, the racism you know the racist foundings in nutrition and dietetics as it relates to BMI and anthropometric measurements that are used, that were created and are still being used to measure body size, but were created by elite European white Americans to inferiortize African, black features. So from our faces and our bodies, and she talks about how there's been a history and an ongoing legacy of white preference towards slimness and aversion to fatness, again through inferiorizing Blackness. So I was like wow, this is this is literally what I'm trying to say, and what I have been feeling and struggling with and seeing, since my move to Seattle, in being introduced to diet culture.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Since you know going, being in college and being in a you know an Ivy League institution, where are again very much like a minority. And then going through treatment as someone who has an eating disorder and again, just being really invisible and not properly represented. So I just felt so seen by all of these instrumental black women who were speaking and voicing and putting words behind the issues that I had endured, and the issues that many black people, black women, black adolescent girls are still struggling with. So I think those are definitely like the two role models that I saw that just affirmed, affirmed the vision and the mission that I think was being created for me earlier on in my career.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah And I think that sometimes you just need that voice so you just feel like it's not just me. There's other people who are going through this, and then actually like what I'm feeling is not because there's something wrong with me. It's because of all these outside things. But if you didn't, if you don't know that then it's very valid to feel like it's like a you like individual like experience so.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Absolutely, yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: I mean those two women sound dope, and the fact that you found them both is like wonderful. And the way you describe both books I'm like hold o,n let me read that like radical self love-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Highly encourage everyone, yes.

TYRA PARRISH: Awesome.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Absolutely.

TYRA PARRISH: And freeing. Very freeing.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Mmhmm.

TYRA PARRISH: Connecting the art with yourself, is-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes.

TYRA PARRISH: it's always needed to be-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Absolutely

TYRA PARRISH: Kind and loving to yourself, but-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes.

TYRA PARRISH: I think it's another thing, like when you're reading it and like you're internally affirming that to yourself, which is awesome.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: For sure.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, so I'm gonna jump to the next question which is still connected, actually all these are connected and I'm here for it. How do you stay grounded in your community as you navigate through nutrition. So you kind of touched on it about how you've kind of had these different moments and experiences where like, where you're saying kind of- no not kind of, you're staying connected with your community as you're moving through this. And so like this question is more tailored towards maybe now or recently, of how you've stayed grounded as you're now working through and finishing your MPH, and also were there moments where you felt kind of challenged in that staying ground in your community, and then how did you grow from that?

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes. Another great question. Being, I think once- I don't you know I don't think I realized just how further isolating it would be to stay in the nutrition dietetic world earlier on, beyond just what I was seeing from the treatment intervention space and then like experiences trying to be like, be an advocate, be in the advocacy part of nutrition. And then I had to do a lot of my own digging to find that community. So that way I wasn't feeling alone or further gaslit. I wasn't gaslighting myself or being gaslit by the predominant mainstream culture that I was around me. And so I think it was probably during 2020, the heat of 2020, when a lot more voices, black voices were being uplifted and respected, that I came across other dope amazing BIPOC leaders who have been preaching the same things. And that has that has been extremely, that was extremely validating and affirming.

TYRA PARRISH: Hi guys, this is Tyra Parrish, your host for this episode and we have reached the end of part one of this conversation with this amazing speaker. Don't click out yet, because part two of this conversation has already been posted, so go ahead and click over to the next page, and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and Spotify page.

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Part 2: Do the Change with Nike Omomukuyo

TYRA PARRISH: Hey y'all! Welcome to part two of our conversation with our amazing speaker on the Do the Change podcast. We're going to hop right back into the conversation. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, Spotify page, and follow us on Instagram @dothechangepodcast.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And then also I came across Diversify Dietetics, which is a phenomenal black, it's a phenomenal BIPOC organized, facilitated, led, ran organization of RD's, other registered dietitians and nutrition professionals in the space that are dedicated to increasing the advancement and the representation of other BIPOC nutrition professionals in the space. They offer many resources that are harder to find for us including network, training opportunities, funding, so that was also extremely helpful for me just to see more people that look like me and other people who were being intentional like really being intentional about making sure that we were eradicating the issues of representation and then also support and visibility. Those have been crucial for me to stay grounded within the ongoing navigation of the field and then also just like finding like-minded people here and there who have been like saving graces for me to like run through my thoughts or they already have the same thoughts and that's always really nice when you're in the same space. Like one of my good girlfriends now, I met at Berkeley and she, we literally went through the same journey of life

TYRA PARRISH: Oh, that's awesome.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And it was so crazy that we like somehow connected at Berkeley and we both also were going through like the dietetic program, and trying to complete all of our requirements together. So I think that's also been a really great support system. But a lot of that I have to like search for you know, because it doesn't come easy in the space.

TYRA PARRISH: Right.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And that's been helpful as I've been challenged in many ways by these systems and institutions that really do gaslight you, a lot. So, so grateful for them.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, the gaslighting is real. It's-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: It's real. But, like you said having those resources kind of helps you like clear the fog and all that of like, yeah that's what you're telling me, like this is how it's supposed to be but I have all these outside resources in addition to myself telling me like this is not feeling right, and = you guys could do better.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah. Exactly, exactly.

TYRA PARRISH: So, we had shared earlier that you are starting your third year at UC Berkeley and wrapping up your MPH with the concentration in Maternal Child Health Nutrition and you're also, you've already also completed your didactic- is that how you say it? Didactic?

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: Program in dietetics so one, can you describe what that program is for folks this may be their first time hearing like the didactic program?

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, and so how is it connected to your MPH and then also like? Yeah, yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah, so I thought through, I was trying to think through ways of describing this without sounding like so mad.

TYRA PARRISH: Oh.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And then also making it more confusing just because so many frustrations-

TYRA PARRISH: Yes.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Within this field, but one of them definitely is just like the career pathway itself so the DPD or the didactic program like you mentioned is one of the two routes to getting to becoming a dietitian so, there's the didactic program where you complete an internship after you complete the course requirements. And then there's a coordinated program which is you completing your internship while you're simultaneously also completing your course requirements. So what I ended up having to do, because it wasn't until after I graduated from my undergrad and years after before I entered my grad program that I was like: oh I think actually being a registered dietitian would be a perfect fit for me. So because of that I ended up doing the DPD dietetic program. And so how that occurs is, you have to complete a set of coursework from an ACEND credit- ACEND certified institution. So ACEND is like the Council for Education Nutrition and Dietetics under the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. And so they make sure that all your, you know, the- wherever your institution that you're completing your courses, that you're completing your courses at are like certified under them. And so you complete your courses and those classes include like core stem classes, the biochemistry, the Orgo, physics, all those things and then on top of that the critical courses are, for nutrition in particular, would be like human metabolism, food sciences, medical nutrition therapy, nutrition counseling, and then food systems management.

TYRA PARRISH: Mmhmm.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Those classes are hard. So you complete all those classes, and then once you complete them you get a verification form from your institution that says that you've completed the requirements. Like the initial DPD requirements and that allows you to then apply for a dietetic internship, which is another process. So the application process for the internship is extremely competitive and you essentially have to rank your like top five choices and hope that you're matched. So it kind of feels a little similar to like med school a little bit. And then once you get matched, fingers crossed you can get matched, then you complete a 10 to 12 month internship where you're rotating through supervised practice, fulfilling the major competencies created by the academy. So principles of dietetics, nutrition care for individuals and groups, management of food nutrition programs, and food service systems. So that's about a year. Mind you, this internship is unpaid. IT's unpaid-

TYRA PARRISH: Oh lord, have mercy.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And you also have to pay for it. You also have to pay for the internship. So you're probably like all these red flags, like Nike why are you, why are you in this, why are you doing this? But just barriers that have to be overcome.

TYRA PARRISH: Yes.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And they're just even further to overcome for those who already don't have the resources which are generally BIPOC.

TYRA PARRISH: Right.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah, the most marginalized communities. So you complete your year's unpaid internship, and then once you finally complete the internship, then you can finally sit for the RD exam and that is like the bar exam for dietetics. So after you take the exam, and if you pass, that is when you can get your credentials. That's when you can get your letters. But it's just about a three years worth process, which is really only afforded to those who have financial stability, generational wealth, family support, funding opportunities, can afford to not work for a year, can afford to pay for the internship while also not working for a year. So it's just a lot of gatekeeping that happens already in the space, just like the career pathway space. So that was the route that I took. And through Berkeley it was an untraditional one because again, I didn't decide to pursue dietetics fully until after I graduated from my undergrad. And so what happened was I matriculated into the MPH program at Berkeley into the Public Health Nutrition program. That is not a DPD program, that's just the concentration at UC- at the public health school. But they knew that I wanted to like get my dietetic credentials, I was working towards that. So the Berkeley undergrad system has an ACEND credited DPD program, so I was able to enroll in that part fully and then still be a full-time grad student, which was impossible to do because you're essentially completing two years worth, you know of DPD intense classes within, it ended up being a year for me. And so that was kind of my untraditional process, I'll leave it there.

TYRA PARRISH: But you did that like-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes.

TYRA PARRISH: I just have to affirm, but you did that.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: Even though-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes.

TYRA PARRISH: You would think, maybe Berkeley can do a little bit better on that of why don't y'all just have that built into the grad program as well, that's a little mm, to me, but.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: For sure, yeah

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, that's a little weird, but-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Absolutely. So what I didn't include because I didn't want to like make this all about this whole problem-

TYRA PARRISH: Girl, no it's your time.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Just to emphasize how stressful a process it is, if it wasn't already clear,

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: But actually, beginning this year, the academy has now required all incoming dietitians to have a
Master's degree before they can do their internships.

TYRA PARRISH: Oh my god.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: And so, for me I was very some, like lucky I don't even want to say that. I was kind of lucky because I was already in my, I'm already in an MPH master's program, and I just got, I just wanted to do my DPD through the undergrad. But this was the last year that Berkeley undergrad is offering the DPD, because now they're transitioning fully into a master's program, that will be a coordinated program where you can get your master's degree, because that's required now and then also complete your dietetics requirement. So the coursework and the internship will be built into the Master's curriculum. So that is a part of one of the like new and like the biggest initiatives that's happening in with the nutrition dietetics space. And so, yes it will be more effective right because then you'll have

TYRA PARRISH: Yes.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Both things all happening at one time, but also makes it harder because a master's program is more expensive, there's less funding, on top of just not having the resources to get there, it already being very exclusionary. So, pros and then also lots of cons.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, so they basically-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: I know.

TYRA PARRISH: Girl, you have every right to be frustrated because they basically just made a program that you've had to create for yourself, and it just so happened to work. I would even say, you were in the nutrition program at the right time. I think it's more so alignment.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes, absolutely, very much alignment.

TYRA PARRISH: I can't even imagine- very much alignment. Because one year off could be a whole different ball game with what's going on right now. So,

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: Wow.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Girl yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: Jesus.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes, very much a wow moment. So that's why I was like how much do I want to go into this without like really giving away, but being really transparent. I think transparency is also super important.

TYRA PARRISH: Yes.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Being really transparency about just the barriers and the frustrations and limitations that come with the process. For a career that is so important, but also just not as like valued, the way that it should be I would say in the health space. So a lot of a lot of frustrations that have been felt along the journey, a lot of discouragement, a lot of challenges that I've had to be grounded in, which is why I'm so grateful for the network that I founded in the nutrition space and then also just beyond that too so, yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah, and you know what that's a perfect transition. I'm just going to transition straight into tea time with Tyra, because we already kind of talking about this stuff.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: We're- I'm just gonna jump into it, and so kind of on the lines of what we're talking about, and you've shared a little bit in regards to your experience and insight of where the field of nutrition particularly has fallen short-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: And I guess what are some ways in which you are also kind of seeing it be improved? Like you saw Berkeley kind of improved it, but also I can't imagine the mess that it created for students in the past including yourself because you have to work through that as well, but yeah what are some, and you talked about a whole bunch of barriers in regards to BIPOC students getting into the space, so I guess like how do you see that being improved, and also are there other areas that that also should be like brought up and mentioned of like nutrition, like y'all could do a little better and here's how?

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah, there's just there's like so much.

TYRA PARRISH: Kind of where do you start moment.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: But, yeah it's a lot of like where do you start moments. I think that what I'll say is there's been a lot of improvement since my first, since my earlier like career experiences years ago, today, that are happening today with this generation with these cohorts that are speaking to the inequalities and the problems and the barriers and lack of representation in the nutrition space. A lot of us have held the academy accountable very blatantly, unapologetically, and of course when systems, institutions are held accountable you know they get a little scared, get a little shaken up, and they try, they try to put in some effort to do better. So I'll leave it there for things that I've seen that have been, like effort has been kind of put into trying to improve in terms of like resources for students, for dietetic students of color, really trying to make sure that professionals of color, BIPOC are really being supported in the space. But in terms of like conversation around intersectionality with identities that's still not spoken about. You know, in terms of how that impacts you know health, and also ones just like food landscape. I think one of the biggest areas for sure that nutrition is still falling short of is how we look at food and how we look at body and how we look at weight. Society, diet culture, the nutrition dietetics field still tells you that diet, exercise, and willpower you know are all the things that determine your weight, right? But it totally ignores things that we know as public health people, are the core of understanding individuals, which are like those social determinants of health.

TYRA PARRISH: Literally.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: What other things could you think of that influence your weight and your body and how you look and your food? Like genetics, your environment, your sleep cycle, mental health, stress and trauma, financial resources, like race and ethnicity, you're like, what kind of microbiome do you have, your cooking skills, the times you have to cook, medical conditions. There's so much of a like confluence of factors that is totally negated when it comes to understanding you know your food, your food intake, your metabolic health ,and just your weight. And I think that's something that nutrition, the nutrition dietetics needs to do better about communicating. In my core dietetic, DPD classes we aren't talking about those intersectionalities of social determinants of health we're just talking about the superficial, outdated white supremacist measurement tools of BMI, you know which is a scam because it wasn't even made for anyone who wasn't a you know cis white male. A white- a non-white cis-het male. So that's definitely an area that I would say the nutrition field is still falling short of. And just like reducing health to what we, reducing health to only what we eat which is like really harmful and very shallow. And I think also you know when we talk about like obesity, the O word, as we like to call it-

TYRA PARRISH: The O word, yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: We talk about obesity and the epidemic that is obesity, I think it's really turned into very much like a capitalist venture that removes accountability from the systems that are exploiting us, you know. And really put perpetuating ongoing violence, and also I think just, it's a way to scapegoat out of that accountability and put the pressure and the blame on the individual. Which is very much systemic racism and the history of systemic racism, you know. And also just you know I mentioned gaslighting, like that's one of the many ways that we have been gaslit, in you know, in our society in western capitalist eurocentric society, being told that you know, we're still preaching the same rhetoric in the field that- like our body needs to be fixed, when it's the system itself, that needs you know the fixing. And also again, with not thinking about social determinants of health and just the privileges that come with that. You know we all don't have the same roots, you know. So that's- I'm gonna stop there.

TYRA PARRISH: I mean you know what? You know what?

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: I mean the question was like how do you see food as a space of healing, because what you talked about earlier was showing how, like how the conversations particularly in the field of nutrition and dietetics is just not really viewing food as a space of healing, but more so like shaming. The oh, you should know better, or you should- rather than seeing like food as not a bad, like thing.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Totally.

TYRA PARRISH: And, yeah so I guess like what's your take on like food as a space of healing? And then also just to add on to that of talking about, or because this is a full separate thing, but you've been also involved in a lot of like anti-racist like training particularly at Berkeley, and just the some of the movements and programs that are happening at Berkeley so also if you know or if you want to touch on any kind of anti-racist movements within the field of nutrition or just anything kind of similar to that in addition to the first question. But yeah sorry I was like why don't I just double it.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes, yeah. So I guess I'll say like, first off in regards to seeing food as as healing, I want to be sure that I'm not saying like food is medicine because it is not. And it also, cannot expect it to be. I think as much as I have been you know try been involved in reforming how we use food as medicine systems, it's so important to understand that that approach really again, is putting, is like really failing to acknowledge the overall overarching system, you know? That we are living in which impacts our health, you know. It's not just food that will be the key to helping to restore and heal and you know address critical health issues, but really addressing the confluence of social determining health factors that exist in our system. So I'm not saying that, I'm saying that food can still be an- like it's an avenue towards healing. And I say that because so much of how we've seen food is as something to be like restricted, something to be feared, when food is meant to be enjoyed. Like food, I always tell like my clients, food is nourishment. It's not, it doesn't have to be a diet. A lot of people have understandably very negative connotations with the word diet, just because of all the like ramifications that come in it from again, diet culture, white supremacy, BMI, obesity, like the Obesity you know really fear-mongering, weight. So I think that it is super important for us to get back to unlearning how we've defined food or how we've been conditioned to define food and understand food and interact with food through diet culture and through eurocentric frameworks especially as non-white folks. It's really important for us to unlearn that and relearn that our bodies do have innate natural, biological, you know and emotional cues that it gives us to take care of ourselves and nourish ourselves and learning to honor our hunger cues and our cravings so we have a more balanced food interaction. It's not about you know, restriction and cutting out things because that's also ineffective. It isn't about dieting, for sure because that's definitely ineffective it leads to weight cycling which is just another risk factor for hypertension, diabetes, a bunch of other chronic illnesses or metabolic illnesses. But it's really about balance and range and variability, you know? And feeling the freedom and the liberation, trusting that from your body, that you can choose the foods that you actually want to eat and that will probably leave you more satisfied. As opposed to trying to control things, control your food and judging it and ranking it which will make probably make you feel more out of control, because you're spending so much time trying to control, you know what you're eating. I think it's super important for us, especially as like ethnic communities that have stories with food especially with how it's used over the years, especially in like black communities. I think it's really important that we are able to relearn and reconnect with those stories and- There's a really good documentary on Netflix called High on the Hog. I don't know if you've seen it, but I think-

TYRA PARRISH: I love that. I cried.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah. That's another great documentary that just honors, celebrates, reframes black geographies, black food geographies. But part of that healing that can happen with food is just remembering that food can also be community, like food is a love language. Food is how we connect with our ancestors, it's how we worship, and it's it's essential to our you know our livelihoods and you know how we exist. It's essential for our health but it isn't the only part of our health that needs to be taken care of, so that's what I mean by food as healing, as a space of healing.

And then to, speaking about anti-racist movements you know, I would say that the nutrition space is probably like the slowest field this is definitely the slowest field when it comes to incorporating, well first even acknowledging, you know the history of racism and its foundings, but trying to be proactive and not just performative with more like profound ways of fixing those things. So the anti-racist movement is something that's been, I think pretty recent, likely also from the 2020, the heat of 2020 as well. Everyone's trying to jump on board with it, but you know anti-racism is not like DEI, it's not you know another implicit bias training, you know, because those things to me serve to, I think like placate coloniality, you know? And white- and capitalism and white supremacy. Like and all those things fall short because they're still catering to whiteness and like white feelings, it's not you know, a lot of DEI ventures do that, though they are important, but they still mainly do that. And you know, simply just increasing representation and the inclusion of marginalized groups into the same spaces that have been just like recycling toxic, harmful things, you know it's also dangerous. And so to me, anti-racism is a great way to like operationalize equity and be very intentional with how we are shifting, reforming, breaking these old systems and institutions that aren't working. They were never meant to work because they weren't made for us, they were never meant made to work for us they were never made for us, you know to begin with. And I think that in the nutrition space that is going to have to mean, like as a field reckoning with just the like foundation that was created off of white supremacist frameworks, you know from the beginning. So I don't even know like-

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: I don't even know where or how, I feel like that's something that definitely needs to happen like immediately. It's been needing to happen for years, but the nutrition space is still pretty slow. So I have been really glad to be a part of a couple of efforts at Berkeley, you know that are trying to be intentional with incorporating anti-racism within the nutrition space. One way through just like redesigning curriculums and how we teach them. Because those practices are you know not anti-racist, but beyond that I think it's just, it's gonna take, I think it's gonna take a long time for the space to really be as intentional as it needs to be because right now it's it's very much dragging, dragging its feet.

TYRA PARRISH: Wow. That breaks my heart a little bit, actually a lot a bit. But I appreciate you being honest about how like it's slow, and it could do better and that, that doing better doesn't just look like: oh let me just do the bare minimum just to like get y'all off my case. Like it's-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: The full 100 percent commitment to one, acknowledging that something is rotten to the core because if something is racist at its core and you don't acknowledge that, you're-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes.

TYRA PARRISH: You're trying to build maybe programs that mean well on a foundation that's rotten.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: So it's really you know, it's not going to be as great as it could be. And I think it's acknowledging that it's rotten is like,

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: It's broken.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah and it's arguably the most important part. Like if you acknowledge like where this field went wrong in its full entirety and honesty, then you can really think about how to fix it. But if you're like la la la, like we'll just whatever-

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah, we'll just cherry pick you know a little page on our, on our website to say that we stand in solidarity with X community but we're not going to do anything else beyond that you know and that's all harmful, you know that's all, I feel like anti-racism is, and you know all the other abolitionists, like more so-centered movements are always of, really assuring we have full harm reduction like within the health space, healthcare space, public health space, medical space, like all spaces. And I just think that like again, like the foundation that the field was built on was one that was already flawed and so it will take a lot of, it will take a lot more work and effort and energy on top of what has already been you know spent by many of us already, you know trying to advocate for the change to get them to like throw it all away and start from scratch with foundations that you know have evidence you know, evidence-based, I'm not a fan of saying that, but you know evidence-based you know support behind them and things that a lot of us have been you know preaching and saying and suggesting and you know in those same trainings like you know, we've been giving this feedback for years. But it's not really being heard, you know and valued. So, part of my ongoing, you know, mission in the space as well.

TYRA PARRISH: Well I'm so sad that we're gonna have to come to a close of today's conversation. But I just want to thank you one, for being here for being present and one, for walking us through just a sliver of what the nutrition field is, because I feel like most people are familiar with nutrition like the concept of it, but I think the field is a whole nother like ball game. So I appreciate you coming here, being honest about your process into the field, where Berkeley can do a little bit better with that program because that's still crazy to me.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah.

TYRA PARRISH: But before we close, I do want to end on some questions about self-care and any closing thoughts or advice you have for folks who are listening. So the first question/affirmation, because of course I had to is that if y'all don't know if y'all can tell from this conversation, Nike is a very gentle, kind, and a very intentional person in spirit and so I was just wondering if you could share a bit about your own journey with like self-care and how you've kind of implemented that into your life?

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah, thank you for making space to have that after a very you know, woo, Jesus.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: As much, yeah it's it's a whole other thing to really you know talk about and unpack the field itself. So lots of self-caring is something I've been trying to prioritize along my journey, I think that, you know I mentioned at the beginning that you know, I really struggled with trying to balance too many things at once. And I think that a lot of what I struggled with at the end of the day was anxiety, understandably. And so a part of my ongoing like healing is unlearning perfectionism and productivity and the hustle grind culture that makes up a lot of, unfortunately what I think we as um high achieving, ambitious black women pursue. Which is phenomenal, and I think we have to be honest about how that can be detrimental to our you know mental health. As a Capricorn that can also be very hard, so over the years I've done a lot of, I've been able to have more, make more intentional time for self-discovery and seeing how important creativity is for me and having creative outlets. I love to be able to express myself and whether that's through the spaces that I take up you know, feeling liberties to really curate and design spaces, the spaces that I live, designing looks, outfits. I love clothes, and I love fashion, I love creating my own style so that's something that I've recognized as another creative outlet for me to express myself. Feeling the liberty to do that as well through how I take in art. I'm a big fan of artwork and paintings. I've tried to like, get into you know, doing some painting-

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: As well, because that can be very liberating. Just like another way of, I think using my hands to really curate, design, and make something. So I've been leaning into like the imagination and like the curiosity of letting my mind wander and create. So that's been really fun and that's been a really great way for me to self-care, and then I also love community. Community is something that's super sacred to me. And so being in community with others is also very healing for my spirit. I'm a very empathic person, so having to learn ways to set boundaries at times if necessary and also being sure that I am, you know, being intentional with being a being in good company. Having a good time and just like enjoying a good laugh.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yeah. And also being outside, I would say being outside it's another great way as well.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah. Especially like now the weather in the bay is pretty nice.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes. So grateful.

TYRA PARRISH: Need to enjoy it before it gets cold and rainy.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Oh my gosh.

TYRA PARRISH: Girl.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Try not to think about it.

TYRA PARRISH: Yeah. We gotta just be present, like you said, just be present and enjoy. You got me thinking about the future and just like no be present.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Yes, enjoy the sun.

TYRA PARRISH: Literally, yeah. But yeah so I just want to one, thank you for being here and thank you again for just bestowing some wisdom and light on this podcast. And yeah, I just want to tell my listeners thank you so much for listening, and yeah. Stay tuned for the next episode.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Thank you, thanks for having mem take care.

TYRA PARRISH: Bye.

ADENIKE OMOMUKUYO: Bye.