More About Iyamide Olukoshi

Early experience with food and health

Luckily, I was raised in a globally-mobile household that encouraged trying new foods from around the world, being outdoors and active, and listening to my hunger cues at a very young age. I was also taught how the excessive consumption of certain foods and beverages could affect my health, and how moderation is essential to leading a balanced lifestyle. My experiences growing up in varied cultures and eating different types of food taught me that there is no inherently “good” food or “bad” food as such. Oftentimes, what  affects us most is whether food is either properly or poorly prepared, consumed in the right or wrong quantities, and eaten at the right or wrong times.

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Credentials and Experience

I went to Carleton College where I earned my degree in Chemistry (I have always been a science nerd!) and French, with a focus on pre-health studies. However, during my undergraduate time, I frequently went to Senegal for internships and saw how simple prevention, aka public health, could solve many problems. My love for public health was born and I later pursued my first Master's in Public Health at Boston University, with a focus on Maternal and Child Health. To say I learned a lot from the program is an understatement, but the most valuable thing the Master's brought me was the relationship between Public Health and Nutrition. I performed my practicum in Uganda and got to see firsthand the intersection between public health and nutrition.  

 

My work in Uganda as a lead health educator with pregnant women and children made me more aware of the high prevalence of malnutrition on account of wrong food choices and combinations. Community members usually did not know which local foods they should eat or feed their children and in what combinations because the nurses they depended on for advice were themselves lacking in nutrition knowledge. Furthermore, culturally-competent nutrition counseling that fits local contexts was lacking and there was an excessive dependence on foreign food pyramids for guidance. 

 

The experience I built up in Uganda further entrenched my love for public health and made me seek another Master's in Nutrition, along with coursework in Dietetics, to fulfill my goal of helping people, on a community and individual level, reach their health and nutrition goals.  I completed my Master's in Nutrition Science, specializing in  Food Policy and Applied Nutrition, in 2016. I obtained my Dietetics certificate in 2018. In 2019, I completed my Dietetic Internship and passed my exam to become a Registered Dietitian. 

 

Philosophy

Whether you’re seeking help with weight loss, looking for delicious and nutritious recipes, sports nutrition, or professional guidance for disease prevention or are looking to address a specific health issue, each of my clients is individually evaluated and provided with a well-researched and comprehensive plan they can follow for the rest of their lives. 

 

I do not believe achieving optimal health and good nutrition should be a miserable experience. I also do not believe that it should involve cutting out entire food groups from your meals; you can still have your chocolate! Rather, I believe in optimizing health and wellness through learning to enjoy foods and learning to listen to your body so that you know how to nourish it well. I offer realistic, culturally relevant, and applicable solutions that will help each person reach their health goals in an enjoyable way.

 

Are you ready? Let's do this!