She’s founded a patient-centered nutrition practice, shared insights and recipes on shows like Good Morning America and Today, and inspired hundreds of thousands of viewers to take their health into their own hands.
Maya Feller, a registered dietitian, is making wellness inclusive and accessible for all. By understanding how our backgrounds, locations, and daily lives shape our health, she is changing how we look at nutrition.
Finding Her Purpose
Feller first learned how important personalized nutrition was while training for a marathon.
“My running partner ended up in the hospital twice. The first time, she was over-hydrated. Then, she was under-hydrated. I researched running nutrition and found an entire field dedicated to it. I decided to become a dietitian and fell in love with nutrition science,” said Feller. “When I started working in the community, I felt such a sense of purpose. I decided to focus on inclusive nutrition. No community deserves to be left out of the wellness conversation.”
She turned this dream into a reality by opening a practice to help people of all backgrounds manage or revert chronic conditions. Feller considers social determinants of health in her day-to-day work with patients.
“Wellness looks different for everyone. Everything from your zip code to education and finances impacts the ability to live your best life,” said Feller. “Wellness doesn’t mean free from disease. If you have a chronic condition, wellness means managing it well.”
Providing Inclusive Nutrition
Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) is at the core of Feller’s practice. These evidence-based protocols help people manage conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, two leading causes of kidney disease. In some cases, MNT involves medication and lifestyle changes like exercising more.
Lifestyle changes can be hard enough, but for some, they may feel insurmountable.
“If you don’t have access to affordable, nourishing foods, you may have to rely on items with excess added sugar, salt, and fat. These items can increase chronic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If you’re tired from working multiple jobs, what can you put on the table that is easy, affordable, and nutritious?” Feller asked, “How do we work in that framework to put food on the plate that supports metabolic health?”
The answer to this difficult question is getting creative and starting small.
Foods That Help Lower Inflammation
Inspired to improve your own health and wellness? Feller has three core tips to get started: rest, hydrate, and add more plant-based foods to your diet.
1. Focus on rest: Rest involves more than just sleep. It means prioritizing your emotional well-being and finding activities that fill your cup, whether that is a hobby, light movement, or meditation.
2. Hydrate properly: Everyone’s hydration needs are different based on age, climate, and exercise. Be mindful of sugar-sweetened beverages and focus on clean hydration that supports your body’s systems.
3. Eat more plant-based foods: Lean into fiber and nutrient-rich foods that are recognizable, enjoyable, and accessible to you. Think about eating the rainbow with berries, nuts, seeds, or grains like wild rice and quinoa.
Conclusion
To learn more about this topic, click here to read the full article at Black Health Matters.
If you’re ready to put inclusive wellness into practice, The Difference App can help you turn those intentions into daily habits. Managing your health is a deeply personal journey, and The Difference App gives you the tools to do it on your own terms. By tracking your nutrition, physical activity, and weight in real-time, the app helps you stay consistent with the small, manageable lifestyle changes that fit your unique background, budget, and everyday life. With its unique ability to predict daily weight changes, The Difference App takes the guesswork out of your progress, so you can see exactly how your choices are making a difference.