my story

Growing up in the kitchen, cooking Persian dishes with my mom and grandma and watching the Barefoot Contessa on repeat, inspired my love for food and desire to share my cultural traditions with others. 

Fast-forward to senior year of high school, I struggled with orthorexia nervosa aka an unhealthy, consuming obsession with perfect “healthy” eating aka disordered eating. My relationship with food and eating heavily evolved during college and continued to evolve during the pandemic. In the years filled with uncertainty and change, I gradually began my process of unlearning and relearning - trading in “unhealthy controls” for “healthy controls,” throwing out food rules for food freedom and reigniting the connection to my inner wisdom. As I’m healing my relationship with food, I am realizing how the diet/wellness culture perpetuated by society has instilled a deep fear of food in so many Gen Z girls like me.

My lived experiences are a testament to the fact that our health encompasses not only physical health but also mental and spiritual health. These pillars of health are deeply connected with one another and they work synergistically to make us who we are. By engaging spirituality, we are simultaneously strengthening our mind and body. Focusing on my mental and spiritual health helped me trust my intuition, the inner wisdom that provides us guidance. Surrendering to a higher power of my own understanding enables me to see beyond the limits of fear, expand my perceptions, and find safety. It provides me relief and relaxation knowing that I am taken care of.

I decided to pursue a career in nutrition to help people develop a fulfilling and dynamic relationship between themselves and food by unlearning and relearning, quieting the external noise (read: diet culture, food rules) and reclaiming confidence around food. My food philosophy is simple - food is meant to be enjoyed. It should bring us joy, pleasure, and satisfaction. But, the truth is, the act of eating has become overly complicated for so many of us. For something that is so innate and seemingly simple, I am amazed by how confusing it has become for us to decide what we want to eat. It shouldn’t come to much of a surprise considering the never-ending stream of the latest health and wellness fads, prevalence of nutrition information and misinformation on social media, the vilification of food groups, and the ‘thin-ideal’ perpetuated by our culture. I believe we’ve lost touch with what really matters - food being a source of nourishment and an opportunity to pause and connect with others.  It’s my goal to make nourishing eating approachable and to bring pleasure back to eating.

On my blog, I share plant-forward recipes with elevated flavors. You won’t find foods being labeled as clean, good, bad, or guilt-free. Instead, you’ll learn how all foods can be part of a gratifying lifestyle. I also bring light to challenging subjects like anxiety and mental wellbeing, relationships, spirituality, and inner work in an attempt to normalize these experiences. In this space, I’m here to help you nourish your body and soul and support the cultivation of a peaceful relationship with food, your body, and your mind. 

It’s time to reconnect, to cultivate special connections with and through food, and time to show yourself some love.

xx, Sydney

Sydney is a Registered Dietitian based out of New York City. She received her undergraduate degree in Human Health and Nutrition Science from Emory University. She has her Master’s degree in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Teachers College, Columbia University and completed her clinical dietetic internship at New York Presbyterian Hospital.