Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Jinez.
Christina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have several roles. I’m a Nutritionist first & foremost, a lactation educator/ International Board Certified Lactation Consultant mentee, & an American College of Sports Medicine Personal Trainer student. Health has been of interest to me since I was old enough to know that there was a correlation between the nutrients we put in (or don’t put in) our bodies & what our bodies give us in return. I’d say this was around 11 years old. As a child, I grew up with a dad, brother, & sister who were always sick. My sister had cancer & then lupus shortly after, my brother also had lupus, & my dad was injured so badly he ended up paralyzed. They each had very different struggles, but specific nutrients played a vital role in keeping them out of the hospital.
This peaked my interest. How could potassium be toxic for my sister, but healthy for the majority of the population? I had several questions like this. When I had my children I had even more questions, so I decided to go to Texas Women’s University to pursue a BS in Nutrition with an emphasis in Dietetics & my degree is now proudly displayed on my living room wall.
As a student at Texas Woman’s University, I was on occasion assigned to give nutrition presentations to different groups of people. Some were elementary parents others were university students. Now… I’ll say this. My first presentation freshman year felt like a total failure. It was my first time speaking in front of a large group of people and while I studied the material & felt prepared, I was still very nervous & boy did it show! I had sweaty hands, red face, shaky voice. The works! To make matters worse, one of my professors unexpectedly showed up to critique someone in a senior level class who had also decided to speak at the same workshop. Talk about pressure! Haha! It probably wasn’t the prettiest sight, but the more I got up in front of different classes & big crowds to speak the better I got!
Finally, during my senior year, I was assigned a few more off-campus presentations. This time around people seemed even more interested & were approaching me after the presentations asking if I was accepting appointments! In my eyes… there was (& is) no better compliment. After much practice & of course study, I had finally become comfortable speaking at events & was doing a good job getting the message across.
People I’d never even met before started approaching me at random places saying how they’d enjoyed my presentations & wanted to know if we could get together to talk nutrition. I wasn’t set up for taking on clients at the time, so I decided to put together a few meal plans, began creating recipes, blogging, taking pictures of my healthy food creations, worked on creating the necessary health assessment & client readiness forms, & started Dallas Nutrition Consulting.
Today I enjoy helping people better their health through food & nutrition & I enjoy helping them make better food decisions! I love food, knowing the science behind what makes it good (or bad), & teaching about it. I’m talking about the stuff we all love while helping people heal themselves through food before reaching a point where they have to get on medications. What could be better than feeling your best & never having to fork out the big bucks to pay for prescriptions & other medical costs?
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’d have to say the toughest part about owning your own business is finding enough time to do all the things you need to do. There’s a lot that goes into owning a business especially one that’s health-related because on top of doing the regular business stuff & taking care of clients you’ll have to continuously study & stay up-to-date on the latest science-based nutrition research. Science is constantly evolving & new things are constantly being learned, so it’s important to know the latest information in order to keep clients well informed & in the best health possible.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Dallas Nutrition Consulting – what should we know?
Dallas Nutrition Consulting offers customized meal plans, coaching, healthful cooking tips, recipes, nutrition education, healthy product recommendations, & guidance for weight loss. Our goal is to empower you with the knowledge & tools most valuable to your unique success.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The ability to make people feel comfortable enough to open up & discuss current health state & concerns. People have to feel comfortable telling you their issues. Building trust is of utmost importance. Only then can the client move forward onto the path of better health & success.
Pricing:
- 1st Time Client/ Initial Consultation (1-hr) $45
- Regular Clients – visit as needed (45 minutes) $30
- Healthy Shopping Grocery Tours (1-hr) $25
- Kitchen Revamp & Nutrition Consultation (90 min) $60
- Food Photography ($10 per picture) $20/ hr
- Healthy Cooking Lesson (1-hr) $40
- Meal Plans $20
- Meal Planning & Meal Prepping Class (1-hr) $45
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dallasnutrition-dnc.com
- Phone: 469-888-1747
- Email: cjinez@dallasnutrition-dnc.com
- Instagram: christina_thegreena
- Facebook: @DallasNutritionConsulting
Image Credit:
Brandi Mata Johnson Kindred Photographer, Calliope Esparza
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