Vegan Action
Katya Galbis, LD
INCREASING THE ACCESSIBILITY OF NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION IN THE SPANISH-SPEAKING COMMUNITY
By Nadely Requena
Katya Galbis is a vegan dietitian and creator of the Veggisma blog. She constantly works to educate Spanish-speaking people on plant-based diets. She has collaborated with multiple organizations, such as The Center for Nutrition Studies (CMS), The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), and The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG), to create recipes, teach nutritional cooking classes, and do translation work to make nutritional information more accessible.
Growing up in Mexico, she vividly recalls there were always animals at her home, and she often assisted her father at his dog shelter. Galbis' love for animals developed at a young age and only continued as she grew older, eventually inspiring her to pursue a bachelor's degree in nutrition science in Mexico.
Her journey towards vegetarianism, and eventually veganism, began when her father invited her to speak on his radio station program called Huellas, La Coz de los Animales, translated as The Voice of the Animals. While answering questions from callers about alternative diets, Galbis quickly realized people were genuinely interested in learning more. In 2011, she decided to create the Veggisima blog in hopes of breaking the language barrier of Spanish-speaking people and increasing their accessibility to nutritional information in Spanish.
"We've been taught how to do things... and we are so used to traditions. We are so accustomed to how (our parents) have done things, so changing those habits is very hard," Galbis said.
She has found that, even though they might really want to change their diet, people come to her resources with fear. Often, individuals place barriers on themselves. Through her dietitian experience and while working with patients, Galbis learned the mind is stubborn. After more than a decade of sharing recipes, food, experiences, lifestyle tips, and nutritional information on her website and social media platforms, Galbis's advocacy has shined a more positive light on plant-based diets and living.
In the end, her purpose as a dietitian and blog creator, is to "help people (with their diets) instead of shaming them... for possibly not being educated." Galbis is ready and willing to provide the support they need. She lives in Florida.
Blog: www.veggisima.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/katyagalbis
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Veggisima
Instagram: www.instagram.com/veggisima
